P e k i n g / G a r d e n G r o v e (idea) - In the run-up of the 2008 Olympic Games, the rulers of the People's Republic of China try to eliminate Christian activities. In the past three months, more than 100 foreign missionaries have been expelled. As to reports by Christian News Agency Assist (Garden Grove/Kalifornien), it is the biggest expulsion in the last 50 years.

In 1954, the communist Government had expelled everybody being religiously active in the country. As to Assist, the present Government has initiated a downright "expulsion campaign" under the assumed name of "Typhoon No 5". This affects missionaries from the US, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia and Israel. They have been reproached with illegal religious acitivites. As to the report, some of these missionaries are not permitted to re-enter the People's Republic during the next five years.

Two House Church Leaders Sentenced To Serve time At Re-education Camps.
Meanwhile, two house church leaders of east Chinese Shandong province were sentenced to serve one year each at re-education camps. On June 29, a People's Court of the city of Heze sentenced Zhang Geming and Sun Qingwen because of illegal church services, among others, as reports China Aid Association CAA (Midland/Texas). Four more local house church leaders were arrrested together with them on June 15 during a church service. They were being released July 1st on bail for € 1000,00 each (some US$ 1200). As to official reports, there are some 130 million Christians living among 1.3 billion inhabitants in China. Most of them gather in house churches that are not recognized by the Government because they don't want to submit to state controle.

Abuse And Torture Are At The Order Of The Day
One year prior to the Olympic Games, International Society For Human Rights (ISHR/Frankfurt/Germany) assessed the situation for human rights as being dramatic. Abuse, torture and tormenting of human rights campaigners and lawyers are at the order of the day. The society takes blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng as an example, who in the city of Linyi in the south of the Shandong province was leading a campaign against enforced abortions and sterilizations. He had been brutally beaten at the local prison at the commands of prison guards.

up