8/05/2006

Three More Christian Leaders Arrested After Church Demolition in Zhejiang
Urgent Appeal From Xiaoshan Churches

MIDLAND, Texas, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- China Aid Association learned that 3 more Christian leaders from Xiaoshan district were arrested on August 3, 47 are still in jail. The three leaders are brother Ni Huiming(45-year-old), sister Shen Zhuke (52-year-old), and brother Shen Jian(48-year-old), The local authority is threatening to force all Christian companies to pay heavy fine for their support of church building which was destroyed on July 29.

One Christian lady sister Wang Aizhen from Kanshan town, Xiaoshgan district was severely beaten by the anti-riot police on July 29 and one of her chest bones was broken and she is still being hospitalized.

Telephone numbers of the leaders in charge of the departments involved in the persecution in Xiaoshan: The deputy Public Security Bureau head: Xuan Zhuolin: +86-138-0575-2568 (he is in charge of almost all the previous persecution events in past years) The head of United Front Department: Qiu Youlai +86- 139-5716-5666 The head of Religious Bureau: Lan Xiaohua (female) +86-139-6710-5506 Xiaoshan City Government office: +86--571-8289- 8210

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China 2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008 http://www.china-embassy.org/ TEL: 202-7456743 Fax: 202- 588-0032 ; 202-7457473 Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512

Urgent Appeal from Xiaoshan Churches Pray for the rescue of the missing brothers and sisters who were arrested in the July 29th incident in Xiaoshan.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, July 29th, 2006, the local government employed several thousand military police to demolish the Dangshan church building in Xiaoshan， Zhejiang. More than 60 brothers and sisters were arrested in the conflict. We were informed that some brothers and sisters were seriously injured when they were caught, and some have lost contact with their family members who do not know where to send money or clothing to help them. The lives of some Christians might be in danger and their family members were greatly worried.

Dangshan church was originally built in 1921, in an area of 5 Mu (3333 square meters). After the 1949 liberation the government occupied the property and used it as a hospital. The church has requested the government reimburse them for the land they confiscated in past years, but the government denied the request. As a result, the Christians in Danshan could not meet.

The church has no other choice but to build the sanctuary on a Christian brother’s land. The relative government department suggested that they wait 7 days and they would be given a suitable place to build their church or if they wanted the church could still be built on the original land.

But after 7 days the government did not give permission to build on any of the land that the Christians suggested. The believers felt they had been cheated and they resumed building the sanctuary on the original land.

The Christians had never expected the local government to send several hundred trucks, 4 excavators, and thousands of military policemen to destroy the church on July 29th, 2006. Some Christians were injured, over 60 were arrested in the conflict, and more than 50 are still in the prison.

To this day the government has not provided any legal charges for their imprisonment. What has worried us most is that some Christians disappeared after the conflict. Some are young students that can not be found in either the detention or custody centers. According to reliable sources some may have been beaten to death. If that is true, the government can cover up their actions by destroying the corpses. Their family members are greatly worried.

In the Old Testament, Esther, Mordecai, and all the Jews fasted and prayed to God when they were in danger. In the New Testament, when Apostle Peter was arrested, all the church prayed hard for him.

Now our brothers and sisters in Xiaoshan are in danger. We appeal to you to fast and pray for their lives until they are free. We also appeal to the government to release them.

We request that the government release our brothers and sisters in prison.

We request that the government provide them emergency medical treatment

We request that the government hand over the missing Christians.

We protest to the Xiaoshan government for breaking their promise, the illegal act of destroying the church, and persecuting Christians.

Xiaoshan Brothers and Sisters August 2, 2006

Issued by China Aid Association Inc. on August 4, 2006 © China Aid Association, Inc.

Photo: Church in China bulldozed by four bulldozers on July 29, 2006