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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our headline areas this month are Thailand and Myanmar.
The political situation in this part of the world has both of these nations linked in ways that have seen a door
opened for some to receive the Truth. The relatively stable government of Thailand provides refuge for many
of the ethnic minorities that spill over the border from Myanmar because of the repression of the military
based government. While in the last decade the Myanmar government has been “liberalised” under the
pressure of economic sanctions we have seen the continuation of mass “ethnic cleansing” particularly in
recent times against the Muslim Rohingya people in the north west. For many years on the eastern side of
the country refugee camps have been established in Thailand to house and manage the minority groups who
have fled Myanmar because of this oppression. There are also many economic refugees that live and work
throughout the northern areas of Thailand and for this reason the Bible Education Centre in Chiang Mai has
been well placed to seek out those who are looking for a Faith of substance. It was only relatively recently
that those from Myanmar who have accepted the Truth through work done in the BEC, have also taken it
back to their families and friends at home in Myanmar. This has led to ready acceptance and the formation of
an ecclesia who quietly live and express their newfound faith in a country that is ever watchful of everyone’s
activities.
Impact of COVID-19 on our ecclesial families in Mission areas
The ACBM National Committee have recently met via teleconferencing to consider the effects of the Covid-19
pandemic on our brothers and sisters throughout the regions we support. At this stage as is the case in
Australia and New Zealand, it is still a little early to fully understand the outcomes and measures we need to
put into place to meet any challenges. All of our fieldworkers have returned home in line with our national
travel directives. Any planned field trips and activities have been suspended until we have a full understanding
of what is possible and responsible, as this situation pans out before us.
It is pleasing to say that we have no reported cases of the disease within our communities. The possible
outcomes of the pandemic being monitored include general welfare, health support and spiritual interaction.
While we are unable to visit our brothers and sisters, the use of multimedia conferencing is happening in
many places and this is having very beneficial effects. There are places, such as in the island nations where
the full capabilities of these technologies are not available, and we are receiving updates from local brethren
on the wellbeing of their ecclesias. So, whether in the future there are food shortages or increased food
prices or whether some will need higher levels of medical assistance this will be closely watched.
When necessary, we will reach out for support to meet any of these needs.
Sincerely, your brother in the One Hope
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Asia-Pacific Christadelphian Bible Mission Inc.NATIONAL PUBLICITYPO Box 160, Modbury North. SA 5092 |
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P Craig Hill: +61 448 449 910
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Thailand
It seems hardly possible that life on this earth could be so thoroughly upturned, or that the “kingdoms” of this world, and the high and mighty of this world, could be so thoroughly humbled.
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Our brothers and sisters in Thailand and Myanmar have certainly been impacted, enduring the same fears and uncertainty and the same drastic, government antiviral measures as many others on this febrile planet of ours. In Chiang Mai, the Bible Education Centre was vacated in the middle of March as fieldworkers made a premature return to Australia. We have only 2 local, ecclesial members remaining in Chiang Mai – Bro Ebenezer and Sis Ang. Bro Neh Nae and Sis Vicky returned to Myanmar last month after finishing their university degree courses and failing to find suitable work in Thailand.
The spread of Covid-19 infections appears to be slowing in Thailand. Ebenezer says Chiang Mai has been 14 days without a reported infection. So restrictions may be easing there. As of writing, both Ang and Ebenezer are safe and healthy. Ebenezer will soon begin live streaming of the Memorial Meeting which will involve brothers and sisters from Australia and New Zealand.
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Myanmar
The story in Myanmar is clearly different though the number of infections being reported; 120 at the time of writingis extraordinarily low. The potential for Covid-19 to wreak havoc on the population of this poor, mismanaged country is great. With continuing violent conflict involving the Myanmar army and the armed groups of a few of the ethnic minorities, with hundreds of thousands of displaced peoples within its borders, with major historical deficiencies in health care and medical infrastructure, Myanmar, of all nations, was unprepared for a contagion of this virility. A number of our brothers and sisters are in high risk groups. Of those we have been in touch with recently, all are healthy. Though there are reports of price gouging on food items in Yangon, there appears to be enough food available for the time being. There is a great deal of fear and disquiet as little verifiable information is available. Many areas of the country are locked down, but brothers and sisters stay in touch with each other and Western fieldworkers via a group chat set up a few years ago.
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Please make contact for further information: [email protected] or [email protected]
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