Resurrection of the Lord Church

The Children of Burma

We are so pleased to report that the Father has answered our prayers! We received word that the Thai government has assured our representatives that the children from our orphanage will not be forced to return to Burma and that the Thai army will stand to protect them against any attack from the Burmese army across the border.

Although the Thai Border Police were still threatening to return the children at the beginning of the week, the situation miraculously turned around when a UN official, Thai provincial official, and Thai military commander arrived to meet with our representatives and order the border police to provide the children with safety and protection. The UN official said that the US Ambassador to Thailand had informed the UN about the situation - so thank you to everyone who called the embassy!

Although our children are safe, please do continue to pray for the Karen who are still trapped in Burma. We have heard reports that the Burmese army recently captured 40 young boys (ages 12-14) from villages in the area. They have become porters for the army and there is a good chance that they may be used as mine sweepers in the army's attempt to stamp out all remaining resistance from the Karen people in Burma.

Thank you once again for your prayers and your action on behalf of the persecuted.

ICC

International Christian Concern
P.O. Box 8056
Silver Spring, MD 20907
Phone: (800) ICC-5441
Fax: (301) 585-5918

 

Thank you for your continued prayers for the children who were forced out of our orphanage by the Burmese army. Our last update to you was that all of our children survived and were safely rebuilding in Thailand. Unfortunately, we just received word that a faction of the Burmese army is demanding that all those that have fled to Thailand in recent weeks be returned to Burma by the end of today.

This would obviously be a disaster that would likely result in many of the children being used as human shields or mine sweepers for the army. Their mothers and fathers could be raped or killed. The Thai forces have been known to bow to the whims of the Burmese military, so it is crucial that we pray urgently that the children (and many others who have fled Burma recently due to the major offensive by the military) will be able to remain in Thailand and are not forced to return to Burma.

Also, some of the children we’re caring for did have parents who are still in Burma – please pray for their protection as well as the comfort of the little ones as many are already realizing that they may never see their parents again.

Please join us in prayer for these children and the persecuted in Burma and also consider calling or writing the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C. to urge the Thai government to protect the refugees from repatriation. (Call: 202-944-3600 or Write: 1024 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007).

Thank you,

ICC

 

Thank you for praying for the children who were attacked last week in our new orphanage in Burma. We are pleased to report that all 90 of our children have been safely accounted for! We're so grateful to the Father for his provision and protection and to you for praying for their safety.

It appears at this point that our orphanage was caught in the middle of a major offensive by the Burmese forces against the Karen people. News reports have surfaced that three to four thousand Karen have since fled into Thailand to escape attacks on camps along the Thai border. Please continue to cover them in prayer.

Here's the report from our representative on the ground with the kids:

First of all, we thank God that all children and many other families survived. ... Our first stop was to see and help the KT children from Burma. The children were gathered at a Christian orphanage on the Thai side, which is just across the river of KT, Burma. The children were so happy to see our family, we brought them food, clothes, medicines, mats and plastic. Our children (90 of them) can stay here but they still sleep in the open, there is not enough space for them, this orphanage has already 55 children of their own.
We are allowed to build new dorms and a new school for our 90 children. We hope to start with this asap. This property belongs to a Christian based NGO and because of the current situation, the Thai government allows us to have our KT children here as well.

Although we did learn that our buildings were not destroyed - it is common for the army to surround villages with landmines so that the people cannot safely return to their homes. As you read, we will be building new dorms and a school for the children on the Thai side of the border.

If you would like to help with the financial needs for the kids as we rebuild, you can go to http://www.persecution.org/suffering/donation.php and include in the note that your gift is for the "Burma orphanage."

Thank you,

ICC

 

I just wanted to let you know that one of our worst fears has been realized. Our orphanage in Burma was attacked by the Burmese army last night.

The orphanage was a new project for us. The buildings (dorms, church, and a school) had just been finished in April. We had 30 kids in the orphanage. Their stories, such as the ones below, are heartbreaking.
My name is Kham Loo, I am 13 years old. I have been here for eleven months. My parents were killed in Burma. I am an only child. It was very dangerous for me to get here. I had to avoid the many landmines. I saw the Burmese soldiers come into my village and have witnessed many of my friends being murdered. Many girls have been raped and then killed by Burmese soldiers. Other girls who were gang raped became crazy. The Burmese soldiers also took our harvest.
My name is Seng Mon. I am 11 years old. I have been here four months. It took me one day to travel here. My father died and my mother was taken away by the Burmese soldiers. I came here, because in Burma it is very dangerous. I have seen the Burmese soldiers raping girls. There are many landmines around our village in Burma. I feel safe here and I want to learn to speak English.
The project was such a success that another 60 kids (persecuted and traumatized by war but not orphans) had come to the orphanage for an education and relative safety (compared to living without defense in the jungle on the constant run from the army).

But last night, these kids were trapped and had to flee in the middle of the night. The only way to safety was across the river into Thailand (photo at right). Not all of the kids knew how to swim so we are on pins and needles waiting to hear what happened. The initial report is that most survived (Praise God!!).

A few days ago our representative on the ground had warned us that there were fears that the Burmese army might attack because the fighting was getting increasingly close and the Burmese army was going to make a final push this year to defeat the Karen people.

Well, last night those rumors became reality. Here is the report from our partners on the ground.

As far as we know, we have 400 children and some adults on the Thai side, somewhere in hiding in a ____________. It is rainy season and kids need to get clothes and plastic tarps and rice for now.


The army attacked the camp in Burma first, then went and crossed the river and went into Thailand! They then crossed the river again from the Thai side into the other camp, our kids were trapped and could not run deeper into Burma because there were landmines placed around the camp.

The only way to escape was to cross the river into Thailand. This created, of course, major panic. Many of the little ones cannot swim and it was pitch dark. (The initial report is that) most of the children survived though they are traumatized and don't have dry clothes or food to eat. Please, Please, pray for this urgent situation.

We will keep you updated as we learn more. Obviously, we want you to pray and ask for help for these kids. Also, if you want to help with financial needs for the kids, you can go to http://www.persecution.org/suffering/donation.php and include in the note that your gift is for the "Burma orphanage."

Thank you,

Jeff King
President, ICC

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