NEPAL – DEADLY POISONING IN BHUTANESE REFUGEE CAMPS

Three young Bhutanese men from the refugee camp in Pathari, eastern Nepal, have been tragically killed in what appears to be a case of deliberate poisoning.

Since nearly 100,000 Bhutanese were driven out of their homes in a violent ethnic cleansing under Bhutan’s puritanical policies in the late 80’s, these people have been stranded in seven camps in the jungles of eastern Nepal. A political deadlock has kept them confined there since 1990. Since then, more than 6,000 refugees have turned to Christ.

Jesus Loves Gospel Ministries (JLGM) has been ministering among the refugees for many years. On 28^th June, 2006, JLGM Director Robert Singh and his co-workers held a water baptism service at a pond in the jungle not far from the Pathari camp. Brother Roberts reports, “We think that people in some of the surrounding villages, who resent the refugees and the camps being there, noticed our new baptizing place.”

“In August, I traveled to the Bhutanese Refugee Camps (BRC) again. We were planning another Baptism program but the villagers put deadly poisonous chemicals in the water. We did not know about this. Some of the young people went to take a bath ahead of our next baptism program. They found some fish floating on the water and, being very hungry – the refugees only get a very small ration, barely enough to survive on - they took some of the fish and ate them. Three of them died instantly.”

As a result of the tragedy, rumors are spreading in the camps that some evil is being planned to poison the water supply system in the camp so that every one will die. After the poisoning of the baptismal pond, poisoned sweets were spread around the premises of the BRC school. Brother Roberts says, “By God’s grace, the poisoned sweets were discovered before the children came to school.”

Please pray for the protection of the Bhutanese refugees, for a resolution of the dead-lock, and for the Christian church in the BRC.

To contact Jesus Loves Gospel Ministries:

Robert & Atula Singh, P.O. Box 188, Dimapur, 797 112, Nagaland, INDIA

Email: robert_atula@india.com