Freedom at a Cost but More Pak-Christians Need Your Help!

Happy and relieved to be getting released

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After an unexpected and rare show of unity amongst charities 16 Pak-Christians almost had their court fines paid by a collaborative between Urdu Church
in the Hands of God; TROTB Ministries; Voice of the Persecuted; Jubilee Campaign and your BPCA.  As we were about to pay the fines brother Farrukh
Saif  weighed in with a wonderful offer to pay half the fines, meaning that the collaborative became an unprecedented union of six charities,
a matching that many would call a miracle in itself.  

The tacit message here is that charities in Thailand who are fed up with the ongoing re-persecution of Pak-Christians are willing to pull out all the stops
to help.  God is working in mysterious ways in Thailand for definite, as despite a common belief that Pak-Christians are divided, unity amongst
the persecuted asylum seekers is stronger than ever.  

Last month after the death of Shafqat Nasir the family wanted to send the body back to Pakistan to be buried – the land of their forefathers and a land
that Pak-Christians still adore and have fond memories of despite their predicament. The BPCA had to refuse the cost of the funeral as our priority
has to be the living rather than the deceased, especially with our meagre funds. Despite this our young brave and passionate officer Christian Malik,
scraped the costs together for the funeral by taking small donations from the entirety of the Pak-Christians in Thailand who were moved by the
loss of a brother. Giving up tiny amounts each, Pak-Christians showed the enviable type of unity that few experience in their lifetime and eventually
collected the funds for the funeral with a small donation from the BPCA.  Their passion for the country they have been forced to leave is an illustration
of the difficult but forced decision they had to make to leave the place of their ancestors.

On Friday all 16 asylum seekers were set free from jail which was an unique and astonishing event, that was met with great joy by all humanitarian groups
working with Pakistan and the asylum seeker community.  Papa Thongchai, a Thai citizen and long time supporter and friend of Pakistani Christians,
has met with all the victims and informs us that they are well and thankful to God for their freedom.

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA, said: 

“Yesterday we received the fantastic news that all 16 victims were set free from prison without having to go to court. I thank God for this and
I am a believer that God can use any situation, person or predicament to bring about His purposes or to show His glory.  It has come to my
knowledge that a passionate Pakistani Pastor who paid a bribe to free them because he could not bear to see the families struggle or let their
children go through the horrendous conditions in the IDC. The money was scraped through members of his congregation who gave up hard earned money earned
illegally, at a pittance for their efforts.  While we are very glad to see the families freed, the BPCA does not condone bribery nor
would we enter into it.  Bribes are not accountable and although these victims avoided the awful IDC, by them not entering it and paying subsequent bail
fines, they are prevented from obtaining the guaranteed two year protection from re-arrest. Nevertheless the BPCA are grateful for the generosity, and sacrifice that has led to emancipation of suffering Pak-Christians.”

Christian Malik, our officer in Thailand said: 

“Living in constant fear of discovery by the authorities takes a great toll on these vulnerable members of our community.  These families are safe
for now but without actual asylum status they can never be at peace.  We hope the Thai Government will either decide to accept UNHCR documentation
or preferably ratify UN conventions for asylum.”

Our Chuffed appeal for Thailand (click here)

Please consider giving to our work for the innocent. Donations can be sent using these bank details:

Payee: BPCA

Sort Code: 20-44-22
Account number: 43163318
Bank: Barclays