http://cricketworldcup.indya.com/
--
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_3119.html
"Cricket World Cup Fact Sheet"
FACT SHEET SNIPPET: "The Cricket World Cup will take place in various venues in the Caribbean, from March 5, 2007, through April 28, 2007. Sixteen nations will be represented, with matches scheduled in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Accommodations and flights are limited, so travelers should secure confirmed reservations as soon as possible. Increased demands on services in countries hosting the Cricket World Cup may result in higher than normal prices for taxis, rooms, food, and other amenities. For additional information on the Cricket World Cup, including information on hotel accommodations, tickets, transportation, and advice for spectators, please see the official website for the Cricket World Cup 2007 at http://www.cricketworldcup.com. All American citizens traveling to and from the Caribbean must be in possession of a valid, unexpired passport. American citizens planning to travel to the Caribbean at the time of the tournament for vacation or to see any of the games should visit http://travel.state.gov to see the latest travel information, entry requirements for the countries they intend to visit, and information on how to obtain a U.S. passport.
Security Assessment:
The U.S. Government remains concerned about the heightened threat of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. Any large-scale public events could be the focus of terrorist acts or other forms of violence. U.S. citizens planning to attend matches or participate in other large-scale public gatherings during the Cricket World Cup are advised to use caution and stay alert to their surroundings at all times. As security increases in and around event venues, terrorists may shift their focus to more unprotected locations such as open public spaces, hotels, buses and other transportation systems, churches, restaurants, and other sites.
While there have been no specific, credible terrorist threats to the Cricket World Cup, the threat from international terrorist groups at major public events is always a principal concern. This includes the periods immediately before and after these events. Terrorist groups have demonstrated the capability to carry out sophisticated attacks against sizable structures – such as ships, large office buildings, embassies, and hotels. Threats could also emanate from extremists who may not be directly controlled by one terrorist group, as occurred in the Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004, and the subway and bus bombings in London on July 7 and 21, 2005.
One way to make your foreign travel safer and more enjoyable is to inform yourself of what you will find when you arrive overseas. The Department of State publishes Consular Information Sheets that provide important travel information about every country in the world. They include such topics as usual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, usual currency and entry regulations, crime awareness, drug penalties, and security/terrorism issues. There are also links to other sources of information. Consular Information Sheets are designed to help you make your own decisions about travel.
For additional information on safety/security in the Caribbean, please see the following:
Department of State’s “Worldwide Travel Caution”
Cricket World Cup 2007 “Public Announcement”
Department of State's "A Safe Trip Abroad"
Department of State’s "Top 10 Tips for Travelers""
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
===
===
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=un
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=unitednations
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=china
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=thailand
===
===
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07030004.htm
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Escaped Persecuted Church Leader from China Denied Refugee Status in Thailand by UN
China Aid Association Appeals for International Intervention
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
BANGKOK, THAILAND (ANS) -- A "severely persecuted" house church leader from Xi’an, Shangxi province in China has been denied protection by the United Nations High Commissioner Office in Thailand.
According to China Aid Association (CAA), Elder Lei Wensen and his family members were severely persecuted by the Chinese security apparatus for their leadership in the house church movement in China.
CAA president Bob Fu said that he received a letter from Elder Lei Wensen asking for help on January 26, 2007.
In it, Elder Lei wrote: “Dear Pastor Bob Fu: My name is Lei Wensen, my wife is Zhang Lingyan, and my son is Lei En. We are Christians from Xian City, Shaanxi Province, China. I want to briefly tell you of the cruel persecution we faced at the hands of the government because of our faith in God.
“I was converted the summer of 1994 in Moscow, Russia which is the fruit of the work of the Chinese missionaries from North America and Korea. I went to a Chinese church in the Far East for an internship that autumn. I had hoped to evangelize throughout middle Asia and submit a report on the Donggan Tribe to Pastor Larry, who was taking charge of the church then. The report was later handed over to Pastor Wang Yongxin from The Great Mission and published in a magazine sponsored by The Great Mission.
“I told my wife who remained at home in China about the Gospel after my conversion. Soon after, Li Jun, my neighbor in 1970’s, who is also my schoolmate in primary school and middle school, began frequent visits to my home with his wife, Zhang Wei. They were very ‘concerned’ about me. Actually our relationship was not so close after 1972 owing to our differences in character.
“Sometimes, my wife found [that] Li Jun seemed to be strangely familiar with what I had written to my wife. They even knew things in my letters that my wife had not mentioned to them. Obviously they were sent by the government. The persecution started following my baptism. I devoted myself to the evangelical work in Middle Asia, being ordained as an elder in the church, and writing the report on the Donggan Tribe. The persecution became more and more severe and cruel.
“One winter evening my wife returned home from working at a children’s food store. She lived alone at that time because our son was living with his grandparents. When she entered the apartment she was covered with a blanket and rendered unconscious. She found herself lying naked on the cold cement floor of our home when she came to.
“Another time my wife returned from work to find our home had been vandalized, clothes and bedding were smeared with excrement, and rice and flour were mixed with maggots. Later my wife found her medicine had been tampered with and it caused her to feel dizzy and even hallucinate.
“My wife also suffered physically and spiritually in her workplace by her boss and colleagues. She still trembles when she recalls what happened after I returned home at the beginning of 1995. My wife became rather weak as a result of severe persecution. When Li Jun heard that I was investigating the matter, he came to threatened me, saying, ‘I will make you so miserable that you would rather die.’ When our friends, Zhang Baohe and Zheng Jiankang, heard about this, they were also very angry at Li Jun.
“Though my wife was very weak, I still decide to go the Middle Asia as planned, for I had to make preparations before the mission group arrived there. So we departed at the beginning of May 1995 for Middle Asia. But we were stopped in Urumqi by Customs. So we had to return to Xian. I called Pastor Wang Yongxin and told him that we might not be able to get there. We did not suspect that threatening harassment was waiting for us. We tried to contact a sister in Christ after we returned home. Then we received a warning call directly from the police.
“On April 20, 1997, I was kidnapped on my way to work by a group of men. They first brought me to a room in the People’s Building in the former Xincheng Square. They revealed their identification as officers of the NSB (National Security Bureau) and then brought me home to search my apartment. I remembered the signature on the Xian National Security Bureau Detained Article List was Luo Xiaoming, who is an officer of the NSB. When I protested that they had violated my human rights, they laughed at me. They are familiar with Li Jun, because one of them revealed, ‘He is now working on a post doctorate in Huadong Normal University’ when I asked about Li Jun.”
He said that he was then stopped by another policeman. “I was released the next evening,” he continued in his letter to Bob Fu, “but the persecution did not cease. We lost our business, our flat, and had to wonder here and there like nomads. We moved to Changchun and served in a house church there, which was lead by Brother Pan Liangzuo. But after a short time, I felt as if someone was watching us.
“We left Changchun in the summer of 1998, and moved to Datong, then Linfen. At last we had to flee from China and came to seek refuge in Thailand, April 2004, our application Number NI19192 was rejected in January 2005, so we had to return to China. We fled from China again this past March after being driven out by the Shanghai government where we worked. We appealed to the UN Refugee Department this past April and they informed us that the application was not approved yet and asked us to wait.
“Pastor Fu, we hope you can inform the US government of our persecution in China, so we can go to America as refugees soon, because once we entering China, we will face great danger.”
A CAA spokesperson said, “After a thorough investigation, CAA have verified elder Lei’s claim that he and his family indeed had been persecuted for their independent Christian faith as House Church leaders in China. We believe Elder Lei Wensen, and his family members, will face harsh persecution from the Chinese government if they are forced to return to China from Thailand under current situation.
“We have been able to communicate with Rev. Larry Pan of Los Angeles who was the applicant, Mr. Lei Wensen’s pastor in China.”
In an open letter to UNHCR, Rev. Bob Fu asked the UN body to act quickly before Elder Lei’s situation gets worse. Fu wrote, “We urge you to reconsider your previous decision and grant Elder Lei and family members in Thailand the refugee status so that they can be protected by UNHCR before they resettle in the USA.”
For more information contact Bob Fu by e-mail at info@ChinaAid.org.
Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.