Thai Political Turbulence and Cold Weather in Northern Area

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the instability and cold weather in Thailand]

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The anti-government strike has been lasting for two months in Thailand and the situation is becoming more intense, whether in terms of participants, scale or violence. Last November when the strike was at its preliminary stage, CEDAR staff and five supporters visited Northern Thailand. It was not difficult to recognize that local people are tired of the ongoing battle between political parties. They do not want to see people from the same country to start fighting each other and they long for peace and stability.

Ethnic minority groups living in Northern Thailand mostly are not registered and without land property. Even though they have lived here for tens years and bought the land they live and farm from local people, they have no legal security. As local government officers changed frequently, they will be posted away after taking office for only six months or one year.  The additional problem of corruption has set back effort made in the land and residential registration by ethnic minority groups.

Besides the political turbulence, Northern Thailand is affected by cold weather recently.  In some border areas temperatures are only 11°C in day time and below 10°C at night. However local families are used to warm weather and have little thick clothes. Some households lived in hut made by bamboos and wood which are not strong enough to resist the cold wind. Local Christian groups are now collecting blankets and thick clothes to give to impoverished families and new migrant families from Myanmar.

Meditate on Hymn:

“Prepare the Banquet”, a Chinese Hymn | Lyrics by Sanson Lau

How to prepare the banquet? For whom? For those who are poor? Destitute? Powerless? Painful?
Will you care for them? Or express your sympathy? Will you prepare a hot meal for them? Or give them a cup of cold water? Will you bandage their wound? …

“Whatever you did for one of the least, you did for me!” The Lord Of All said clearly and surely!
Present the best to the most powerless; receive them with hospitality.

Many ethnic minority families from Myanmar and Laos have moved to Northern Thailand to earn a living and find security.  The way Christians in Northern Thailand served these migrant communities is echoing the teaching of this hymn: receiving the powerless and destitute with hospitality. May God teach and prepare us to present our caring, hot meal and medicines to the poor, the migrants, the least, the helpless.

Pray for the instability and cold weather in Thailand:

  • May God make an end to current strife and open a new way for Thailand to move towards peace and stability. Pray for upcoming election to be just, fair and peaceful.
  • Pray for God’s mercy to people affected by the cold weather in Northern Thailand, especially for the impoverished and migrant families. Pray that they can have enough thick clothes and blankets to resist the cold weather. Also pray for God’s protection to the elders, the weak and the young and infants.

 

Labour Strike Resulting in Deaths in Cambodia

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the labour strike in Cambodia]

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The Cambodia government recently announced to increase the minimum wage of garment industry to USD 95. However, this amount is way lower than the amount of USD 160 insisted by workers and thus sparked off the current labour strike. There are over 500 garment factories in Cambodia. About 300,000 garment workers go on strike, seriously affecting the local garment industry.

In the past, labour strikes usually ended peacefully in Cambodia. This time however, is in a very huge scale and seems to become more and more intense. Many factories go into a stall. Police is called to quiet the demonstrators using armed force, resulting in bloody conflicts leading to at least 4 dead.

The manufacturers of many multinational garment corporations are involved in this strike. According to the study of “Labour Behind the Label” and the news report of “The Independent” last September, these multinationals offer about a GBP50 monthly salary to their workers in Cambodia. One quarter of their workers however are found to be seriously malnutrition. It is reported that if a worker need to acquire energy of 3,000 Kcal per day as suggested by doctor, he/she will have to spend GBP47 monthly in food, which is almost their whole monthly salary!

Cambodia ended its civil war in 1997 and since then, many industries have embarked into recovery phase. Due to the huge labour force from the young adults, many foreign-invested enterprises came and set up factories in Cambodia. One third of them are from China. In recent years, the production cost in China is escalating quickly due to high salaries and complex labour benefits and welfare legal regulations. Investors in China have determined that it’s no longer cost effective to produce in China. Consequently many of them move to other countries with lower labour cost, such as Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. [The Independent, BBC, HK Daily News, the House News]

Meditate on Scripture:

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. …The workers who were hired first grumble against the landowner. “These who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” But the landowner answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”’ Matthew 20:1-16

At that time, a denarius was the daily wage of a laborer, and was enough to buy one-day food supply for a household. In those days, the landowner considered what is the amount that a worker’s family would need to survive and paid him what we say today the ‘Family Wage’. It is indeed a challenge to balance the different benefits and wants from foreign investors, factory owners, government and labourers. However, as Christians, it is worth to reflect on such practical issue, which is under the globalized world today that is largely dominated by capitalism, how one can fairly allocate the profits and resources among different social stratum practising the teaching of Christian faith on justice and mercy.

Pray for the labour strike in Cambodia:

  • The Cambodian government will soon meet with GMAC to discuss about the minimum wage for the garment industry. Pray for good communications between the two parties and a consensus reached to all satisfaction;
  • Pray for an effective and secured platform/ channel for workers to express their opinions without facing any threats;
  • Pray for a fair wage to workers which can meet their daily needs.

South Sudan Civil War Imminent, More Than Hundred Thousand Displaced

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for South Sudan Civil War Imminent]

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Since December 15 2013, there have been series of military conflicts between camps in the Government of South Sudan.  It has caused thousands deaths. 58,000 sought help from local rescue organizations to meet their basic living needs. Although cease-fire is said to take place in some areas, but residents still dare not return to their home.  In the capital Juba, more than 500 lives have been taken in 4 days. Citizens’ fear is obvious.  Continued fighting rendered no safe refuge, there is no sense of safety completely! Whether aid workers, women or children, their lives are in risk; rescue workers have reportedly been fatally injured in the refugees camps.  The overcrowded camps provided opportunities to culprits of sexual offenses. Trauma of war left in children’s hearts also need to be attended. [IRIN][BBC1][BBC2]

South Sudan is rich of oil reserve as its precious resources, but it leads to endless fighting and poverty to its own people.  South Sudan was founded in July 2011, but its national have been suffering from unsafety and poverty ever since due to power struggles in government and people’s snatching of land, oil and other resources. Facing such a disastrous situation today, besides help to displaced and injured from rescuing agencies how can we tackle the ultimate reason for the military conflicts ─ human hatred and greed?  How can we walk with this “young” country and assist to establish a good and effective governance?  Can we see how God act in response to the cry of the poor on this piece of land?

CEDAR supported children centers in Sudan serving children without homes due to war or poverty.  In early 2011 (before the independence of South Sudan), a portion of inmates of these centres were from south and chose to return their home-land.  Earnestly hoping those children are still immersed in God’s grace!

Meditate on Scripture:

“But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.” (Job 5:5) In war, every moment of living is a miracle; it shows only the peace from the heaven can overcome people’s fear and anxiety and only His salvation can restore a country from corruption.

Pray for South Sudan Civil War Imminent:

  • May the Lord’s protection fall on all affected, taking them away from killing and persecution.
  • May all the military conflicts be stopped; the two contentious sides may have consensus for a settlement.
  • May the Lord have pity on the leaders so that they can treasure about people; building up healthy lives and a culture of mutual respect – food and clothes for the poor, refuge for persons in risks; rehabilitation for offenders!
  • May the Lord’s protection be with the rescue workers especially in their saving and medical works.

Philippine Aid Operation Hampered by Scale of Destruction

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[ePrayer – Pray for the Typhoon victims and the relief work]

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CEDAR Fund’s local partners are responding to the desperate need of 9.5 million people affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines, working with local churches to deliver food packs to 7,000 affected families in Leyte and Samar provinces. Poor communications and access difficulties are still hampering relief efforts. Integral Alliance, in which CEDAR is a member agency, is currently meeting local partners to carry out a crisis mapping to further support relief operations in badly hit areas. Integral Alliance members from UK, Switzerland, USA and CEDAR partners from India and Indonesia who are well experienced in disaster management are arriving the Philippines to support relief effort there. [CEDAR’s Philippines Typhoon Relief]

Pray for the Typhoon victims and the relief work:

  • Pray for God’s healing and protection to the victims; and for His comfort to those who have lost their beloved ones and homes;
  • Pray for debris clearing of roads so that the main supply route can be passable for transporting necessary relief goods and reach affected populations;
  • Pray for smooth emergency operations and for the safety of all types of frontline aid workers;
  • Pray for good planning and coordination from the Philippine government on disaster relief and rehabilitation.

Emergency and Relief Donation:

(Please mark “Philippines Typhoon Relief”)

[1] CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please click Inland Revenue Department website to check for details.
[2] Donations over $100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
[3] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.

Contact Method

Tel>23819627
Fax>23922777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212Hong Kong

CEDAR’s Relief and Rehabilitation Work in Past: http://eng.cedarfund.org/relief/
CEDAR Approach on Relief and Rehabilitation: http://eng.cedarfund.org/relief-approach/

* Integral is a global alliance of 19 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to present a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR is one of the member agencies.

The World Is Longing for a Climate Change Deal

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for progress on global climate action]

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The United Nations Climate Change Conference opened on 11 November in Warsaw, Poland, with a call to reach a new agreement to cut climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN Official, there is a groundswell of climate action for environment, security, energy, economic and governance reasons and the world is ready for a climate change deal. Clarifying finance that enables the entire world to move towards low-carbon development and launching the construction of a mechanism that helps vulnerable populations to respond to the unanticipated effects of climate change are the main areas that delegates should work hard on in order to hammer out a universal UN-backed treaty on climate change by 2015 which would enter force by 2020.

The conference takes place against a backdrop of devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. The Philippines’ lead negotiator, Yeb Sano, called the climate crisis “madness” and urged the international community to act.“We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw,” Mr. Sano said. “Typhoons such as Haiyan and its impacts represent a sobering reminder to the international community that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action.” He also added that this Typhoon is not natural when people continue to struggle to eradicate poverty and pursue development and get battered by the onslaught of a monster storm. [UN News (1), UN News (2)]

Pray for progress on global climate action:

  • Pray that all nations will work together to deal with the problem of climate change by breaking through the bondage of economic and political considerations;
  • May the voices and wishes of those people who are vulnerable to or being suffered by climate change, such as small farmers, rural poor and those people living in disaster prone areas, be heard.

UN Highlights Essential Actions to Reduce Child Deaths from Pneumonia

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for children vulnerable to pneumonia]

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Nowadays, every 30 seconds, a child younger than five dies of pneumonia. UN and its partners are marking World Pneumonia Day on 12 Nov by highlighting essential actions that can help end child deaths from the single biggest killer of children under the age of five around the world. They are:

  1. exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding complemented by nutritious solid foods up to age two; 
  2. vaccination against whooping cough (pertussis), measles, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcus; 
  3. safe drinking water, sanitation and hand washing facilities; 
  4. improved cooking stoves to reduce indoor air pollution; 
  5. treatment, including amoxicillin dispersible tablets and oxygen.

[UN News]

Pray for children vulnerable to pneumonia:

  • Pneumonia is preventable. Pray that all governments are willing to work together to help children preventing pneumonia in unity;
  • Pray that those vulnerable children will have access to vaccination and medical care needed for prevention and treatment, esp. those in Sub-Saharan Africa.