Today’s Headlines:

YEMENI MAN EXECUTED FOR ROLE IN KILLING 3 BAPTIST MISSIONARIES IN 2002

CHURCH-BASED SOCIAL ACTIVIST GUNNED DOWN IN PHILIPPINES

31 HOUSES BURN IN INDIA AFTER HINDUS SET FIRE TO CHRISTIAN’S HOME

6 MONTAGNARD CHRISTIANS SENTENCED IN VIETNAM FOR ‘INCITING PROTESTS’

Today’s Top Stories:

YEMENI MAN EXECUTED FOR ROLE IN KILLING 3 BAPTIST MISSIONARIES IN 2002

A Muslim militant was executed Sunday, Nov. 27, for his part in the murders of three medical workers serving with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB) in the Middle East nation of Yemen three years ago.

The Baptist Press reported that Ali al-Jarallah was executed for planning the attack although Abed Adul Razak Kamel actually carried it out. Kamel, who was also convicted and sentenced to death, remains in prison. No execution date has been set. Yemeni officials believe the two were tied to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Kamel walked into the Jibla Baptist Hospital on Dec. 2, 2002, and shot and killed the hospital’s director, William Koehn, 50, along with 57-year-old obstetrician and surgeon Dr. Martha Myers and purchasing agent Kathleen Gariety, 43. A hospital pharmacist was wounded, but later recovered.

Myers’ father, Ira Myers, said the execution gave little solace to the family. “I have no hate in my heart . . . and I’ve gotten over my grief a long time ago,” Myers, the former state health officer, said Monday. “But when you commit a crime, although you may be forgiven completely, you still have a punishment to deal with.” (Mission Network News/Associated Press)

CHURCH-BASED SOCIAL ACTIVIST GUNNED DOWN IN PHILIPPINES

A coordinator of a church-based human rights organization in the Ilocos and Cordillera region of northern Philippines was shot dead by a lone gunman the night of Monday, Nov. 28. Jos © Pepe Managdeg III, 37, coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, had just spoken at a seminar sponsored by the Ilocos Human Rights Advocacies and was waiting for a bus at about 10 p.m. (local time) when a man stopped in front of him, police said. A man jumped from a vehicle and shot Managdeg multiple times with a 45-caliber pistol. Fearing for his life, an eyewitness riding a bicycle sped off and returned to the resort where the seminar was held and informed Managdeg’s companions about the incident. Together with the police, they rushed to the scene and found his bag, cell phone and other belongings missing. He was killed while going to pick up his wife, Florence, who would be arriving from Hong Kong, police said. (Assist News Service)

31 HOUSES BURN IN INDIA AFTER HINDUS SET FIRE TO CHRISTIAN’S HOME

Thirty-one homes in the village of Gandahati in eastern India’s Orissa state were destroyed by fire on Sunday, Nov. 20. The incident began as Christians and Hindus were discussing their religious beliefs. Local sources said some of the Hindus became angry and set fire to the home of one of the Christians. Since the homes in Gandahati are close together, the fire quickly spread to other houses owned by both Christians and Hindus. Six Christians received minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital. Police have set up a camp in the village to monitor the situation. (Voice of the Martyrs)

6 MONTAGNARD CHRISTIANS SENTENCED IN VIETNAM FOR ‘INCITING PROTESTS’

A Vietnamese court has sentenced six ethnic minority Montagnard Christians to between seven and 17 years in jail for “threatening national security,” reported the Vietnam News Agency. The men, who live in the country’s central highlands, were found guilty of inciting protests in 2004 to call for religious freedom. They face an additional five years’ surveillance after their release. A story on the BBC’s website stated, “Vietnam has been criticized by rights groups for repressing the Montagnards. Many are Protestants who attend an evangelical Christian church not sanctioned by the government. They claim their tribal lands have been taken to grow cash crops and that they face constant harassment from the police. The 2004 protests, which centered on the capitals of Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces, were quickly suppressed by security forces. The crackdown led to hundreds of Montagnards fleeing across the border to Cambodia.” (Assist News Service)