Ongoing Issues

Posted on 16 December 2009.

The major safety issues with China's coal mines, as reported on several occasions in our prayer updates, still continue to cause numerous deaths and injuries. In the first half of 2009, 1,175 people died in officially recorded coal mine accidents.

On 21 November, another gas blast in a state-run mine at Hegang, Heilongjiang province, killed 104. A few days later, nearly sixty people were charged with covering up a mine disaster that had killed 34 miners in July 2008 - ten journalists had been paid US$380,000 to not report the accident. China remains the country with the world's deadliest coal-mining industry. "The problem," according to the BBC, "is that China wants more energy to fuel its economic growth - and coal is the main source. That puts pressure on local authorities to maintain production by turning a blind eye to safety standards."

The ethnic unrest in the Xinjiang region, following last year's riots when nearly 200 people died (reported in our China Prayer Update of September 2009), also remains a concern. Chinese security forces have said they will continue to "strike hard" against crime and disorder, and officials have vowed to "root out" crime and "change the face of public security" in the province. So far at least 34 people have been found guilty of involvement in the unrest and 12 people sentenced to death. Dozens of Uighurs have been reported missing since the riots. Internet and international phone access from the region remain restricted. The BBC reports, "China says it is facing a separatist uprising from Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, but critics say Beijing is exaggerating the threat to justify its tight control of the province."

Pray for real breakthrough in the authorities' attempts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in China's coal mines.

Remember all those who have lost loved ones in coal mine accidents and those who are no longer able to work because of the injuries sustained.

Continue to lift up the Xinjiang region to the Lord. Pray for peace and protection over the people there. Pray that the authorities will deal justly with those who were involved in last year's riots.

There are still only a very small number of Christian believers in Xinjiang, particularly amongst the Uighur population. Pray for the doors to open for God's people to share His truth and bring real hope into people's lives.