Nepal Radio Journalist Murdered by Maoists

The whereabouts of a Nepalese missionary, abducted by Maoists is still unknown (See GFA Nepali Missionary Abducted); and now following that, the Maoist rebels have claimed responsibility for the murder of a radio journalist last week. The double event has heightened tensions in the Nepalese church.

The news shocked the headquarters of Gospel For Asia; the victim--Nepalese journalist, Dekendra Raj Thapam, was a missionary from 1998 to 2000 with the organisation, but he left with a calling towards journalism.

The rebels announced that Dekendra Raj Thapam had been convicted and executed for "spying" by distributing leaflets in Dekendra Raj Thapa's hometown, a mountainous western Dailekh district.

As the murder happened after Besh, a Gospel For Asia missionary, was kidnapped; security has been a great concern for the Nepalese churches. The rebels have also ordered two other missionaries, Pastor Basu and native missionary Imansingh, to resign from their area of ministry within a week.

Gospel For Asia's KP Yohannan responded to the situation, saying that they never expected these kinds of things to double up immediately. "The Maoists never really attacked our people. They said, 'You people are helping our poor Nepalese; you started schools for them' and all that, but all of the sudden, everything turned around and became kind of dark. So, there is some apprehension [about] how it is all going to be."

Although the recent attack, kidnapping and killing by Maoists toward the Christian workers, Yohannan says the church in Nepal will continue their work and they will maintain a prayer vigil.

GFA requests prayers for Thapa's family as they struggle with the tragedy. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.