Pastor Shushil Jibon Talukder, 55; Bimol Kanti Chakma, 50; and Laksmi Bilas Chakma, 40, of Maddha Lemuchari Baptist Church in Lemuchari village, in Mohalchari sub-district of the mountainous Khagrachari district, have been held captive since April 16.

As punishment for having left the Buddhist religion, they are to be kept in the pagoda for 15 to 20 days, the sources said.

Local Buddhists are considered powerful since they have ties with the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), an armed group in the hill districts.

According to the sources, after taking the Christians captive on April 16, the next day the armed Buddhist extremists forced other Christians of Maddha Lemuchari Bapsist Church to destroy their church building by their own hands after the extremists burned all blankets, Bibles, and songs books in the church building.

The sources reported that two UPDF members went to Pastor Talukder’s house at on April 16 at 7 a.m. telling him to go to a Buddhist community leader’s house in a nearby village. Also, the Buddhist leader told all members of the Baptist church to come to his house, and about 15 Christians did so.

The Buddhists, after a short argument, chose the pastor and the two other Christians and began beating them, leaving the pastor seriously injured. Then they took them to a nearby pagoda for Buddhist baptism, shaved their heads and dressed them in saffron robes as part of a conversion ritual.

Accoring to the sources, Pastor Tulukder was tortured nearly to death.

One source said, “The pastor was beaten so seriously that he could not walk to the nearby pagoda. Buddhist people took him on a wooden stretcher, which is used for carrying a dead body for burial or cremation.”

Pastor Talukder was treated in the pagoda with intravenous, hypodermic injections that saved his life, the source said.

It was said that the Buddhist extremists were forcing other Christians to undergo Buddhist baptism in the pagoda and to ‘embrace’ Buddhism.

Regional Sub-district Chairman Sona Ratan Chakma said that the “three renegade Buddhists” are being kept in the pagoda for religious indoctrination

“They became Christian, and they were breaking the rules and customs of the Buddhist society, so elders of the society were angry with them,” Chakma said. “That is why they were sent to a pagoda for 15 to 20 days for their spiritual enlightenment, so that they can come back to their previous place

Technorati Tags: Bangladesh, Beaten, Captive, Christians

However, on Monday, Judge Benard Saint-Vil said that Laura Silsby, the leader of the group, is still facing a charge of arranging irregular travel and will have a trial in Haiti.

Silsby, who is still in jail in Haiti, could possibly face up to three years in prison if found guilty.

On April 15, a spokesman for Idaho Sen. Jim Risch said the senator was told by the State Department that the nine volunteers no longer faced any charges, but last week, Judge Saint-Vil said he had yet to make a decision at that time.

The volunteers traveled to Haiti after the earthquake and tried to take Haitian Children to an orphanage they were setting up in the neighboring country but were arrested on Jan 29 and charged with kidnapping and criminal association.

The volunteers said all they wanted to do was help the children who lost their parents after the earthquake but they were without the proper paperwork and many of the children actually had at least one living parent.

In February and March, nine of the volunteers were allowed to return home.

According to the Associated Press, Jean Sainvil, a Haitian-born pastor from Atlanta who also helped organize the venture, will stand trial along with Silsby. The trial is expected to begin as early as this week.

Technorati Tags: Haiti, Leader, Missionary, Stand, Trial

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