Conference to Support Refugees
Christians Supporting Persecuted Christian Refugees is holding a conference at the Hamilton East Methodist Church on Wednesday, 11 March at 7pm.
Readers might or might not know that being Christian in Pakistan is a risky business. Persecution of Christians is very widespread, they are regarded as second class citizens. www.bbc.com...
www.irishtimes.com...
Many flee to Thailand and Malaysia where they can be detained at the will of the government and held in immigration detention centres where life is extremely difficult.
catholicoutlook.org...
The conference is to raise awareness of the situation in Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia; raise funds to release Waikato based Christian refugee family members from detention in Thailand and support the reunification of those families. The keynote speaker is Fr Michael Kelly SJ, an Australian priest based in Bangkok.
The programme for the conference is:
o Programme:
o 7.00pm: Welcome. Apologies. Introduce the silent auction.
Refugee stories from Pakistan: Being a Christian in Pakistan
Refugee stories from the countries of refuge: Arbitary Detention in Thailand and Malaysia.
Children’s stories: Life in the Bangkok Detention Centre
Break: “Enjoy” an authentic Bangkok prison meal.
Keynote speaker: Father Michael Kelly, SJ.
• Michael Kelly SJ., is a Bangkok-based Australian Jesuit who led www.ucanews.com... 2008-2018. He has extensive experience of working with and advocating for Christian refugees in Thailand.
Supper.
If you need any more information please contact Cynthia Piper: 0800217411, text 021704411 or email c.piper@tci.ac.nz
Poll: Are you a Te Huia fan?
All three Hamilton MPs appear to be united behind the retention of the Te Huia passenger rail service between Hamilton and Auckland, as well as potentially expanding it to Tauranga.
But whether Hamilton East’s Ryan Hamilton, Hamilton West’s Tama Potaka and soon-to-be Labour list MP Georgie Dansey have the combined power to shunt transport minister Chris Bishop and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon onto their line of thinking remains to be seen.
Are you a Te Huia fan? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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82.4% Yes
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17.6% No
Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙
One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.
So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?
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60% Yes, supporting people is important!
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25.7% No, individuals should take responsibility
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14.3% ... It is complicated
Wild weather in the Waikato
The Waikato really copped it over the weekend, with wild weather leaving a hefty clean-up bill that may run into the millions.
While things are looking calmer in the days ahead, there are still plenty of slips and flooded roads across the district — so if you’re heading out, take it easy and stay alert.
We want to know: How did you and your whānau get on over the weekend?
Want to see what recovery will look like from here? The Waikato Times has the latest.
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