Koreans hostage crisis

This is really a sad news. I have many Korean friends and has been in touch with Korean missionaries here. Thailand has extraordinary fondness with Koreans because of their TV soap operas and also with their fascination with Rain. The Thais follow this crisis closely through prime time TV news. Christians and churches everywhere should pray for them. Here are the excerpt from Bangkok Post:

Kabul (dpa) - The Taliban set a deadline of 7:00 pm Sunday (4:30pm Thailand time) for the release of 23 Taliban prisoners in Afghan government custody in exchange for 23 South Korean nationals they have kidnapped.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said Saturday that one German hostage purportedly held by the Taliban was still alive, but a second hostage had died - while in Berlin the German Foreign Minister said the death had to be assumed.

The radicals said in a statement on their website that their forces had kidnapped 23 South Koreans - 18 women and five men - in southern Ghazni province and was keeping them in a safe area.

"As the Korean and Afghan governments asked for the release of 23 prisoners, we also want our 23 friends who are in custody to be released by tomorrow (Sunday) at 7:00pm," the statement said. That would be 4:30pm Thailand time; 0930 GMT on Sunday.

"If the mentioned governments do not give us a positive response by the expiry of the deadline, they themselves would be responsible for the future consequences."

The statement said that the Taliban would give the list of their prisoners once the governments of Afghanistan and South Korea had accepted their demands.