Graham Carter
Chief Executive of UCB Pacific Partners writes . . .
I sent the emails below to all our Partners asking them to pray for the serious violence in Tonga's main town, Nuku'alofa
UCB Pacific Partners has a radio station and many Bible studies in listener's homes in and around Nuku'alofa. (Our second station is in Vava'u which is a different Tongan Island.) Our workers are safe and our station remains on-air, bringing Christian comfort and a Biblical perspective on these events to our listeners .
Do you like to pray? We need your help
Each week a small group of prayer intercessors pray for our ministry and the people we minister to.
Please 
me with PRAYER in the subject line, and I will send you a brief email each week.
Email / Friday 18 Nov 2006
I've talked with some of our people in Nuku'alofa on the phone Here's what I learned . . .
- The people are very unhappy about the lack of protest over promised political reforms, but the protests turned into riots and looting as drunken youths took the opportunity for anarchy, than about political protest.
- When the rioting started our workers went to town and helped people who had been hurt by thrown bottles and stones. They also help push some cars out of the way to prevent burning
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Picture / Tania Enoke |
- Nuku'alofa is quiet now and cordoned off by army and police. However there is still a lot damage being done to Chinese property outside of the CBD.
- People have phoned the station and reported the loss of at least six lives in the fires. (This has not been officially confirmed yet.) Apparently, at least one death was a looter who ran into a burning store and didn't come out.
Our radio station Letio Faka-Kalisitiane 93FM in Nuku'alofa has remained on-air throughout the night (thanks to our generator and UPS battery power system) and our radio station is broadcasting special prayer programs today. And radio hosts are attempting to calm people?s fears and give them a biblical perspective on the situation. | 
Picture / Tania Enoke |
I've also had a lot of emails from our Partners and friends in Tonga
Here are a couple of them . . .
From Murray, our radio station technician (late Thursday night) -
"It has been an unbelievable last few hours here. Our head office has been burnt down, The rioters have burned and smashed numerous shops ,including Chinese run ones, I heard a hotel may have been burned. They have burned the EM Jones shop near our house and also smashed up the BP garage across the road. Through all this we know the Lord is with us. The power for down-town and radio station area is off , The generator [at our radio station] is working well, It may run out of fuel in the night, but now we have approx 6 to 8 hours of run time on battery. We had army guards come to the power station, the rioters have not come down that way. As I write this, you can hear explosions from the fires down the road. We will wait and see what tomorrow brings, In the mean time, pray for this situation."
And from Dianne (Friday morning) -
"Thank you for your prayers. I am in Vava'u [Tonga] where things are calm but am in contact with friends in Nuku'alofa. I talked with [a Chinese friend this morning] . . . in Nuku'alofa. She was very sad in saying that all the Chinese businesses have been burned and/or looted together with the two big Indian owned department stores. ANZ bank and other is destroyed. Shoreline [the electric power company] is also. I talked with [a local Tongan pastor] . . . and will be getting a community wide prayer started. Do you remember his song "Take Our Nation God Again" - bring revival to the land of Tonga? That is our song and our prayer now. . ."
And many other people have emailed to say they are praying for Tonga
Thank you very much for writing - and especially for praying. I'm about to leave for the airport and will be in America for a few days, so I won't be able to reply to you individually. Please keep praying for Tonga. And pray for our ministry too, that we might ?shine the light? brightly for Jesus in these very dark times.
Email / Thursday 17 Nov 2006
Please pray with us for Tonga
I've just received this news from Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of Tonga
Violent protests (riots) are rocking the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa this afternoon.
Political tension arising from the government's failure to respond to the people's deadline for political reforms have resulted in hundreds taking to the streets aiming their anger at Tongan Prime Minister Feleti Sevele. Angry protesters armed with metal rods, sticks and rocks have destroyed part of Molisi Tonga (popular department store owned by the Tongan Prime Minister), stoned the Falealea (Tongan Parliament), damaged the Prime Minister's Office and are heading to another political hotspot - Shoreline Power Company - owned by controversial King George Tupou V. The government has also issued a final warning to the management of pro-democracy broadcaster OBN TV to vacate their premises immediately. This has added to the tension and recent political unrest in the island Kingdom.
I will keep you updated as information becomes available.
Please join us in praying that tensions do not overflow into bloodshed or a coup of any sort.
Malo 'aupito (Thank you very much).
Graham
"For the LORD is high above the nations; His glory is far greater than the heavens." Psalm 113:4
