Jehovah’s Witnesses Around the World—Thailand
“THE land of the free.” That is the meaning of the name Thailand. Various religious ideas are held by its more than 57,000,000 gentle, hardworking inhabitants. Although Buddhism predominates, the religions of Christendom are also practiced in this southeast Asian country. All these people need to hear the good news of God’s Kingdom.—Matthew 24:14.a
Refugees Hear the Good News
In camps scattered throughout the hills of Thailand along the Myanmar border, Bible truth is gaining ground among the more than 10,000 Karen refugees. Members of one Karen family living in that area are Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have been spreading the good news among the refugees. How did their work get started?
Several years ago a young man severed his ties with the Anglican Church and became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Prodded by their minister, his relatives opposed him. However, he endured patiently, and his family’s opposition gradually subsided. The clerics of the Anglican Church kept up their ridicule until about two years ago when they were dismissed from their office because of immoral conduct. Since the church was then without a shepherd, the immediate family and other relatives of the Witness were shocked and lost. Eleven of them resigned from the church and asked the Witnesses to study the Bible with them.
This study progressed nicely, with other refugees participating. The truth spread quickly, resulting in the baptism of 17 new Witnesses in the river flowing through the refugee camp. What a happy sight when an 88-year-old grandmother was immersed with them!
Video Sparks Interest
The potential for growth is great among the refugees. In 1993 at the Memorial observance, 57 people were in attendance. During the circuit overseer’s visit in May of that year, 67 gathered for one of his talks. And about 250 assembled to see the Watchtower Society’s video Jehovah’s Witnesses—The Organization Behind the Name.
The wife of a Baptist pastor in the refugee camp attended a public Bible talk sponsored by the Witnesses and noted the Bible texts discussed. She told her husband how dissatisfied she was with the repetitious sermons heard at their church. He objected, saying that if she were to go to the meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses, all the other parishioners would follow. When she again attended the meetings, her husband chased her with a knife and burned her meeting notes and Bible literature. In spite of that, when the video was shown, she came again. Later this woman told her husband what she had seen. With a changed heart, he wanted to see the video and felt sorry that he had burned her notes and Bible literature.
So it is that people are hearing the good news in Thailand. They are thus acquiring spiritual freedom in “the land of the free.”—John 8:32.
[Footnotes]
a For additional information, see the 1994 Calendar of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
[Box on page 24]
COUNTRY PROFILE 1993 Service Year
PEAK NUMBER WITNESSING: 1,434
RATIO: 1 Witness to 40,299
MEMORIAL ATTENDANCE: 3,342
AVERAGE PIONEER PUBLISHERS: 232
AVERAGE BIBLE STUDIES: 1,489
NUMBER BAPTIZED: 92
NUMBER OF CONGREGATIONS: 39
BRANCH OFFICE: BANGKOK
[Picture on page 25]
Kingdom proclaimers zealously preaching the good news
[Picture on page 25]
First branch office, 1947
[Picture on page 25]
Bethel family in front of new branch office in Bangkok, dedicated February 8, 1992