BREAKING NEWS | Explosion at Convention in India

[Pabo]

On 11/22/2023 at 12:59 AM, Paulo said:

Is this a first time for the use of third party armed guards?

 

I know that at times, I have seen local Police (who are usually armed) and some security personnel (mostly unarmed unless near cash holding facilities) patrolling some of the bigger venues that we used to hire, but this was generally a regulatory measure that local governments usually require, but the costs are usually factored in with the hire of the venue expense.

I think at the last international convention that was held in Sydney 2009, the security employed by the venue operators at the entry usually inspected the bags and such, and there were a couple of metal detector security personnel on hand, but this too is part of the regulatory requires as well, especially due to the size of the attendance. But for Melbourne 2014 international, we didn't have that situation with bag checking or metal detectors, but there were a few venue security staff walking around. But that was in a different state where each state may have different requirements.

 

But I suspect that most of our conventions are now usually held within Assembly Halls and less use of worldly venues operators, so the local branches may have to look at using security at our gatherings, and depending on the local requirements, and they may have to hire third party security providers as they may have those specific qualifications that they need to have to perform baggage checks and such. If there are no legal requiremnets, they may have to train brothers to do such work in future.

[Brandon]

10 minutes ago, Pabo said:

But I suspect that most of our conventions are now usually held within Assembly Halls

hm… not here 

[Old]

10 minutes ago, Brandon said:

hm… not here 

Interesting, in our portion of the country west coast of the US, all or almost all are held in assembly halls. It would be interesting for some to tell us what aera /country they live in and where there conventions are held, just curious.

[Pabo]

30 minutes ago, Brandon said:

hm… not here 

 

Well, in Australia, there are 49 conventions which 42 of them are held in 4 Assembly Halls and 7 are at other venues.

 

For the Assembly Halls we have the following:

Brisbane QLD - 14 (29%)

Melbourne VIC - 10 (21%)

Perth WA - 9 (19%)

Sydney NSW - 9 (19%)

 

For other venues we have:

Adelaide SA - 1

Darwin NT - 1

Hobart TAS - 1

Mackay QLD - 1

Tamworth NSW - 2

Townsville QLD - 1

Edited November 24, 2023 by Pabo
Forgot about the land downunder that is under the Land Downunder

[Pabo]

Also in New Zealand, they have 11 conventions, but 9 of them are held at the Auckland Assembly Hall.

[Rodejong]

3 hours ago, Brandon said:

hm… not here 

 

In the Netherlands they hire halls for large (summer) conventions, but the circuit assemblies are in our own hall in Swifterbant.

In Denmark there is an Assembly Hall in the Western part of the country, but here in the east we have to rent a hall for all assemblies and conventions.

 

I wrote an article on it on Wikipedia in 2011 (Danish) 

[carlos]

3 hours ago, Old said:

Interesting, in our portion of the country west coast of the US, all or almost all are held in assembly halls. It would be interesting for some to tell us what aera /country they live in and where there conventions are held, just curious.

 

Same here in Spain. We usually rented stadiums for conventions but now all assemblies and conventions are held in assembly halls. Big districts are split in smaller groups and there are conventions every weekend from June to September.

 

It was nice and impressive to be in a stadium with 18,000 or 20,000 fellow believers, but any nutjob could come in and easily wreak havoc. Assembly halls are much more private, cheaper and involved much less organization work.

 

After the program starts the gate is closed and latecomers have to ring the intercom. One year I was in charge on the intercom and we were instructed to ask them which congregation they were from. In case we were unsure someone was a Witness, we opened the gate but warned security to keep an eye on them. This was long before things got so crazy. Sometimes we asked them some funny questions, like the name of one elder in their congregation or what does Matthew 24:14 say. Then when they looked surprised we had a laugh together.

[Paulo]

On 11/24/2023 at 5:22 AM, Pabo said:

But that was in a different state where each state may have different requirements.

Yes, I understand that very well, and it is very clear under Romans 13:1

I too remember seeing police officers in the regional Congresses, usually idling by with nothing for them to do.

 

My question was if was the first time that in modern times the Organization chose to use third party armed guards, not police officers and not under a requirement. Because that seems to be the wording from that newspaper.

 

Considering what is published by our organization, that sentence seems to be somewhat out of context and not ipsis verbis what the brother said.

Or something was lost in the translation from a local dialect to Hindi to English.

[Arumuga Raja]

A sad news is that another brother(Br.K.A.John) who was being treated at the hospital died.

 

The death toll from the explosion at the convention center rose to seven

 

[Paulo]

This are very sad news.

Thank you for keeping us informed.

[sania]

We just had finished our RC. There was hired security services at convention, metal detectors and baggage scanner were there. I didn't see any armed guards. Every thing went well, we enjoyed our convention. 

[Tortuga]

24 minutes ago, sania said:

We just had finished our RC. There was hired security services at convention, metal detectors and baggage scanner were there. I didn't see any armed guards. Every thing went well, we enjoyed our convention. 

Thank you for the information. I wouldn't be surprised to see similar security measures at conventions around the world. I wouldn't be surprised if one day we are asked to open our food coolers, bookbags and purses for the attendants before we enter an assembly or convention, even if it is at an Assembly Hall.

[sania]

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Thank you for the information. I wouldn't be surprised to see similar security measures at conventions around the world. I wouldn't be surprised if one day we are asked to open our food coolers, bookbags and purses for the attendants before we enter an assembly or convention, even if it is at an Assembly Hall.

First day at the gates, we had to open our water bottles and show them it's water, not petrol.. 😬 and the convention badge was mandatory, our bags were sticked with a 'verified' sticker. 

[cme]

8 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Thank you for the information. I wouldn't be surprised to see similar security measures at conventions around the world. I wouldn't be surprised if one day we are asked to open our food coolers, bookbags and purses for the attendants before we enter an assembly or convention, even if it is at an Assembly Hall.

 

We are already doing that here in Warwick.  Bag check if you are new to our Kingdom Hall.

[ChildOfJehovah]

Kalamassery blasts: Idukki woman under treatment dies, death toll rises to 8 ......

 

The deceased is Lilly John, a native of Idukki’s Vandamattom (Thodupuzha). A few days ago, her husband KA John (77) had succumbed to burn injuries from the blasts.......

Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/kalamassery-blasts-idukki-woman-under-treatment-dies-death-toll-rises-to-8-1.9135337

 

More at: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2023/12/07/kalamassery-blasts-death-toll-touches-eight.html

 

This is very sad news. We must pray for their family members and other brothers and sisters injured from this attack. May Jehovah 'the God of all comfort' give them strength and comfort. Let us all pray.

Edited December 7, 2023 by SOCHU
added another link

[booboo]

Update Also posted on jw.org

https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/india/UPDATE-Death-Toll-Rises-to-Eight-in-India-Tragedy/

[Sofia]

Joseph Bonner has interviewed Joshua David a spokesman from JW

 

📸 https://fb.watch/oTjL9g0sps/?

 

Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses in India: The Targeted Group in Recent Terrorist Attack

Full Interview at www.josephbonner.com/television 

In a tragic incident on 29th October 2023, a convention of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kalamassery, a suburb of Kochi, India, was targeted by a series of improvised explosive device (IED) blasts. This convention, which was part of the annual regional gathering held by the religious group, turned into a scene of horror as the explosions claimed the lives of four women, two men, and a child. Over fifty others were also injured during the Sunday morning session of the event.

Following the blasts, a man named Dominic Martin surrendered himself at the Kodakara police station, claiming responsibility for the attack. The motive behind these bombings is currently under investigation. According to Martin's confession, he had planned the attack while working in Dubai. He informed the police that he used a significant amount of petrol, 8 liters to be precise, along with high-impact firecrackers to create the explosives. To acquire the electronic components necessary for detonation, he purchased them from Ernakulam, disguising the purpose as making remote control toys for children.

It is worth noting that while the suspect claimed past association with the Jehovah's Witnesses, there is no verifiable record of Dominic Martin being a member of this peaceful religious group.

Sadly, as of the latest update on December 8th, 2023, the death toll from this attack has risen to eight. In light of this devastating incident, On The Record with Joseph Bonner, reached out to Joshua David, the National Spokesperson of Jehovah's Witnesses, for an update on the victims and to address the false claims made by the terrorist.

During the interview, Joshua David provided some important links that our viewers can refer to:

1. [Official Jehovah’s Witness Website](www.jw.org 😞 Visit their official website to learn more about their beliefs.

Rafika Morris Story: I Wanted to Fight Social Injustice | JW.ORG Videos
 
Juan Pablo Story: Juan Pablo Zermeño: Jehovah Gave Me a Meaningful Life (jw.org)
 
Other Stories ( India)  : “Jehovah Saved Our Lives” (jw.org)

[Parale]

On 12/11/2023 at 11:06 PM, Sofia said:

Joseph Bonner has interviewed Joshua David a spokesman from JW

 

Thanks - that's interesting 🤔 and I'm sure Bethel did their due diligence. Kudos to Mr Joseph Bonner for securing the interview

 

Though TBH I think it's more of a conversation... using the word-count for the actual interview, Joseph Bonner talks for 49.4%, while Joshua David talks for 50.6% of the time.

 

 

Transcript for On The Record with Joseph Bonner: Understanding Jehovah’s Witnesses in India - Joseph Bonner in conversation with Jehovah’s Witnesses’ National Spokesperson Joshua David.

 

ONE COLUMN FOR SCREEN:

Joseph Bonner and Joshua David - India - Dec 2023 Single.pdf

 

TWO COLUMN FOR PRINTING - A4:

Joseph Bonner and Joshua David - India - Dec 2023.pdf

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Parale

[BLEmom]

So that cracked me up that he compared how we deal with ones who commit crimes within the congregation separate from what the legal system does to the situation between Will Smith and Chris Rock…😂