Story number 3 for 15 Mar 2000

The government of Turkmenistan has refused the application for the Bible Society to provide a legal means for local churches to obtain needed Scriptures. New restrictions were implemented to disqualify the group from legally filing. This is the only country of the former Soviet Union which has not allowed for the development of a Bible bookstore or the Bible Society. Police are continuing to raid Christian churches and homes seizing Bibles, hymnbooks and other Scriptural material.