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6 Prisoner of Hope
Voice 1Welcome to Spotlight, I'm Tony Ford.
Voice 2And I'm Nick Page. Spotlight uses a special English
method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no
matter where in the
world they live.
Sometimes hope can come through what seems a hopeless situation.
Today's Spotlight tells a story of sadness and hope. A man was
murdered.Another man was imprisoned for the murder, but was he
guilty? Many people believe he was innocent. How would you feel if
you were locked
away for a crime you did not do? Where would you find hope? And
could you lead other prisoners to find hope too?
Voice 1Our story begins in the year 2000, in a valley near
Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a lonely place. A river flows close by -
fed from the melting
snows of the white-topped mountains. Four men are fishing in the
river. The scene is peaceful. But wait, something is floating at
the edge of the
icy cold water. One of the fishermen goes to look. He is
shocked. It is the dead body of a man. The fisherman runs to tell
the police.
Voice 2The dead man was not from Nepal. He was an Englishman
named Tim Prentice. Tim was an experienced visitor to Nepal. On
this visit he
was travelling with a friend. But the friend had to leave
earlier, so Tim had been alone on this part of the trip.
Voice 1The police examiner said that Tim had severe head
injuries. That was the cause of death. He also had a rope around
his neck. But who had
killed him? The police made a surprising arrest. They arrested
the fisherman and his friends. Yet these were the people who had
found the body
and reported it to the police.
Voice 2The official police story was that the four men had
murdered Tim and thrown his body into the river. It said that they
had killed him tosteal his money. The men were taken to court,
found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison.
Voice 1Tim Prentice's friend was a woman called Judith McIntyre.
Years later, she said:
Voice 3"Tim was a very friendly person. We think of him every
day - especially if we are having a good time and his favourite
music comes on.
We think 'Tim would love this'."
Voice 1But Ms McIntyre also said that she did not think that the
four men had a fair trial. She believed the police needed to accuse
someone - so
they blamed the four men.
Voice 2One of the four men had a strong religious faith. Many
people knew him well - as a good man. They did not believe the
police version of
the story. The man's name is Manja Tamang. Manja has always said
he was innocent. He says that the police arrested him, tortured
him, and put
him in prison. The twenty year prison sentence was a severe
shock. And Manja had a wife and two children. This was a tragic
situation.
Voice 1While Manja was in prison he had time to think and to
pray. He was a Christian, but his faith was severely tested. At one
time he thought
about taking his own life. But then he realised this would be a
sin against God. He asked God many questions especially, "Why am I
in prison
for a crime I did not do?" As the months passed he came to
believe that God had permitted him to be put in prison for a good
reason. There were
many other people in prison with him, and most of them needed
help. Some of them were very sick. Manja prayed to God and asked
God to heal
the sick prisoners. When they got better, it seemed that God was
answering Manja's prayers. Many prisoners wanted to follow God in
the same
way as Manja did. Manja told them why he believed in Jesus
Christ. He believed that trusting in Christ is the way to find
God.
Manja says that people listened to his teaching especially after
one incident. It concerned a man who could not walk.
Voice 4"There was this particular man who arrived in the prison
on a bed. I told him why I believe in Jesus. I told him that if he
believed in Jesus
and we prayed, God would heal him. Well, this man believed, and
we prayed, and God healed him. When he left the prison, he could
walk, just
like us. Seven or eight hundred prisoners all saw the change in
this man."
Voice 1Manja says that many people in the prison wanted to know
more about Jesus Christ. So Manja asked people in a local church to
send him
Bibles, books and films. He gave these to the other people in
prison.
Voice 2Manja was often lonely in prison. Then he would read his
Bible. He tried to obey what it said. He also tried to obey the
prison rules. So
people trusted him - both prisoners and the prison officers.
Several times Manja appealed against his prison sentence. Every
time the appeal failed. Sometimes it was not even heard. Manja had
to remain in
prison.
Finally, in June 2009, Manja was released from prison. He had
been a prisoner for nine years. He was one of over a hundred
prisoners released
after the government in Nepal had changed.
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Voice 1Now that he is a free man, Manja Tamang says that he
wants to find a way to continue helping people who are in prison.
He says he will
not try to find the people who tortured him. But he says that if
he does meet any of them he will forgive them and tell them that
God loves them.
Voice 2Manja Tamang believes that God used him in the prison to
bring hope to needy people. For that to happen, he himself needed
to have
faith and hope. He says he wants to continue sharing hope. As he
looks back on his time in prison, he remembers:
Voice 4"If I had lost hope, my life would have been ruined. I
did not allow anything to put out the fire of hope."
Voice 1The writers of today's programme were Shelagh Godwin and
Mike Procter. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard
were
from the United Kingdom. All quotations were adapted and voiced
by Spotlight. Computer users can read our scripts, hear our
programs and see
our word list on our website: http://www.radio.english.net This
.programme is called "Prisoner of Hope".
You are welcome to write to us with questions and comments about
Spotlight. Our email address is radio at english dot net. You can
also leave
comments on our website and you can find us on Facebook - just
search for spotlightradio.
From all of us at Spotlight, goodbye.
