Laos

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

(2 Chronicles 16:9a NKJV)

 

A prominent Christian leader from the Baw tribe in Khammouane province in Central Laos has escaped death from government agents and is now living in fear. According to local sources, Brother O was warned by a family friend that the authorities were planning to kidnap and probably kill him. Brother O and his wife, Sister J, reportedly turned around and left immediately when they saw a group of men waiting for them in front of their home.

Both Brother O and Sister J are currently safe and staying at his mother’s home in the middle of the village. Several Christians have met the couple to encourage them.

Brother O was Pastor See’s best friend. Pastor See was killed in the same province in October 2022. According to various reports, he was kidnapped by unidentified men, brutally tortured, and murdered. Local Christians located the pastor’s body three days after his disappearance, after a villager had found his severely disfigured body in a ditch off a jungle road and uploaded pictures to Facebook. He was survived by his wife and eight children.

Religious persecution of Christians in Laos, especially among ethnic minority groups, has increased dramatically in recent months. Believers say that local officials have been driving them out of their villages and tearing down and burning their homes and rice silos, which leaves families with no place to go. So far, the government has allowed this to continue and has not brought any charges against the offenders.

Sources close to the police believe Pastor See was killed because of his faith during a time of rapid growth in Laotian churches. The number of baptisms has been causing tension in communities distrustful of a religion they see as foreign. At the same time, Christianity is one of the recognized religions in the country, with Buddhism being the main religion. The communist Lao government allows Christians to conduct services, preach throughout the country, and maintain contact with believers in other nations.

 

Home Group Prayer

Dear Lord,

We know that you are all powerful and all seeing, and that nothing is hidden from your eyes. We lift the country of Laos up to you, especially those who live in great fear and still continue to follow you.

We pray especially for Brother O, Sister J, and their family. May your angels guard their going out and their coming in. May you protect their home and keep them from any harm. We also lift up Pastor See’s bereaved family and pray for provision and protection for them.

We also lift up those in authority in this country, the police, and others who oversee village activities. May your Holy Spirit touch them to open their hearts to you, and to do the right thing by law.

Let your kingdom come in Laos!
In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

“He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.”

(1 Samuel 2:8a ESV)

(Photo courtesy of a citizen journalist)

Christians in Laos are facing a new wave of persecution. According to eyewitness reports, local officials barged into a house church at Kaleum Vangke village during Sunday service on 5 February and demolished the building. They also burned Bibles and other literature and vandalized the place. Several Christian families from a neighbouring district were visiting the church to hold a joint service when the attack took place.

The church was apparently torn down to instil fear and to stop Christians from practising their faith. There were no injuries during the attack. Local believers have started repairing the church and plan to restart worship services.

A police complaint has been filed, but no action has been taken. This incident comes as anti-Christian attacks are on the increase. The attack took place in southern Laos despite a national law that guarantees the freedom to worship.

Officials from the Ministry of Public Security have warned the village authorities not to harass Christians, but local officials continue to threaten them and have vowed to demolish the church. “We’re not afraid to get together at that house anymore. The experience has made us stronger,” a local believer told Radio Free Asia (RFA).

In the past six months, local officials have been driving believers out of their villages, tearing down and burning their homes and rice silos, leaving families with no place to go. So far, the government has allowed this to continue without any charges being brought against the perpetrators.

Protestants and Catholics, as well as Buddhists, have reported asking for permission to build places of worship and being denied. Eventually, some resort to building without permission. But it is rare that a church built has been later demolished.

Kaleum Vangke village is not new to religious conflict. According to RFA, in March 2020, a pastor named Sithong Thipphavong was arrested at the village and ordered to renounce his faith. When he refused, he was charged and found guilty of causing a social disturbance and breaking village unity. He was jailed for a year and fined 4 million kip (about 200 USD). He was only freed in April 2021. In January of this year, prominent members of the village summoned six Christian families and warned them to stop following Jesus and holding Sunday services. The officials threatened to destroy the church if they failed to comply.

Since 2022, religious persecution, especially among ethnic minority groups, has increased dramatically. The government allows Christians to worship freely at the district and provincial levels, but local officials at the village level are against Christian worship and practices. Most Lao who believe in spirits say that the Christian faith is a western religion that is against their tradition and culture.

Home Group Prayer

Dear Lord,

We thank you for the country of Laos, and the people there who you have loved enough to give your Son for them. We lift up our brothers and sisters in Laos, especially those who have lost their churches and homes in Kaleum Vangke village and have suffered humiliation and great loss at the hands of the authorities.

We ask that you give them beauty for ashes, and a deep assurance of your presence at this time.  Please help them resettle and find a safe place to meet and worship you together with their brothers and sisters. Please give them victory over fear and keep their heads lifted in the presence of those that inhibit their freedom.

We also ask that you bless their persecutors, and those in authority who have the power to restore the church. Please release forgiveness in the hearts of those who have been victimised by them, and please reveal yourself to them too.

Amen.

For more details, please go to ‘Pastor In Laos Tortured, Brutally Murdered‘ at Religion Unplugged.

It is with a heavy heart that we want to share with you that the body of pastor See, who went missing last week under extreme and suspicious circumstances, has been found in a ditch off a jungle road  this morning (24th October) .He leaves behind a wife and eight children.  The youngest is one year old.  The authorities warned pastor See many times to stop sharing about Jesus, and in recent months have been following and threatening him with dire consequences.

The Christian population in Laos is about 1.7%, though in some provinces, the percentage is higher. Church leaders have been encouraging their congregations to pray for a 10% increase in the Christian population 2030.

For more details, please go to ‘Pastor In Laos Tortured, Brutally Murdered‘ at Religion Unplugged.

Prayer:

Father, our hearts weep and we are saddened by this tragedy.  Pastor See is at peace in your arms. We pray for comfort,  care and provision for his wife and eight children as they grieve. We lift up the church and all the pastors in Laos and ask that your presence would be very real to them.  Take away any fear and give them boldness and courage to keep proclaiming your love.  Keep them safe and provide for their every need.  We pray that your kingdom would come in Laos, and that your will would be done there.  We ask these in the name of your son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)

(Photo courtesy of a citizen journalist)

A Christian family in southern Laos has recently been persecuted and physically attacked in spite of religious freedom protected and guaranteed by a national law in the country.

In February, villagers of Dong Savanh in Phalanxay district of Savannakhet province attacked mourners and pallbearers who were attempting to bury their Christian patriarch in their own rice field. Seng Aloun, the widow of the deceased, said an angry mob turned up and beat family members and participants, and even attacked the coffin with clubs. Other villagers then torched their home and at least 12 family members were driven out and forced to flee and take shelter with relatives.

Seng Aloun said this attack was the latest in a string of assaults on the family by villagers as well as local authorities. When her husband passed away last December, they refused his burial in the village cemetery. They also struck his coffin with wooden sticks and hit their family members.

Seng Aloun posted videos on social media to show what had happened at the cemetery and appealed for help. Police who investigated the attacks at the two attempted burials asked her to remove the posts. Then on 15 March, district authorities invited her and some other members of the local Christian church to the office of the Phalanxay City Problem Resolution Committee to discuss the conflict between the family and Dong Savanh village officials.

However, one local Christian leader reported, “At the meeting, the district authorities again demanded the family take down the posts and the videos of the burned home and the attack on the coffin, or to make changes to the posts.” One proposed change was to imply that someone else had burned down their home and not the village chief. However, the authorities have neither interrogated nor investigated the village chief about the fire and the seizure of the family’s farmland.

A member of the Lao Evangelical Church in Savannakhet province has said that he was worried about Seng Aloun’s family, because according to him, authorities do not honour the Lao government’s legal protection for Christians: “In Savannakhet province, authorities at all levels from villages to the province have attended seminars and been informed about the Law on the Evangelical Church which spells out all the rights, rules and regulations concerning Christians. But the problem is that many village authorities won’t comply. It’s like they know the rules, but they don’t follow them.”

The family has refused to delete or make any changes to the social media posts and said they would file a complaint with the provincial and central governments. As Seng Aloun is raising her children alone in the forest outside the village, she hopes that district officials can help find the arsonist and the conflict can be resolved soon.

The law protecting religious freedom came into effect in December 2019 and gives Lao Christians the right to conduct services, to preach throughout the country, and to maintain contact with believers in other countries.

Home Group Prayer:

Dear Father God,

We pray for the believers in Laos who face the threat of physical harm and persecution from all fronts. We ask for your divine protection to cover them and shield them from attack, be it physical, legal, verbal or spiritual.

We ask for authorities to uphold and respect the law that is designed to enforce religious freedom and for Lao Christians to be able to live and worship freely without fear or oppression.

We pray especially for Seng Aloun, her children and her family members who have been displaced from their own homes, that there will be a swift resolution in the face of their grief and that they will be able to give their husband and father a proper burial without further attack.

We pray for your divine intervention in this tragic situation and ask for Seng Aloun and her family members to be able to return safely to their home soon.

In Jesus’ name, amen!

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”  (Exodus 5:1 ESV)

Seven Christians in southern Laos are now living in the forest after refusing to recant their faith. Local authorities evicted members of two families from the village of Pasing-Kang in the Ta-Oesy district in southern Salavan province on 10 October. The village authorities have banned relatives and others from helping them as they struggle to survive. Even family members say they are too scared to help and fear they too will be forced out from the village if they do so.

A Lao Front for the National Construction (LFNC) official from the province said he was waiting for information about the case. “Things have been quiet,” he said. “Their religious leader just came here and spoke with the Office of Religious Affairs.” The Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) is closely monitoring the situation and trying to find a solution to the unfair treatment.

Meanwhile, four Christian men have been languishing in jail for months for wanting to hold a Christian funeral, which officials said would have violated local customs and traditions. The four were detained in early July in Khammouane province after they travelled to a village to participate in the last rites for a deceased fellow believer.

Last year, the government approved the Constitution of the LEC, which allows Christians the right to conduct services and preach throughout the country and to maintain contact with other believers. Last month, the LEC together with the Interior Ministry and the LFNC held seminars in Bolikhamxay, Bokeo and Savannakhet provinces to inform rural authorities on the new law, with similar meetings planned in other areas.

Although the number of people arrested in Laos for following Jesus has decreased in recent years, cases of abuse are still reported in remote rural areas. Most Laotians view Christianity as a Western religion. Many also believe Christians anger the spirits when they refuse to participate in village rituals. House churches and church buildings exist, but the vast majority do not have a trained pastor. In most villages, no church buildings are allowed. If village leaders notice that a house church is growing, they will try to stop it. Christians often are unable to get jobs, most of which are through the government, and they commonly are denied medical treatment, education and other social services. There are no open Bible schools in the country.

Home Group Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for all the times you have rescued and comforted your people when they have been cast into the wilderness. We pray for these seven Laotians who because of their faith have been cast into the forest and need to rely on you to survive. We pray that notwithstanding people not being able to help them, you will provide them with the sustenance they need to survive and thrive in the forest. We give thanks for the strong faith these people have in you in order to be willing to suffer in your name. We pray that their example will be an encouragement to others. We pray also for their families and friends who live in terror and are afraid for these seven Christians. Please provide them the strength they need in facing persecution.

We pray as well for the four men still in jail as a result of wanting to hold a Christian funeral and the many other victims of religious persecution in Laos. We pray for the Lao Evangelical Church which is doing its best to assist these Christians. May their efforts at spreading your word be successful. We pray for all the pastors and believers who in spite of the trials they face are willing to stand up and proclaim your name. We pray that the Lao Evangelical Church will be successful in its efforts at making the governmental authorities in Laos stop hostile actions against Christian believers in Laos and permit true religious freedom to take place.

We pray that particularly in this difficult economic environment owing to COVID-19 that Christians will be able to get jobs and will receive the necessary medical treatment, education and other social services they require. We know that while we may need to live in the wilderness for a while, you will eventually bring us to glory. We give thanks for your Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who sustain these seven Christians and all the others suffering persecution in Laos and elsewhere in Asia and the world. May we pray for them and pray for the church in Laos and pray that your justice will prevail.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. … if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”
(1 Peter 4:14, 16)

The Lao government has approved the constitution of the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC), in effect giving its churches the freedom to share the gospel freely in the country.

The Minister of Home Affairs signed the document, which includes a statement that church workers have the right to travel, meet together for worship, and evangelise non-Christians. According to Stand Asia’s sources, since the document includes the statement that evangelisation is part of the churches’ mandate, the authorities should not stop Christian meetings or arrest believers for sharing the gospel. The impact of this document is likely to be freedom to believers and transformation of the lives of many Christians.

The LEC president has started meeting provincial officials and local Christian leaders in each of the provinces to explain the LEC constitution and its significance.

Nevertheless, Lao authorities continue to persecute and arrest believers on flimsy charges. According to reports, officials are twisting a number of issues to make Christians look bad. The police have also apparently threatened to arrest all Christians.

In early August, police arrested Grandfather Ter in May district, Phongsaly province and prohibited him from sharing the gospel. Grandfather Ter is the first Akha to be arrested by the police for his Christian faith. The oldest of three brothers who returned to their village after detox and rehab, he was the first among them to turn to the Lord. This is the first arrest of a believer among the Akha people, so it’s a potentially critical time for God’s people in their area.

There have been other such incidents. On 17 August, police arrested Achan Bounkeo when he went to the market to buy lunch. On 3 July, police arrested four Christian leaders in central Laos, because they conducted a Christian funeral in a mainly spirit-worshipping village. The authorities took them to the district prison and later transferred them to the provincial town prison. Local Christians cannot visit them but can take food to them. On 15 March, a detained Christian pastor was sentenced to six months in prison. This prison term is likely to end in mid-September.

Laos has imposed tight border controls to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. Many Christian expatriate workers have not been able to return to Laos because of travel restrictions.

Christians make up just three percent of the population and are a small minority. Christianity, in particular, is considered a Western influence and especially dangerous. Conversion to Christianity can be seen as a betrayal to the family and Lao culture. Despite setbacks and ongoing persecution, the Lao church continues to grow at a purported six percent every year.

PRAYER POINTS

• Pray for the LEC president, as he meets local officials and Christian leaders to explain the government-approved LEC constitution and its significance. Pray that the meetings will have a deep impact throughout the country.
• Pray for arrested Christians and their families, including Grandfather Ter, Achan Bounkeo, the four Christian leaders arrested in central Laos, and the Christian pastor sentenced to six months in jail. Pray for strength and wisdom for them to face and respond to their situations.
• Pray for believers among the Akha in the May district of Phongsaly province. May God strengthen the believers in this time of trial and the authorities come to know God through the testimonies of these believers as they stand firm.
• Pray for Christian expatriate workers who have not been able to return to Laos because of travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:35–39)

Life for Christians under the communist regime in Laos is very tough. The Open Doors estimate of 227,000 Christians in a country of over 7 million face frequent persecution, including forced conversion and imprisonment. According to accounts from believers in Laos, the threats come in the form of community pressure, including from family members, and institutional forms of discrimination from the state and other authorities.

On 15 March, Pastor Sithon Thipavong was arrested for holding a worship service in his village home and was subsequently imprisoned for this offence. It is said that he has led over 400 people to faith in the last year.

On 24 May, a case of family conflict occurred at a church near the capital city, Vientiane. Two brothers, Chan and Huang, were attending a church service when their father burst in, swearing at and threatening them. He demanded that they renounce their faith and sent them away, after which they ended up at their pastor’s home. However, the boys are now back home with their father because of the rice-planting season.

It has also been recently alleged that authorities have arrested four individuals for their faith, including a pastor in Bolikhamsai province in central Laos. This is not the first time that the pastor has been arrested for this reason. This time, it appears that the pastor was conducting a Christian funeral when the authorities arrived and tried to force the congregation to sign documents recanting their faith in Jesus. After refusing to do so, the pastor and three other leaders were taken to the district jail, where they remain.

Home group prayer

Lord Jesus, we give you thanks for your faithful servants in Laos. We give you thanks for their steadfast commitment to you through all circumstances.

We pray today for each and every individual in Laos who has accepted you as Lord and Saviour. Might they know that you are with them in the valley, that you go before them, and that you will never leave them nor forsake them.

Lord, we pray especially for the leaders of your church in Laos. Be with them today. By the power of your Holy Spirit, remind them that their life gives you glory and their labour is not in vain. In particular for Pastor Sithon and other church leaders arrested across Laos, may they know today the comfort and peace that can come only from you. We think of their families who anxiously await their return and pray for justice in this situation.  We lift up to you the police, politicians and all those involved in the justice system — we pray that the faith of our brothers and sisters will shine as a light and change hearts and minds for you.

Lord, we gave you thanks that you know the names of every man and woman suffering for your name’s sake in Laos — you know them and you love them. Lord, we pray that this truth will be written on their hearts today and will give them joy amidst the pain.

In the name of your Son, we pray.

Amen.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1–3)

Authorities in Laos have arrested a pastor for holding a church service without official permission. The arrest took place on 15 March, a few days before the government issued an advisory against religious gatherings to stop the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

Police arrested Pastor Sithon Thiphavong in Kaleum Vangkae village in Chonnaburi district, Savannakhet province. Pastor Sithon has not been formally charged with any offence, and the provincial police department and the Lao Front for Construction, which oversees religious affairs in the country, have not responded to calls to confirm the arrest.

Pastor Sithon’s family members have not been allowed to visit him, though they can send him food via the authorities every day. They have been told that his case will be dealt with after the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted in the country.

Lao church leaders say that most believers don’t have the technical capacity to livestream services.

On 29 March, the Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith instructed everyone to stay at home from 1 to 19 April in order to contain the spread of the potentially deadly virus. The government has since extended the lockdown until 3 May and closed its borders with neighbouring countries. However, China, its neighbour to the north, has sent medical experts, medical equipment and medicines, and Vietnam, its neighbour to the east, has also offered to help fight the virus.

Laos announced its first COVID-19 cases on 24 March and, as of 10 May, officials claim that the number of confirmed cases has remained at 19 for 27 consecutive days.

According to a 2019 report by the US Commission for International Religious Freedom, the Lao constitution “ostensibly protects its people’s inherent right to religious freedom,” but members of the Christian minority are often targeted and arrested. Christians make up about 1.5 percent of the Lao population, while 67 percent of the people practise Buddhism.

As recently as 25 February, in Long district, Luang Namtha province, three Christian families totalling 14 people were evicted from their village and their houses demolished for refusing to recant their faith in Jesus. According to Open Doors, the country’s overall persecution score increased by one point over 2019 mostly as a result of increasing reports of violence against Christians.

Dear Heavenly Father,

In this time of great hardship and suffering throughout the world, let us take a moment to remember your sons and daughters in Laos who are suffering even more for their faith. Let us lift them up to pray for an extra dose of strength, hope and peace that only you can bestow to sustain them. May you convict those who persecute them to see the error of their ways and help them to see you through the actions and attitudes of your faithful servants there. As we are all on our knees now, Lord, because of the coronavirus, we see how weak and futile are efforts made on our own, and we see even more clearly how we are powerless without you, Lord. On our knees is the perfect place to pray to you for your help to unite this divided country in your holy name.

In the name of your Son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.