Eleven Arrested for Holding Christmas Services

07 January 2004 0 minutes read

Eleven Christians were arrested for holding religious services on Christmas Day and authorities are looking for ten others. Quoted in a January 2 report by news.com.au, the Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR) said that six Christians were arrested on December 27 in Kang village in the southern province of Attapeu "simply for praying together." Another man was arrested the same day in Somsouk and four others in the same district were arrested the next day. After being arrested, the were imprisoned and their Bibles were confiscated.

The Laos government maintains that there is freedom of religion and they deny all human rights violations, accusing the LMHR of trying to influence a debate by the U.S. government on normalizing trade relations with Laos.

Pray for endurance and spiritual strength for these and other Christians in prison for their faith in Laos.

For more information on Laos, go to https://www.vomcanada.com/laos.htm.

Laos

Laos Information

Current Ministry Project
VOMC is working with an international partner to provide New Testaments to persecuted Christians, new believers, and those who are earnestly seeking Christ. We believe that the Word of God is a vital tool in combating persecution by helping believers grow in maturity to the fullness of Christ.

Project Fund: Bibles
Country Information
Population
7,852,377 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Lao (53.2), Khmou (11), Hmong (9.2), Phouthay (3.4), Tai (3.1), Makong (2.5), Katong (2.2), Lue (2), Akha (1.8), other (11.6)

Religion (%)
Buddhism (64.7), Christianity (1.7), none (31.4), unspecified (2.1)

Leader
President Thongloun Sisoulith (2021)

Government type
Communist state

Legal system
Civil law system similar in form to the French system

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Laos
Pray for strength and courage for Christians as they continue to face pressure and imprisonment for their faith.

Pray for the government of Laos -- that those in power will continue to improve policies and activities, recognizing the need for freedom for all their citizens.

Laos News

Six Christians Arrested by Village Chief

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Homes Demolished for the Second Time

A village in Laos.
Photo: Vinko Rajic (cc)

For the second time within the past five months, the homes belonging to a group of believers in Laos were demolished by angry villagers. The village is located in an area of the country considered a "hot spot" for persecution because of the increasing number of Christians.

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Converts Driven from Their Homes

A village in Laos.
Photo: VOMC

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Pastor Tortured and Killed

Pastor Sy Seng Manee
Photo: Morning Star News

On October 23rd, an evangelical pastor in Laos was found murdered after he had been kidnapped and badly beaten. His body was discovered near his motorbike in a forested area outside Donkeo village in Khammouane province.

According to an eyewitness, three men in a black truck had seized Sy Seng Manee a few days earlier. At the time, the bystander thought the men were capturing a criminal, and so he did not intervene – only to realize later that he had instead witnessed the pastor's kidnapping.

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