Forced to Flee

Six women and children arrived in Pakse in southern Laos on January 2 after being forced from their village in Attapue Province for refusing to renounce their faith in Christ. According to a report from Christian Aid Mission, the village chiefs fined them 150,000 kips ($18.00 Cdn - about a month's wage) for believing in Christ. They were ordered to renounce their faith or face the possibility of being shot. Having faced pressure for many months, the families decided to leave the village, saying "the situation is getting very unstable and dangerous."

Last week the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on arrests in Attapue Province for holding Christmas services (see https://www.vomcanada.com/la-2004-01-07.htm). It is reported that other Christians are in hiding to escape arrest.

Pray for these believers, as they face danger and prison for their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that those in hiding will avoid arrest and that those who face arrest will stand firm in their faith as they give account for their trust in God.

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
    A large wooded area partially hides a village in the mountains of Laos.
     

    On June 22nd, believers from the village of Tahae gathered at the home of Pastor Mum for a time of prayer in preparation for their Sunday worship service the next day. While the followers of Jesus were praying, the village chief – along with four other community officials – suddenly entered the home before arresting the pastor and five believers because of their Christian faith.

  • Homes Demolished for the Second Time
    Laotian village
    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.

  • Converts Driven from Their Homes
    A village
    A village in Laos.
    Photo: VOMC

    More than a dozen Christian families from the village of Mai in northwestern Laos were driven from their homes by other members of the majority-Buddhist community. This recent incident is the latest in a string of similar attacks against Laotian followers of Jesus, despite the fact that laws have been instituted in this country to protect the free exercise of religion.

  • Pastor Tortured and Killed
    Sy Seng Manee praying
    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.