Laos: Government's campaign to eliminate church

Laotian Christians have long suffered oppression and persecution under Communism. However, in recent years this persecution has so intensified that it is classified as 'extreme', with Laos now considered one of the top 4 persecuting nations in the world.

In 1999, the Laotian Government declared that Christians were the 'number one enemy of the State', labelling Christianity as an 'imperialist foreign religion' backed by the enemies of Laos (primarily the USA). To 'eliminate Christianity', the government has a concerted campaign called 'The Program'.

From this, Laotian Christians have been forced since early 2000 to sign a document headed 'Voluntary resignation from a foreign religion, into which the enemy has enticed us in past days.' Security police squads travel the country enforcing this and conducting 're-education'. Those who sign are often forced to carry out animist rituals.

Prison conditions in Laos are appalling, even life threatening. Prisoners are poorly fed on the most meagre rations. They are shackled or put in stocks, beaten and have to endure intolerable filth and unsanitary conditions. Most religious prisoners are held on charges of sedition and national security offences, while some are held purely for 'believing in the Jesus religion'. The total of those known to be jailed for their faith is 32.

It has been reported that the central government has sent secret orders to local authorities to close all the churches throughout Laos, starting in the countryside. This campaign has been evident for some time, with 59 churches having been closed in the last 18 months.

From Brian Pickering of Australian Prayer Network

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