false charges of "possessing illegal weapons", a well informed missionary organization said Thursday, July 14. US-based Christian Aid Mission (CAM) told BosNewsLife the two men, identified as Mr. Khamchan, 59, and Mr. Vangthong, 31, had been held in custody since March 27.
News of the sentence comes amid growing concern within the human rights community about reports of widespread torture of Christians and other government supported pressure on Christian communities in the Communist-run Asian nation.
"Christians commonly have been charged with social crimes, such as possession of weapons, in order to divert the real issues behind arrests and imprisonment," a CAM contact in Laos said on condition of anonymity.
The person who possessed the weapons used to accuse the two men reportedly confessed his guilt to authorities. However Christian Aid’s contact claimed that "officials refused to listen because they desire to keep Khamchan and Vangthong in prison" instead.
PART OF GROUP
The men were arrested in late March along with at least 16 other Christians from Phin district in Savannakhet province in southern Laos, said CAM, which supports native missionaries in the region.
CAM said it is thought that Khamchan may have been targeted because he had been a village chief and a member of the local Communist party in Phin district before he became a Christian. "When he confessed his faith in Christ one year ago, he was fired from the Communist party leadership," the organization added.
Khamchan and Vangthong are believed to have been in Muang Phin district prison since their arrests. All other Christians imprisoned at the same time as the two men appear to have been released, CAM said.
AUTHORITIES APPROACH LEADERS
"Christian leaders in Savannakhet were approached recently by authorities from both the Lao central and Savannakhet provincial governments. Apparently, officials tried to convince local Christians to help them cover up the wave of arrests of Christians that took place in March," CAM quoted its contact as saying. Believers apparently refused to cooperate.
CAM urged supporters in a news alert to pray for both men as "as they suffer in prison" and to pray that "justice would prevail in their case." CAM also asked prayers "for the hundreds of Laotian Christians who face physical and psychological persecution from local authorities in provinces like Savannakhet."
Human rights groups suggest the reported crackdown in especially rural areas are linked to the growth of churches there, despite apparent persecution. "Reflecting the nature of Lao society, in which 85% of the population are subsistence farmers, the vast majority of believers and churches are located in rural areas. In fact only three of the 160 Protestant Churches are located in the cities…" said Open Doors, which investigates the plight of persecuted believers.
MOST PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
Open Doors has put Laos on the top five of its World Watch List of countries where Christians are allegedly persecuted the most.
The government in Laos has not commented on the latest developments. However as one of the few remaining official Communist states, the Lao central and local authorities have made clear they want to base society on Marxism-Leninism principles, with little or no space for faith.
Although Buddhism has been the main religion in the country, the government sees it more "as an integral part of Lao culture than a religion," Open Doors added.
RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
"The Department of Religious Affairs reportedly ensures that the teaching of Buddhism is in line with Marxist principles and all monks have to undergo political indoctrination as part of their monastic training…Buddhists texts have been subject to ‘editing’ by officials," Open Doors said in a recent Laos statement.
Various Christian missionary groups are trying to regain a foothold in Laos but the current Laos constitution forbids religious proselytizing or the distribution of religious materials, human rights watchers say.
"Foreigners caught distributing religious materials may be arrested and held incommunicado or expelled from the country," explained Open Doors. Despite the difficulties, there are at least over 35,000 Evangelical Christians in Laos today with different ethnic backgrounds including 20,000 Khmu, 8,000 Lao, 4,000 Hmong and 3,000 among other tribes, according to Open Doors estimates. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Laos)
