An interviw with two christians from Laos

QUESTION: How would you describe the situation in Laos for Christians today?
ANSWER: It is crystal clear that the situation has changed radically in the last two years. Before 1998, if you were caught by the police for active evangelism you would experience problems, but if you just quietly lived your Christian life it was possible to do so. The big change is what is called "The Program:" to eliminate Christianity by the year 2000. The Program has brought about a big change for the worse for Christians. The government plan is to eliminate Christianity and to close all Christian meeting places in the countryside. Only some churches will be kept open in the biggest cities, to give the impression to foreigners that there is religious freedom and a functioning church.

QUESTION: How does the government implement this project?
ANSWER: The government forces Christians to sign a paper promising that they will no longer to take part in any activity related to a foreign religion. If they do not sign, they will be put in prison or lose their jobs. Also, they need to state what religion they will join after leaving Christianity, as everyone's religion is noted on their ID cards.

QUESTION: What religion would the government then propose?
ANSWER: Most of those who leave Christianity would become animists or Buddhists. The government prefers them to write "Buddhism" on the ID card, as Buddhism is seen as a civilized religion by the authorities. Animism is considered unsophisticated.

QUESTION: Why this hate from the government, that leads them even to say that Christianity is "state enemy number one"?
ANSWER: It is very often said that Christians are working for foreign countries, and we also hear that we are agents of the CIA. The government also says that we create splits in the society, that we disrupt the social harmony, and even that we do not practice "love".

QUESTION: What tools is the government using against Christians?
ANSWER: They very often use local newspapers, in which they emphasize how Christians split the society, that the government wants the country to be united, to be "one", and for everyone to love each other. Then they claim that we Christians do not love. When Christians have been forced to sign the document renouncing their faith, often a car with a loudspeaker will come to the village, proclaiming to everyone that there are no longer any people there who belong to a foreign religion. By "foreign religion" they of course mean Christianity. Some Christians who have been forced to sign the document have also been given money by the authorities to reveal the names of Christians they know. In any given area there seem to be three people responsible for the project of eliminating Christians. One is the chief of police of the province, the second is the governor of the province, and the third is the village chief. They seem to have drawn up plans on ways to eliminate the Christians from the villages: First by forcing them to sign the document rescinding their faith, then to close the meeting places, and finally to check that they subsequently make offerings to the Buddhist priests. The key person behind it all seems to be the former president, Nouhak Phoumsavan. Despite his very advanced age, he often flies into an area by helicopter to speak against Christians and the "foreign religion."

QUESTION: What effect will this have on Christians, in your opinion?
ANSWER: As we see it, there will be three reactions: One is that some people actually will leave the Christian faith. The second is that the church will go ever deeper underground. The third is that we will meet in other ways, which I do not wish to discuss.

QUESTION: How then can the Gospel be proclaimed?
ANSWER: In our view, the best way to proclaim the Gospel to Laos would be by radio, from Thailand. We hope that new efforts will be made in this area. Also, we need to pray for a solution, and a vision from God on how to cope with this new situation. We truly believe that God has a plan for the people of Laos, and we want to understand more of that plan.

Christians in Laos forced to recant

Christians are "enemies of the state" in Laos. The communist government is trying to eliminate or control Christianity, church leaders say.

...Rural churches are the target of "The Program," Lao church leaders told World Evangelical Fellowship (see link #1 below). The Program is a government effort to close all Christian meeting places in the countryside while retaining official churches in cities "to give the impression to foreigners that there is religious freedom and a functioning church," they said.

...Tribal Christians are forced to choose between their faith and their homes, a U.S.-based missionary who has worked in the country told Religion Today. If they refuse to sign a document renouncing their faith, village officials force them to leave their homes, their crops, and their jobs, he said.

...Provincial governors, police chiefs, and village leaders work together. Government leaders denounce Christians in newspapers, calling them subversive and a threat to national unity, the church leaders said. Then local chiefs order the Christians to sign the paper or leave the village, and police shut down Christian meeting places.

...Christians who recant are forced to give money to Buddhist priests and some are offered bribes to provide the names of other Christians, they said.

...Sixteen Hmong Christian families are under pressure in Phongsaly Province, according to the Caleb Project, a ministry of AD2000 and Beyond (see link #2 below). The tribal Christians living on the border of China have been told to recant and build "spirit houses" as evidence that they have rejected their faith, the ministry said. If they refuse they will be forced out of the province.

...The Program is almost worse than putting Christians in jail, the U.S. missionary said. "They maybe can deal with [jail] better than this. This is taking heads of families with kids and saying, 'You now have no place to live and no place to work.' "

...An estimated 60 Christians are in prison because of their faith, according to news reports. Pa Tood, a 46-year-old pastor, has been in jail for more than a year, according to Christianity Today. He refused to recant, even when the village chief offered to pay his bail. "If I wanted to give up my faith, I wouldn't be here," he said. He is kept in stocks 24-hours a day and sometimes is denied food for extended periods of time.

...The government is cracking down because it fears the societal upheaval many Asian nations have experienced since the 1997 economic crisis, according to news reports. "There is a definite connection," a diplomat said, according to Reuters. "They saw what happened" in Indonesia where economic problems led to the overthrow of the government, and clamped down to quell all suspect groups, he said.

...Christianity is viewed as a foreign religion in Laos and government officials believe churches are tools of Western spies to subvert society. Buddhist priests, seeking to protect their religious dominance, cooperate with the government to ostracize Christians. "There is a real conspiracy there," the missionary said.

...Laos is between Vietnam and Thailand. About 58 percent of its 5.2 million people are Buddhists and 33 percent animists, according missionary organizations. Christians make up about 1.5 percent of the population, with about half being evangelicals.

...The Laotian constitution contains provisions for religious freedom, and Christians once were allowed to practice their faith quietly. "It is crystal clear that the situation has changed radically in the last two years," the church leaders said. "The Program has brought about a big change for the worse for Christians."

-----------
RELATED LINKS:
1: http://www.worldevangelical.org
2: http://www.ad2000.org

-----------

Religion Today - August 24, 2000

Back to: The latest page