Lao Officials Unlawfully Confiscate a 37-Year-Old Church Building and Ban Worship Gathering Kengweng Village, Saybuli District, Savannakhet Province, LAOS Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) Advocacy Alert No. 2/2012 February 22, 2012
On February 21-22, 2012, a group of 4-5 Saybuli district officials travelled to Kengweng village and conducted a seminar entitled "Tricks of the Enemy." Officials and villagers of Kengweng were asked to join the seminar. At the end of the seminar on February 22 around 4:00 p.m., district officials summarized the teaching sessions and ordered the confiscation of Kengweng church building and prohibited Christians from using it, which went into effect immediately. Additionally, officials banned Christians from any worship gathering anywhere in the village. Any future worship gathering must be approved by authorities. The confiscation of Kengweng church took place in less than two months after officials confiscated Nadaeng church in the same district (see http://www.hrwlrf.net/pages/nadaeng-church-confiscated.html).
Christians only recognized three of the district officials who ordered the confiscation, namely: (1) Mr. Saysamorn, Saybuli district communist party committee member; (2) Mr. Bountha, Saybuli district religious affairs; and, (3) Captain Saysana, Saybuli district deputy chief of police. The officials further instructed that if Christians wanted to use the church building, they must submit a formal written request to village-level, district-level, and provincial officials and be approved by each of the three levels.
The church in Kengweng village began in 1972 with two Christian Lao families. In 1975, Christians in Kengweng built their church building and have been using it for church gathering until today (February 22, 2012), when it was confiscated by officials. Presently, Kengweng village have 25 Christian families, consisting of 178 individual believers.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport last Friday signed a contract of construction of a steel truss bridge superstructure for Park Lai Bridge over the Mekong River in the northwestern Sayaboury province, with the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Limited from China.
The contract was signed by the director of the Road and Bridge Department?s Project Monitoring Division, Mr. Soukkhaseum Parkdymanivong and a representative of the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Limited.
The event was witnessed by the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr. Sommath Pholsena, Vice Governor of Sayaboury province, Mr. Khamsouk Thor and officials of both sides.
The 370 metre long bridge will connect Nasak village in Park Lai district, to Khok Khaodor village, Sanakham district, Vientiane province, will cost about 4.5 million euro, 2.3 million euro of which are grant from the Government of the Netherlands and 2.1 million euro input of the Lao government.
Upon completion at the end of 2013, the bridge will facilitate the land communication and transport between Sayaboury and Vientiane and other provinces to replace water travel. http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-mot...kong-at-PakLay
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport last Friday signed a contract of construction of a steel truss bridge superstructure for Park Lai Bridge over the Mekong River in the northwestern Sayaboury province, with the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Limited from China.
The contract was signed by the director of the Road and Bridge Department?s Project Monitoring Division, Mr. Soukkhaseum Parkdymanivong and a representative of the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Limited.
The event was witnessed by the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr. Sommath Pholsena, Vice Governor of Sayaboury province, Mr. Khamsouk Thor and officials of both sides.
The 370 metre long bridge will connect Nasak village in Park Lai district, to Khok Khaodor village, Sanakham district, Vientiane province, will cost about 4.5 million euro, 2.3 million euro of which are grant from the Government of the Netherlands and 2.1 million euro input of the Lao government.
Upon completion at the end of 2013, the bridge will facilitate the land communication and transport between Sayaboury and Vientiane and other provinces to replace water travel. http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-mot...kong-at-PakLay
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport last Friday signed a contract of construction of a steel truss bridge superstructure for Park Lai Bridge over the Mekong River in the northwestern Sayaboury province, with the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Limited from China.
The contract was signed by the director of the Road and Bridge Department?s Project Monitoring Division, Mr. Soukkhaseum Parkdymanivong and a representative of the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Limited.
The event was witnessed by the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr. Sommath Pholsena, Vice Governor of Sayaboury province, Mr. Khamsouk Thor and officials of both sides.
The 370 metre long bridge will connect Nasak village in Park Lai district, to Khok Khaodor village, Sanakham district, Vientiane province, will cost about 4.5 million euro, 2.3 million euro of which are grant from the Government of the Netherlands and 2.1 million euro input of the Lao government.
Upon completion at the end of 2013, the bridge will facilitate the land communication and transport between Sayaboury and Vientiane and other provinces to replace water travel. http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-mot...kong-at-PakLay
Officials in Northern Laos Demand Christians to Renounce Christian Belief or Face Expulsion in 30 Days Hueygong Village, Pakoo District, Luangprabang Province, LAOS Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) Advocacy Alert No. 3/2012 March 2, 2012
On February 18, 2012, the Hueygong village chief Mr. KHAMPENG and the Saysawang sub-district police Mr. SOMPON issued an expulsion order against ten Christians families, consisting of approximately 65 believers; eight of the ten families became Christians three months ago. Christians now are holding worship services in the home of their leader Mr. JAR-YANG.
According to the order, Christians have up to March 18, 2012, to recant of their Christian belief or else they must be expelled from the village. Local Christians nearby are uncertain whether officials will use force to follow through with the order. Hueygong village and Saysawang sub-district are located in Pakoo district of Luangprabang province.
The expulsion order came shortly after the Pakoo district government refused to recognize the presence of Christians in its district—even though eight Christian churches now exist there. Prior to the order, district officials informed Christians to report the number of believers and churches to the Pakoo district government office in order to seek permission to be Christians. A Lao church leader northern Laos stated that a request to be Christians in Pakoo district would have to be approved by the Pakoo district chief and the district religious affairs as well as the secretary of the Communist party of the district. Without these district officials approving the request, villagers cannot become Christians or believe in the Christian faith. If they insist on believing it, they would then face punishment in the form of an expulsion or similar action.
The head of religious affairs of Luangprabang province Mr BOUSEE CHANTUMA is reported to have intervened in the situation in order to compel Pakoo district officials to reverse the expulsion order, deeming that the order did not have legal ground. BOUSEE has communicated with both with Pakoo’s district chief and district religious affairs’ chief with regard to the legality of the order. BOUSEE apparently disagrees with the order and has informed these district officials that if the expulsion order is not reversed or cancelled, he will appeal to higher authorities—namely, the provincial governor, the prime minister’s office, the Lao parliament, or the central government’s religious affairs department. BOUSEE holds that district authorities cannot arrest Christians without first going through his provincial religious affairs because it involves religious matters which are under his jurisdiction.
The expulsion order violates the Lao constitution, Lao religious law (Decree 92), and the Lao law on local administration. District officials have abused their power and illegally issued the order. They should be punished to the extent of the law.
The HRWLRF urges the Lao government to respect the Lao constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as ratified by the Lao government and recognize the existence of Christians and churches in Pakoo district as well as to reverse the expulsion order issued by local authorities. The HRWLRF further asks the Lao government to recognize the right of every citizen to believe in a religion of his or her choice. That right also includes the right to assemble and practice the requirements of that religion