UPDATE ON PROTESTANTS IN BOLIKHAMSAI AND VIENTIANE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000454 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS DEPT FOR DRL/IRF E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017 TAGS: KIRF PHUM SCUL SOCI PREL LA SUBJECT: UPDATE ON PROTESTANTS IN BOLIKHAMSAI AND VIENTIANE PROVINCES REF: A. A) 07 VIENTIANE 0030 ¶B. B) 06 VIENTIANE 1194 ¶C. C) 07 VIENTIANE 167 ¶D. D) 07 VIENTIANE 105 Classified By: Charge de'Affairs ai. Mary Grace McGeehan for reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: There have been reports indicating that several ethnic Khmu Christians in Bolikhamsai Province's Nakun Village were forcibly moved May 15 to another village in the same district. The Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) has indicated that five heads of households were forced by local officials to move from the village. The Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC),however, denies they were forced to move and told PolOff that it has received a report on the incident from the province. In another case, nine of twelve ethnic Khmu Christians detained in Vientiane Province since November 2006 were reportedly released in mid-May while three pastors remain incarcerated. End Summary. Nakun Village Christians -------------- ¶2. (C) Tensions between Christian villagers and local officials in Nakun Village, Bolikhan District, Bolikhamsai Province, have gained international attention in recent months (Ref A). These tensions appeared to reach a new level when, on May 15, several Christians in Nakun Village were reportedly forced to move to Mai Village (also in Bolikhan District). There have been conflicting reports regarding the number of Christians affected and the nature of the incident. According to a Christian contact in northeast Thailand, members of seven of the ten Christian families in Nakun Village were forced onto a vehicle and transported to Mai Village. However, according the LEC, five heads of Christian households were forcibly moved to Mai Village while their families remained in Nakun Village. The LFNC's Religious Affairs Director informed PolOff on May 25 that a report on the issue had been provided to the central-level LFNC by the province. He said the LFNC would share the report after it is reviewed. He noted that the issue in Nakun Village involved seven Christian families, but denied that anyone had been forced to move to Mai Village. ¶3. (C) The LEC's Provincial Chairperson in Bolikhamsai Province, Ms. Meta, has been in communication with local and district officials about the incident and is following developments for the LEC. She reported that the District Governor had met with the five Christian heads of households on May 25 to discuss the situation, but she was unable to provide any details regarding the results of the meeting. Meta was the wife of Pastor Aroun who was murdered in 2005 following a Christmas service. An investigation into the murder reportedly never took place. ¶4. (C) Mai Village, according to representatives of the LEC headquarters in Vientiane, is unusual in that it is really two villages separated by several kilometers. One village is primarily made up of Buddhists and Animists, while the other (hereafter referred to as New Mai Village) is almost entirely Christian. Each village is home to approximately 150 people. Pastor Khamphone, the LEC President, said most of the 150 Christians in New Mai Village relocated there in 2003 after being pushed out of Kok Po Village in the same district. The group of Christians had reportedly attempted to settle in the original Mai Village and were encouraged to settle elsewhere. Nine Khmu Christians Released, Three Remain Imprisoned -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) In another case, nine of twelve ethnic Khmu Christians who had been held in a police detention center in Vientiane Province since November 2006 were reportedly released on May 16. The group was arrested following their participation in a religious celebration that was attended by Americans and Canadians and involved the videotaping of religious services and interviews with Christian members of the community (Refs B, C, and D). The three pastors in the group, who have been incarcerated at Thong Harb Prison in Vientiane Province since November, remain incarcerated. According to LEC Pastor Khamphone, provincial officials see the interaction between these three pastors and Christians from the U.S. and Canada as not just a religious issue but also a national security issue. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) While the release of nine ethnic Khmu Christians from detention in Vientiane Province is positive, the fact that the nine remained in detention for seven months - for participating in a religious service in which Americans and Canadians were involved - is very troubling. Even more troubling are reports that the Governor of Vientiane Province held up their release despite the Prime Minister's Office and the LFNC reportedly approving their release well over a month ago. This is not particularly surprising given the Lao system of government in which governors generally have more power than many high-level central government officials. The opinion of the LEC - that the three pastors remain incarcerated because of national security concerns - is also troubling, as Lao Government concerns regarding national security often equate to very long prison sentences without any understandable legal justification. Post will continue to follow developments regarding the Christian community in Nakun Village. We expect to receive information regarding the provincial government's report on the incident by June 4. MCGEEHAN