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
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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
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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
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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