IRF VISITS PROVINCIAL LAOS TO GAUGE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 VIENTIANE 000293

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MLS (EMERY)
DEPT FOR DRL (ADAMSON, BIRDSALL, ORONA)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRF PHUM PGOV PREL SOCI LA
SUBJECT: IRF VISITS PROVINCIAL LAOS TO GAUGE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

REF: 08 Vientiane 0579

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED: PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) Summary: In May, DRL Office of International Religious
Freedom (DRL/IRF) officer traveled with PolOff through three
northern provinces - Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, and Luang Namtha - to
assess religious freedom conditions. Predictably, the further away
the officers traveled from Vientiane or provincial centers, the
poorer the understanding and implementation by local officials of
the country's religious freedom policy, Prime Minister's Decree 92.
However, meetings were still frank and, with the exception of Luang
Namtha, the central government's stated intention to support
religious freedom and propagate Decree 92 appeared to be gradually
taking hold in the north of Laos. Religious leaders the officers
met with in the course of the trip also reported that the Lao Front
for National Construction (LFNC) - the Party's mass organization
responsible for supervising the practice of religion - has made
sincere efforts to resolve some recent high-profile cases and
educate all involved about Decree 92. These same leaders said that,
while non-Buddhist religions still operated with a great deal of
caution, overall the situation has improved in recent years. End
summary.


Vientiane Meetings: LEC and LFNC
--------------


2. (SBU) DRL/IRF Off and PolOff met with leaders at the Lao
Evangelical Church (LEC) headquarters in Vientiane. Laos only
recognizes four religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the
Baha'i faith. Registered Christian groups include the Catholics,
the Seventh Day Adventists, and the LEC as the umbrella group for
all other Protestant denominations. The LEC leaders shared with the
officers information received by the LEC on a range of religious
issues, as well as a general perspective that progress is being made
toward more religious freedom despite ongoing problems at the local
level in some areas.


3. (U) DRL/IRF Off and PolOff then met with the Lao Front for
National Construction (LFNC) Religious Affairs Department Director
General Khaophone Vannabouth to express thanks for the LFNC's
support and discuss details of the trip. (Comment: Although
official Lao approval for the visit was only granted five minutes
after DRL/IRF Off's plane landed in Vientiane, the LFNC wound up
successfully facilitating meetings with officials in all three
provinces as well as arranging a visit to Luang Namtha Province's
Sing District, 8km from the China border and a location with
reported religious persecution problems. End comment.)

... LFNC - the IGE Conference
--------------


4. (SBU) The officers discussed with DG Khaophone a proposal for a
multinational conference on religious freedom to be held in Laos in
the near future (reftel). The proposed conference, sponsored by the
U.S.-based Institute for Global Engagement (IGE),would include the
sharing of best practices on training on legal protection for
religious freedom. IGE sponsored similar conferences in Vietnam in
2007 and China in 2008. The conference was originally proposed for
October 2009, with the Lao Academy of Social Sciences to work with
IGE as the local organizer. However, DG Khaophone explained that
preparations for the upcoming Southeast Asia Games - to be held in
Laos in December 2009 - prevented the Government from being able to
support the conference as originally scheduled. The LFNC has
recommended to IGE that the conference either be postponed to early
2010 or held in another country. The status of the conference is
still undecided.

... LFNC - the USCIRF Report
--------------


5. (SBU) The officers presented DG Khaophone with a copy of the
sections on Laos from the 2009 annual report of the U.S. Commission
on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF),released just one
week before the visit. They explained that USCIRF is an independent
commission appointed by the Congress and does not represent the
views of the State Department. The officers pointed out that the
2009 report placed Laos on a USCIRF watch list for violations of
religious freedom - one step below recommending that Laos be named a
county of particular concern (CPC) for severe violations of
religious freedom. This recommendation, they cautioned, had been
sent to President Obama and was very influential, particularly among
members of Congress. Although the Department of State does not
maintain a watch list for CPC countries, such a recommendation by
USCIRF meant that Laos would be under increased scrutiny by our
Congress and concerned members of the international community. For
that reason, the officers explained, the LFNC's willingness to work
together with the Embassy and visiting officials to address

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religious freedom concerns and access areas where reported problems
occurred was all the more critical.


6. (SBU) DG Khaophone appeared genuinely concerned about the USCIRF
report. While he said he understood that the USCIRF report was
different from the Department's International Religious Freedom
report, he seemed to grasp the significance of its recommendations.
He welcomed the opportunity to clarify his country's record on
religious freedom and stressed Laos' commitment to supporting
religious freedom, providing religious believers were not divisive,
promoted harmony, and supported the ideals of the State. As in
previous meetings with DRL/IRF Off, DG Khaophone asked that if any
specific cases arise they be brought to his attention. In the past,
the LFNC has been able to intervene in conflicts and educate those
involved about Decree 92 in order to resolve problems.


7. (SBU) DG Khaophone said that, although Decree 92 guarantees the
right to religious freedom, not all officials at the district level
- particularly in the outer provinces - had a full understanding of
the government policy. The LFNC, he explained, is making a real
effort to train its officials and to resolve problems when they do
occur. Since 2006 the LFNC has instituted phased training on Decree
92 in the outer provinces. The training programs, which are paid
for and organized in conjunction with the LEC, include officials
from the national, district, and village levels as well as police
officers and villagers. Although these training programs have been
successful in educating attendees about the right to religious
freedom in Laos, he acknowledged that much work still needs to be
done and looked forward to another training program later in 2009.

Luang Prabang: An Activist Director for the LFNC
-------------- ---


8. (U) In Luang Prabang officers met with LFNC Provincial Chairman
Kongchanh Khammavong. Mr. Kongchanh highlighted the strengthening
of the relationship between Laos and the United States, particularly
in terms of human rights and the joint excavation of remains of
those missing from the war years. He highlighted the critical
assistance that the United States has given Laos in combating opium
as well as the humanitarian assistance programs supported by the
United States.


9. (SBU) Turning to religious freedom issues, Mr. Kongchanh
emphasized standard government policy, stressing that the Government
does not allow individuals to pressure anyone to convert to another
faith and that coercion, including the use of bribes, is illegal.
He continued that all religious groups have a responsibility to
participate in village development. Mr. Kongchanh stated that there
were no officially registered LEC churches in Luang Prabang.
(Comment: His statement contradicted what the LEC had earlier
reported to PolOff. End comment.) Instead religious believers were
free to practice in their homes with permission from local
authorities. Finally, Mr. Kongchanh acknowledged that sometimes
misunderstandings arise between believers and non-believers, both of
whom are not always clear about Decree 92 and Laos' policy towards
religion.


10. (SBU) Mr. Kongchanh detailed a range of minor problems that have
occurred in Luang Prabang, including tourists distributing Bibles
without permission and missionaries coercing ethnic minorities to
convert to their faith by promising favors. In one case in
particular, he asserted that a con-artist extorted money from poor
Buddhists in exchange for promises of salvation after death. Mr.
Kongchanh also explained that some Christian believers conduct
services in their homes without permission from local authorities in
violation of Article 20 of Decree 92.


11. (SBU) At the same time, Mr. Kongchanh acknowledged that local
authorities were sometimes the wrongdoers. "People mistake
implementation of the law with forcing people to deny their faith,"
he said. For example, in July 2008 there had been an incident in
Jomphet District in which local officials attempted to force
villagers to renounce their Christian faith. This was reported to
LEC leaders in Vientiane who alerted the LFNC in Vientiane. When
the provincial LFNC officials were notified, they called the
individuals involved, including the local officials, religious
leaders, villagers, and police officers, to a meeting in Luang
Prabang to sort out what happened and discuss Decree 92. Mr.
Kongchanh characterized the meeting as a serious discussion and
stated that the situation was resolved with local authorities now
better understanding Decree 92. He stressed that in the future he
hopes that religious leaders will bring any cases of
misunderstanding directly to him rather than going through Vientiane
first.


12. (SBU) Highlighting best practices in Luang Prabang, Mr.
Kongchanh stated that the Provincial LFNC office was committed to
using every means to educate its people about Decree 92. When cases
of alleged violation or conflict do occur, the Provincial LFNC

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officials do not jump to conclusions but instead try to hear all
sides and work to resolve the situation in accordance with Decree

92. Leadership, he explained, is about educating, listening, and
resolving conflict. Mr. Kongchanh also mentioned an LEC-sponsored
training conference on Decree 92 that had been held in Luang Prabang
in late 2008 as very successful. Finally, Mr. Kongchanh stated the
Provincial LFNC sought financial support to print more than 100
copies of Decree 92 to send to all the leaders in the province.

Luang Prabang: An Activist Christian Leader
--------------


13. (SBU) On their return through Luang Prabang later that week, the
officers visited a local LEC church service on Sunday morning. The
church, in a converted house, was located immediately outside the
city of Luang Prabang, as officers were told that Christian services
are not permitted in the historic city itself. The congregation was
multi-generational though the majority appeared to be in their early
20s. They performed cheerful praise songs that they had practiced
during the week. Some individuals wore t-shirts displaying their
Christian affiliation. To DRL/IRF Off and PolOff, this suggested a
well-established community that was openly practicing its faith.


14. (SBU) After the service the officers spoke with the head Pastor,
Reverend Boun Noy Souliphay. Reverend Boun Noy related that he had
been jailed a total of three years because of his faith, the last
time in 2003. However, he explained that things have improved in
recent years and stated that on the whole there is now more
religious freedom in Luang Prabang. According to Reverend Boun Noy,
there are now 10,000 Christians in Luang Prabang Province able to
attend services in 48 locations: three houses converted into full
time churches and 45 home church services.


15. (SBU) Referring to the incident that Mr. Kongchanh had raised
earlier (see para 11),Reverend Boun Noy stated that few of Luang
Prabang's 11 districts have experienced problems in recent years,
but those problems, including the one that had occurred in Jomphet
District, had been resolved satisfactorily. Referring to the
meeting the Provincial LFNC had called in Luang Prabang to resolve
the Jomphet problem, Reverend Boun Noy confirmed that local
officials, police, religious leaders, and villagers had attended and
that there had been no intimidation at the meeting as the LFNC
clarified Decree 92 for local officials. Noting that it had taken
three months from the incident's occurrence until the meeting was
held and the situation resolved, Reverend Boun Noy seemed to suggest
that such a time lag was to be expected as it involved
communicating, organizing, and transporting people from a remote
district to the Provincial center for the critical meeting.

Oudomxay - Further from the Center
--------------


16. (U) Because DRL/IRF Off's meetings were only approved on the day
of her arrival in Laos, the schedule was still in flux when officers
arrived in Oudomxay Province. A meeting with the LFNC was promised,
but poor communications meant that the time was still unconfirmed
until the last minute. The challenges both the LFNC in Vientiane
and the accompanying Embassy FSN faced in locating the Vice
President of the Oudomxay Provincial LFNC were a good reminder of
the distance the officers had traveled from Vientiane and the real
infrastructural and communication challenges the Lao Government
faces in working with some of its outer provinces.


17. (SBU) The Vice Chairman of the Oudomxay Provincial LFNC, Khamxay
Manysoth, presented a demographic breakdown of the province which
has a total population of 267,000 comprised of 14 different ethnic
groups speaking 4 main languages. The largest ethnic group, the
Khmu, comprise 60% of the province's population. Much of the
population follows animist beliefs and practices ancestor worship.
The remaining population includes Buddhists and Christians. There
are a total of 629 Buddhist monks (comprising 97 senior monks and
532 novices) and 95 Buddhist temples in the province, of which 70
are active and 25 abandoned. Christians number approximately 1,747
people in 327 families. There is only one official church in
Oudamxay, built in 1945 by the French (it was subsequently bombed by
the United States but has since been restored). House churches also
exist.


18. (SBU) Turning to religious freedom policy, Mr. Khamxay cited
both Decree 92, which promotes the right to believe or not to
believe, as well as Article 9 of the Constitution, which forbids
creating divisions in society. Decree 92, he explained, allows for
the promotion of religion in a way that conforms to the needs of
society. To this end, the LFNC encourages religious believers to
participate in poverty reduction programs. Mr. Khamxay cited good
relations with the Oudomxay Christian community which is helping to
build a primary school at a cost of USD 34,000. The LEC also
provided water supply projects in 4 Oudomxay villages at a similar
cost. Every year the LEC facilitates Christmas ceremonies in the

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Oudomxay provincial center which provincial officials attend. Mr.
Khamxay also referenced the participation of 60 people in an LEC
training program on Decree 92 held in Oudomxay in 2008.


19. (SBU) Mr. Khamxay, like his colleagues in other provinces,
stated that, if a conflict involving religious issues occurs, the
Provincial LFNC will invite those involved to a meeting to resolve
the issues and ensure that all understand and abide by the intent of
Decree 92. One of the main problems Oudomxay has faced regarding
religion, he explained, has been competition between different
Christian groups for followers. While most Christians in Oudomxay
are LEC members, some Christian leaders in Thailand have attempted
to send their own messages across the border to pull people away
from the LEC. As another example, Mr. Khamxay explained that in
2004 there had been a conflict between the LEC and a Calvinist sect
conducting services in the forest. As the LEC is the main
recognized Protestant group in Laos, the LFNC favors the LEC in the
resolution of these conflicts.


20. (SBU) PolOff raised the 2008 case in Oudomxay's Nam Reng
District in which seven families had reportedly been forced to
recant their faith. Mr. Khamxay said that the Provincial LFNC had
not heard about this case. Instead, he talked about a 2008 case in
which eight Christians from the Khmu ethnic group had crossed the
border to Thailand and had been sent back to Laos where they were
arrested, he explained, because of the illegal border crossing. By
April 2009, he stated, all individuals involved had been released.

Luang Namtha - Are We in China?
--------------


21. (SBU) Traveling the winding, and sometimes treacherous two-lane
mountain-side highway from Oudomxay to Luang Namtha, officers
arrived at Laos' northwestern border province just before sundown.
Many of the hillsides along the way had been stripped for future
planting of rubber trees or other crops, or showed signs of having
been recently planted. The extensive rubber plantations in Luang
Namtha are being funded by the Chinese and their extent, coupled
with the sparsity of the population in Luang Namtha, is a visual
reminder that the Chinese would likely be bringing in large numbers
of their own skilled workers across the shared border to harvest the
rubber in the years to come.


22. (SBU) Luang Namtha's provincial center appeared modestly
developed, with predominately 2-story buildings interspersed with
traditional wood structures. That was true until the officers
arrived at Luang Namtha's new 6-story hotel. This grand structure,
painted pink and fronted with two-story white colonnades, was still
under construction but stuck out in the otherwise peaceful and
modest cityscape. When checking in, the manager told PolOff that
they were "in China," emphasizing that the hotel was built by the
Chinese and thus run according to Chinese practices. The only other
tall structure in the provincial center was the Governor's office
building, which resembled the hotel in general design and was much
grander than either the Luang Prabang or Oudomxay provincial
offices. In a later discussion, PolOff learned that the provincial
Governor was a former Lao Minister of Education and had strong ties
to the Vietnamese who were supporting educational development in the
province. The Governor's office building had been built for the
province by the Vietnamese. Comment: These visually competing
structures seemed to encapsulate the dynamic in this remote province
as Laos forges partnerships with competing bedfellows in order to
develop its own economy and improve conditions for its people. End
comment.


23. (SBU) Luang Namtha Vice Chairman of the Provincial Lao Front,
Khamchan Dengmany, told DRL/IRF OFF and PolOff that Luang Namtha has
a total population of 145,310 comprised of 17 ethnic groups. The
Akkha, the largest ethnic group, comprise over 40% of the population
with the Khmu as the second-largest ethnic group. Most Akkha
practice traditional beliefs including animism and ancestor worship.
Formerly, Buddhism was the one organized religion in Luang Namtha,
however Christianity arrived around 2002. About 480 people in the
province now are Christians. There are 76 Buddhist temples with 128
senior monks and 423 novices. There are no Christian churches in
Luang Namtha, however the provincial government would allow
believers to worship at home. In order to gather in a group,
however, believers must obtain permission from village authorities;
according to Mr. Khanmchan, none had requested to do so.


24. (SBU) Mr. Khamchan explained that the LEC has assigned a
committee of five religious leaders to Luang Namtha Province. Four
are based in the provincial center, and one is in Sing District,
where officers would travel later that afternoon. According to Mr.
Khamchan, the LEC and the LFNC in Luang Namtha have a good working
relationship. When there are conflicts in the province, the
provincial LFNC has invited the local LEC leaders to help resolve
them using Decree 92 as their baseline.


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25. (SBU) PolOff asked Mr. Khamchan about one recently reported case
in Luang Namtha Province. In Long District in January 2007,
twenty-three Yao and Hmong were reportedly forced to renounce their
faith. In response, Mr. Khamchan implied that the problems in Long
District were likely the fault of the believers. He stated that
believers had to learn more about their own religions and that they
needed to learn to be good citizens. Mountain or remote people are
often ignorant, he said. If there are misunderstandings between
believers and local authorities, the LFNC, he said, would help to
explain the law. When new religions come into an area, he
continued, there is conflict in the family, and this has to be
resolved. Further, many people join new religions because they have
been coerced. When those individuals do not get what they want,
they leave the faith. Thus, the number of believers goes up and
down.


26. (SBU) Asked about an incident in Nam Khon Noy Village in
Viengphoukha District in July 2008, Mr. Khamchan said that people
from Bokeo had come into the district to conduct religious
activities. Local officials objected to the Bokeo individuals
coming into their district without seeking permission and reported
the problem to the LFNC in Luang Namtha which in turn reported it to
LFNC Bokeo. Mr. Khamchan said he did not know how Bokeo officials
had resolved the conflict, which he saw as in their jurisdiction.

Muang Sing - 8 kilometers from China
--------------


27. (SBU) Following the morning meeting in Luang Namtha, officers
were accompanied by provincial LFNC officials to the Sing District,
the northernmost district of Luang Namtha Province, 8 km from the
border with China. Here officers met with Mr. Sengvong Malangsy,
Deputy Chief of Sing District, and the District LFNC official while
Mr. Khamchan sat between them in their simple district office. Mr.
Sengvong explained that there were two main religions practiced in
Muang Seng: Buddhism and ancestor worship. In addition to that
there were a small number of Christians. PolOff was told that the
population of Muang Sing is 30,000, with 8,800 Buddhists and 70-some
Christians. There are 27 Buddhist temples in the district.
Christianity came to Muang Sing via returnees from Thailand in about

1992. According to Mr. Khamchan, there are no Christian churches,
but believers are allowed to practice in their homes.


28. (SBU) PolOff asked about a July 2008 incident in Muang Sing
during which one Christian was reportedly arrested, but he was told
by Mr. Sengvong that it never happened. In a similar vein, when
PolOff asked about the one LEC committee member that provincial
officials told him was located in Muang Sing, Mr. Sengvong said that
there was no such person in the district.

... Muang Sing - Talking to Villagers
--------------


29. (SBU) Mr. Sengvong invited the visiting American officers to a
meet with village leaders in the area to better understand their
lives and beliefs. The entourage was directed to a solid school
building next to an open field that served 5 neighboring villages.
The other village structures were of simple construction, made
mostly of thatch, and it was clear that the school building was the
typical space for important inter-village meetings. More than 20
men attended the meeting, including a local police officer who
remained silent throughout. Included were three village heads,
village elders, and local members of the LFNC, though not all
individuals were introduced. The group explained that the majority
of residents in their villages practiced traditional beliefs,
including ancestor worship. There were no Buddhists.
Interestingly, however, the three village chiefs present said that
they had 8, 9, and 42 Christians in their communities respectively.
This seemed surprising given that officers had been told that there
were only 70-plus Christians in all of Sing District. The two
village leaders with smaller numbers of Christians said that their
Christian believers only practiced their faith at home and were not
allowed to meet in a group. However, the village leader with 42
Christians said that the community of believers met together in a
separate structure to worship.


30. (SBU) The group proved eager to talk about Christianity. This
new religion was creating conflict, they said, and they were glad
that the LFNC could come in and set these mostly young people
straight. Village elders complained that often cases of conflict
arose when families planned important animal sacrifice ceremonies or
funerals, and the Christian family members - often younger members -
refused to take part. This was an insult to the family and the
ancestors and would lead to unnecessary divisions and estrangement
within the families. Fortunately, when such conflicts occurred,
villagers could notify the LFNC which would help make the young
people leave their new religion and respect tradition. This had
happened a number of times during the past one or two years, they
explained.

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COMMENT
--------------


31. (SBU) While the LFNC, in apparently close conjunction with the
LEC, seems to be making an effort to implement Decree 92 throughout
the country, there are clear challenges in the form of weak
infrastructure, insufficient budget, low levels of education, and
distance from the center that mean there is more work to be done.
The more remote provinces where, in recent years, incidents of
violations of religious freedoms have been reported, are facing
serious economic and humanitarian challenges. With the national
budget being prioritized to deal with long-term development plans,
religious freedom issues tend to be addressed on a somewhat
piecemeal basis as they arise.


32. (SBU) Nonetheless, the cooperation between the LFNC and the LEC
is clearly having an effect. Laos' participation in international
religion and law conferences, such as the ones sponsored by IGE, as
well as domestic training programs are gradually providing
officials, religious leaders, and security officers with the correct
tools to better address violations of religious freedom in reference
to the protections provided by the state under the Prime Minister's
Decree 92 on Religion. The LFNC's willingness to respond to
high-profile cases of religious freedom violations suggests that
continued emphasis on rule of law and the importance of supporting
religious freedoms on the part of the United States and the
international community may help Laos develop a more comprehensive
policy implementation in the coming years.

HUSO