Police have allegedly arrested, beaten and detained a man named Agoon in Savannakhet province in southern Laos for practicing his Christian faith, witnesses told RFA’s Lao Service on Thursday.
Police say that Agoon was arrested for another crime, cutting timber illegally in a protected forest. But local sources say the man was unfairly targeted for his beliefs.
A source who declined to have his name published, told police that he and others cut down trees in the forest at the request of the village leader in the province’s Phin district. But sources say that officials rarely enforce the statutes against illegal logging.
Another source told RFA’s Lao Service in an interview that Agoon’s involvement in the timber-felling is merely an excuse—the other loggers in his group, all of whom are not Christians, were not arrested.
The villager also said that according to the suspect, while in jail, the police tried to force him to renounce his faith, but he refused. The police responded by beating him harder, slapping his ears to the point that he became unable to hear.
RFA contacted a local security official for details, but the official declined to comment on the matter.
“He was detained for cutting timber illegally. Logging in the protected forest is illegal so [that is why] he has been detained,” said an official from the National Front Organization, which handles religious affairs in the communist nation.
“He has to pay a fine or serve jail time according to forest laws. [His arrest] has nothing to do with religion,” the official said.
A third source who requested anonymity agreed with the villager that charging him for cutting timber was an excuse, as an arrest for his beliefs would stroke the ire of international religious freedom organizations.
The latest case came to light a week after tree U.S. citizens were held for 10 days on suspicion of disseminating bibles and Christian material without government approval, before being deported to neighboring Thailand.
Conflicts between Laos’ small number of Christians and local authorities often flare up because believers assert the right to freedom of worship guaranteed by the country’s constitution, while authorities call Christianity a foreign religion in a traditionally Buddhist country, and say that Christians must move out of their villages.
In 2016, six Christians in Savannakhet’s Phalanxay district were arrested after local authorities entered their house and found that they were practicing the Christian faith.
In 2014, local officials in the province’s Song Khone district arrested 11 Christians for building a temporary church without permission.
In Phin district, seven Christians living in Na Kha Nong village, were arrested in 2015 for gathering people together for a prayer meeting.
The U.S. State Department said in a 2017 report that Lao local authorities often arrested or detained members of minority religions during the year, with a district-level official in Houaphan province expelling 26 Hmong Christians from their village, advising them they could return only if they renounced their faith.
Reported by RFA’s Lao Service, Translated in English by Sidney Khotpanya, Written in English by Eugene Whong
The logging needs to be totally stopped, the forest must be closed. Any person who commits the crime must be punished. Every one who witnessed the has been committed crime is responsible to report to the Government in due time.
[This comment has been edited by RFA Editorial staff per our Terms of Use]
Apr 29, 2019 10:01 AM
Yes, shame on you in treating your own people like that. As a local authority you should be lookout and provide services to citizen of your province. If he's committing illegal logging go ahead fine him or jail him accordingly along with the rest of the crew, why singled him out and treat him with disrespect and physical harm is uncalled for(you'll be punish by a god of your belief or maybe you don't believe in anything). Study your constitution regarding religion practice law you Laos.
Apr 28, 2019 09:26 PM
Shame on you Lao party-state, shame on you Lao government!What crime did these people make ? They want to believe in a religion that fits them well and that is better than your marxism-leninism . All in all, it's too late for you to come back to your senses.
[This comment has been edited by RFA Editorial staff per our Terms of Use]
Apr 26, 2019 09:39 AM
Wood has been illegally cut in the national protected area near Phin for over 20 years. There are at least 2 vietnamese timber yards on the main road near Phin which buy the wood & take to vietnam.
The police have checkpoints on the forest road to extract money from people bringing timber out. If junior police are manning checkpoints it means the head of police is getting rich. It is a daily occurence and has been for at least the 20 years i have been visiting Phin.
A "protected area" in Laos just means a forest where you pay the police to cut logs.
Apr 25, 2019 10:52 PM
