Atsaphangthong District – Christian Students Denied Education and Police Raided Christian Worship Service

ICC Note:

In Savannakhet province, Laos, the village chief of Saisomboon denied three Christian girls’ right to education because of their Christian faith. A local Christian leader appealed to the district education chief for the three girls, but is not clear if they are able to go back to school and take final exams. Meanwhile, in Donpalai village, a nearby village of Saisomboon, police officers raided and interrupted a Sunday worship of 80 people and confiscated 53 Bibles.

05/26/2014 Laos (The HRWLRF)- On Tuesday (May 20, 2014), the chief of Saisomboon village in Atsaphangthong district of Savannakhet province refused to provide guarantee for taking their final examinations to three Christian female students at the Liansai village school. The village chief cited that due to their belief in the Christian faith, the three students have thus forfeited their right to education. The three students are Noi, age 15, daughter of Sengkaew; Net, age 15, daughter of Khampuey; and Nut, age 14, daughter of Bounkong.

The Christian leader, Mrs. Kaithong, has since appealed the case to the Atsaphangthong district education chief, who has now made contact with the Liansai village school’s director regarding the denial of education to three Christian students. The decision will soon be made by the Liansai village school’s director and Saisomboon village chief whether or not to continue disqualifying the Christian students from taking final examinations on the basis of their religious belief in the Christian faith.

In a nearby village of Donpalai, not far from Saisomboon village, six Atsaphangthong district police officers and two sub-district police officers raided a worship service, forcibly snatched and confiscated 53 bibles from worshipers. The incident took place at approximately 9:00 AM on Sunday morning (May 25) when about 80 believers gathered for worship in the house of Pastor Phupet.

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