ICC Note: We stand with HRWLR in calling for the government of Laos to further investigate this horrendous murder, bringing the perpetrators to justice. We also ask the Lao government to guarantee the freedom of religion granted to the Lao people in their constitution.
By Sirikoon Prasertsee
09/14/2015 Laos (Human Rights Watcher for Lao Religious Freedom)
At 10:10 PM on September 8, 2015, five men entered Singkeaw Wongkongpheng’s house and stabbed him three times in the back and fled out of the house. Upon discovering of his father attack, his son ran after one of the attackers and severely injured him. The injured attacker is being treated in a hospital in Luang Prabang province. It was later discussed that the injured attacker is a Luang Prabang provincial police.
Mr. Singkeaw Wongkongpheng served as the pastor of Na-ang Church in Na-ang village. A local Christian leader reported that Pastor Singkeaw was a good law abiding citizen and he kept a simple life with very little materialistically. He neither had any known enemy nor had received prior death threats against his life.
Local Christians ruled out robbery as a possible motivation for this ruthless and cold-blooded murder. They suspected that his death was the direct result of his Christian faith and ministry of spreading that faith.
The HRWLRF is calling upon the Lao government to investigate into the death of Pastor Singkeaw and bring justice to his family and church as well as to hold the police officer and four other unidentified attackers responsible for their cruel and cold-blooded murder.
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