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DE RUEHVN #0293/01 1700507
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190507Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2649
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

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 
 
VIENTIANE 00000293  002 OF 006 
 
 
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 
 
VIENTIANE 00000293  003 OF 006 
 
 
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 
 
VIENTIANE 00000293  004 OF 006 
 
 
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. 
 
 
VIENTIANE 00000293  005 OF 006 
 
 
¶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. 
 
VIENTIANE 00000293  006 OF 006 
 
 
 
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