authorities of involvement in last month’s killing, despite official claims that "thieves" were responsible for his death.
In an e-mail message seen by BosNewsLife Saturday, January 7, missionaries said there are indications that Warapong, an interant evangelist, pastor and married father of four children, was "killed by enemies of the Gospel who may have come from within the ranks of the local government" because of his strong Christian beliefs.
US-based Christian Aid Mission (CAM), which supports native missionaries in the Communist-run Asian nation, told BosNewsLife that Warapong, whose name has also been spelled locally as Voraphom, was "a driving spiritual force in his native Borikhamsay province where he planted new churches and spurred existing congregations on to revival."
CAM said he had been "instrumental in evangelizing ethnic groups such as the Khamu and the Hmong" and that "it is precisely for this reason that a number of his fellow believers in Laos believe he was not murdered by robbers," as suggested by official investigators.
FATHER-IN-LAW KILLED
The organization suggested that Warapong was previously harassed by authorities as he spent two years in jail "for his faith", and quoted a co-worker as saying his father-in-law had been killed for similar reasons.
"Aroun’s death resembles the death of [his father-in-law] Chiang Sung, [who was killed] because he was the Christian leader in the Borikhamsay province [and] responsible for the expansion of Christianity there," the local missionary reportedly said on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
"He was imprisoned and later released from prison and shot dead," the missionary added. Despite reports of persecution, Warapong’s wife, Metta, has urged local Christians to continue preaching the Gospel "fearlessly" as her husband had done, CAM and other sources said.
FUNERAL SERVICE
She made the remarks at a funeral service on Christmas Eve, December 24, roughly a day after family members searching in the jungle discovered Warapong’s human remains.
His wife reportedly last heard from him on December 18, when he told her by telephone that he would arrive late for his youngest daughter’s birthday party as he was buying a birthday cake. "His life is a wonderful example of one’s dedication to Christ. Although his body was not allowed to be buried in his home village, it was buried in Vientiane province," CAM explained.
News of his death has raised fears of more persecution in Laos where imprisoned believers have refused to abandon their faith in exchange for freedom, CAM suggested in a statement. It said two Christian leaders from Savannakhet province in southern Laos, identified as Vangthong, 31, and Khamchan, 59, "had asked for prayers" after being sentenced last July to three years imprisonment on apparently false charges of possessing illegal weapons.
JAILED FOR CHRIST
"Officials have repeatedly told Vangthong and Khamchan that if they sign a paper swearing to renounce Christ they will be released. Both men have refused to do so and thus remain in prison in Savannakhet province," despite a petition from Christian leaders, CAM said citing contacts in the region.
Khamchan is reportedly experiencing serious health problems, including swollen legs, but he officials have allegedly refused to allow him to receive medical attention. CAM also said it has learned that a Christian family was forced to leave the village of Tonmakmee in the Nong district of Savannakhet province because the village chief does not want any Christian villagers.
The Laos government has strongly denied reports of religious rights abuses. The administration of Prime Minister Bounnhang Vorachith also claims that recent legislation has meant a breakthrough for religious liberty in the country as it "establishes rules" for religious activities in a broad range of areas.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
However human rights group Amnesty International recently said that evangelical Christians are still persecuted in Laos. Christian Freedom International, a religious advocacy and aid group, said recently that the situation worsened since the Laos government issued Prime Minister’s Decree 92 on the "Administration and Protection of
Religious Practice" in an apparent attempt to rule on "the rapidly growing Christian faith" in the Asian nation. Christians comprise roughly 1.5 percent of the country’s mainly Buddhist population of over 6-million people according to estimates, but churches claim that number is rising in defiance of what they see as widespread government oppression. (With previous BosNewsLife reporting from Laos).
