A U.S.-based Christian evangelical organization says three of its American volunteers have been detained in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos.
Three American volunteers for a U.S.-based Christian evangelical organization have been detained in the Southeast Asian nation ofVision Beyond Borders, based in Casper, Wyoming, said in a statement late Friday that the three, whom it identified only by the names Wayne, Autumn and Joseph, were detained by police while visiting villages in the northwestern province of Luang Namtha.
Christians in Laos, especially those carrying out proselytizing work, face pressure from two quarters. The country's rigid old-style communist government is suspicious of outsiders and seeks to regulate all religions. The mostly Buddhist country's animist community, usually found in rural areas, also is often hostile.
The RFA website also quoted an unnamed U.S. State Department official as saying: "We can confirm the temporary detention and subsequent release of three U.S. citizens in Luang Namtha, Laos. We take seriously our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are providing all appropriate consular services."
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