Doug Bereuter: “this Member comes before the body to alert his colleagues to a troubling situation in the Southeast Asian country of…”

“this Member comes before the body to alert his colleagues to a troubling situation in the Southeast Asian country of Laos. While the Laotian Constitution guarantees religious freedom for its citizens, in reality the government restricts freedom of religion, especially for Christian denominations. Recently, 40 Laos citizens and 5 foreigners, 3 of whom were Americans, were arrested and imprisoned. The official reason given for their arrest was ``illegal assembly;'' however, the real cause was related to their practice of the Christian faith. The record of Laos in this regard is troubling. According to the State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights for 1997, the Lao government has harassed, arrested and jailed clergy members. Members of the Lao Christian community are often looked upon with distrust by their government as having connections to ``foreign influences.'' There are also unconfirmed reports that Christians have been barred from joining the Lao People's Revolutionary Party or from securing government employment. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, this Member sincerely hopes that the United States and Laos can develop warm and cordial relations. The potential is there. However, Mr. Speaker, this Member, through this forum, now urges the government of Laos to stop the growing trend of religious persecution within their borders.”