On December 22, evangelical pastor, Aroun Voraphom, finished leading a Christmas service in the rural Pakading district of the Borikhamsay province and left to return to his home in the village of Heuysiak in the Phaksan district. He never arrived. According to a December 30 report from Christian Aid, his family found his badly beaten body in a creek with his throat slashed and stab wounds in his chest.
Although government officials discount religion as a motivating factor in his murder, claiming it was robbery, the Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR) believe that his Christian faith was the reason the attack. According to AsiaNews, the LMHR is calling for an independent investigation.
Pray that there will be a full investigation into Aroun's murder and that every person involved in the attack will be arrested. Pray that the believers who were under Aroun's leadership will have opportunities to express Christ's love and forgiveness to the attackers. Ask God to raise up someone in his place who will carry on the work.
For more information on persecution in Laos, click here.
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