Girl Facing Charges After Resisting Attack

Nang Tookta Phetsomphone

To date, Nang Tookta Phetsomphone has spent almost six months in a Laotian prison after her former employer was stabbed and killed during his attempt to rape the young woman. In order to be released from custody, her family must pay a fine of $11,000 USD and renounce their faith in Christ. Since our previously posted "Persecution & Prayer Alert" report, VOMC's Greg Musselman has spoken with Patrick Klein from Vision Beyond Borders about Tookta's terrible plight. This interview is available here.

May the Lord greatly encourage Tookta as she continues to recover from the unjust treatment of her employer, the trauma of the attempted rape, as well as the fatal loss of her attacker after responding in self-defence. Ask our God, the righteous Judge who sees and knows all -- including the intent of the heart -- give wisdom to all presiding over this case. May the Holy Spirit serve as the Counsellor, Mediator, Healer, and Deliverer for all concerned, including the families of Tookta and her former employer. Through it all, may God use what was meant for evil to accomplish His greater plans of salvation in many lives.

Laos Information

  • Current Ministry Project

    VOMC is working with an international partner to provide New Testaments to persecuted Christians, new believers, and those who are earnestly seeking Christ. We believe that the Word of God is a vital tool in combating persecution by helping believers grow in maturity to the fullness of Christ.

    Project Fund: Bibles

  • Country Information

    Population
    7,852,377 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Lao (53.2), Khmou (11), Hmong (9.2), Phouthay (3.4), Tai (3.1), Makong (2.5), Katong (2.2), Lue (2), Akha (1.8), other (11.6)

    Religion (%)
    Buddhism (64.7), Christianity (1.7), none (31.4), unspecified (2.1)

    Leader
    President Thongloun Sisoulith (2021)

    Government type
    Communist state

    Legal system
    Civil law system similar in form to the French system

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Laos

    Pray for strength and courage for Christians as they continue to face pressure and imprisonment for their faith.

    Pray for the government of Laos -- that those in power will continue to improve policies and activities, recognizing the need for freedom for all their citizens.

Laos News

  • Homes Demolished for the Second Time
    Laotian village
    A village in Laos.
    Photo: Vinko Rajic (cc)

    For the second time within the past five months, the homes belonging to a group of believers in Laos were demolished by angry villagers. The village is located in an area of the country considered a "hot spot" for persecution because of the increasing number of Christians.

  • Converts Driven from Their Homes
    A village
    A village in Laos.
    Photo: VOMC

    More than a dozen Christian families from the village of Mai in northwestern Laos were driven from their homes by other members of the majority-Buddhist community. This recent incident is the latest in a string of similar attacks against Laotian followers of Jesus, despite the fact that laws have been instituted in this country to protect the free exercise of religion.

  • Pastor Tortured and Killed
    Sy Seng Manee praying
    Pastor Sy Seng Manee
    Photo: Morning Star News

    On October 23rd, an evangelical pastor in Laos was found murdered after he had been kidnapped and badly beaten. His body was discovered near his motorbike in a forested area outside Donkeo village in Khammouane province.

    According to an eyewitness, three men in a black truck had seized Sy Seng Manee a few days earlier. At the time, the bystander thought the men were capturing a criminal, and so he did not intervene – only to realize later that he had instead witnessed the pastor's kidnapping.

  • Detained Pastor Confirmed Alive and Released
    Pastor Sithong - Photo: Radio Free Asia www.rfa.org
    Pastor Sithong at a wedding in 2018.
    Photo: Radio Free Asia

    On March 15th, 2020, Pastor Sithong Theppavong was approached by authorities who demanded that he agree to no longer hold worship services at a small church in Savannakhet Province, Laos (see this report). When Pastor Sithong refused, he was arrested without charge. Earlier this spring, those familiar with his situation were concerned that he was no longer alive since there had been no news of his whereabouts. (To read this previously posted report, visit this page.)