On 11 January, Robert and Margaret Ann Seiple return for their 13th visit to Laos, a country where they have been integral in efforts to promote religious freedom. During their trip, they will meet with representatives from the Lao government, including Vice President of the Lao Front for National Construction, Mr. Tong Yeu Tho, and provincial governors; U.S. Ambassador to Laos, Patricia Haslach; and Lao religious representatives at the national and local level.
Forty years ago, as a young Marine Corps aviator, I was engaged in what at that time was known as a “secret air-war” over Laos. More bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War than were dropped over Germany during four years of World War II. Today there are still over 400 crash sites that are under investigation, sites where American aircraft and, in all too many cases, those who flew them experienced their final mission. Our war with Vietnam finally ended, but Laos remained forgotten for decades to follow. When Laos finally reappeared on the international scene, it was as a bad-news story.
Religious persecution was rampant in Laos, especially against those practicing what the Lao authorities regarded as “Western religions.” This negativity toward the West, and the increased persecution being sanctioned inside Laos, reached its height in 1999. Forced renunciations of faith, jailings, killings, and destruction of houses of worship all became the norm during that year. But 1999 was also the year that the United States government formally engaged the government of Laos on these issues and, in what would become a careful creation of trust and positive relationship-building, the Lao government began to seek, and implement, an intentional program of religious freedom for all of its citizens. Progress was sometimes slow, and there were moments when no progress was being made at all, but there is no question that on the issue of religious liberty, Laos is a changed country from what it was just eight years ago. Furthermore, the United States completed a trade agreement with the Lao that puts that country in the same category as other “most-favored nations.” Bilateral wounds continue to heal, relationships continue to grow, and although nothing can ever be taken for granted in a country that still faces multiple challenges, the future for Laos is as bright as it has ever been.
This is the context for my 13th visit to the country, a series of visits that began in 1989. The purpose of the visit is multiple: To maintain relationships that have been fostered over many years, to meet with new government appointees at a time of some transition within Laos, to discuss how our relationships can be less personality-dependent and more formalized as we go forward, to meet with all the various faith-expressions in Laos today, and to call attention to those individuals who are still being imprisoned because of their faith. All of this will revolve around a speech to the Lao Institute for Foreign Affairs that I have been asked to give on the subject of religious freedom. I plan to report back on a daily basis. Hopefully, there will be photos as well to provide visual data points for the travelogue that follows.
As is always the case, not everyone can travel to a country like Laos. We consider it a privilege, but one that we wish to share with as broad an audience as possible. I trust that you will return to this web site for the next week and, if I create more questions than answers, please email me and we’ll keep the conversation going. For all too long, Laos was the forgotten country, by friends and enemies alike. That cannot continue, and I invite you to vicariously accompany me on this trip.
Note: Robert A. Seiple was the first Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom from 1998 to 2000. He and his wife, Margaret Ann, then founded the Institute for Global Engagement, an organization that works in the most difficult regions of the world, fostering religious freedom for all faiths. In 2006, Seiple took over the CEO and Presidency of the Council for America’s First Freedom, headquartered in Richmond, VA.
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