Laos [Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic] has been one of the world’s poorest countries, but it is now experiencing significant economic growth as it enters the 21st century. Many people are spiritually hungry and the gospel is spreading as God’s people, many who have endured the fires of persecution, share the gospel with friends and neighbors.
Population: 6.8 million
Density: 28.7 per square km
Although there are more than 100 ethno-linguistic groups, the people of Laos fall into these main groups.
59.2% Lao or Lao Loum [Lowland Lao]. They live mainly in the lowlands along the Mekong.
28.1% Lao Theung, Mon-Khmer [Upland Lao]
Hmong-Mien 4.0%
Tibetan-Himalayan 2.7%
The remaining 6% include many ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese.
34% of the people live in towns. Subsistence agricultural economy still accounts for 75% of total employment, but there is significant migration from the rural areas to the towns, which will change the face of Laos in the years to come.
The principal religion of Laos is Theravada Buddhism, though it is little more than a veneer over deep-seated animism. Laotian life and culture is heavily influenced by this animistic-Buddhist mix. There are temples in many ethnic Lao villages, but most non-Lao (tribal) villages have no Buddhist presence.
Laos lacks a common language. The country’s official language is Lao, but ethnic groups use their own languages and dialects. English is the second official language.
Laos is completely landlocked, bounded by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Although 90 percent of the country is mountainous, most life centers around the fertile Mekong River and its tributaries. The river irrigates rice paddies and provides some fish. Laos has been very dependent on foreign aid and imported foodstuff for decades, but this dependence is diminishing.
The climate of Laos is tropical with April temperatures averaging 29°C and January temperatures averaging 22°C.
The early history of Laos is sketchy. The original inhabitants of the area were the Mon-Khmer. The Lao and other Tai peoples gradually moved south from present-day Yunnan Province, China.
The “Kingdom of a Million Elephants” was founded in the mid-14th century when the Khmer king at Angkor married his daughter to a Lao prince, Fa Ngum. After him, the kingdom had a long period of peace. It expanded to control parts of North Thailand, was beaten back by the Burmese, ruled by the Vietnamese and eventually split into three states in 1713.
Hostilities between Thailand and Vientiane led to the conquering of the latter in 1778, and the other two states were forced into line. When Vientiane tried to reassert its independence in 1827, Thai forces completely destroyed it.
During the second half of the 19th century the French began to make their presence felt. A French military expedition in 1893 occupied the most important towns, and by 1904 they controlled the whole country.
During World War II the Japanese occupied Indochina. After a brief period of independence, the French reoccupied the region in 1946.
In 1949 Laos became an independent state within the French Union, but dissidents allied themselves with the pro-Communist Vietminh forces fighting the French in Vietnam. They invaded Laos in 1953 and quickly gained control of large areas.
The Geneva armistice ended this war in 1954. A coalition government was formed and in 1955 Laos joined the UN.
The U.S. and USSR supported different factions in the inherently unstable government. Civil wars alternated with tentative governments and splits alternated with coalitions.
In the mid-1960s Laos was drawn into the Vietnam War. North Vietnamese troops used jungle trails in eastern and southern Laos as routes to supply their forces fighting in South Vietnam, and U.S. warplanes carried out increasingly heavy bombing attacks on the so-called Ho Chi Minh Trail, dropping two million tons of bombs.
Following Communist victories in Cambodia and Vietnam in 1975, the Laotian monarchy was abolished and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was proclaimed. The [Communist] Lao People’s Revolutionary Party is still the only legal political party in Laos. Most opposition leaders fled the country in the 1970s. Vietnamese troops remain in Laos to bolster the regime.
The country has struggled economically. Subsistence agriculture accounts for 25 percent of the GDP and provides 75 percent of total employment. Recently the government has moved towards an open-market economy, with significant success. Large investments have been made by international businesses and countries. The result is that Laos is experiencing its first-ever economic boom. Inflation is about 6 percent and return on investments are beginning to pay dividends.
At the same time, there are still many problems. Corruption is rife. Laos has very poorly organised social services. The country still has has a high infant mortality rate [5.5 percent], and many urban areas lack modern sewage and water facilities. Malaria, dysentery, parasitic diseases and respiratory infections are a major problem, and there is only one doctor for every 5,000 people.
The birth of the church in Laos was slow and difficult. The ethnic Lao initially had no interest in the gospel, which was brought by a Presbyterian missionary in 1885.
However, the Khmu, slaves of the Lao, responded vigorously and the Khmu church now numbers more than 40,000 (6.2 percent of all Khmu people). In 1901 Swiss missionaries worked among Lao outcasts called Phi-Pop, men who are believed to communicate with evil spirits. They also responded and Christians in southern Laos now number around 15,000. However, since the early Christians were non-Lao and social outcasts, churches gained a stigma that has proved a barrier to those wanting to become Christians.
The Communists sought to eradicate all religion. Persecution of Christians was exceptionally harsh between 1975 and 1978. Suspected because of their association with Western missionaries, at least 90 percent of the trained church leaders fled the country, and all Bible schools were closed.
Persecution and restrictions continued throughout the 1980s, with many believers imprisoned and fellowships quashed. Restrictions were eased in the 1990s, but churches are suspected as potentially subversive and are still watched.
The Bible was translated into Lao in 1927, but this is now archaic. A new translation was completed by UBS in 2011. Some ethnic groups (Hmong, Mien) have the Bible in their languages.
Some restrictions remain on public evangelism, the building of church buildings and formal links with foreign organistions. It is said that the years following 1997 were the most oppressive for Christians since the beginning of the Communist government. Christians have been imprisoned and forced to sign statements rejecting their faith. While persecution seems to be declining some in recent years, it still exists on a local and family level.
Buddhism has regained its old influence in the major Lao cities. The Lao government, supported by the Thai government and UNESCO, is heavily engaged in promoting Buddhism throughout the country.
