Laotian authorities urged to release Christian pastor
Sithon Thippavong was arrested a year ago after authorities accused him of holding religious services without permission
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Pastor Sithon Thippavong at a Christian wedding ceremony in Savannakhet province in September 2018. (Photo: Radio Free Asia)
A prominent rights advocate has called on Laotian authorities to release a Christian pastor who has been languishing in prison for more than a year simply for holding religious services.
Sithon Thippavong, a 34-year-old Christian pastor, was arrested on March 15 last year in the southwestern province of Savannaket after local authorities accused him of conducting religious services without permission.
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Citizen Journalist
Villagers living near the site of a planned large-scale Mekong River dam near the former royal capital of Laos say they are worried because the government has already begun construction on the project before its international approval process is complete, they told RFA.
The 1,460 megawatt, U.S. $3 billion Luang Prabang dam will displace 581 families or 2,285 people and will affect 20 other villages in the northern provinces of Luang Prabang and Oudomxay.
With an expected completion date of 2027, the dam is part of a planned cascade of 11 Mekong mainstream dams at the center of Laos’ controversial economic strategy to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia,” by selling the power to neighboring countries.