Background

Amid the ongoing economic crisis, the gross debt remained high at 108.3% of GDP and inflation peaked at 26.15% in June.

In June the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights conducted a one-day visit to Laos. He raised concerns about the negative impact of the lack of “vibrant civic space” on social, environmental and human rights issues.

An estimated 204,500 people required humanitarian assistance in the wake of severe flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi which hit the north and centre of the country in September.

Freedom of expression and assembly

Individuals participating in peaceful protests faced arbitrary arrest and detention. On 23 January, police arrested four residents of Xang village in Xieng Khouang province. The four were participating in a peaceful protest over the registration of legal ownership of land by a wood processing company. The villagers disputed this as they were also seeking recognition of communal ownership of the land. The police subsequently arrested two women who were visiting the detainees.

On 28 August, police detained two graphic artists for posting a satirical video on Facebook about the state of the roads in their home town in Bokeo province. One was released the same day without charge. The second was required to attend a “re-education” class and publicly apologize before being released five days later.

Freedom of religion and belief

Unregistered Christian groups continued to face persecution, despite the legal guarantee of the right to freedom of religion under the constitution. On 4 February, local authorities in Kaleum Vangke village in Savannakhet province destroyed a house church and burnt religious texts. Prior to the attack, the village authorities had reportedly summoned Christian families and told them to stop holding religious services.

On 2 July, Thongkham Philavanh, an ethnic Khmu Christian pastor, was shot dead by two unidentified men in Xai district, Oudomxay province. The police said they were investigating the killing but there was no information on their progress by year’s end.

Right to social security

During his visit to the country, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns about declining public spending on social protection, health, education and other social services. According to the Asian Development Bank, expenditure on social protection amounted to just 0.7% of GDP. Worker protections, including unemployment benefits and insurance for work-related accidents and occupational diseases, were not available to people working in the informal sector, which constitutes 86.4% of the workforce.

Refugees’ and migrants’ rights

On 13 April, police arrested 17 Myanmar nationals in Ton Pheung district, Bokeo province, before transferring them on 3 May to Myanmar where they were at risk of torture and other human rights violations. According to media reports, the arrests were carried out on the request of the Myanmar military who alleged that the 17 were supporters of the armed opposition, the People’s Defence Forces. Other sources said the detainees were collecting funds for people displaced by the conflict in Myanmar.

Human trafficking

In October the CEDAW Committee raised concerns that Laos was “becoming a country of transit and destination for sexual exploitation and human trafficking”. Human trafficking, related to cyber-scamming operations run by transnational organized crime syndicates, remained rampant in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) in north-western Laos. Lao and Chinese police were involved in operations to arrest and deport hundreds of Chinese nationals suspected of being involved in scamming operations. No prosecutions of individuals responsible for human trafficking were known to have taken place.

Credible reports pointed to the persistent online recruitment and trafficking for sexual exploitation of young women, particularly to China and to entertainment areas in the GTSEZ.