by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Worryingly, Christian refugees from the Vietnamese Hmong and Montagnard minority groups are now facing arrests and harassment from officials in Thailand, where they have come seeking refuge from persecution in Vietnam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
The Hmong Human Rights Coalition has reported that, as of December 2023, there were more than 1,000 Hmong asylum seekers in Thailand. Other rights groups have estimated there are over 1,500 Montagnards seeking refuge in Thailand because of persecution in Vietnam, ICC reports.
In a website statement about Christian persecution in Vietnam, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization explains: “Most believers belong to the country’s ethnic communities, like the Hmong, and face social exclusion, discrimination and attacks. Their homes are sometimes destroyed, and they are then forced to leave their villages.”
According to ICC, an increasing number of Vietnamese Christian refugees have been arrested by Thai police. Citing recent examples, ICC reports: “Lù A Da – Lù was arrested on Dec. 7 in Bangkok. He is still incarcerated at a local police station. Lù was a former missionary with the Northern Evangelical Church of Vietnam but fled to Thailand in 2020 because of persecution. Eleven Montagnard Christians, arrested in November, remain locked up in an Immigration Detention Centre. They were arrested near Bangkok.”
“Please join us in praying for these persecuted believers who are struggling this Christmas in Thailand,” ICC requested.
Buddhist majority Vietnam ranks 25th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.