By introducing this annual report on the implementation of the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination introduction (ICERD), the Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR) once again expresses its very serious concern on the different forms of discriminations suffered by ethnical minorities and religious minorities in the Lao Popular Democratic Republic.
In the absence of any urgent reaction from the international community, the Hmong minority from the Saysomboun Special Zone, and from the Bolikhamsay and Luangprabang provinces in particular, is doomed to disappear.
Regarding religious minorities, the persecutions of minority religions, in particular the Christian religion (belief adopted principally by ethnic minorities) seem to be on-going in the whole country, in spite of the denials of the leaders of the regime. In the beginning of January 2005, dozens of Christians who were arrested in the course of 2004 for practicing their faith, are still being held in the LPDR prisons, according to the information obtained by the LMHR.