LAU CHAI, Vietnam — Local officials in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam, have confiscated the land and home of a former opium addict because of his phenomenal success as an evangelist, local Christian sources said.
Sua Yinh Siong of Lau Chai village in Sapa district in the Northwest Mountainous Region had long been a desperate opium addict, which led to destitution for him and his family.
In 2004, after becoming a Christian, Siong broke from his addiction and his animistic past, taking down paraphernalia for ancestor worship and other spirit-related articles and burning them. His joy over his liberation soon spread to others, and eventually more than 200 families also decided to follow Christ.
In early May, Siong told other Christian leaders that government harassment had reached a crisis point. In April local and provincial officials had confiscated his land, citing "illegal religious activities." In the first few days of May, Siong said, officials evicted him from his home and threatened to destroy it.
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