Why we oppose the missionaries that are in northern Thailand

The numerous and increasing missionary groups in Thailand are exploiting the Akha people, and particularly children, for financial gain and political power. It is clear that in the future Akha who are brainwashed, forced or pressured to convert, which we witness on a daily basis, will be used as a splinter group in Thailand to fight the predominantly Buddist majority.

The Akha, as the Hmong in Laos, ;;are being ;;politicized for the selfish ambitions of the American elite

Data

In nothern Thailand for years we have watched while building churches and overthowing the traditional place of village elders has become common place, mission compounds springing up everywhere, orphanages, churches by the score and a fleet of fancy four wheel drives the likes of which no one has seen in recent Thai history.

However the conditions in the Akha villages become increasingly dire, the number of Akha women forced into prostitution grows (despite all the rubish talk of people like Lauren Bethel and others who are so busy "saving" these girls at great profit and prestige) and the number of Akha woman forced to the streets of Chiangmai becomes a plague.

None of these events have anything to do with the teachings of Jesus, but rather like a cloak, the very word "Jesus" is bandied about like candy, ;; while what is really going on is behavior fitting someone with a very different name.

Complaints increase daily of sexual abuse of hill tribe children in these orphanages run by the missionaries were there is no inspection or oversight in place either to the Akha community nor to the government of Thailand.

The Government of Thailand becomes increasingly suspicious as the number of non tax paying western people requesting permament residency status and foundation status surges, and the hill tribe get obviously more disenfranchised and poorer.

Currently the number of missionaries working in the Chiangrai area, making money of the hill tribe, particularly the Akha, is at an enormous level.

In village after village Akha culture, anything that resembles Akha culture, is destroyed. Children are left with no concept of who they are, and none of the resources available to them from a highly organized sense of life and the world around them.

What you can do

Be polite, but firmly complain to your nearest Thai embassy, to the Thai government, to the Govenor of Chiangrai and Chiangmai, that you find the current situation totally unacceptable and that Thailand is obligated to enforce its international obligations to protect the culture and religion of its minorities.

Assist us in publicizing to the world what is going on here, to the potential or current mission donor in the west, what the true tragedy of the Akha people is, and who is doing it.

For more information or how you can get increasingly involved, please send us an email. akha@akha.org

On this web section we will present all the latest data on the missionaries in northern Thailand and their exploitation of the Akha and particularly the removal of the Akha children.