April 5, 1998 Late Sunday Night

Dear Family,

Sorry we missed reporting Saturday but our trip to Nongkhai was uneventful. However the news this evening is shocking. We visited a couple of hours with very close relatives of the one of the jailed grandmothers. They told of receiving written pleas soon after the grandmothers were jailed to please do anything to get her released. The women had better quarters than the men, but it was still terrible. They slept tightly packed in a cell and ate in the same cell cramped together. During the investigation at the jail, she was accused of sleeping with the foreigners at a hotel, sleeping with them at her home, having them pick her up everyday for evil activities, and being paid by them. She denied all of their accusations. Their families were forbidden to visit them until the trial. In typical Lao fashion, they found a police friend that arranged a secret visit in a side room of the jail. The condition and mental state of their loved one was so bad that they immediately began discussions with the police to secure her release. They believed their efforts led to the reduced sentences for the three grandmothers.

The families were told just the day before the trial to report to the court room, so there was no time for a defense preparation. Only Mr. Sy and his son Bounlerth made any defense to the charges that were brought against the thirteen. Everyone else was afraid to speak. The name of Kenneth N. Fox was blamed for every activity of the church, and Jerry Canfield was implicated in every activity of the water drilling team. Not once were the benefits of the Partners in Progress project mentioned in the court. Even though one of the grandmothers was friends with a high government official, when the family went to see him, he could not help them. This case was a political one involving violations of Article 66 and there was no way he could help.

The grandmothers were released after a day's seminar like the others that were released after two weeks in jail. The grandmothers and families had to sign an agreement that they would follow the conditions of the parole for the next ten months. There were twenty rules to keep in the prison, five to keep when released. Parole is not the correct term, house arrest would be more accurate. They were released to their families, but they cannot leave their homes. They have to report to the authorities regularly, cannot talk to foreigners, cannot travel, and if they violate these rules, their sentence is doubled. Their grandmother stays upstairs, will not greet strangers, and will not talk to anyone other than her family. She was a very outgoing cheerful "never met a stranger" type before. Now she is scared to death they will find cause to put her back in Thatdam jail.

Stories of distrust, jealous, and faction are being fueled by the police. Families angry at Mr. Sy for not having the proper municipal permits, individuals jealous over allocation of funds, and families unwilling to cooperate together. Our visitors had the joy of taking the Lord's Supper with the Udorn church and sharing their common love before leaving. Tommy & Mary Alice Allison have their travel plans made. They leave home April 13th, meet Bill McDonough in Bangkok April 20th, and fly to Vientiane April 21st.

God bless,
Ken & Jean Fox
Udorn, Thailand