Seven familes have been exiled from their homes in Laos because they are Christian.

In addition, two further men were beaten and attacked in unsuccessful attempts to force them to deny their faith in Christ, according to the persecution charity Open Doors UK.

Laos, a landlocked country bordering China and Vietnam, has Theravada Buddhism as its predominant religion although there are small minorities of Christians, Muslims and Bahā'i.

The families lived in Luang Prabang, which is in north-central Laos and whose name means Royal Buddha Image. It is an area known for its natural and also historic architectural beauty. 

The families were exiled after being summoned to a meeting by local authorities where they were told they must go because "they may further create problems in the community due to their Christian beliefs," Open Doors reported.

The decision left them homeless and they complained, upon which they were told: "If you have nowhere to go, go out and live with Christ!"

An Open Doors worker said: "The police also told these families to deny Jesus and stop believing in Him since they don't like Christ to be these families' God.

"They hate Jesus and they don't want Jesus' name to be known in the village."

Open Doors is calling for prayers for encouragement and comfort for the seven families and the other two men, that essential identity documents taken from them will be returned, and for a change of heart by the authorities.