After Ouriel Allouche and Yisrael Kozolovski from Jerusalem had organized Rosh Hashana for 200 Israelis in Laos (in the absence of the permanent Shliach Rabbi Shalom Ber Marzel), they were arrested by the police and interrogated about their activities.
They were then told that any religious activity is forbidden Laos, still a communist state, and their passports were confiscated.
Rabbi Marzel returned to Laos on Tuesday night, just before Yom Kippur.
When arriving at the airport he was notified by the authorities that he could only stay the night and had to leave the country the following morning (Wedenesday, Erev Yom Kippur), with his wife Tehila and three young children.
Allouche and Kozolovski thought they could stay and helped organize Yom Kippur, but that same morning Laos police came to notify them that they were expelled too and had to leave the same afternoon (Erev Yom Kippur).
The flight from Luangprabang was at 3:00 pm, scheduled to land in Bangkok 1.5 hours before Shkia.
Left with no choice they ran to find a source for Tvila, quickly organize what they could for the Israelis staying in Laos, and run to the plane, where they did Mincha and Kapparot with money, and tried to eat something. They took back all their belongings, including the Sefer Torah. The Shliach in Bangkok, Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, had organized a special police escort to take them, directly from the plane, from the airport to the local Chabad house.
Even with this assistance, two minutes before Shkia they were still stuck on the highway. They decided to get out of the police car and continue walking for more than a half hour. The police brought their belongings and the Sefer Torah to the Chabad house.
They arrived at the Chabad House, exhausted, well after Yom Kippur started, but with the feeling of having accomplished a very special shlichus.
it shouldnt be allowed internationally that this country wouldnt let jews celebrate yom kippur they should be punished severly on the political level!
Only in Lubavitch is there such Mesiras nefesh.
Its hard to beleive that communist countries such as this still exist, that can persecute jewish people!
these poor guys, the long walk must have made their fast so much more difficult!!