Something Bad Going Down In Nong Khai

[Acquiesce]

This thread has been made on behalf of Krungthepian who posted this in another thread but told to stop as it was off topic.

Thais allowing the Lao government to forcibly deport 136 Hmong from the IDC there - despite warnings from international community and UNHCR that this is against international rules and will harm Thailand's reputation.

There are buses lined up now to return the Hmong who are refusing to leave their cells - 8.30am tues morn.

These are largely jungle Hmong - genuine refugees - and most are already registered with UNHCR as people of concern. It includes two jungle leaders who activists in the US believe the Lao government wants to permanently silence because of the info they have about government massacres, etc.

People are needed to get to Nong Khai to get photos of this crisis to shame the Thais and let the world know what is going on.

The 153 Hmong in Nong Khai are widely recognised as genuine refugees fearing serious threat of persecution. While there are many in the camp at Huay Nam Khao - perhaps two thirds or three quarters of the 8300 there are thought to be economic refugees fleeing mainly poverty - the 153 are believed to be in a different category. They include jungle leaders whose children were victims of the April 6 massacre near Vang Vieng, and others who have been locked up in stocks for periods of over 12 months.

This has become a major drama today; the Thai and Lao police have reportedly been dragging the women and children out one by one to waiting buses. But the men were barricaded inside Nong Khai Immigration Detention Centre. There has been a flurry of reports from Hmong contacts in the US saying the men have been gassed and half of them have passed out unconscious. Sounds like tear gas or riot gas of some kind is being used to subdue them and get them out.

At least one of the English dailies is looking into this, along with some of the wire agencies, so I expect some stories on news websites in the next hour or two.

UNHCR has been trying to stop the deportation of these people, which it has said would be contrary to international regulations, as most of these people are already registered as 'people of concern'.

Edited January 30, 2007 by Acquiesce

[Tywais]

Story running here > http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=104003&hl=