Thailand Deports Hmongs Back To Laos

[Jai Dee]

Hmong migrants returned from Thailand to Laos

Eleven illegal Hmong migrants from three families were repatriated from Thailand to Laos on Thursday as Vientiane reaffirmed it would receive the rest of almost 8,000 Hmong back to that country.

Department of Border Affairs Deputy Director Maj Gen. Voravit Darunchoo represented the Thai government in handing over the 11 Hmong migrants who migrated from Laos to live at Ban Huai Nam Khao in Khao Ko district of the northern province of Phetchabun.

Brig-Gen. Buasieng Champaphan, co-chairman of the Thai-Lao general border sub-committee, represented the Lao government in welcoming the Hmong back to their country.

The handover ceremony was held in the Lao capital of Vientiane and the three families comprised the first batch among some 8,000 Hmong in Thailand said to have volunteered to be repatriated.

Maj-Gen. Voravit said the Thai authorities would negotiate with the Hmong to persuade them to return to Lao volutarily by the end of this year as agreed upon by the two governments.

He said the three Hmong families would be a model for other Hmong in Thailand, in that they were not compelled to go back to Lao and there was not any problem when they returned to their country.

Brig-Gen. Buasieng said Laos was ready to accept the rest of the Hmong in Thailand and promised to take care of them as citizens of Laos, confirming that they would not be arrested or punished as reported by some media.

Source: TNA - 28 February 2008

[kat]

hmmmm, now it's "voluntary". I wonder what choices or lack thereof prompted their "decisions." At any rate, thanks for keeping this on the radar, Jai Dee.

[Krungthepian]

Latest news.. 9.30pm.. head of MSF says three trucks have arrived at Huay Nam Khao refugee camp in Phetchabun.. 100 to 200 troops have arrived.. speculation now that the first batch of Hmong are about to be trucked back.

Latest story from Nation website:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/02/29...al_30066899.php

MSF and UN question if Hmong going back to Laos voluntarily

There were bizarre scenes at the Huay Nam Khao refugee camp in Phetchabun Friday after the Army's initial move to return a group of Hmong back to Laos.

Refugees rushed to hide five young children split from their mother, who was part of a dozen "volunteers" taken from the camp on Wednesday.

Some 11 Hmong were sent back to Laos late on Wednesday but both UN officials and MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), which funds the camp, say they have serious doubts about whether the returnees went back voluntarily.

One of the returnees trucked out of Huay Nam Khao on Wednesday was a young mother separated from her five children, including a 2-year-old baby. Yesterday, Thai officials sent the woman back from Nong Khai, after apparently realising she really had been split from her baby and kids.

But instead of returning the woman to the camp, she was held in an adjacent facility and made to use a loud speaker to "call her children to come to Laos with her", MSF national director Gilles Isard said.

However, refugees in the camp, apparently believing the woman was reluctant to go to Laos, hid her children in the camp, which houses nearly 8,000 people.

"Some Hmong are trying to hide the children, and we are trying to talk to the woman, but the Thai authorities won't talk to our staff at present," he said.

At the time of going to press, his staff believed troops were about to enter the camp to search for the children.

"Relatives at the camp have said not all the people being returned were volunteers. Some were loaded by force," he said.

"This mother was not willing to go but they took her [on Wednesday]. And all her children were left crying at home.

"The mood in the camp is very bad. Everyone is very anxious. They feel really desperate.

"The (Thai) Army says eight families have been identified as volunteers and four went on Wednesday but some of the other four families say they don't know why they are on the list [to go back]. They are unlikely to be volunteers. It includes one person who was shot [by Lao troops] in 2001."

The MSF chief said Army officers had given it no information on the individuals being sent back and was operating "with no transparency at all".

Kitty McKinsey, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, voiced concern. She said: "We have received a number of reports that call into question whether

everyone actually volunteered to go back. Such returns should be strictly voluntary, conducted with dignity and in accordance with international standards."

The return of the Hmong at the Phetchabun has been talked about by Thai and Lao officials for months, but the matter is highly contentious because both countries refuse to allow independent monitors to screen genuine refugees from "economic migrants" hoping to be resettled abroad.

MSF officials warned late last year many hundreds of Hmong in the camp looked to have authentic claims to refugee status and that dozens could even show bullet wounds from clashes with the Lao and Vietnamese military.

The state of anxiety about forced repatriation was such they expect it will spark riots.

Some officials monitoring the situation expect Thailand will begin trucking groups of up to 200 Hmong back Laos in the near future - and they predict the situation at Huay Nam Khao will descend into bloodshed.

Hmong support groups in the US such as the Fact Finding Commission claim some of the latest families may have been paid Bt10,000 to be repatriated - possibly to "curry favour" before the official visit by new prime minister Samak Sundaravej, who travelled to Vientiane early Friday.

by Jim Pollard

The Nation

==========

This is a shameless ugly government that cares little for some of the region's most vulnerable. Thailand looks to be entering a period of darkness..

[kat]

In terms of refugees and migrants, I don't think it has ever been any different in Thailand.

[Krungthepian]

In terms of refugees and migrants, I don't think it has ever been any different in Thailand.

A foreign refugee advocate noted the other day the notorious event in mid 1979 when Cambodian refugees (thousands, I think) were forced back over the cliff - and close to minefields? And treatment of Burmese has been very very ordinary, if not similarly appalling on occasion. I think the scandalous Cambodian event was highlighted in William Shawcross' book "The Quality of Mercy".

My comment about entering a period of darkness was made while also thinking about the return of Thaksin and rush of dreadful transfers of top officials, such as the police chief Seri. Best comment of the week was Sulak, who was quoted as describing Thaksin as a man "totally without sincerity .. but a very good actor.." I've yet to meet a farang here who likes the man (Thaks).

## Meanwhile, it looks as though the Huay Nam Khao situation is a false alarm. Latest note from MSF is everything quiet.

In regard to the Hmong, the Lao govt was very quick to try to show off the last returnees.. pics of them were posted on a site late Wednesday or early Thursday, I believe.

But while local coverage was very limited.. it was news in France and the US, where it was quickly picked up by Hmong communities and support groups. The Fact Finding Commission did a long report about the incident.. lobbyist Philip Smith in Washington DC put out an inflammatory note on it too (Press Zoom, I think).. noting the refugees injured by soldiers' dogs..

[britainmal]

Mr. Richard12..... is such a heartless and ignorant soul. Lets' go back in History Mr. Richard. These Hmong people were against the Laos communist government. Whether or not they supported the USA or not, they still would be in the same position today. They hated the communist so, it did not really matter if they supported the US or not. I think people should boycott Thailand for there inhumane treatment of the Hmong people. They should get a big denouncation by the UN security council. This is actually Thailand's problem because it is on there door step not Western countries. Western Countries do ten times as much to help the world population unlike Thailand , which only cares about their own blood.

[funfun]

Thailand Forcibly Returns Hundreds Of Hmong Refugees To Laos

Article Date: 27 Jun 2008 - 0:00 PDT

An estimated 800 ethnic Lao Hmong refugees were forcibly returned to Laos by the Thai government on Sunday, June 22, and the Thai authorities have stated publicly that they intend to proceed over the coming days with further repatriations to Laos from among the remaining 6,700 refugees in the Huai Nam Khao camp in Thailand's Petchabun Province. The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling once again on the governments of Thailand and Laos to immediately stop all forced repatriations of the Hmong refugees. Both governments should facilitate the access of independent monitors to all forced returnees in Laos and those believed to be held in detention centers in Thailand so that adequate medical and humanitarian assistance can be provided to them.

MSF is also requesting that the presidency and secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, and the governments of France, the United States, and China, ensure that Thailand and Laos resolve this issue in accordance with international standards for refugee protection.

The estimated 800 Hmong refugees were forced back to Laos after the military rounded up some 5,000 refugees who had engaged in a protest march against an agreement between the Thai and Lao governments to send them back to Laos. MSF, which has been assisting the Hmong refugees since 2005, estimates that as many as 1,300 people have not returned to the camp since the protest ended near the Thai village of Kek Noi. Their fate remains unknown to MSF.

"Thai authorities claim that these were voluntary repatriations," said Gilles Isard, MSF head of mission in Thailand. "It is hard to believe. Families have been torn apart. One of our Hmong staff members who joined the protest has been sent back to Laos without her children and we know of other similar cases. Many of these refugees have expressed grave fears at the prospect of being sent back to Laos," he said. "In the camp there are more than one hundred and fifty people who have suffered bullet wounds that they claim they received a few years ago from the Lao army while staying in the jungle. Hmong refugees who were receiving treatment from MSF for mental trauma caused by the violence and persecution they experienced in Laos are among the missing. These people do not trust the Lao government and demand real guarantees before going back."

According to internationally recognized fundamental rights of protection for refugees, repatriation cannot be forced or imposed on individuals fearing for their safety. Any repatriation must remain linked to guarantees for safety upon return, including the provision of appropriate assistance.

"MSF believes that the total lack of transparency surrounding the management of this crisis only exacerbates the problem," said Isard. "If the government of Thailand and Laos would accept an independent monitor, then this issue might be resolved."

MSF has provided assistance to Hmong refugees in Thailand for three years, and is prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to the returnees in Laos if access is granted to MSF medical teams.

Since July 2005, MSF has assisted the Hmong refugees in the Thai village of Huai Nam Khao in Petchabun province. MSF teams provide medical and psychological care, food, water, and relief supplies to the nearly 8,000 refugees.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112893.php

[papajohn]

Mr. Richard12..... is such a heartless and ignorant soul. Lets' go back in History Mr. Richard. These Hmong people were against the Laos communist government. Whether or not they supported the USA or not, they still would be in the same position today. They hated the communist so, it did not really matter if they supported the US or not. I think people should boycott Thailand for there inhumane treatment of the Hmong people. They should get a big denouncation by the UN security council. This is actually Thailand's problem because it is on there door step not Western countries. Western Countries do ten times as much to help the world population unlike Thailand , which only cares about their own blood.

Hi Britanmal, you are almost on target with your post, I only feel the problem is not the problem of the Thais, Thailand has been very open to refugees from many counties over the years. They have provided shelter and support for people from Burma, Laos, China, Cambodia over many years. The problem is with the do-nothing UNHRC and

the United Nations organization in total. In my 50 years of observation

of them I have come to the conclusion that they are nothing but a bunch of fat cats pretending to be of service to the world. They must have the best advertising agency in the world. Everything they say and do is empty. Now they want 2 Billion dollars to make their headquarters in NYC more posh. What a load of crap. If the UN building is out of date, for $50,000 it can be demolished. These sycophants should have portable tents that can be set up in places like laos, Angola, Burma, South Africa, Beirut, Zimbabwe, etc. so they can do the job that is their mission. How can they solve problems unless they have their "boots on the ground" in these countries and experience the suffering and oppression while dinning in the fine resturaunts of NYC at our tax expense. This very expensive outrage has to end now. A good idea that has been abused to the maximum. anybody listening? I know it is a rant . But who needs them? Can anyone remember something that resembles an achievement of the UN? Comments and flames welcome But some rants have merit.

We can give them a 747 airplane so they can travel to the hot spots

and do their job first hand to prove their effectivness and save a lot of tax dollars. Thank you for reading.

[hammered]

Samak Defies U.S. Congressional Appeals to King of Thailand: Hmong Protestors to Be Forced Back to Laos

Story at from Market Watch at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/sama...D&dist=hppr

[Jai Dee]

Grief renewed for Hmong

A U.N. official came to Minnesota with an unusual mission: To investigate the desecration of Hmong graves in Thailand.

Soua Dao Thao has never met a special investigator from the United Nations. But on Wednesday, the soft-spoken St. Paul man wept as he asked one to help the Hmong people who are haunted today because their family members were exhumed from graves.

"I ask that the United Nations seek the truth about what has happened to my mother's petrified body in Thailand," said Thao, at an unusual hearing at the University of Minnesota.

"I took a small piece of cloth that fell off her body as they carried her away ... and a sample of her hair," he explained. "Today those two items are the only things I have to mark what she went through."

Thao was among hundreds of Hmong from the Twin Cities, and some from around the country, who attended a hearing with James Anaya, the U.N.'s rapporteur on indigenous people's issues. Anaya was here to gather information on one of the most emotional issues in the Hmong community worldwide -- the desecration of more than 900 Hmong graves in 2005 at a Buddhist monastery where thousands of Hmong refugees had been living.

The incident prompted two St. Paul delegations to travel to Thailand last year and investigate the matter, and the University of Minnesota's Human Rights Program to draft a complaint to the U.N. on behalf of Hmong families.

On the surface, a three-year-old case about graves being dug up in Thailand may not seem like a classic international human rights case. But legal experts testified it was a serious violation of the cultural and religious rights of the Hmong people, and part of a broader pattern of discrimination against Hmong in Asia.

More important, the grave desecrations go to the core of the Hmong people's spiritual beliefs, they said. Disrupting a grave, and pulling the bones out of bodies, is "worse than committing a murder," said one Hmong witness.

Source: Star Tribune - 11 December 2008

[benjamat]

Mr. Richard12..... is such a heartless and ignorant soul. Lets' go back in History Mr. Richard. These Hmong people were against the Laos communist government. Whether or not they supported the USA or not, they still would be in the same position today. They hated the communist so, it did not really matter if they supported the US or not. I think people should boycott Thailand for there inhumane treatment of the Hmong people. They should get a big denouncation by the UN security council. This is actually Thailand's problem because it is on there door step not Western countries. Western Countries do ten times as much to help the world population unlike Thailand , which only cares about their own blood.

Hi Britanmal, you are almost on target with your post, I only feel the problem is not the problem of the Thais, Thailand has been very open to refugees from many counties over the years. They have provided shelter and support for people from Burma, Laos, China, Cambodia over many years. The problem is with the do-nothing UNHRC and

the United Nations organization in total. In my 50 years of observation

of them I have come to the conclusion that they are nothing but a bunch of fat cats pretending to be of service to the world. They must have the best advertising agency in the world. Everything they say and do is empty. Now they want 2 Billion dollars to make their headquarters in NYC more posh. What a load of crap. If the UN building is out of date, for $50,000 it can be demolished. These sycophants should have portable tents that can be set up in places like laos, Angola, Burma, South Africa, Beirut, Zimbabwe, etc. so they can do the job that is their mission. How can they solve problems unless they have their "boots on the ground" in these countries and experience the suffering and oppression while dinning in the fine resturaunts of NYC at our tax expense. This very expensive outrage has to end now. A good idea that has been abused to the maximum. anybody listening? I know it is a rant . But who needs them? Can anyone remember something that resembles an achievement of the UN? Comments and flames welcome But some rants have merit.

We can give them a 747 airplane so they can travel to the hot spots

and do their job first hand to prove their effectivness and save a lot of tax dollars. Thank you for reading.

Have to agrre with you papajohn, the un is effectively a talking shop and highly paid early retirement home for ex politicians and diplomats.

However this is the normal way around the world. It is abundantly clear that all governmental type organisations are grossly inefficient and often corrupt in their use of resources with self interest taking top priority.

Thailand is often viciously critiscised on this forum for graft and corruption yet it is everywhere, just better known in less weel developed countries. Just look at the issues over expenses in both the uk parliament and the Brussels parliament, it was clear that huge numbers were stealing yet all swept under the carpet.

[henryalleman]

I remember

[henryalleman]

I do remember an article on Bangkok post in 1991 or 1992 where they blame the Thai army to put guns on the head of Hmong fugitives to let them sign a document declaring that they will return voluntarily to Laos.

The article was documented with pictures of Hmongs who had a tattoo number engraved on their arm by Thai immigration. The Thai immigration told it was necessary because its was easy to identify them if they run away from the camp.

The US and Thailand share the same responsibility in this case. Because both of them recruited the Hmong in the fight against the Pathet Lao. Till the late 70's Thai special forces with support from the CIA perform secret operation in Laos. This was told by a friend of my wife who was participated in this operation, he told me this late 1977 when he visited us. I never forget the story how they loose 3 elephants in an operation.

And the living conditions of the Hmong in Laos are horrible. last year here was an documentary on TV from a French reporter, who succeeded to visit them in the jungle. We saw women and children with open infected bullet wounds , because their where no medicines to treat them. They had no food, they had to eat the bark of trees, they almost naked because they had no clothes.

Tears came in my eyes when they said that the world had forgotten them, and they begged the reporter to tell the US that they should help them, because they where promised that they will be rewarded for their support, and show and tell the world that there was a genocide going on. because the Laos where hunting and shoot them down like rabbits. They had no guns except some old rifles with a few rounds a to defend them.

I also remember vividly a news item in 1975 or 1976 when they interviewed a few Hmong fugitives in an rescue airplaine who brought them to Belgium. People who came straight out of the jungle who where bewildered not knowing where they where going. One old man said: they told us that we are going to Belgium and that that Belgium had a King. He said now we will be safe because Belgium have a king and he will protect us. They came in the middle of the winter, I still see like it was yesterday I see the helplessness and misery in their eyes moment they stepped out of the airplane and feel the bitter cold for the first time in there life. And not realizing they stepped in the modern world.

In short the Hmong have abandoned by their former allies and the rest of the world for more than 30 years. Shame on us, to let it happening.

I do apologize if my topic is a litle bit emotional, but my brother in-law is Hmong and hes one of the nicest, kind and peaceful person I know.

[henryalleman]

t's no coincidence that Thai authorities are 'reversing' years of of unoffocial policy, during which Hmong refugees were able to find shelter here (the current round of deportations started in 2005), at the same time that the Lao and Thai governments have announced a plan to increase bilateral trade to $4.5 billion by 2010 (triple the current level, I guess, according to official figures

This past weekend, Laos demanded Thailand honour a December 2006 bilateral repatriation agreement and deport the group.

And who was the PM who signed this deals? Deals for trading human lives for the benefit of business.

Everybody know the answer.

[henryalleman]

If these were 153 politicians, journalists or western politicians, they would have been out of there in 1 minute flat and out of the country the same day.

Its political will by all concerend ie. there is none.

It would be cheaper all round to put em up in the American Embassy or UN mission until they make a decision. This is costing a fortune to all concerned, far better to let the US take em it.

Shame for them that they are poor and of no use to the US in its war on terror.

A lot of disinformation in this thread. Firstly, last year the US took the remaining 14.500 registered Lao Hmong refugees from Wat Tham Krabok and environs. Most of these refugees were not even alive at the time of the Vietnam war, but they took then anyway.

Current Lao Hmong / Lao PDR conflicts center around Hmong wishes to create autonomous economic zones in Lao and their rate of childbirth compared to the existing Lao population. Anyone even peripherally associated with this cause will have participated in a meeting where Hmong leaders propose armed resistance to Lao PDR(fomented by overseas Hmong).

All that said, it is shameful what the Lao PDR continues to do to their native Hmong population. I support compassionate Thais?Americans who continue to help the Hmong cause, and hopefully a compassionate stance will be forthcoming from the Thai government as well. This is no longer a Vietnam war issue.

may I point out that during the Vietnam war the US promised the Hmongs to help them in there strive for autonomy if the Hmong helped them, and this was one the reasons why the Hmong choose to help the US in there fight against communism. They where convinced that US will never let them down.

Because of this the communist regime in Laos regard the Hmong as collaborators, treaters and enemies of the state. If you where born after the fight is of no importance for the Laos government.

So it is the responsibility if the US not to betray the Hmong, and at least give them shelter, because the broke already theire vow to help them in their strive for independence.

[henryalleman]

Reports from Hmong in the US say the 163 who fled to Thailand who were forcibly returned to Laos recently have been resettled at a site off Route 13 (the main highway north).. not far from areas where they say there have been "rebel" attacks.

Or that is what the Lao authorities are saying.

The information minister reportedly placed the following post on a chat site on Saturday:

thanouxay View profile

More options Jun 23, 11:23 am

Newsgroups: soc.culture.laos, soc.culture.hmong, soc.culture.thai

From: thanouxay <[email protected]>

Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:23:44 -0700

Local: Sat, Jun 23 2007 11:23 am

Subject: Re: New Hmong Settlement

Reply | Reply to author | Forward | Print | Individual message | Show original | Report this message | Find messages by this author

Cwjmen and all,

"As I told you that a mini-irrigation dam located about half a Kilometre from the new village has been completed. Yes this is where, the kids will love to swim and fish while the adult can find water for

gardening.

The old Ponglak village which is about two kilometres from the settlement has a dispensary where sick people can be treated and Muang Med and Kasy where there are district hospital are about

25 kilometres range.

"Yes, they will be free like horses therefore the local authorities estimated that they (the new settlelers) will move within 20 kilometres radius along the valley and uphill. They are so free to the

extend that among the newly rapatriated from Thailand in the group of 31 and 160, there are about ten families who were resettled in 2006 in Muang Med. They paid about 10 silver bars to traffickers

to bring them to Thailand with the hope to go to third country and ended up in the same area again and once again, the burden is on the shoulder of the Government.

"Sok dee."

============

# Photos have also been posted of this new settlement at:

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture...907cf3072ae960f

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkj-hmong

The interesting thing is how Vientiane is using the Net to try to placate Hmong in the US, who, like many observers in Thailand, seem convinced that their fellow Hmong are being persecuted.

Why doesn't Vientiane just let diplomats and independent international observers inspect these sites and speak to those being resettled there (without the presence of government officials to intimidate them, as happened when the 21 "missing" Hmong girls were unveiled in mid-April)? It makes one think the government is being tricky and attempting to cover its tracks in various ways ..

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has voiced concern re Thailand's forced retrun of Hmong seeking asylum..

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement

AI Index: ASA 39/009/2007 (Public)

News Service No: 121

26 June 2007

Thailand: Forcible returns of Lao Hmong must end

Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the unlawful and forcible return from Thailand to Laos of 163 Lao Hmong individuals, who had not been able to claim asylum, on Saturday 9 June 2007. The organization calls on the Thai authorities to immediately halt any returns of asylum seekers who have not yet had access to a fair and satisfactory asylum determination procedure. Amnesty International is particularly concerned that those returned are at risk of torture, arbitrary and indefinite detention and other serious human rights violations in Laos. This serious gap in protection must come to an end.

The group of 163 were reportedly transported in four police trucks at around 6 am across the river Mekong over the Friendship Bridge linking the Thai border town of Nong Khai and the Lao capital Vientiane. The evening before, they had been picked up at police detention facilities in the towns of Khao Kho, Lomsak, Na Chaliang and Tha Phon in the northern Thai province of Phetchabun, where they had been held for varying periods of time.

Official Lao media reported that the group of 163, who were referred to as "victims of human trafficking", had been handed over to Lao authorities in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed on 18 May 2007. Their current whereabouts are not known.

Some of those forcibly returned were recent arrivals from Laos, including a group of 48 people, 30 of whom were children. This group was arrested in a makeshift refugee camp of Huay Nam Khao on 31 May 2007 just after their arrival at the camp. Until they were returned they had been held in police detention in Lomsak, where they had reportedly been forced to sign a document accepting the deportation.

Amnesty International is seriously concerned that this forcible return took place in breach of international human rights law and standards. The organisation believes that individuals among the 163 are at risk of grave human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary and indefinite detention. These concerns are further aggravated by the lack of access to Laos for international human rights monitoring bodies, including NGOs, to monitor the well-being of returnees.

The forcible return on 9 June also highlighted the serious situation of insecurity and uncertain future facing up to 8,000 Lao Hmong at Huay Nam Khao in Thailand, all of whom are at risk of forcible return. UNHCR has not been allowed access to this group to determine their protection needs. The Thai authorities have not introduced any fair and satisfactory procedure to enable individuals to claim asylum. Amnesty International is extremely concerned at the precarious situation in which these asylum seekers find themselves.

Thailand's humanitarian role in providing temporary protection to hundreds of thousands of people who have fled persecution and conflict in neighbouring countries is widely recognized. The recent forcible return, which is the second in less than a month, underscores Amnesty International's growing concerns that the Thai government may be changing its policies towards people who enter Thailand to seek asylum and protection from human rights violations.

The organisation calls on the Thai government to uphold its obligations under international law and halt any plans for the return of any Lao Hmong asylum seekers until a fair and satisfactory procedure has been put in place in order to allow these individuals to exercise their human right to seek and enjoy asylum. In line with international law and standards, those who are granted refugee status must also be provided with protection inside Thailand or allowed to resettle in third countries. Amnesty International reminds Thailand of its obligation under international law not to return any person, regardless of their status, to a situation in which they would face torture or other serious human rights violations.

Background

Under international law states are under an obligation not to forcibly return any person in any manner whatsoever to a country where they risk torture or other serious human rights violations (the principle of non-refoulement). This principle, which is provided for in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and several other international instruments, is widely regarded as a rule of customary international law and is therefore binding on all states, including Thailand, regardless of its treaty obligations. Furthermore, in line with Thailand's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a state party, Thai authorities may not return anyone to a country where they would be subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. See Human Rights Committee, General Comment 20, Article 7 (Forty-fourth session, 1992), UN Doc. HRI\GEN\1\Rev.1 at 30 (1994), para. 9 which states that "In the view of the Committee, States parties must not expose individuals to the danger of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment upon return to another country by way of their extradition, expulsion or refoulement."

The total number of Lao Hmong seeking asylum in Thailand is unclear. Some 8,000 asylum seekers who have fled Laos live in the informal refugee settlement in Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun province. Much smaller numbers live in other places across the country, notably in the border areas and the greater Bangkok region.

=========

he interesting thing is how Vientiane is using the Net to try to placate Hmong in the US, who, like many observers in Thailand, seem convinced that their fellow Hmong are being persecuted.

Why doesn't Vientiane just let diplomats and independent international observers inspect these sites and speak to those being resettled there (without the presence of government officials to intimidate them, as happened when the 21 "missing" Hmong girls were unveiled in mid-April)? It makes one think the government is being tricky and attempting to cover its tracks in various ways ..

In the WW2 the Nazis build a show camp for jews to trick the Red Cross, they sa

[henryalleman]

Reports from Hmong in the US say the 163 who fled to Thailand who were forcibly returned to Laos recently have been resettled at a site off Route 13 (the main highway north).. not far from areas where they say there have been "rebel" attacks.

Or that is what the Lao authorities are saying.

The information minister reportedly placed the following post on a chat site on Saturday:

thanouxay View profile

More options Jun 23, 11:23 am

Newsgroups: soc.culture.laos, soc.culture.hmong, soc.culture.thai

From: thanouxay <[email protected]>

Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:23:44 -0700

Local: Sat, Jun 23 2007 11:23 am

Subject: Re: New Hmong Settlement

Reply | Reply to author | Forward | Print | Individual message | Show original | Report this message | Find messages by this author

Cwjmen and all,

"As I told you that a mini-irrigation dam located about half a Kilometre from the new village has been completed. Yes this is where, the kids will love to swim and fish while the adult can find water for

gardening.

The old Ponglak village which is about two kilometres from the settlement has a dispensary where sick people can be treated and Muang Med and Kasy where there are district hospital are about

25 kilometres range.

"Yes, they will be free like horses therefore the local authorities estimated that they (the new settlelers) will move within 20 kilometres radius along the valley and uphill. They are so free to the

extend that among the newly rapatriated from Thailand in the group of 31 and 160, there are about ten families who were resettled in 2006 in Muang Med. They paid about 10 silver bars to traffickers

to bring them to Thailand with the hope to go to third country and ended up in the same area again and once again, the burden is on the shoulder of the Government.

"Sok dee."

============

# Photos have also been posted of this new settlement at:

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture...907cf3072ae960f

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkj-hmong

The interesting thing is how Vientiane is using the Net to try to placate Hmong in the US, who, like many observers in Thailand, seem convinced that their fellow Hmong are being persecuted.

Why doesn't Vientiane just let diplomats and independent international observers inspect these sites and speak to those being resettled there (without the presence of government officials to intimidate them, as happened when the 21 "missing" Hmong girls were unveiled in mid-April)? It makes one think the government is being tricky and attempting to cover its tracks in various ways ..

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has voiced concern re Thailand's forced retrun of Hmong seeking asylum..

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement

AI Index: ASA 39/009/2007 (Public)

News Service No: 121

26 June 2007

Thailand: Forcible returns of Lao Hmong must end

Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the unlawful and forcible return from Thailand to Laos of 163 Lao Hmong individuals, who had not been able to claim asylum, on Saturday 9 June 2007. The organization calls on the Thai authorities to immediately halt any returns of asylum seekers who have not yet had access to a fair and satisfactory asylum determination procedure. Amnesty International is particularly concerned that those returned are at risk of torture, arbitrary and indefinite detention and other serious human rights violations in Laos. This serious gap in protection must come to an end.

The group of 163 were reportedly transported in four police trucks at around 6 am across the river Mekong over the Friendship Bridge linking the Thai border town of Nong Khai and the Lao capital Vientiane. The evening before, they had been picked up at police detention facilities in the towns of Khao Kho, Lomsak, Na Chaliang and Tha Phon in the northern Thai province of Phetchabun, where they had been held for varying periods of time.

Official Lao media reported that the group of 163, who were referred to as "victims of human trafficking", had been handed over to Lao authorities in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed on 18 May 2007. Their current whereabouts are not known.

Some of those forcibly returned were recent arrivals from Laos, including a group of 48 people, 30 of whom were children. This group was arrested in a makeshift refugee camp of Huay Nam Khao on 31 May 2007 just after their arrival at the camp. Until they were returned they had been held in police detention in Lomsak, where they had reportedly been forced to sign a document accepting the deportation.

Amnesty International is seriously concerned that this forcible return took place in breach of international human rights law and standards. The organisation believes that individuals among the 163 are at risk of grave human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary and indefinite detention. These concerns are further aggravated by the lack of access to Laos for international human rights monitoring bodies, including NGOs, to monitor the well-being of returnees.

The forcible return on 9 June also highlighted the serious situation of insecurity and uncertain future facing up to 8,000 Lao Hmong at Huay Nam Khao in Thailand, all of whom are at risk of forcible return. UNHCR has not been allowed access to this group to determine their protection needs. The Thai authorities have not introduced any fair and satisfactory procedure to enable individuals to claim asylum. Amnesty International is extremely concerned at the precarious situation in which these asylum seekers find themselves.

Thailand's humanitarian role in providing temporary protection to hundreds of thousands of people who have fled persecution and conflict in neighbouring countries is widely recognized. The recent forcible return, which is the second in less than a month, underscores Amnesty International's growing concerns that the Thai government may be changing its policies towards people who enter Thailand to seek asylum and protection from human rights violations.

The organisation calls on the Thai government to uphold its obligations under international law and halt any plans for the return of any Lao Hmong asylum seekers until a fair and satisfactory procedure has been put in place in order to allow these individuals to exercise their human right to seek and enjoy asylum. In line with international law and standards, those who are granted refugee status must also be provided with protection inside Thailand or allowed to resettle in third countries. Amnesty International reminds Thailand of its obligation under international law not to return any person, regardless of their status, to a situation in which they would face torture or other serious human rights violations.

Background

Under international law states are under an obligation not to forcibly return any person in any manner whatsoever to a country where they risk torture or other serious human rights violations (the principle of non-refoulement). This principle, which is provided for in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and several other international instruments, is widely regarded as a rule of customary international law and is therefore binding on all states, including Thailand, regardless of its treaty obligations. Furthermore, in line with Thailand's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a state party, Thai authorities may not return anyone to a country where they would be subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. See Human Rights Committee, General Comment 20, Article 7 (Forty-fourth session, 1992), UN Doc. HRI\GEN\1\Rev.1 at 30 (1994), para. 9 which states that "In the view of the Committee, States parties must not expose individuals to the danger of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment upon return to another country by way of their extradition, expulsion or refoulement."

The total number of Lao Hmong seeking asylum in Thailand is unclear. Some 8,000 asylum seekers who have fled Laos live in the informal refugee settlement in Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun province. Much smaller numbers live in other places across the country, notably in the border areas and the greater Bangkok region.

=========

he interesting thing is how Vientiane is using the Net to try to placate Hmong in the US, who, like many observers in Thailand, seem convinced that their fellow Hmong are being persecuted.

Why doesn't Vientiane just let diplomats and independent international observers inspect these sites and speak to those being resettled there (without the presence of government officials to intimidate them, as happened when the 21 "missing" Hmong girls were unveiled in mid-April)? It makes one think the government is being tricky and attempting to cover its tracks in various ways ..

In the WW2 the Nazis build the model show camp Theresienstadt for Jews to trick the Red Cross, they saw well fed and happy Jews living in excellent conditions. But what the red Cross didn't know that this was just an transit camp, before they where send to the ovens.

[permanent_disorder]

This past weekend, Laos demanded Thailand honour a December 2006 bilateral repatriation agreement and deport the group.

And who was the PM who signed this deals? Deals for trading human lives for the benefit of business.

Everybody know the answer.

not sure if the PM himself signed the deal, but PM at this time, dec 2006, was Surayud Chulanont, a porsche car lover. he have a colourful biography, 1992 he was head of the special forces when soldiers under his command fired on students who were protesting against the last government installed by the military.about 50 people where killed. he later claimed he didn't gave an order to shot.

2006/07 he was the head of a junta camouflage government, supported by such anti-democratic groups like PAD and no surprise also by the loser of two previous democratic elections, the "Democrats". no kidding.

during his time as PM the coruption level went up, the economic grow rate slowed down to be the worst in the region, and in terms of freedom of expression thailand was suddendly behind cambodia and indonasia. corruption in his cabinet, abuse of power, mismangemant, human rights abuses, censorship, you named it. what you expect from in a dictatorship.

Surayud and his wife got also accused of unusual wealth. but if i recall it well it was not even a milliard baht, only 100 millions or so.

but i don't if it was him who signed the deal, are you sure it was the PM and not just some minister or secretary?

[GungaDin]

Hmong, Laos Crisis: No Christmas for Hmong Refugees, Kue Xiong, As Thailand's Third Army Mobilizes

As Hmong and Lao refugees faced horrific forced repatriation in Thailand as well as bloody ethnic cleansing attacks and mass starvation by the Laos military, H. Res. 1273, was introduced and spearheaded in June of 2008 by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA, U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)and U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), to seek to halt the military attacks and address the human rights and refugee crisis in Thailand and Laos facing the Hmong and Lao people.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington, D.C., and Bangkok, Thailand, December 20, 2008 - Elements of the Royal Thai military's 3rd Army and Ministry of Interior are secretly mobilizing to deport Hmong refugee families back to Laos in the coming days prior to Christmas and the New Year. Increased coercive measures, psychological abuse and intimidation as well as arbitrary arrests are being undertaken at the Lao Hmong refugee camp and detention center at Ban Huay Nam Khao, Petchabun Province, and Nong Khai, Thailand where over 7,000 refugees are seeking political asylum after fleeing military attacks and political and religious persecution in Laos.

Thai authorities have recently arrested Mr. Kue Xiong and this family in Huay Nam Khao refugee detention camp and are preparing to force him and his family, along with other Hmong political refugees, back to Laos on December 22, 2008, or in the coming days.

Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ) continues to provide humanitarian assistance to over 6,500 Hmong refugees that are at Ban Huay Nam Khao in Thailand. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=2075

"Why isn't the international community horrified over the forced repatriation of Hmong political refugees to a regime with a history of cruelty toward the Hmong who fought against communist forces in their homeland of Laos ?" questioned Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, a human rights and refugee expert who has testified in the U.S. Congress frequently on the plight of the Hmong, Lao and Southeast Asian refugees.

Dr. Hamilton-Merritt's highly acclaimed book Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, the Americans and the Secret Wars for Laos ( Indiana University Press ) is replete with horrific examples of the persecution, torture and killing of Hmong refugees forcibly repatriated from Thailand back to Laos. The Hmong and Laotian diaspora community is commemorating the 15th anniversary of the publication of her important book and honoring her human rights, humanitarian and refugee work. http://www.tragicmountains.org

"There are credible reports from reliable sources that at Ban Huay Nam Khao, Phetchabun Province, Thailand stating Mr. Kou Xiong, age 40 years old and eight of his Hmong family members have been brutally arrested without cause at 9:00 am on December 17, 2008," stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis.

Smith continued: "After they were arbitrarily arrested, reliable sources have reported that Mr. Xiong has been severely tortured, both physically and psychologically, by Thai military authorities at the refugee detention center at Ban Huay Nam Khao. According to credible reports, Thai military and ministry of interior authorities are planning to deport Mr. Xiong and his family back to Laos on December 22, 2008, prior to Christmas and the New Year along with other Laotian and Hmong refugees."

"There may be mass and bloody forced and involuntary repatriation of Hmong refugees by the end of this year, or early 2009, if the current plan is implemented according to the new-time table of key commanders and elements of Thailand's Third Army and Ministry of Interior special troops," Smith concluded. "There will be no Christmas in Thailand for the 7,000 Hmong refugees living in deplorable conditions and the thousands of Laotians and Hmong refugees who are being detained now in reeducation camps and gulags in Laos, including Mr. Hakit Yang and the three Hmong Americans from St. Paul, Minnesota arrested last year in Laos."

Earlier this year, the U.S. Congress, in expressing its concern about the human rights and refugee crisis in Laos and Thailand, introduced H.Res. 1273, which appeals to Thailand to immediately halt the repatriation of Laotian and Hmong refugees back to Laos and allow the refugees to be resettle in other countries H.Res. 1273 specifically addresses the refugee and human rights crisis in Ban Huay Nam Khao and Nong Khai, Thailand as well as the human rights crisis in Laos. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:hr1273ih.txt.pdf

In June of 2008, H. Res. 1273, was introduced and spearheaded by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy ( D-RI ), U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher ( R-CA ), U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin ( D-WI ) and U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf ( R-VA )to seek to address the human rights and refugee crisis in Thailand and Laos facing the Laotian and Hmong people.

"Mr. Kou Xiong and his Hmong family members are appealing to the United States' Congress, United States Government, the United Nations and international human rights organizations to urge the Thai Governent to stop its plan to force him and his family back to Laos; the country that he had fled to escape persecution," said Vaughn Vang, Director of the Hmong Lao Human Rights Council, Inc.

"The Lao Hmong Diaspora Commuity Joint Statement signed by over 32 Lao and Hmong organizations in the United States as well as H.Res. 1273 introduced in the U.S. Congress appeals to the Royal Thai Government on this humanitarian and refugee issue and the 7,000 Lao Hmong refugees in Thailand who want to be resettled in the United States or other third countries," continued Vaughn Vang.

http://www.media-newswire.com/release_1082337.html

"If this forced repatriation of the Hmong people from Thailand to Laos is not ceased immediately, Kou Xiong and his family members will likely face persecution, torture, and death in Laos under the one-party communist regime that they fled; They are appealing for immediate assistance in this matter in order to save their lives," Vaughn Vang stated.

Vaughn Vang said further: "The whereabouts of 1,237 Hmong refugees who were forced repatriated to the communist regime in Laos by the Thai government on June 22, 2008 and July 10, 2008, from Ban Huay Nam Khao, in Petchabun Provice, are still largely unaccounted for despite the efforts of the international community to stop their forced repatriation back to the communist regime in Laos that they fled," stated Vaughn Vang of the Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. "We respectfully urge the new Royal Thai government and new Royal Thai Prime Minister to immediately halt this policy and reverse this terrible injustice as called for by the U.S. Congress in H.Res. 1273 and in many letters signed by dozens of U.S. Congressmen and Senators to the Royal Thai Government, His Majesty the King of Thailand, and to U.S. Secretary of State Rice."

http://www.media-newswire.com/release_1077936.html

http://www.media-newswire.com/release_1079823.html

Vaughn Vang concluded his remarks by saying: "These Hmong refugees seeking political asylum in Thailand refuse to return to Laos, the country in which they have fled persecution, torture, death, and genocide. These innocent people, including many Hmong women and children, are appealing to the United Nations, United States, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the world community, and all human rights organizations to urge the Thai government to immediately stop the forced repatriation policy on these Hmong refugees. They are human beings who deserve human rights, peace, and justice."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA26/004/2004/en/dom-ASA260042004en.html

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) and Amnesty International issued international appeals and reports regarding the plight of Lao Hmong refugees at Nong Khai, Thailand earlier this week. Amnesty International's Report of November 17, 2008, entitled "Hmong Refugees Held By Thailand Must Be Freed" discusses the terrible plight of 92 Lao Hmong refugee children, in a group of 158 Laotian refugees, held in deplorable conditions by Thai authorities in Nong Khai Detention center. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/refugees-held-thailand-must-freed-20081117

Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ), the Paris, France-based Lao Movement for Human Rights ( LMHR ), the Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. and other independent non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) have also issued numerous appeals along with leading human rights and refugee experts and advocates, including Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, Ambassador Eugene Douglas and others.

http://media-newswire.com/release_1077350.html

###

Contact:

Anna Jones

Tele. ( 202 )543-1444

Center for Public Policy Analysis

2020 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Suite No.#212

Washington, DC 20006 USA

Tele. ( 202 )543-1444

Source: http://media-newswire.com/release_1082349.html

[Jai Dee]

Hmong refugees at Nong Khai jail are suicidal

On January 15, a high-level Thai delegation from Bangkok was expected to visit the 158 Hmong refugees held at Nong Khai immigration jail. The visit was expected to be just another attempt at convincing these Hmong refugees to "voluntarily" return to Laos.

The Hmong refugees believe that the real purpose of these visits is to break their human spirit. The "concerned" officials always ask the group why they are afraid to return to Laos but at the same time tell them that no third country is willing to accept them, which is an outright lie. The Hmong detainees are also told that they are not political refugees even though they have the UNHCR documentation to prove it. Then, they are told that they only have two options available to them: they can "voluntarily" return to Laos, or they can spend the rest of their lives in this small, overcrowded immigration jail.

Much worse than suffering from the awful physical and psychological conditions at the jail is the fact that the United States, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands have all remained seemingly silent on this issue. These are the countries that had quickly stepped forward after a failed deportation attempt some two years ago and agreed to resettle these refugees.

Now, these hopeless Hmong see that this third-country resettlement offer seems to have faded away. Because of this, the refugees are preparing to take their own lives, as they believe no one really cares about them.

Source: Editorial Opinion from The Nation - 15 January 2009

[samgrowth]

I hope Mark can reverse the decision.

However, since the Hmongs cannot vote, they are of no value to Mark (or Thaksin).

[Jai Dee]

Thai authorities arrest blacklisted Hmong refugee for deportation

Thai authorities have allegedly arrested a Hmong refugee who once guided a BBC TV team to Laos to document atrocities committed against the minority group, a Hmong advocacy group claimed Sunday.

"Around 8:30 pm Saturday night, Thai authorities in Huay Nam Khao camp arrested Joua Va Yang, a former guide for the BBC," Chicago-based Hmong Advocate Joe Davy said in a statement.

"Witnesses on the scene claim that authorities had beaten Mr Yang very badly during the arrest," Davy said.

In 2004, Yang led a team of BBC journalists into the jungles of Laos to document the ongoing plight of the Hmong, who claim to be hunted by the Lao military due to their past association with the US's "secret war" in the South-east Asian country.

"Currently, the Thai military is believed to be rounding up other Hmong refugee leaders for deportation," Davy claimed.

Source: The Nation - 30 March 2009

[toybits]

Wasn't this Hmong Refugee problem that Thailand has to put up with caused by the US Government? It should be the US government that should take care of this burden and not the Thai Government.

[animatic]

Wasn't this Hmong Refugee problem that Thailand has to put up with caused by the US Government? It should be the US government that should take care of this burden and not the Thai Government.

30 years on from the last USA involvement, the LAOS government

should have long since backed off this revenge tactic and integrated the

Hmong into the Lao society and been HELPING them as their citizens.

Instead these zealots are still in revenge mode and THIS is where the real problem lies.

Of course not ignoring the 'institutionalized racism' of the 'Thai nation building mechanism'.

This whole thing is so totally unnecessary.

[plachon]

Wasn't this Hmong Refugee problem that Thailand has to put up with caused by the US Government? It should be the US government that should take care of this burden and not the Thai Government.

30 years on from the last USA involvement, the LAOS government

should have long since backed off this revenge tactic and integrated the

Hmong into the Lao society and been HELPING them as their citizens.

Instead these zealots are still in revenge mode and THIS is where the real problem lies.

Of course not ignoring the 'institutionalized racism' of the 'Thai nation building mechanism'.

This whole thing is so totally unnecessary.

Agreed, but only up to a point. 30 years after the last US bomb dropped on Laos, you'd think the US would normalize relations with Laos and be offering them decent aid to the poorest people and helping with munitions clearance, instead of still punishing the people of Laos with "MIA" bullshit and keeping basic things like bombie design a secret. They could also help by resettling to US any Hmong who want to go, given the sacrifices that many Hmong made to fight the US's crazy ideological war. This doesn't absolve Laos of its reponsibilities too, but the US govt should not forget the horror it wreaked 30+ years ago on a small country caught up in the theatre of a wider battle for neo-liberal capitalism to rule.

[Jai Dee]

Army denies Hmongs beating claim

The military yesterday denied thrashing a Hmong man in Phetchabun's Ban Huay Nam Khao refugee camp."We didn't beat him at all but he hurt himself by accident," said Colonel Prasitthiphong Moondee, chief of staff of the Khao Kho Task Force, which oversees the camp.

Chicago-based Hmong advocate Joe Devy has accused the military of hitting Joua Va Yang during custody Saturday night.

Yang was caught with his family at about 8.30pm while trying to escape from the shelter.

Prasitthiphong said Yang resisted arrest and was slightly injured from falling down while running away.

Six members of Yang's family including his wife and teenage children were handed to police in Phetchabun's Khao Kho district, he said.

Police have not yet charged them with illegal entry but detained them pending further instructions from authorities, he said.

Yang said he once acted as a guide for a BBC TV team that visited Laos to document atrocities committed against the ethnic minority group in 2004.

He was among some 5,000 Hmong refugees from Laos who were being held at Ban Huay Nam Kho since late 2004.

Thai and Laotian foreign ministers agreed in a meeting in Luang Prabang last week to repatriate all of them to their places of origin in Laos by the end of this year.

Source: The Nation - 01 April 2009

[DaleBlue]

Another bad press to help Thailand image. Please stop the beating/killing/etc.

[HagenvonTronje]

Laos seeks clarification of Thai FM's statements on Hmong

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Laos will seek clarification from Thailand over Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya's statement that 158 Hmongs in a Nong Khai shelter were asylum seekers, Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman Khenthong Nouanthasing said Friday.

None of Hmong ethnic minorities who migrated from Laos to Thailand should be regarded as "political asylum seeker" since they are normal economic migrants, the spokesman said.

Kasit said in a telephone interview from Washington after a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week that 158 Hmong who were being detained in a camp in Nong Khai province were asylum seekers and eligible to settle in third countries.

Only some 5,000 Hmong in Phetchabun's Ban Huay Nam Khao shelter are normal economic migrants who would be repatriated to Laos, Kasit said.

Khenthong said Laos and Thailand had previously considered Lao people held in detention camps in both Phetchabun and Nong Khai provinces as being illegal migrants, not refugees.

"I find it hard to believe that Mr Kasit, a senior diplomat with much experience in foreign affairs, would make such remarks," the Lao spokesman was quoted as saying by staterun daily Vientiane Times.

"But if he did truly make such a comment, I think it is a serious infringement of our two governments' consensus that the illegal migrant issue will be addressed by our two countries without interference from third parties."

Vientiane Times reported that in 2006, the governments of Laos and Thailand agreed to treat Lao citizens illegally entering Thailand as illegal migrants and not refugees.

The Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman asked the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs for clarification on the alleged remarks and whether or not the Thai government had changed its stance on the issue.

Director of the ThailandLaos Border Affairs Division of the Department of Border Affairs, Colonel Kumron Kearwichyajane, told reporters in Laos that the 158 migrants detained in Nong Khai province will be returned to Laos after some 5,000 illegal migrants in a detention camp in Phetchabun province return to Laos later this year.

The recently returned 298 migrants will be temporarily resettled in a camp in Borikhamxay province while their paperwork is completed before returning to their original home towns.

-- The Nation 01.05.2009

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/01...al_30101821.php

[HagenvonTronje]

STATE VISIT

President of Laos Choummaly to visit to Thailand

By The Nation

Choummaly Sayasone, president of Laos, will make a state visit to Thailand next week, Thai Foreign Ministry announced Monday.

Choummaly, 73, will be guest of Their Majesties the King and the Queen during the three-day state visit, starting on May 12.

The visit which will be his first after he took the post in June 2006 is aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties.

**Choummaly endorsed as president of Laos - June 11, 2006.**

-- The Nation May 4, 2009

(

article here

)

[animatic]

Wasn't this Hmong Refugee problem that Thailand has to put up with caused by the US Government? It should be the US government that should take care of this burden and not the Thai Government.

30 years on from the last USA involvement, the LAOS government

should have long since backed off this revenge tactic and integrated the

Hmong into the Lao society and been HELPING them as their citizens.

Instead these zealots are still in revenge mode and THIS is where the real problem lies.

Of course not ignoring the 'institutionalized racism' of the 'Thai nation building mechanism'.

This whole thing is so totally unnecessary.

Agreed, but only up to a point. 30 years after the last US bomb dropped on Laos, you'd think the US would normalize relations with Laos and be offering them decent aid to the poorest people and helping with munitions clearance, instead of still punishing the people of Laos with "MIA" bullshit and keeping basic things like bombie design a secret. They could also help by resettling to US any Hmong who want to go, given the sacrifices that many Hmong made to fight the US's crazy ideological war. This doesn't absolve Laos of its reponsibilities too, but the US govt should not forget the horror it wreaked 30+ years ago on a small country caught up in the theatre of a wider battle for neo-liberal capitalism to rule.

There are over 65,000 Hmong resettled in USA, and 35k or so in France and several Euro countries with SE Asia interest.

There is a USA exclusively Hmong video feature film industry there.

In the post 9/11 climate with Bush at the helm all interest in ANY foreigners not having 'special skills'

entering with green cards was severely damped down. Paranoia etc.

Yes those 30 year old bomb designs are NOT going to change the balance of power in SE Asia...

But might make bomb disposal easier. MIA's is not BS for the MIA families of course....

As much as USA SHOULD make nice with Laos, Laos I see is the stumbling block to normalizing relations.

It talks to it's neighbors, but has the same jingoist (like Thailand)and post-Maoist attitude it always had,

and that makes it hard for USA to deal with those in charge there.