Hmong In Thailand Must Go Home One Way Or Another: Lao Offical

[george]

Hmong in Thailand must go home one way or another - Lao offical

By John Le Fevre

(THAIVISA.COM: -- A representative of the Lao People’s Army has reiterated the demand that all Hmong people living in Khao Kho district must be forced back to Laos one way or another.

The insistence came yesterday, August 7, when LPA Deputy Chief of staff, Brigadier General Buaxiang Champapanh, and his party visited Hmong villagers living in the restricted area of Ban Huai Nam Khao in Phetchabun province.

General Buaxiang told Thai officials that the Lao Government will provide support to the Hmong people returning to Laos, including proving each with a K300,000 (about $US35.25/Bt1,200) vocational training grant and free residences for the homeless.

He further added that the Lao authority assured that anyone found guilty will not be prosecuted back in Laos.

There are about 5,000 Hmong refugees in the Huai Nam Khao camp which Laos and Thailand claim are economic migrants.

Up until recently the camp was being cared for by representatives of the international humanitarian aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors without Borders as they are otherwise known.

However, in protest at what they claimed was continual harassment and intimidation by the Thai military, the organization said it was withdrawing from the camp as soon as a replacement could be found last May.

It is believed MSF was spending more than €1 million (about $US1.365 million) a year on the camp but had continual issues with the Thai Army's psychological operations unit in Phitsanulok.

In May, MSF Thailand director, Gilles Isard said, “The Thai military’s scare tactics to pressure ethnic Laos Hmong refugees to accept a forced return to Laos and its intensifying restrictions on MSF’s activities, such as trying to force MSF to temporarily cut food distribution to the refugee population and forcing patients to pass through military control to obtain medical care, have compelled MSF to terminate its medical relief program”.

MSF and other human rights organizations have issued a series of appeals to the Thai and Laotian governments “to stop deporting the Hmong refugees in Huay Nam Khao and to allow an independent third party to review the refugees’ claims for protection and to monitor any repatriations.”

To date thiese requests have not been acceded to and in recent weeks there has been several conveys of Hmong returning to Laos.

The most recent visit by General Buaxiang is seen as another step in accelerating the repatriations, with the aim being to have all Hmong people returned to Laos by years end.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-08-08

[sunholidaysun1]

There are alot of Hmongs in Thailand

[Thai at Heart]

Is this a case of the Laos government telling the Thai government what to do?

Haven't wars started for less in this part of the world?

[RKASA]

"He further added that the Lao authority assured that anyone found guilty will not be prosecuted back in Laos."

If they are not going to be prosecuted then how were they found guilty,  maybe thats the type of thinking that has them on the run in the first place. 

[shiatsuman]

Hmong in Thailand must go home one way or another - Lao offical

By John Le Fevre

(THAIVISA.COM: -- A representative of the Lao People's Army has reiterated the demand that all Hmong people living in Khao Kho district must be forced back to Laos one way or another.

The insistence came yesterday, August 7, when LPA Deputy Chief of staff, Brigadier General Buaxiang Champapanh, and his party visited Hmong villagers living in the restricted area of Ban Huai Nam Khao in Phetchabun province.

General Buaxiang told Thai officials that the Lao Government will provide support to the Hmong people returning to Laos, including proving each with a K300,000 (about $US35.25/Bt1,200) vocational training grant and free residences for the homeless.

He further added that the Lao authority assured that anyone found guilty will not be prosecuted back in Laos.

There are about 5,000 Hmong refugees in the Huai Nam Khao camp which Laos and Thailand claim are economic migrants.

Up until recently the camp was being cared for by representatives of the international humanitarian aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors without Borders as they are otherwise known.

However, in protest at what they claimed was continual harassment and intimidation by the Thai military, the organization said it was withdrawing from the camp as soon as a replacement could be found last May.

It is believed MSF was spending more than €1 million (about $US1.365 million) a year on the camp but had continual issues with the Thai Army's psychological operations unit in Phitsanulok.

In May, MSF Thailand director, Gilles Isard said, "The Thai military's scare tactics to pressure ethnic Laos Hmong refugees to accept a forced return to Laos and its intensifying restrictions on MSF's activities, such as trying to force MSF to temporarily cut food distribution to the refugee population and forcing patients to pass through military control to obtain medical care, have compelled MSF to terminate its medical relief program".

MSF and other human rights organizations have issued a series of appeals to the Thai and Laotian governments "to stop deporting the Hmong refugees in Huay Nam Khao and to allow an independent third party to review the refugees' claims for protection and to monitor any repatriations."

To date thiese requests have not been acceded to and in recent weeks there has been several conveys of Hmong returning to Laos.

The most recent visit by General Buaxiang is seen as another step in accelerating the repatriations, with the aim being to have all Hmong people returned to Laos by years end.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-08-08

It is a a disgrace and a loss of face for the Thai Military , that a totaly independent humanitarian organisation of the staus of "Medicines sans Frontiers " should withdraw from an ongoing project because of Military pressure. MSF is an organisation that continues providing medical assistance in the most difficult of conditions, I can only think of Somalia and Congo where they have had to withdraw before... has Thailand really sunk to that level ?

[hazz]

Unfortunately no loss of face here, the thai army have a long tradition in coups and doing bastard things to civilians. Given their performance whilst in iraq, maybe these two things are the only things they are good at.

There is serious bad blood between the lao army and the hmong dating back to an american backed insurgency 30 years ago. Handing them back to the tender mercies of the lao government would be very much like throwing a tied up refugee into the sea. I am curious why the thai army, which is an antonymous branch of government, are so keen to send refugees back to the loa army when the americans have expressed a willingness to take them; do they have businesses in lao or something?

[animatic]

"He further added that the Lao authority assured that anyone found guilty will not be prosecuted back in Laos."

If they are not going to be prosecuted then how were they found guilty, maybe thats the type of thinking that has them on the run in the first place.

The Hmong have been left twisting in the wind by the American government, in spite of helping during the war.

It is shameful even this far ahead in time. Yes the analogy of throwing them bound into the sea fits well.

Except the pain is likely to last longer than a simple drowning.

The post-Pathet Lao, Lao Army still has a neo-communist, us against them,

once an enemy always an enemy and their children too, attitude, and will find them guilty

and at best massage the rules to exact punishments. A quick exit; bullet in the squash, or maybe worse yet.

Interrogations to find more 'Subversive Hmongs' might not be a pleasant day for Hmong on the hot seat.

Partly going all the way back to 1961 and General Vang Pao's little army, not officially in the war,

but fighting none the less. And partly inflicted for the current loss of face for Thai army and Lao army,

not being able to force the issue of the Hmong not wanting to live in 'Laos's workers paradise'....

Oh they are making us look bad...weak.... stamp them out before others notice.

There are about 35,000 in Hmong France, 200,000 or so in French Guiana, I think; a whole city state in the jungle.

And around 300k+ in USA between west coast and some mid-western enclaves like Minnesota.

Partly from 2nd and 3rd generation births.

The problem is USA has closed down it's welcome mat after 9/11,

and many that even HAVE a clue about the Hmong issue

think most of them have gotten repatriated and any left behind are just looking for the free ride.

Plus a recent senseless killing by a deranged hmong individual has painted the whole Hmong / USA expat community

as potentially unstable nutters into black magic and arcane medicine man rituals..

Ah our 'yellow journalistic' press at it's lowest. (not PAD reference).

What motivates the Thai military, well cash is king, and there are no doubt deals done cross borders

that are making both sides content. And the Hmong and the loss of face represented,

because they are not controlled; just 'being there' marking a slip- up for the military, in their mindset,

and because MSF / DWoB is embarrassing the Thai military on the world stage because

THEY are dealing with it and keeping it in the press. Last thing the army wants is

farang sei interlopes making them look inadequate, already got inadequacy as status quo,

no need for nasty foreigners to wave a flag about it.

So it seems they would rather let the government take heat now, for them shoving them out,

to soon enough be forgotten, than to let them stay. Short term heat on OTHERS,

and long term problem solved.

Wanna bet against the military wings involved having nice tight ties to Shinolawatra Clan too.

Anything that can be done to embarrass Abhisit on the world stage is fair game these days.

And Dr. T. is not known for caring about what happens to the little guys in the big picture's fringes.

Edited August 9, 2009 by animatic

[henryalleman]

If they send the Hmong back its send them to a certain death, does the US government forgot their promissises. Still today they hunt and shoot Hmongs like rabbits in Laos.

[Bolo]

If they send the Hmong back its send them to a certain death, does the US government forgot their promissises. Still today they hunt and shoot Hmongs like rabbits in Laos.

You are correct. I have a Lao friend here in the states and sometimes when people visit they don't return and are never heard from again.