tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89990828445938721762024-03-08T01:09:56.010-08:00Hmong Action NetworkA blog demanding action for and providing resources and information on the plight of the Hmong in Thailand and Laos.Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-55554653873964401282010-03-24T01:18:00.000-07:002010-03-24T01:39:55.975-07:00Forced Repatriation and Prospects for Third-Country Resettlement<a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1001/S00023.htm">Experts call for end to expulsion of Lao Hmong</a>, United Nations, Jan 1 2010<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Thailand%20blames%20its%20critics%20for%20refugees">Thailand blames its critics for refugees' fate</a>, Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 10 2010<br /><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/national/australiabound-refugees-stranded-in-secret-laos-camps-20100112-m4py.html">Australia-bound refugees stranded in secret Laos camps</a>, Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 13 2010<br /><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1001/S00247.htm">Laos' secret prison camps: Hmong appeal</a>, Center for Public Policy, Jan 14 2010<br /><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1002/S00051.htm">Congress, Hmong scholars urge Laos to admit UNHCR</a>, Center for Public Policy Analysis, Feb 2 2010<br /><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1002/S00415.htm">Lao minister worns Hmong returnees of subversion</a>, Hmong Advocate, Feb 18 2010<br /><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1002/S00606.htm">Hmong fear to speak during US, Thailand visit</a>, Center for Public Policy Analysis, Feb 27 2010<br /><a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/33644/hmong-returnees-look-life-in-eye-in-barren-land">Hmong returnees look life in eye in barren land</a>, Bangkok Post, Feb 28 2010<br /><a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/34072/nations-renew-offer-of-refuge-to-hmong">Nations renew offer of refuge to Hmong</a>, Bangkok Post, March 3 2010Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-40323253241734128732009-12-30T15:41:00.000-08:002009-12-30T15:49:48.766-08:00The Economist<a href="http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15179782">Laotian Hmong refugees in Thailand: Shown the door</a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Its hospitality exhausted, Thailand sends refugees back to an uncertain future</span><br /><br />A RELATIVELY peaceful haven in a bad neighbourhood, Thailand has taken in hordes of South-East Asians fleeing war, persecution and poverty. But the welcome is wearing thin. This week the Thai army loaded 4,351 ethnic Hmong onto lorries and drove them to the border with Laos, whence they had fled. None was allowed access to United Nations officials, who might have classified them as refugees deserving protection and eventual resettlement. Yet Thai officials called their eviction “voluntary”.<br /><br />Recruited by the CIA to fight in the 1960s, the Hmong were among the losers in the Vietnam war. Hundreds of thousands fled Laos after the Communist victory in 1975 and eventually moved to America. In 2004 America agreed to take in another 14,000 or so Hmong who had been staying at a Thai temple. Those bundled back to Laos this week had drifted to another makeshift camp in Phetchabun province, hoping to claim international asylum. A separate group of 158 refugees were deported from a detention centre on the border.<br />Click here to find out more!<br /><br />A barrage of American, EU and UN criticism failed to stop the expulsion. António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the repatriation would “set a very grave international example”. Human-rights groups say the Hmong may face persecution in Laos and that their forced return violates international law. Those linked to ragtag Hmong rebels in remote mountain areas are deemed particularly vulnerable.<br /><br />Laos has insisted that all who return will be resettled peacefully. It denies discriminating against the Hmong, one of dozens of minorities in a poor, landlocked country. But Thailand’s refusal to grant the UNHCR access to the camp makes it unknowable how many had genuine fears of persecution and how many were merely economic migrants.<br /><br />Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, came to power a year ago promising to restore the rule of law. That pledge does not seem to extend to refugees. Last January the Thai army was revealed to have pushed back hundreds of Rohingya Muslim boat people from Myanmar who then drowned or went missing at sea.<br /><br />For Hmong insurgents in Laos, relief may ultimately come from California, from where an exiled former leader, Vang Pao, occasionally plots armed revolution at home. Now 80, Vang Pao said recently that he wants to go home to make peace with his Communist foes. Nearly 35 years after the fall of Saigon, America’s Indochina war is not over yet.Michael Solishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616852682424882837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-80477978320282854242009-12-30T03:46:00.000-08:002009-12-30T03:51:21.155-08:00ILLEGAL FORCED REPATRIATION OF HMONG TO LAOS!<em>Here is a media review for 28/12 - 29/12 courtesy of William Fortier.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Thailand completes Hmong Evictions</em><br />Aljazeera.net -12/29/09<br /><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/12/2009122965747934902.html" target="_blank">http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/12/2009122965747934902.html</a><br /><br /><em>Hmong Arrive in Laos After Forced Repatriation<br /></em>BBC News – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8433299.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8433299.stm</a><br /><br /><em>UN: Thai Hmong Refugee Deportation Breaches Law</em><br />AFP – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOf2egrHn7S7qqzvEunroTmlrtYA" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOf2egrHn7S7qqzvEunroTmlrtYA</a><br /><br /><em>UN Says Thailand Breaches Law Deporting Hmong Refugees</em><br />Asia One News – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20091229-188666.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20091229-188666.html</a><br /><br /><em>Thai Troops Deport 4,000 Hmong to Laos</em><br />Journal Gazette Times-Courier 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2009/12/29/ap/international/as_thailand_hmong.txt" target="_blank">http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2009/12/29/ap/international/as_thailand_hmong.txt</a><br /><br /><em>Repatriation Raises Fears for Hmong in Minnesota</em><br />TwinCities.com – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://www.twincities.com/ci_14084017" target="_blank">http://www.twincities.com/ci_14084017</a><br /><br /><em>Thai Troops Raid Camp, Deport 4,000 Hmong</em><br />Post Bulletin – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=50&a=431196" target="_blank">http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=50&a=431196</a><br /><br /><em>Nations Urge Thailand to Stop Repatriating Hmong to Laos</em><br />The Wall Street Journal – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126202810993507821.html?mod=googlenews_wsj" target="_blank">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126202810993507821.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</a><br /><br /><em>Thailand Begins to Return 4,000 Hmong Asylum-Seekers to Laos</em><br />The Washington Post – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/28/AR2009122800557.html?hpid=sec-world" target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/28/AR2009122800557.html?hpid=sec-world</a><br /><br /><em>Thailand Sends 4,000 Hmong to Laos<br /></em>CBC News – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/12/28/hmong-sent-laos.html" target="_blank">http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/12/28/hmong-sent-laos.html</a><br /><br /><em>Laos Refugee Crisis: Thailand’s General Anupong Paochinda, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Denounced</em><br />Online PR News – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/15960-1262051342-laos-refugee-crisis-thailands-general-anupong-paochinda-prime-minister-abhisit-vejjajiva-denounced.html" target="_blank">http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/15960-1262051342-laos-refugee-crisis-thailands-general-anupong-paochinda-prime-minister-abhisit-vejjajiva-denounced.html</a><br /><br /><em>Local Hmong Leaders Concerned about Refugees in Thailand<br /></em>MPR News – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/12/28/laos-localreax/" target="_blank">http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/12/28/laos-localreax/</a><br /><br /><em>Thailand Deports Thousands of Hmong Refugees</em><br />The Washington Post – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/28/AR2009122800557.html" target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/28/AR2009122800557.html</a><br /><br /><em>Nations Urge Thailand to Stop Repatrieating Hmong to Laos (Has Slideshow with 11 Pictures)</em><br />The Wall Street Jounal – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126202810993507821.html" target="_blank">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126202810993507821.html</a><br /><br /><em>Scars that Remain After 40 Years for the Hmong Who Fought in Vietnam</em><br />Times on Line – 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6969948.ece" target="_blank">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6969948.ece</a><br /><br /><em>US Funding for Thailand During Hmong Crisis </em>(from 12/27/09)<br />Business.scoop - 12/29/09<br /><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00696.htm" target="_blank">http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00696.htm</a><br /><br /><em>Thai Troops Deport 4,000 Hmong to Laos<br /></em>Auburnpub.com/ap – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/12/28/ap/headlines/as_thailand_hmong.txt" target="_blank">http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/12/28/ap/headlines/as_thailand_hmong.txt</a><br /><br /><em>Thai Army Rounds Up Ethnic Hmong Asylum-Seekers</em><br />Raido Australia News – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200912/2781843.htm?desktop" target="_blank">http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200912/2781843.htm?desktop</a><br /><br /><em>Thailand Repatriates the Hmong to Laos</em><br />New Tang Dynasty Television - 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-12-28/948354338954.html" target="_blank">http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-12-28/948354338954.html</a><br /><br /><em>The Peace Plan and Proposal fro Laos National Reconciliation by the International Lao Council for Reconciliation, Inc</em><br />Online PR News – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/15911-1262008078-the-peace-plan-and-proposal-for-laos-national-reconciliation-by-the-international-lao-council-for-reconciliation-inc.html" target="_blank">http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/15911-1262008078-the-peace-plan-and-proposal-for-laos-national-reconciliation-by-the-international-lao-council-for-reconciliation-inc.html</a><br /><br /><em>Thailand Begins Deportation of More than 4,000 Hmong Asylum seekers</em><br /><a href="http://guardian.co.uk/" target="_blank">Guardian.co.uk</a> – 12/28/09<br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/28/thailand-deportation-hmong-laos" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/28/thailand-deportation-hmong-laos</a>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-25358256785931105422009-12-28T01:36:00.000-08:002009-12-28T01:38:51.462-08:00Thailand says Hmong repatriation imminent (New Reuters article)Original article can be found here: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BQ0FH20091227">http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BQ0FH20091227</a><br /><br />BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's repatriation of thousands of ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers to Laos was imminent despite international objections that they could face persecution back home, a senior army officer said on Sunday.<br /><br />About 5,000 soldiers, policemen and civil servants were being assigned to carry out the repatriation of the Hmong at a refugee camp in Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun province, 300 km (186 miles) north of Bangkok, Colonel Thana Charuvat said.<br /><span id="midArticle_2"></span> <p>"We will start the operation as soon as we get the final instruction and when everything is ready. That includes mobilizing enough manpower to carry it out, otherwise it may encourage resistance," Thana told Reuters.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>"A show of sufficient force on our part is essential to deter resistance, but we have no intention to use force. Our men are armed with shields and batons. They carry no guns or tear gas out of concern for the safety of women and children," he said.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Most of the 4,400 Hmong facing repatriation have settled at Huay Nam Khao since 2004 to seek political asylum, saying they would be persecuted by Laos's communist government if they return.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>Over 1,000 of them are men over 15 who could put up resistance to the forced repatriation, according to Colonel Thana, a senior officer charged with running the camp.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>"We need to meet the obligation we have made with Laos, and hope that we don't have to postpone it again. Laos has given repeated public guarantees of full safety for the returnees," he said.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>FORGOTTEN ALLIES</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>Known as America's "forgotten allies," Hmong were recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to fight alongside U.S. forces during the Vietnam War.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>When the communists took power in 1975, the Hmong exodus began. Tens of thousands have since been resettled in the U.S.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday sought to allay fears about their forced repatriation, saying his government would ensure it took place in a transparent way "without chaos and in accordance with human rights principles."</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>Thailand regards the ethnic minority group at Huay Nam Khao as illegal economic migrants and has come under fire for denying the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) access to the camp.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>Colonel Thana said the media was denied access to the Hmong prior to the repatriation out of official concern they might resort to stunts to draw public attention to their status.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>"This is to discourage the Hmong from resorting to possible self-inflicted physical abuses to attract public attention," he said.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p>Officials at the camp said about 100 buses and trucks would be needed to move the Hmong from Huay Nam Khao to the Thai-Lao border at Nong Khai opposite Lao capital Vientiane.</p><span id="midArticle_15"></span><p>UNHCR, diplomats and rights groups believe some of the Hmong could qualify for refugee status if a screening process were allowed to take place.</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><p>Thailand fears that by facilitating their resettlement in a third country, it could create a "pull factor" that encourages more illegal migrants.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>Colonel Thana questioned the sincerity expressed by third countries about accepting the refugees.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"If other countries really want to accept these refugees, they would have been resettled a long time ago," he said.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>The U.S. State Department expressed concern on Thursday about reports of forced repatriation, noting that in the past, the Thai government had said many Hmong were in need of protection.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"Forced returns of persons entitled to protection is inconsistent with international practice and Thailand's long history of protection of refugees," acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>UNHCR said Thailand had "the responsibility and international obligation" to ensure those in need of protection in their native countries were returned "only on a voluntary basis."</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>(Editing by <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=jerry.norton&">Jerry Norton</a>)</p>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-18701964864254923082009-12-02T01:12:00.000-08:002009-12-02T01:21:37.655-08:00European Parliament Calls on Thai Authorities to Release 158 Hmong RefugeesExtracted from: <em>Human rights: China, Nicaragua, Laos, and Vietnam</em> (European Parliament Press Release, 26 November 2009)<br /><br />Laos<br /><br />MEPs welcome the recent ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and PoliticalRights by the Laotian Government. Press release 20091126IPR65386 - 2/2 The resolution repeats the demand for the immediate release of the leaders of the "Student Movement of 26 October 1999" and of all those arrested during the attempted peaceful demonstrations on 2 November 2009. <strong>Parliament also calls on the Thai authorities to release 158 Lao Hmong refugees currently in detention and allow them to resettle in Thailand or in the United States, Canada, theNetherlands or Australia, which have already agreed to take them in.</strong><br /><br />Contact:<br />Ioana BOBEŞ<br />Press Officer<br />BXL: (32-2) 28 32460<br />STR: (33-3) 881 76725<br />PORT: (+32) 498 983 983<br />E-mail: <a href="mailto:foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu">foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu</a><br />James UFLAND<br />Trainee<br />E-mail: <a href="mailto:foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu">foreign-press@europarl.europa.eu</a><br />BXL: (32-2) 28 31777<br /><br />PDF can be found at: <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdfs/news/expert/infopress/20091126IPR65386/20091126IPR65386_en.pdf">http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdfs/news/expert/infopress/20091126IPR65386/20091126IPR65386_en.pdf</a><br />Through website at: <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/015-65387-327-11-48-902-20091126IPR65386-23-11-2009-2009-false/default_es.htm">http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/015-65387-327-11-48-902-20091126IPR65386-23-11-2009-2009-false/default_es.htm</a>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-37240380683326886512009-11-21T18:17:00.000-08:002009-11-21T18:18:46.867-08:00Troops Deploy As Hmong Refugees Crisis in Thailand, Laos DeepensCenter for Public Policy Analysis, November 17, 2009<br /><br />Thailand's Army Commander, General Anupong Paochinda, as well as Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, have mobilized over 320 heavily-armed troops to the Lao Hmong refugee camp at Ban Huay Nam Khao, Thailand, and are reportedly preparing for the potential mass forced repatriation of the refugees prior to the start of the Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games) in Laos.<br /><br />The forthcoming SEA Games, slated to begin in December, have been darkened by the intervention by the Lao army and secret police in Vientiane and elsewhere in Laos who, along with special units of the Vietnam Peoples Army (VPA), have reportedly arrested, detained or imprisoned over 1176 Laotians this month.<br /><br />Sourced from: Scoop <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0911/S00581.htm">http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0911/S00581.htm</a>)Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-26154123881254955422009-11-12T09:50:00.000-08:002009-11-12T09:51:40.361-08:00UN PRAISED LAOS WHILE HMONG REFUGEES HELD HOSTAGE September 30, 2009Taken directly from Hmong International Human Rights Watch: <a href="http://www.hmongihrw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=36">http://www.hmongihrw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=36</a><br /><br />The United Nations has publicly praised Laos for its recent ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a major UN human rights treaty. Serge Verniau, UN Resident Coordinator in Laos, stated “This is a significant moment in the evolution of the country’s commitment with the promotion and protection of human rights and the UN Country team stands ready to support the Government in the realization of these conventions.”<br />Even the Lao state-controlled media boasts to have “taken a huge stride in the advancement of the international and national rule of law” by ratifying the treaty.<br /> <br />Yet, at the very same time, the Lao government continues to hold a group of 158 UNHCR-recognized Hmong refugees hostage. These refugees fled political persecution in Laos but have been held in an overcrowded jail in Nong Khai, Thailand for the past 3 years, due to pressure from the Lao government who is blackmailing Thailand to repatriate the group.<br /> <br />On two separate occasions the Thai government had agreed to allow these refugees resettlement in third countries but due to a huge amount of pressure from the Lao government backed off. The refugees, mainly women and children, continue to be held under horrible cramped unsanitary living conditions due to this continuing pressure from the Lao side.<br /> <br />Back on November 17, 2006, the Lao government had closely coordinated with Thai police in Bangkok orchestrating a police raid targeting this group of UNHCR-recognized refugees. They were later transferred to Nong Khai immigration jail where they have lived ever since.<br /> <br />The group targeted includes witnesses of an April 2006 jungle massacre in which Lao troops reportedly killed 26 Hmong civilians. This is a very delicate matter with the Lao government who continues to deny that such attacks take place. This is due to the fact that these jungle Hmong are remnants of the CIA’s secret army who fought against the Lao communists during the Vietnam War.<br /> <br />On December 19, 2006, the Lao and Thai governments signed a bi-lateral agreement to deport these Hmong refugees back to Laos. Although this would be in clear violation of international refugee law this is what the Lao government continually uses to justify their return to Laos, and that no third-party interfere in the matter.<br /> <br />I think this line taken from one of Amnesty International’s annual reports sums up the situation best:<br /> <br />“Intergovernmental organizations such as the UN are the sum of their member states. Decisions reflect the will of governments. With few exceptions, governments act on the basis of their perceived economic, political or security interests, often at the expense of their human rights treaty obligations. Yet governments undertake these obligations freely, and governments must be held to account for their actions in their own country and on the international stage.”<br /> <br />How can the UN praise Laos for signing this treaty while at the same time their government is holding 158 UN refugees hostage?<br /> <br />Joe Davy<br />Hmong Advocate, ChicagoBerty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-26550830945060930562009-05-20T05:14:00.000-07:002009-05-20T05:20:19.644-07:00WILL THE THAI GOV KEEP ITS WORD?<em><strong>Laos is now insisting that the 158 in Nong Khai be forced back to Laos</strong></em>, even though the Thai Govt said they could be sent to 3rd countries<br /><br /><strong>Call or email your complaints about this issue NOW! See below (under link to article) for telephone numbers/email addresses/addresses.</strong><br /><br />LINK TO THE ARTICLE: Send the Hmong back Laos says, By Supalak GanjanakhundeeThe NationLaos insisted yesterday that 158 Hmong refugees being detained in Nong Khai must be repatriated back to Laos as normal migrants. The Nation – 5/14/09: <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/14/regional/regional_30102668.php">http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/14/regional/regional_30102668.php</a> (see below)<br /><br />TEL/EMAIL/ADDRESS OF WHO TO COMPLAIN TO:<br /><br />The Editor of “The Nation” news reporting:<br />email: click on this link to them: Nation Internet<br /><br />US Secretary of State Secretary Hillary Clinton<br />US State Department<br />PA/PL, Rm. 2206<br />U.S. Department of State<br />2201 C Street NW<br />Washington, D.C. 20520<br />Tel: 202-647-6575<br /><br />The US Ambassador in Thailand Ambassado Eric John<br />C/O: Consular Section, U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai<br />387 Witchayanond Road,<br />Chiang Mai 50300,<br />Thailand<br />Tel: +66-53-252-629<br />Fax: +66-53-252-633<br />E-mail: <a href="mailto:bangkokPD@state.gov">bangkokPD@state.gov</a><br />Home Page: <a href="http://chiangmai.usconsulate.gov/">http://chiangmai.usconsulate.gov/</a><br /><br />Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC<br />1024 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.<br />Washington D.C. 20007<br />Tel. (202) 944-3600<br />Fax. (202) 944-3611<br />E-mail: <a href="mailto:thai.wsn@thaiembdc.org">thai.wsn@thaiembdc.org</a><br /><a href="http://www.thaiembdc.org/">http://www.thaiembdc.org/</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Send the Hmong back, Laos says</span></strong><br />By Supalak GanjanakhundeeThe Nation<br /><br />Laos insisted yesterday that 158 Hmong refugees being detained in Nong Khai must be repatriated back to Laos as normal migrants.<br /><br />"We have cleared a common understanding that they have to return to Laos first. If any-body wants to settle in other countries, we will consider that case-by-case," Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said.<br /><br />Thongloun is in Thailand accompanying Lao President Choumaly Sayasone on a state visit. He met and discussed the Hmong refugee case - which has drawn condemnation from the UN - with his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya.<br /><br />If any third countries wanted to resettle the Hmong they should contact the Lao government directly, Thongloun said.<br /><br />The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have all said they are ready to take some of the 158 Hmong, who have been held at Nong Khai Immigration Detention Centre for over two years.<br /><br />The refugees, who say they fled to Thailand following an alleged massacre near Vang Vieng in April 2006, strongly oppose any return to Laos. They have told supporters they will forcibly resist any such move, as they fear Lao authorities will jail their leaders rather than allow them to go abroad.<br /><br />Countries such as the US had planned to resettle the Hmong - all of who have refugee status - via Thailand.<br /><br />The plight of the Hmong in Nong Khai has been uncertain since Kasit said last month they were political asylum seekers eligible for resettlement overseas.<br /><br />Laos objected, insisting the 158 were normal illegal migrants who should be sent back to Laos with 5,000 other Hmong, living in a camp in Phetchabun's Ban Huay Nam Khao.<br /><br />"Shall we stick to the policy which we have already agreed?" Thongloun said. "All ethnic Hmong should return to Laos. Thailand is ready to repatriate and Laos is also to receive them," he said.Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-6216264469514960372009-04-25T19:15:00.000-07:002009-04-25T19:19:41.782-07:00GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 158 Hmong in Nong Khai IDC to be resettled in third countries!<div> <h1>Govt will aid third country resettlement for 158 Hmong: Kasit</h1> </div> <div class="byline"> By Supalak Ganjanakhundee<br />The Nation<br /> Published on April 25, 2009<br /> <br /> </div> <br /> <br /> <div class="pic left"><img src="http://nationmultimedia.com/2009/04/25/national/images/30101276-01.jpg" alt="Govt will aid third country resettlement for 158 Hmong: Kasit" width="189" border="0" /> </div> <div> <h2>Thailand will facilitate resettlement in third countries for 158 Hmong refugees being detained in Nong Khai, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said yesterday. </h2> </div> <!-- Google Dtail Ads --> <!-- START GOOGLE ADS--> <!-- END GOOGLE ADS --> <!-- Google Dtail Ads --> <p>"They are regarded as politicalasylum seekers, so they have the right to request resettlement in the United States and other countries," Kasit told reporters via teleconference from Washington.</p><p>Kasit discussed the issue with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during his visit to the US this week.</p><p>Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US have expressed willingness to take eligible politicalasylum seekers for resettlement.</p><p>Kasit did not say how many the US and others would each be prepared to take but added that the Foreign Ministry would work this out with the countries' embassies in Bangkok. </p><p>However, about 5,000 Hmong in Phetchabun's Ban Huay Nam Khao shelter are not qualified for resettlement since they are normal economic migrants, the minister said.</p><p>Thailand and Laos agreed last month to repatriate all of the remaining 5,000 Hmong in Phetchabun by the end of the year, Kasit said.</p><p>The two governments will conduct the repatriation programme with transparency to ensure the Hmong can return to their homeland in safety and have good living conditions, he added.</p><p>The international community will be able to monitor the returnees. After returning to Laos, they will have the right to ask the Lao government for permission to resettle in other countries, but Thailand will not arrange this for them, Kasit said.</p><p>The Hmong in Nong Khai are in a different category. The original group of 147 recognised refugees was rounded up in Bangkok for deportation on November 17, 2006, and was then moved to the Nong Khai Immigration Detention Centre just across the Mekong River from Vientiane on December 8, 2006. </p><p>With 11 babies born while their parents have been in detention, their number now stands at 158. </p><p>The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees issued protection for this group as "persons of concern".</p>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-52591881621091774412009-04-25T19:14:00.001-07:002009-04-25T19:14:42.459-07:00Pressure Grows on Lao Hmong<h1 class="migratedtitle">Pressure Grows on Lao Hmong</h1> <h5>2009-03-10</h5> <p>Lao Hmong asylum-seekers get a high-level visit but remain determined not to go back to Laos.</p> <div class="storyimage"> <img src="http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/hmong-03102009172518.html/Hmong-305.gif" /> <p class="photobyline">AFP</p> <p class="photocaption">NONGKHAI, Thailand: Hmong refugee families behind bars at a Thai detention center, Aug. 21, 2008.</p> </div> <p>NONGKHAI, Thailand—Former top Lao government officials have made a personal appeal to a group of minority Hmong asylum-seekers detained in Thailand's northeast Nongkhai province to return to Laos.<br /></p> <p>But Hmong sources say the effort fell flat.</p> <p>“We would rather stay here—even with these living conditions. We would rather stay here and die in the detention center,” one Hmong source said, referring to the Nongkhai Immigration Detention Center.</p> <p>“The word from the government is for us to go back. That’s what they say. 'Once you go back, you can live anywhere you want.' But we don’t believe them. We won’t go back to Laos."</p> <blockquote> <p>We don’t believe them."</p> <p>Lao Hmong<br /></p> </blockquote> <p><br />Thailand says the Hmong in Nongkhai are economic migrants and illegal immigrants, and has threatened to begin forced repatriations if the Nongkhai Hmong refuse to go home of their own free will by June 1.</p> <p>But overseas rights groups say the vast majority of the Hmong detained in Nongkhai are political refugees who fear persecution or worse if returned to Laos.</p> <p><b>Pressure on Obama</b><br /></p> <p>Last month, members of the U.S. Congress wrote a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling on her to "pressure the Thai government to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to the detainees in order to determine their refugee status". <br /></p> <p>Unbiased screening by the UNHCR was "an important and long overdue step that must be taken immediately," the letter said.</p> <p>A group of 196 Hmong was forcibly repatriated to Laos by Thailand on Feb. 1, meeting with no protest from the U.S. government, it added.<br /></p> <p>During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama stopped short of mentioning the possibility of resettlement in the United States, saying only that international law should be upheld, and that displaced Hmong should not be placed in harm’s way.<br /></p> <p><b>Resettlement 'not an option'</b><br /></p> <p>The Lao delegation to the Hmong refugees in Thailand included the chairman of the Lao-Thai border sub-committee and a former foreign ministry spokesman, who spent two hours with representatives of the 158 still being held in Nongkhai.<br /></p> <p>Border sub-committee chairman Maj. Gen. Bouasieng Champaphanh and former Lao foreign ministry spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy also brought along four residents of Phalak village—one of the areas earmarked by the government for repatriated asylum-seekers—to help make their case.<br /></p> <p>The delegation told the group that they could either return to Laos, where the government would provide freedom and land, or remain in the detention center indefinitely, according to knowledgeable sources.<br /></p> <p>Resettlement in a third country was not an option, the officials said.</p> <p>The 158 Hmong in Nongkhai meanwhile remain "persons of concern," according to the Bangkok Refugee Center, which works under contract with the UNHCR.</p> <p>“These people have ‘person of concern’ status from the UNHCR—all of them,” a Bangkok Refugee Center staff member said.</p> <p>“We have already reviewed these cases and know their identification papers have expired, but they still have that status. Their status has been recorded with the UNHCR office.”</p> <p><b>Long history</b></p> <p>Many Hmong fought on the side of a pro-U.S. Laotian government in the 1960s and 70s before the communist takeover of their country in 1975.</p> <p>More than 300,000 Lao, Hmong included, fled to Thailand after the takeover. Most were resettled in third countries, particularly the United States, though several thousand were voluntarily repatriated.</p> <p>Thailand says the Hmong have violated Thai law by entering the country illegally. Thailand and Laos agreed in 2007 that all should be repatriated.</p> <p>Some 1,800 Hmong were repatriated to Laos last year, but more than 5,000 remain at the Huay Nam Khao detention camp in Thailand, along with the 158 in Nongkhai.</p> <i>Original reporting by RFA Lao service director Viengsay Luangkhot in Bangkok. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Sarah Jackson-Han. Edited by Luisetta Mudie. Executive producer: Susan Lavery.<br /><br />http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/hmong-03102009172518.html<br /></i>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-49650761890548994852009-01-02T16:46:00.000-08:002009-01-02T16:59:07.640-08:00HELP BY WRITING A SIMPLE LETTER<p><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">WRITE A LETTER AND HELP THE 158 HMONG REFUGEES JAILED AT NONG KHAI IMMIGRATION CENTER </span></span></b></p> <p><b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The 158 Hmong refugees being held in deplorable conditions at Nong Khai Immigration and Detention Center in Thailand have done nothing to be jailed for -- except escape from Laos, with its policy of torture, killing, war crimes against children, and attack and pursuit of the jungle Hmong. They have suffered in this jail for more than two years and deserve justice. The countries of Australia, the U.S., Canada, and The Netherlands offered to take them, but Thailand refuses to release them. The letters will serve a dual purpose: To let the refugees know that people all over the world are concerned about them, <u>and</u> to let officials in Thailand and Laos know that the world is watching and we expect justice to be served!<br /></span></b></p><div style="margin: 1ex;"> <div> <p><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b>WRITE A LETTER AND HELP THE 158 HMONG REFUGEES JAILED AT NONG KHAI IMMIGRATION CENTER </b></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b>The 158 Hmong refugees being held in deplorable conditions at Nong Khai Immigration and Detention Center in Thailand have done nothing to be jailed for -- except escape from Laos, with its policy of torture, killing, war crimes against children, and attack and pursuit of the jungle Hmong. They have suffered in this jail for more than two years and deserve justice. The countries of Australia, the U.S., Canada, and The Netherlands offered to take them, but Thailand refuses to release them. The letters will serve a dual purpose: To let the refugees know people all over the world are concerned about them, and to let officials in Thailand and Laos know that the world is watching and we expect justice to be served!</b></span></p> <p><a name="0.1_graphic02"></a><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/?name=ccf32a38c42f1f28.jpg&attid=0.1&disp=vahi&view=att&th=11e96697486bb9ad" alt="Your browser may not support display of this image." width="1" height="1" /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">HOW YOU CAN HELP</span></span><br /><br /></p> <ol type="1"><li><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b>WRITE A SHORT PERSONAL LETTER OR POST CARD TELLING THE HMONG REFUGEES YOU KNOW OF THEIR PLIGHT AND CARE ABOUT THEM.</b></span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b>INCLUDE A HEART OR ANOTHER SYMBOL OF YOUR CARING AND LOVE, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR LETTER IS NOT IN ENGLISH. YOU MAY ALSO SEND SMALL, INEXPENSIVE GIFTS OR BABY CLOTHES. MANY OF THOSE BEING HELD ARE CHILDREN.</b></span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b>ADDRESS YOUR LETTER OR POSTCARD TO THE REFUGEES AT NONG KHAI AND MAIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. </b></span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b> TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO SEND LETTERS, TOO. </b></span></li></ol> <p><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" ><b>Send your letters to:</b></span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68);font-family:Segoe UI;font-size:100%;" ><b>Hmong Refugees<br />Nong Khai Immigration, 106 MOO 7<br />Chalermphrakiat Road, tambon Meechai,<br />Amsur Mueng, Nong Khai 43000 Thailand</b></span></p> </div> </div><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sample Letter:</span><br /></p><p><span style="width: 421px; height: 154px;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border: 0.75pt solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; vertical-align: top;color:white;" bg="" width="421" height="191"><span> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border: medium none rgb(236, 233, 216);color:transparent;"> <div style="padding: 4.35pt 7.95pt;"> <p><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dear Hmong Refugees,</span></span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12;" >I send my love and support during this difficult time for you. Please know that we are watching and caring about what happens to you, and we will do what we can to help you. <span> </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12;" >With much love </span></span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Mary Smith</span></span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" > </span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span> </span></span></b></p> <p><b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></b></p>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-54395989592283694002008-09-15T16:19:00.000-07:002008-09-15T16:20:43.647-07:00Thai and Lao governments continue to blatantly defy international refugee law<strong>Thai and Lao governments continue to blatantly defy international refugee law</strong><br /><br />Both the Thai and Lao governments continue their farce by blanket-labeling all the Hmong population at Huay Nam Khao as "economic migrants". They continue to try and break their spirit by giving them no way out, using psychological torture against the group by denying them access to the media, human rights groups and the outside world. They tell them that they will all be sent back eventually if they do not "volunteer" to return now.The Thai military has claimed to have put these Hmong through a screening process to determine whether they are political refugees or economic migrants. Despite the cries of the UNHCR, diplomatic community, and human rights groups, no third party has been allowed access to observe this screening process.Just recently, on Sunday September 7, 2008, a source in the Thai military at Huay Nam Khao camp had informed some Hmong that during September-October there will be a change in guard at the camp. The newly assigned troops will come from Lop Buri and Petchabun provinces. The source went on to state that the Thai military would continue to repatriate only those Hmong who volunteered to return to Laos. But if by September 2009, there were any remaining Hmong refusing to return, then the Thai military would force them back and those Hmong would not receive any financial assistance from the Thai government.Coinciding with this news, during a September 6 Radio Free Asia broadcast, General Nipat Thonglek, the general in charge of Thai Border Affairs, announced that he would be traveling to Vientiane on September 8 to meet with his Lao counterpart General Bounsieng. He also stated that he would be paying a visit to the Hmong settlement at Pha Lak on September 11.Just days before General Thonglek’s announcement, Radio Free Asia had interviewed the former Vice-President of Huay Nam Khao camp Va Her Thao. Mr. Thao is a former CIA soldier who had participated in the June 20-22 protests outside Huay Nam Khao but had fled to the surrounding jungles when the Thai military began rounding up the group of protestors. The protest leaders who were captured by the Thai military at that time have not been heard from since but it is believed that they have since been deported to Laos. Relatives of theirs in Thailand, Laos and the US claim to have no word on what has become of these people. It seems that both the Thai and Lao authorities are cooperating closely by keeping a lid on this particular incident.Following the June 22 crackdown, some 600 Hmong have fled the Huay Nam Khao camp and are still at large. They fled due to fear of reprisals by Thai authorities and forced deportation to Laos.During Va Her Thao’s interview on RFA, he made some very strong accusations against the Thai government and their unfair treatment of the Hmong in Huay Nam Khao. To paraphrase from what Hmong refugees heard him say during the broadcast, he said that the Thai government has no justice and are searching for the Hmong refugee leaders like him. For over 4 years they have not allowed the UNHCR access to the Hmong in Huay Nam Nam Khao and that some Hmong refugees have already been sent back to Laos even though they face persecution from the Lao government. I suspect that General Thonglek’s announcement on RFA was in response to this peasant Hmong Robinhood who had the audacity to speak out against the Thai government and make them lose face. Hmong refugees in Huay Nam Khao camp have told me that due to Va Her Thao’s defiant broadcast over RFA the Thai military in Huay Nam Khao have been renewing their search for him questioning and interrogating those Hmong refugees who remain in the camp.Paving the way for General Thonglek’s upcoming visit to Pha Lak settlement, Lao officials have launched a cyber-campaign on Lao and Hmong newsgroups posting links to photos of the settlement taken by Lao officials during a recent visit. The photos and their accompanying captions attempt to portray happy Hmong returnees, along with a sympathetic Hmong American audience willing to donate money to assist the Lao government in the great job they are doing.One in particular, shows a smiling Hmong man holding up a sign in Lao language thanking Lao and Hmong newsgroup participants in cyberspace for sending $2000 which villagers used to buy livestock. The second photo link shows a group of four men who don't seem quite so thrilled holding the sign.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phalak1/2832554433/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/phalak1/2832554433/</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phalak1/2832556053/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/phalak1/2832556053/</a><br />more:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phalak1/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/phalak1/</a><br /><br />It is important to note that the smiling man along with the majority of other Pha Lak residents are from the jungle group which photo-journalist Roger Arnold had visited back in 2006. To this day, over a year since the creation of this showpiece village, the Lao government continues to deny the diplomatic community, human rights monitors, or even ordinary Lao Hmong villagers free access to Pha Lak settlement. On the other hand, the Lao government continues to use cyberspace as a staging ground to show the world or Lao-Hmong American community what great "freedom of movement" these Pha Lak villagers have. Currently, the Lao government has jungle leader Blia Shoua Her's entire family held hostage in Pha Lak village, while he and 157 other UNHCR recognized Hmong refugees have already served nearly two years of what looks like a life sentence in a very cramped Nong Khai jail. How much longer can he and the others (including the 11 babies born there) hold on while they wait for the UNHCR and diplomatic community to come to their rescue?Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-80482770653634937352008-07-22T16:25:00.001-07:002008-07-22T16:25:39.937-07:00Recent Articles7/10/08 Hmong: JOINT STATEMENT on the forced repatriation of 215 Hmong<br />refugees - UNPO Unrepresented Nations and Peoples<br /><a href="http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8393/110/">http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8393/110/</a><br /><br />7/9/08 - Laos Crisis: Samak's Forced Repatriation Leads To New Military<br />Attack Against Hmong - News Media<br /><a href="http://media-newswire.com/release_1068646.html">http://media-newswire.com/release_1068646.html</a><br /><br />7/9/08 - Laos' forgotten exiles seek refugee status in Thailand<br /><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/db/an_art/52132/2008/06/9-113652-1.htm">http://www.alertnet.org/db/an_art/52132/2008/06/9-113652-1.htm</a><br /><br />7/8/08 - Samak's Thailand, Laos Crisis: Appeal to King, Gen. Nipat Thonglek<br />Condemned - Media newswire<br /><a href="http://media-newswire.com/release_1068645.html">http://media-newswire.com/release_1068645.html</a>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-59625727857622741512008-07-07T16:07:00.000-07:002008-07-07T16:08:29.488-07:00Recent Media Releases7/6/08 - HMONG UPDATE: Refugees Deported Voluntarily -- Or Forcibly? -> HuntingtonNews.net> <a href="http://www.huntingtonnews.net/national/080706-kinchen-nationalhmongupdate.html">http://www.huntingtonnews.net/national/080706-kinchen-nationalhmongupdate.html</a>>><br />7/6/08 - The Forgotten People - Times of Malta.com> <a href="http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080706/opinion/the-forgotten-people">http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080706/opinion/the-forgotten-people</a>>><br />7/5/08 - Thailand: Australia To Accept 20 Hmong Refugees From Thai Camp Of 8,000: Foreign Minister> <a href="http://www.mysinchew.com/node/13551">http://www.mysinchew.com/node/13551</a>>><br />7/4/08 - Repatriation, Redux - Wall Street Journal Asia> <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121511454082927429.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121511454082927429.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</a>>><br />7/4/08 - Thailand to repatriate 215 ethnic Hmong to Laos> <a href="http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=5072">http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=5072</a>>><br />7/3/08- Open Asylum Process Needed In Thailand> <a href="http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2008-07-03-voa3.cfm">http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2008-07-03-voa3.cfm</a>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-78490626935042644482008-06-24T19:46:00.000-07:002008-06-24T19:49:18.362-07:00Forced Repatriations! Act now!The Thai authorities have signed an agreement with the Laos to return 7,000 of the refugees. 800 have already been forceably returned.<br /><br />Please see and read about the latest events for yourself:<br /><br />News Articles - Over 800 Hmong Repatriated from Thailand to Laos!>> > 6/24/08 - Samak, Thailand Crisis: Over 800 Hmong Forcibly Repatriated to> Laos - Media Newswire> <a href="http://media-newswire.com/release_1068048.html">http://media-newswire.com/release_1068048.html</a>> > 6/23/08 YOUT TUBE VIDEO - Hmong Protest Being forced Back to Laos -> AlJazeera > <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9L2O76-30M">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9L2O76-30M</a>> > > 6/23/08 - BANGKOK Refugees Returned To Laos Voluntarily - JAVNO> <a href="http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=158381">http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=158381</a>> > 6/23/08 - 800 Hmong sent back to Laos: AFP> <a href="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqsxPnjD1hLmhD1v6jx2786We_rg">http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqsxPnjD1hLmhD1v6jx2786We_rg</a>> > 6/23/08 - 800 Hmong Returned to Laos The Irrawaddy,> Covering Burma and Southeast Asia> <a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=12917">http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=12917</a>> > 6/23/08 - Stuff about Laos & Gen Vang Pao - Blog Info, Comments on VP> <a href="http://soyoulikestuff.blogspot.com/2008/06/stuff-about-laos-gen-vang-pao.htm">http://soyoulikestuff.blogspot.com/2008/06/stuff-about-laos-gen-vang-pao.htm</a>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-80843808732563352562008-05-24T16:37:00.000-07:002008-05-24T16:42:44.469-07:00Refugee Camp in Flames<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Details are unclear, but the situation is clearly desperate for those in Phetchabun. Please see the new link to a new Doctors Without Borders article in the resources link column.</span><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Hmong refugees set fire to camp in Phetchabun</strong><br /><br />Phetchabun - Hmong refugees living in a camp here set fire to their shelters to protest against the arrests of their leaders by the Thai military.<br /><br />The fire broke out at about 11:45 am at the camp in Huay Nam Khao village in Tambon Kheknoi of Khao Kho district.<br /><br />The officials have yet to determine how many shelters were put on fire and whether anyone was killed.<br /><br />Published in Bangkok's <em>The Nation</em> (May 24, 2008)Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-18213875780065912322008-04-29T03:36:00.000-07:002008-04-29T03:56:03.014-07:00BOYCOTT!I am encouraging <strong>EVERYONE TO IMMEDIATELY EMAIL THE BELOW FLYER (FROM HMONG AMERICAN AD HOC COMMITTEE) TO ASIA DEVELOPMENT BANK</strong> 41st Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors that is being held in Madrid Spain next Saturday through Tuesday, May 3-6...along with their own comments about Laos and the Lao PDR, Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing and using US Tax Dollars to fund a government that commits Human Rights Violations.Please make sure that emails are sent from around the world!<br /><br />Send Email to: <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:annualmeeting@adb.org" target="_blank">annualmeeting@adb.org</a> If anyone can attend the meeting to protest Lao PDR Human Rights Violations, please do so. Here is more information on the meeting:The Forty-First Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank will be held from 3 to 6 May 2008 at the Institución Feria de Madrid (IFEMA)* in Madrid, Spain. Here is the website: <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.adb.org/AnnualMeeting/2008/" target="_blank">http://www.adb.org/AnnualMeeting/2008/</a> By the way, if you look up “Asia Development Bank” in Wikipedia (here is the link to the page: <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Development_Bank#cite_note-6" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Development_Bank#cite_note-6</a> ) and look up the Asia Development Bank, then look under "criticism" you will find the following: “The bank has also been criticized by Vietnam War veterans for funding projects in Laos, because of the United States' 15% stake in the bank, underwritten by taxes.” (Which is a quote from an article in the Sacramento Bee, 8/23/07 by Denny Walsh.)<br /><br /><strong>FLYER CONTENTS</strong> (Please cut and paste)<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>American Taxes Go Thru ADB to Laos!</strong></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Do Not Conduct Business with Laos Until the Killing Stops and Missing American Citizens are Returned to the U.S.</span></strong><br /><br />It is a little known fact that our American tax dollars provide over 15% of the Asia Development Bank’s (ADB) budget. The ADB then provides those same dollars to fund projects of the communist government of Laos…the same government that is committing ethnic cleansing and genocide on the Hmong people who are hiding in the jungles of Laos.<br /><br />For 33 years the Hmong in Laos have been hunted down like animals and killed because of their support to America during the Secret War in Laos, 1961-1975, when Hmong soldiers, under the command of general vang pao and lead by America’s CIA, helped to stop or slow down North Vietnamese troops and supplies from being sent into South Vietnam. they also saved downed US pilots, protected valuable US Radar Sites, flew combat missions and fought in direct combat… Losing 10% of the entire hmong population during the war years of 1961-1975.<br /><br />The Hmong have paid dearly for their support to America. We ask that all economic development and financial support for Laos be stopped until the killing ends - (71 Hmong died in Laos between Jan and Feb 2008). Laos must also be stopped from joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) until the killing stops.<br /><br /><br />Another little known fact is that there are four Americans missing in Laos. One American has been missing since March 13, 2006. Then, on August 25, 2007, members of the Lao Military and Police arrested 3 American businessmen, who were pursuing business opportunities in Laos, out of their hotel without explanation. They were held in a prison for a while - one of the men talked a guard into using his cell phone and he reported what happen to his family. The communist government in Laos claims they do not know what happened to the 3 Americans!<br />So, before you pursue any business opportunities that might exist in the country of Laos – You need to remember that if this can happen to other Americans…it can happen to you…you too could just disappear!<br /><br />Tell everyone you know not to conduct business with Laos until they return our 4 missing American Citizens and stop committing Human Rights Violations and stop the killing of the Hmong hiding in the jungles of Laos.<br /><br /><strong>Block all business with Laos until this happens!</strong>Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-65425116359379614492008-04-18T19:13:00.000-07:002008-04-18T19:17:12.444-07:00IT’S TIME FOR LAOS AND THAILAND TO TURN A NEW LEAF FOR THE HMONG AND PUT AN END TO THE KILLING AND PERSECUTION<div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">The Hmong Action Network Korea (HANK) interviewed Ann Peters on the plight of the Hmong in Laos and Thailand.</span></div><div align="center"> </div><span style="font-size:78%;">(Ann Peters is a writer and researcher working in the areas of education, humanitarian aid, human rights, natural farming, and micro-credit in Thailand and South Korea. She initiated and directed Children of Bosnia Relief Organization from 1995-98, a NGO that aided Bosnian orphans, provided cross-cultural experiences between U.S. schools and Yugoslavian orphanages and community education about the war in Yugoslavia. She has done extensive research on hunter-gatherers worldwide, on the Hmong of Laos, and on refugees. Her writing about Bosnia was awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship in 1999, and a New Millennium First Place in Nonfiction Award. Her recent writing includes a novel about Hmong refugees. Recently, she initiated two organic farms in the U.S. and provided community education in the areas of sustainability, organic farming and social awareness through public speaking and her Santa Fe, New Mexico, public radio program Voices of Change. She has taught at universities in the U.S. and abroad and she currently teaches in South Korea.)<br /></span><br /><strong>HANK: <em>Please describe your role in the Bamboo Housing Project and other work that you have done for the Hmong.</em><br /></strong><br /><strong>A P:</strong> For the housing project, I originated and coordinated the initial stages of the Bamboo House Project. After I returned to Korea, I worked from here via media in the U.S. (radio interviews and internet) to help the Hmong Ameicans fundraise, and CARE got extra funds from its U.S. branch to assist in funding. As the project neared completion, CARE (based in Bangkok and other places) did much of the footwork, traveling to Huay Nam Khao and keeping track of funds and arranging for building supplies. All groups kept up a dialogue by email and phone as this process neared completion and I was able to travel to Thailand and Huay Nam Khao a couple of times to meet Hmong Americans I'd worked with and check the progress of the project. The project culminated last summer with the completion of most of the houses and the refugees moving in and burning their old homes. There were meetings between all parties involved, and they included what I thought of as a kind of historical meeting at Huay Nam Khao (after General Vang Pao had been arrested) between Hmong refugees, Hmong Americans who had raised funds, CARE, and ITF. It seemed like it was quite an emotional experience for the refugees. At that time, the Thai 3rd Region Army assured us that the refugees from HNK would not be returning to Laos. All of that changed later, and rapidly.<br /><br /><strong>HANK: <em>Please describe the current situation that the refugees in Thailand are facing.<br /></em></strong><br /><strong>A P:</strong> As you know, the plight of the jungle Hmong in Laos and Thailand is little known by most of the world, so they have little support. I and other advocates want to change that. We feel that once people learn about what's happened to them and what's happening now, they will feel a moral obligation to speak out and to say "No, this is not right". If enough people act, I feel there is a chance to turn the situation around, even though it is very late for the jungle Hmong's survival. <br /><br /><strong>HANK: <em>Why does the Lao government still consider the jungle Hmong a threat?</em></strong><br /><em><br /></em><strong>A P:</strong> I do not feel that the Lao government considers the jungle Hmong a threat at all. They are quite weak and fairly defenseless. I feel that this particular situation is the result of a vendetta frame of thought that goes back to the Vietnam era. As you know, feuds of this type often don't end until the last person is gone. There are many societies in the world who have operated in this way, and the thinking is quite unevolved. I've spoken to refugees who fear for their lives if they are sent back to Laos. Last January a group of men at Nong Khai IDC SAid they would commit mass suicide if they were forced to return to Laos. So I guess that tells you how some of them feel.<br /><br />There are other Hmong factions that LPDR do consider a threat to the government. As you know, last year General Vang Pao was arrested in the U.S. and accused of trying to overthrow the Lao government.<br /><br /><strong>HANK: <em>How credible is the Lao government's claim that those refugees who are being repatriated are going back to Laos willingly?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>A P:</strong> I'd have to say that the LPDR's claim that the Hmong refugees will be taken care of and given land, etc. is not very credible, considering what has come before, the disappearances of people who have surrendered from the jungle, or some who have been "repatriated" from Thailand last year, the kidnappings of children from Huay Nam Khao camp who later returned to tell stories of being imprisoned and mistreated in Laos' prisons, while some of them never returned, the stories of the refugees living in the jungle who are attacked and pursued, raped and killed, and chemical weapons used on them. I've heard (from refugees) and read of too many accounts of these terrible abuses. When I interviewed Yong Chanthalansy,the spokesperson for LPDR, last winter in Thailand, he told me that the LPDR had never harmed Hmong people, which is not at all credible, coming from a country with no transparency and a history of human rights abuses against the Hmong. There's too much evidence to the contrary.<br />HANK: Please explain the potential role of third party nations in the resettlement process. Are Australia, the United States and Canada all willing to unconditionally accept the Hmong refugees? If so, how many would be accepted by the different countries?<br /><br />Last winter, when the Thailand and Laos Governments teamed up to try and forcibly repatriate the 155 Hmong refugees in Nong Khai IDC, these third countries stepped forward and said they would each take some of the people and provide safe refuge for them and their families to live in. The process had begun already when Thailand halted it and refused to allow it. It has gone no further at this point and the people are living in degrading conditions in the detention center there to this day. The last I heard, they are not being treated well by Thai authorities. A lot of them are children. In the case of the U.S., I think that government is not too interested in taking more Hmong refugees.<br /><br /><strong>HANK: <em>How likely is it that the United Nations and human rights organizations will be allowed to take a roll in screening the refugees?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>A P:</strong> The UNHCR has tried many times to get access to the refugees in Huay Nam Khao and Nong Khai IDC, but they have not been allowed. The High Commissioner has made statements many times asking Thailand to allow third party human rights organizations to monitor the people, and also to allow them their human rights and the assistance they need for their health and welfare. To the exclusion of other agencies, Thailand and Laos are working together to get rid of, as the Thai Prime Minister puts it, Thailand's "Hmong refugee problem."<br /><br /><strong>HANK: <em>How can the average person help the Hmong?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>A P:</strong> At this point, individuals speaking out to people who can exert pressure on the Thai and Laos governments is one way for people to take action to try to help the Hmong. The United States is one government that has the potential to do something, though the government mostly has not seemed interested. However, thirteen U.S. Senators wrote a letter last year pleading with the king to stop the deportations. Economic sanctions seem the most viable method, but I haven't seen the U.S. moving in that direction. Thailand does not like to appear to be a human rights abuser. We noted this point last year when the government backed off with the IDC deportations after there was a lot of negative media attention. I think it is beneficial and right to call them on their behavior, and loudly. This could have some effect. However, it will be a perpetual risk until the refugees are allowed to go to third countries.Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-17209958590202307532008-04-15T23:53:00.000-07:002008-04-15T23:57:04.120-07:00PETITION LETTER (please copy, paste and send!)Please send petition letters to the King, the Prime Minister Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand (addresses below).<br /><br />[Date]<br /><br />Dear [title and name],<br /><br />I am writing on behalf of the thousands of Hmong living in the jungles of Laos, as well as the thousands Hmong being forcibly repatriated to Laos from Thailand by the Royal Thai 3rd Army. The Hmong are victims of genocide, an ethnic cleansing war, persecution, state-sponsored human rights abuses, and starvation at the hands of LPDR and SRV Vietnamese forces. As is such, the forced repatriation of Hmong asylum seekers in Thailand by the Royal Thai 3rd Army is a direct violation of the internationally-accepted principle of non-refoulement, which explicitly states that no refugee should be forcibly returned to his or her country of origin if he or she will encounter any form of persecution or discrimination in that country.<br /><br />We urge you to carry out the following actions in order to help save the lives of the thousands of Hmong civilians, women, and children whose lives are in danger:<br /><br />1. Allow the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) to conduct a proper screening process to determine the Hmong people’s refugee status before repatriation takes place.<br />2. Honor Thailand’s obligation of non-refoulement under customary international law.<br />3. Intervene to stop the forced deportation of the 8,000 Hmong people detained in Huay Nam Khao.<br />4. Release the 155 UNHCR-recognized Hmong refugees at Nong Khai Immigration and Detention Center so they can be resettled safely in the third countries that have been waiting to take them.<br />5. Pressure the LPDR regime to immediately end all military attacks from ground and air troops against the innocent, unarmed Hmong civilians, women, and children who are hiding in the jungles of Laos.<br /><br />Such efforts are the only ways to bring true peace, democracy, human rights, stability, and national reconciliation to Laos and the Laotian Hmong groups, including dissident and opposition groups, who seek an open and free society.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br /><br />[Name and Country]<br /><br />FAX OR MAIL TO:The King of Thailand<br />His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej<br />The Grand Palace<br />Na Phra Lan Road<br />Bangkok 10200, Thailand<br />Phone: (662) 224-9477-80<br />Fax: (662) 225-8787<br /><br />Office of His Majesty’s Principal<br />Private SecretaryArsa Sarasin<br />The Grand Palace<br />Na Phra Lan Road<br />Bangkok 10200, Thailand<br />Tel (662) 225-5833-43: ext. 1113<br /><br />MAIL TO:<br />Ministry of Foreign Affairs<br />Office of the Secretary to the Minister<br />Minister of Foreign Affairs<br />Wang Saranrom, Thanon Sanamchai,<br />Phra Nakhorn, Bangkok 10200<br />Tel.: (662) 225-0096, 225-7900-43<br />Email: <a href="mailto:webmaster@mfa.go.th">webmaster@mfa.go.th</a><br /><br />PrimeMinister Samak Sunaravej<br />The Secretariat of the Prime Minister<br />Government House<br />Thanon Nakhon Pathom,<br />DusitBangkok 10300,<br />Thailand<br />Email: secretariat_PM@opm.go.thBerty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8999082844593872176.post-60640554836908844102008-04-10T00:22:00.000-07:002008-04-12T17:01:58.370-07:00URGENT APPEALS!<strong>URGENT APPEALS REGARDING THE GENOCIDE, ETHNIC CLEANSING WAR, PERSECUTION, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, AND THE STARVATION IN THE JUNGLE OF LAOS OF THOUSANDS OF LAO-HMONG PEOPLE BY LPDR AND SRV VIETNAMESE MILITARY FORCES, AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND POSSIBLE FORCED REPATRIATIONS OF MORE THAN 8,000 LAO-HMONG IN THAILAND BY THE ROYAL THAI 3RD ARMY, WITHOUT INDEPENDENT MONITORING OR REFUGEE SCREENING.</strong><br /><br />We urgently appeal to the United States, Thailand, United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, European Unions, Asean Nations and the world community to stop the communist Lao government’s ethnic cleansing war, genocide, oppression and human rights violations, and the campaign of mass starvation directed against Hmong civilians, and to press the LPDR regime to immediately end all military attacks from ground and air troops against the innocent, unarmed Hmong civilians, women, and children in hiding in the jungles of Laos.<br /><br />We urge the United States Government to prohibit Laos from obtaining entry into the WTO and to stop using U.S. tax dollars to fund projects in Laos and Thailand through Asia Development Bank until the long-term safety and well being of the Hmong people in Thailand and Laos is assured.<br /><br />We urgently appeal to the United States, United Nations and international relief agencies to send food and medical supplies, and to provide basic human needs to the thousands of Hmong who are being attacked daily, and are facing mass starvation, ethnic cleansing war, and human rights violations in the jungle of Laos.<br /><br />We urgently appeal to the United States, United Nations, and the ASEAN nations to bring true peace, true democracy, human rights, stability, and national reconciliation to Laos and the Lao-Hmong groups, including dissident and opposition groups, who seek an open and free society.<br />We urgently appeal to the United States, U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the international community to intervene in an emergency manner to save the lives of the thousands of Hmong civilians, women, and children who are trapped and surrounded by Lao and Vietnamese military units that seek to kill them.<br /><br />We urgently appeal to the United States, U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the international community to intervene to stop the forced deportation of the 8,000 Hmong people detained in Huay Nam Khao, and to demand that Thailand keep its obligation of nonrefoulement under customary international law, and to insist that Thailand release the 155 UNHCR-recognized Hmong refugees at Nong Khai Immigration and Detention Center to be resettled safely in the third countries that have been waiting to take them.Berty's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630831335102958767noreply@blogger.com1