With China in the North, Vietnam in the East, Cambodia in the South, Thailand and Burma in the West, Laos is a land-locked country, not having very marked natural boundaries. Laos has an area of 235,800 sq. km. It has an estimated population of 3.6 million. Movement of people across the borders is very common in the history of Laos because of its location and also due to economic and political compulsions.
During the Vietnam War, the Hmong fought alongside United States forces. After the war was over in 1975, many were forced to flee Laos with thousands crossing into Thailand. Since then many have been granted residence in the United States., Australia and other countries.
There are presently more than 6000 Lao Hmong refugees in Thailand. Thailand would like them to go back to Laos. As the refugees are afraid that they would be persecuted in Laos, they do not want to return.
Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya recently visited Laos and the repatriation program for these refugees seems to be on the anvil. Abhisit Vejjajiva has said that a Joint Border Committee of the two countries’ military would oversee the Hmong repatriation.
Sunai Phasuk, the representative of the Human Rights Watch, views that the refugees are likely to protest the repatriation program thrust upon them. He has said, "It is a real tragedy that the Thai military failed to understand this natural fear of the Lao Hmong and instead respond with heavy handed suppression." The lack of transparency inside Laos’s communist region is well known.
The present Thai plan is to return all the refugees to Laos before the end of this year.
Human-rights groups and the U.N. High Commission for Refugees have also raised concern for 158 Hmong people held at an immigration detention center in Nong Khai. Kitty McKinsey, the UNHCR spokesperson has said that the United Nations is calling for the detainees to be released. He has said, "Our position about the 158 Hmong who are in detention in Nong Khai - we continue to press for them to be released from custody because there is no reason for them to be kept in detention."
Human rights group Amnesty International has called for the Thai government to "reconsider" the decision to return the Lao Hmong until they have been granted access to a "full and fair" asylum procedure. Thailand and Laos say the current refugees are economic migrants, not victims of political persecution.
At the National Policy / Press Conference in Washington, D.C., members of the Hmong and Laotian community will honor journalist, author and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, who will serve as a keynote speaker at the event. She has persistently and courageously written about, and reported, on the plight of the Hmong and Laotian people during the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Dr. Hamilton-Merritt continues to research and write about the plight of the Lao Hmong people and has frequently testified in the U.S. Congress. On the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the publication of her book "Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, the Americans and the Secret Wars for Laos" (Indiana University Press), will be discussed and recognized in the context of Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt's ongoing humanitarian and human rights work with Lao Hmong refugees in Thailand, Laos and the United States.
The plight of the refugees deserves to be examined with due sympathy. Even if they happen to be economic immigrants as claimed by the governments of Laos and Thailand, the fact remains that they are homeless and uncertain of their future. If their fears about their future are groundless, if there are no chances of reprisals as feared by them, they have to be convinced about it. If a transparent and open plan of action is formulated and explained to them, it would go a long way to eliminate their worries. It is hoped that the government of Thailand would adopt a flexible and humanitarian policy in the matter.
Sourcehttp://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=21D9BD1:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE443081D363CDB3BEA13B8D4F2090AB2B&
During the Vietnam War, the Hmong fought alongside United States forces. After the war was over in 1975, many were forced to flee Laos with thousands crossing into Thailand. Since then many have been granted residence in the United States., Australia and other countries.
There are presently more than 6000 Lao Hmong refugees in Thailand. Thailand would like them to go back to Laos. As the refugees are afraid that they would be persecuted in Laos, they do not want to return.
Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya recently visited Laos and the repatriation program for these refugees seems to be on the anvil. Abhisit Vejjajiva has said that a Joint Border Committee of the two countries’ military would oversee the Hmong repatriation.
Sunai Phasuk, the representative of the Human Rights Watch, views that the refugees are likely to protest the repatriation program thrust upon them. He has said, "It is a real tragedy that the Thai military failed to understand this natural fear of the Lao Hmong and instead respond with heavy handed suppression." The lack of transparency inside Laos’s communist region is well known.
The present Thai plan is to return all the refugees to Laos before the end of this year.
Human-rights groups and the U.N. High Commission for Refugees have also raised concern for 158 Hmong people held at an immigration detention center in Nong Khai. Kitty McKinsey, the UNHCR spokesperson has said that the United Nations is calling for the detainees to be released. He has said, "Our position about the 158 Hmong who are in detention in Nong Khai - we continue to press for them to be released from custody because there is no reason for them to be kept in detention."
Human rights group Amnesty International has called for the Thai government to "reconsider" the decision to return the Lao Hmong until they have been granted access to a "full and fair" asylum procedure. Thailand and Laos say the current refugees are economic migrants, not victims of political persecution.
At the National Policy / Press Conference in Washington, D.C., members of the Hmong and Laotian community will honor journalist, author and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, who will serve as a keynote speaker at the event. She has persistently and courageously written about, and reported, on the plight of the Hmong and Laotian people during the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Dr. Hamilton-Merritt continues to research and write about the plight of the Lao Hmong people and has frequently testified in the U.S. Congress. On the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the publication of her book "Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, the Americans and the Secret Wars for Laos" (Indiana University Press), will be discussed and recognized in the context of Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt's ongoing humanitarian and human rights work with Lao Hmong refugees in Thailand, Laos and the United States.
The plight of the refugees deserves to be examined with due sympathy. Even if they happen to be economic immigrants as claimed by the governments of Laos and Thailand, the fact remains that they are homeless and uncertain of their future. If their fears about their future are groundless, if there are no chances of reprisals as feared by them, they have to be convinced about it. If a transparent and open plan of action is formulated and explained to them, it would go a long way to eliminate their worries. It is hoped that the government of Thailand would adopt a flexible and humanitarian policy in the matter.
Sourcehttp://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=21D9BD1:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE443081D363CDB3BEA13B8D4F2090AB2B&
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