http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkj_laos/page7/ The Pictures were taking by a Lao PDR Official. Credit goes to DKJ. Thanks for sharing these photos with all of us..

On January 30, 2007, the Lao PDR and Royal Thai governments conducted a ceremony to exercise their agreement on the handover of the 152 Hmong refugees in Nongkhai IDC to the Lao Government officials without the refugees’ acknowledgements. With due respect to the Lao PDR and Royal Thai governments, we understand their position to implement their policies and to conduct the necessary procedures to solve the Hmong problem in Thailand “once and for all”. However, Thailand has been a UN Member State since 1946 and a current member of the Economic and Social Council, and the Lao PDR Government has been a UN Member State since 1955. We believe that the event which took place in Nongkhai IDC was a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights under the following Articles:  

152 Hmong Refugees are crying for help!

 Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 6.Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 9.No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile

Article 13 .(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

On February 8, 2007, the Lao PDR Foreign Affair Spokesperson, Chanthalangsy, demanded that the Royal Thai Government hand over the group of 152 to the Lao officials.  As members of the UN Member States, the Lao PDR and the Royal Thai governments should respect the mandates of Human Rights Mechanism. We strongly believe that this group of 152 refugees and any other group of Hmongs who hold the same status or have well-found fear of persecution should be protected under this international human rights law accordingly. Therefore, we request that the Diplomats Committees and all other international human rights organizations to intervene the forced deportation.

  

On February 9, 2007, the Lao PDR Government announced that the group of 53 that was deported on November 15, 2006 was returned to Laos safely, and that this group of 152 shall receive the same treatment. However, it is critical to understand that the situation for the group 53 is different from this group of 152.  The real refugees should not be confused with economic opportunists.  The group of 53 revealed that they had houses and business, and one of them is the owner of a guesthouse in Vientiane; however, it is not clear whether everyone in this group is free from persecution as we have been informed that two families from this group came from the jungle. According to Radio Free Asia’s broadcast on February 11, 2007, some families within this group have been sent to Meaung Meh. We believe that the families sent to Meaung Meh may be the ones from the jungle.  In addition, the group of 53 consists of victims of human trafficking while the group of 152 are victims of political persecution. Therefore, they should be treated individually based on each individual case, including those living in Huay Nam Khao, Phetchabun.

The event on January 30, 2007 was a matter of life and death which Hmong International Human Rights Watch took seriously. We listened to the victims’ voices crying for help and lived with them throughout the horrific ordeal. Due to lack of representation at the United Nations, we relied on the diplomats committees for the rescue and hoped to be able to save the victims from being beaten and tortured by the authorities. We strongly condemn forced deportation due to fear of persecution. This group will not be returned to Laos under any circumstance.  

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has earned the respect he deserves for making a wise decision to help save the 152 Hmong refugees’ lives and for implementing the policy according to international laws. He deserves praise! PM Statement

  On behalf of the 152 refugees in Nongkhai IDC, we would like to express our sincere appreciation and thanks to the Diplomats Committees for a quick response in their intervention of this life and death situation occurring on January 30, 2007. I also would like to thank Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont for his great leadership for protecting the vulnerable refugees and for giving them the chance to live and enjoy a life free of fear.  

The Hmong people are brave and have strong relationships and loyalty to their allies. All they ask for is to be able to live in peace, enjoy the freedom, and have equal rights and the opportunity to integrate with the general population without fear of persecution.

 For more information on this article, please contact Laura Lo Xiong, Executive Director, at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  

 

Prime Minister Chulanont's Statement:February 1, 2007

BREAKING NEWS

PM halts forced repatriation of Hmong

(Bangkokpost.com, Agencies)

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont pledged on Wednesday that Thailand would stop attempts to force Hmong refugees to return to Laos.

"Thailand is not going to force them to go back to Laos" any longer, he said.

Some 153 Hmong refugees, held at a detention centre near the Thai-Laos border since December for illegally entering the country, were due to be sent back to Laos Tuesday despite risk of persecution there. But 54 men blocked themselves inside cells in the Nong Khai Immigration Detention Centre and threatened to commit suicide, forcing the government late Tuesday to call off the move.

"If they volunteer to return home, they can. If they want to go to a third country and that country wants to take them, we will allow them to go," said Gen Surayud,

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has been denied access to the Hmong migrants since Monday, welcomed the decision and planned to hold talks with Thai authorities to consider their resettlement options.

"We are extremely relieved that the deportation was called off yesterday," said Giuseppe de Vincentis, deputy regional representative for the UNHCR in Bangkok.

Around 6,500 Hmong people live in a refugee camp in Phetchabun province where they are awaiting a diplomatic solution between the neighbours and possible intervention of a third party to help them.

Some have fled persecution in Laos while others, particularly in more recent times, have sought to escape rural poverty.