Thailand will repatriate thousnds of ethnic Hmong
to Laos, officials said Thursday, despite concerns that the
asylum-seekers will face political persecution.
The first group of 350 will be repatriated Thursday, said Thai
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakee. He said they would go
voluntarily, but a Hmong advocate disputed that claim.
An agreement was reached to repatriate a total of about 5,000
Hmong tribal people when Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya met
with his Laotian counterpart Tuesday during a visit to the
neighboring country, Thani said.
The Hmong are currently living in Huay Nam Khao village in
Phetchabun province, 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Bangkok.
Laos has previously denied they are Laotian, describing them as
Thailand's problem.
The refugees say they will be persecuted by Laos' communist
government if they return because of their Vietnam War-era ties with
the United States.
Many Hmong fought under CIA advisers during a so-called "secret
war" against communists in Laos. Thailand has repeatedly asserted
that the Hmong are not legitimate refugees and have entered Thailand
illegally.
A Chicago-based Hmong advocate, Joe Davy, said some of those to
be returned Thursday were going against their will.
"At least five heads of households were reportedly coerced into
returning," he said in a statement. The Thai Foreign Ministry
denied the allegation.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has repeatedly expressed
concern about the fate of the asylum seekers, noting they have been
denied access to the agency to determine their reasons for fleeing.
Kasit said Thailand has offered to pay 1.5 million baht
(US$42,800) to Laos to help build shelters for those who return.
A separate group of 153 Hmong asylum seekers who have
U.N.-certified refugee status will be allowed to leave for third
countries willing to accept them, Kasit said. They are currently
being held at an immigration detention center in Nong Khai province,
500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Bangkok, where they have
been since the end of 2006.
In May 2005, a major refugee camp for ethnic Hmong at Wat Tham
Krabok in central Thailand was closed after about 15,000 residents
were relocated to the United States.
