The United States

England

Canada

Australia

France

Sweden

New Zealand

The Netherlands

All of which released statements condemning the forced repatriation of the Hmong by Thailand. Expressing everything from outrage to being deeply dismayed.

Most if not all also stated that they believed this was a serious violation of the customary international “law principle” that refugees shouldn’t be returned to their home countries if they face persecution or threats to their lives.

Not to mention every human rights organization in existence that also released statements this past week expressing “outrage” that Thailand would forcibly repatriate the Hmong to Laos.

What outrage, what world leaders??

I never intimated that the actions of the Thai government were unexpected. This process has been going on for over 30 years and in the past 4 Thailand has been adamant about repatriating the last of the Hmong refugees to Laos.

My question was and still is…why all the outrage now from world leaders concerning this situation when they have known for 4 years this would be the inevitable outcome unless they resettled the Hmong.

Financially this won’t affect the Thai government and I never stated it would. what I did refer to is the agreement with Laos that Thailand signed some years ago. Thailand has taken it’s time honoring that agreement because there was talk of resettlement but the countries involved did little more than talk. Australia for instance claimed it wanted to resettle the Hmong but in the end they only wanted 158 not the over 4000.

For Thailand to hold out longer on it’s agreement would surely strain relations with Laos and with already strained relations in Cambodia it’s something more Thailand doesn’t need on it’s plate.

I can only say that from what I have seen and comments from people I know and work with within the financial markets in Asia and Europe, people who take press coverage of any event seriously is that the Thai Government’s actions and stance towards the refugees was nothing unexpected or likely in any way to have any effect on Thailand’s relationship with foreign Governments. I would also go so far as to say it expected by the people incarcerated hence the reason so little has been heard about the matter since.

I would have to disagree with your assessment that the U.S. didn’t create this situation. If the U.S. would have stayed out of Laos and not recruited the Hmong and paid them for their secret war then we would never be having this discussion.

The fact that Hmong are seeking political asylum (instead of economic ) is testament to that fact. They know they can use that card to stay out of Laos…but it looks like that isn’t working now.

I don’t believe this matter will reflect badly on Thailand nor is it a situation the USA created, sure they are part to blame but it could also be blamed on the Global economic crisis and lack of social and finiancial progress in the Lao PDR. The US State Department is pretty much running around using the media to detract the attention from the damage cuased by the previous administrations policies.

Not sure I follow you here Lloyd. My stance is that Thailand shouldn’t be bearing the brunt of bad feelings that the world holds for a situation that the U.S. created. I also tend to agree with Thailand that the Hmong are economic and not political refugees. I also don’t think Thailand should have to clean up the mess the U.S. started.

I actually know several Lao living in the U.S. they work on an electrical crew on my jobsites. They were all born and lived their first 8-10 years in Thailand’s refugee camps before being allowed to come to America.

I wonder if casual readers of this news story out there even realize the sheer number of refugees that come to Thailand every year. They come from Burma, Cambodia, Laos and North Korea to name a few.

My wife’s family origins are from Laos and all but her direct family migrated to America following the Vietnam war. Although they are not Hmong they were accepted due to an unkle having connections with the then opposition party who “indirectly” supported the US.

For the past 4 or so years my wife’s sister has worked for the Thai Government as a supplier of rice and also as a cleaner at one of the “Two” camps located near Nong Khai, yes there is two! From first hand accounts speaking to people in Laos and from what I have been told by my wife’s sister the Thai government has done what they should have done, and what they agreed to do in a joint agreement with the Loa PDR Government. The truth is that the majority of Laotion people interned had little or nothing to fear returning to Laos, other than being ostracized by their own friends and families and loss of face. The majority have sought refugee status with the hope they would be granted some right to live and work outside of Loas simply because they perceive the “grass is greener” on the other side of the Meekong and sought an easier lifestyle for themselves.

As for what their lives might be like should they be granted refugee status in either the USa or any other western country I can only relate what I have been told first hand. Having met my wifes unkle last year one of my first questions was “are you happy in the USA”, his response was along the lines of “no it was the worst decision he had ever made, and that they would have returned if they had had the money”. During our conversation he pretty much described a life living as part of a community within the USA that was not respected or befreinded by the vast majority of “Americans”, White, Black or Hispanic, for the best part of the past 30 years. He even went as far as to compare their lives to those of the Hmong in the film “Gran Torino” saying between the controlling gangs and families and the racism directed at their community by the general public they had basically lived as prisoners in their own homes.

In August last year my wifes aunt applied to the Laos PDR for permission to return to Vientiane with the intention of regaining citizenship and returning to start a family business. From what I have been told and seen for myself they were accepted without condition and have since purchased a small hotel and land in Vientiane with direct assistance from the Government, the whole family are due to return in 2010 pending sale of their family home etc in Michigan.

And good grief there are a LOT of Hmong living in the US!

The high birth rate makes sense. They have limited access to jobs, money, and education (and I imagine, birth control). What else is there to do?
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Thai Typing Tutor Game =-.