PRESS RELEASE – April 28, 2009
Hmong refugees dying for American justice
Due to a very flawed and inhumane State Department backed policy targeting vulnerable Hmong refugees from Laos,
Thai authorities have been given the go-ahead to forcibly repatriate some 5000 Hmong in the coming weeks. The Thai
Foreign Minister met with Secretary of State Clinton in Washington, DC last week to discuss this very sensitive
matter then announced that this Hmong population would be deported to Laos as they were not considered refugees.
Thai and Lao authorities have conveniently blanket-labeled all these Hmong as
being “economic migrants” even though many have bullet and shrapnel scars on their bodies from alleged
Lao military attacks. Over 400 Hmong have already been officially recognized as refugees by the UNHCR having a
legitimate fear of persecution if returned to Laos.
The UNHCR has not been
able to effectively protect this vulnerable group due to the State Department’s flawed policy which has backed
down on putting any kind of serious pressure on both the Thai and Lao governments. This cruel and severely biased policy
is based on the U.S. government’s past relationship with the Hmong. The CIA had recruited them to fight
as guerilla soldiers against the Lao communists during the Vietnam War, and for this reason small groups continue
to be hunted by the Lao military in remote jungle regions.
On Sunday morning,
due to suffering from extreme duress, a couple of Hmong refugees living in Huay Nam Khao camp stabbed themselves
with knives in defiance of this cruel and inhumane deportation policy being implemented by Thailand. They had
heard that the food supply in Huay Nam Khao camp would be cut-off in the coming days to encourage the remaining Hmong
population to return to Laos.
They are refusing treatment of their bleeding and infected
wounds stating they want justice and to be recognized by the Thai government as legitimate refugees. Otherwise,
they will die on Thai soil rather than face persecution in Laos.
One
of the men is Shoua Lor, a jungle leader who had fled military attacks in the Phu Pha Thi area near the Vietnam
border back in April 2006, then escaped to Thailand and registered for asylum status with the UNHCR. He was wounded
in the eye during that attack [photo attached] and is partially deaf due to exposure from mortar and artillery
fire over the years. His father Xai Va Lor was a former CIA soldier.
During
a Lao military attack in 2005, Shoua Lor’s father, mother, younger sister, wife and children were captured
and believed to been taken away to a remote prison camp. In an earlier attack back in 2003 his 10 year-old brother was captured
and taken to a prison camp near the Vietnamese border.
Conditions in these remote
prisons are truly inhumane with young boys 10-14 years old being held under deplorable conditions in wooden leg-stocks
all day long. Captured women are continually gang-raped by Lao police and military personal as these women are considered
to be associated with the “bad-elements” or rather remnants of the CIA’s secret army.
Maybe if these State Department “policy-makers” experienced the Lao government’s
cruelty firsthand, such as Shoua Lor and his family have, maybe they’d develop a much more humane policy in
regards to their former Hmong allies.
Joe Davy
Hmong Advocate
Chicago
PRESS RELEASE - April 16, 2009
Thai military to force Hmong refugees back next month
On April 13, 2009, the Thai military made an announcement to the Hmong refugee population
detained at Huay Nam Khao camp that beginning in May they will force the remaining population back to
Laos. The next repatriation has been scheduled for April 26 but so far only about 70-100 people have volunteered
to return. This next repatriation may possibly include the family of Joua Va Yang, a former jungle guide for the
BBC. Joua Va Yang and his family have been held in jail for over two weeks now and being pressured to return to
Laos. The Thai military has reportedly been cutting off food rations to his wife and children in order to get them
to voluntarily return to Laos.
Amnesty International has voiced it's concerns
for the safety of Joua Va Yang's family, fearing they may be forcibly repatriated and face persecution if returned
to Laos.
The Thai military has been under a lot of pressure from the Lao government
lately to hurry up the repatriation effort before the end of the year. This is mainly due to the fact that Laos
is sponsoring the 25th annual ASEAN Games in Vientiane this December and doesn't want this ugly mess to overshadow
the festivity of the Games. Laos has been depending on foreign donors to help finance the Games so is very sensitive
on resolving this issue quickly before the Games begin.
Joe Davy
Hmong
Advocate
Chicago
PRESS RELEASE - October 29, 2008
Hnub tim 29 lub 10 hli xyoo 2008, tub rog Nplog liab qhib phom tua
cov Hmoob hav zoov nyob rau ntawm Vaj Tsawb Hawj lawv lawm. Kev sib ntaus sib tua thiab kev puas tsuaj kuj tseem tsis tau
paub meej li cas.
Nplog Liab Tua Hmoob Nyob Xeev Bokeo
Hnub tim 4 lub 7 hli no, tub rog Nplog liab tuaj vij ob peb lub zos Hmoob xws lub zos
Xaychalern, zos Ban Xay, thiab zos Huia Khai, nyob xeev Bokeo. Lawv pib ntes cov pej xeem Hmoob, feem ntau
yog cov muaj nyiaj, muaj vaj muaj tsev thiab muaj tsheb zoo. Ib txhia Hmoob thiaj tau khiav rau hav zoov hav
tsuag. Nplog liab tau muab phom loj phom me thiab foob pob tua lawv ua rau ntau tus pej xeem Hmoob tau tag
sim neej. Cov Hmoob thiaj tig nrog Nplog liab sib tua ob peb nplua ua rau Nplog liab kuj tuag ntau tus thiab.
Raws li lawv hais, tej me nyuam yaus muaj yim xyoo rov saud ces raug tub rog Nplog
liab muab ntes kaw rau hauv tej lub tsev. Cov laus ces Nplog liab thauj mus rau pem nroog Bokeo lawm. Tub rog
Nplog liab tseem quab yuam kom tej poj niam Hmoob ua zaub ua mov rau lawv cov tub rog noj.
Tus txiv neej Hmoob nyob ntawm lub zos Xaychalern uas koom tes nrog Nplog liab tua Hmoob yog Nyiaj Looj Vwj.
Peb Hmoob yuav tau sib koom siab, sib pab thiab sib hlub. Nplog liab
yeej tsis hlub peb Hmoob.
Kev Pab Nyiaj Rau Hmoob Moj
Them
Hnub tim 18 txog 20 lub 5 hlis xyoo 2007, Hmoob Moj Them tau
rov thov kev pab cuam los ntawm ib tsoom kwv tij Hmoob nyob rau ib cheeb tsam ntawm nroog St. Paul thiab Minneapolis.
Ob hnub thiab ib nrab hnub xwb, ib tsoom kwv tij neej tsa Hmoob tau tuaj pab nyiaj rau Hmoob Moj Them yam tuaj
zog heev. Suav daws mob siab pab txhawb nqa Hmoob Moj Them thiab txhawb nqa peb Hmoob lub neej heev kawg nkaus
li. Ob hnub xwb, 500 tawm tus kwv tij Hmoob sib pab nroos tau ze rau $10,000. Thov ua suav daws, tus hlob tus
yau, poj niam txiv neej, tsaug ntau ntau heev.
Hnub tim 26 txog 27 lub 5 hlis no
thiab, Hmoob Moj Them kuj mus thov kev pab cuam nyob rau lub nroog Oshkosh, xeev Wisconsin. Muaj 178 tus kwv
tij Hmoob tau pab $1,881 nyiaj rau Hmoob Moj Them, thiab. Thov ua nej suav daws tsaug ntau ntau.
Kev Sib Tua Nyob Nas Kheb
Lub 02/07/07
thaum 11:30 tsaus ntuj sab Khej Phib Xej, muaj kev sib tua nyob ntawm lub Zos Nas Kheb, Nroog Vang
Vieng (Vas Vias). Raws li cov xov Mojthem tau txais, kev sib tua zaum no yog muaj cov tub rog Hmoob
los tua lub Khaib Nplog Liab Nas Kheb vim Nplog Liab txoj kev phem lim hiam pheej tso tub rog mus
caum, tua, thiab txiav kev tsis paub cov tus rog Hmoob no nrhiav noj nrhiav haus. Kev sib tua zaum no tau siv
sijhawm ntev li 1 teev. Tom qab sib tua tag lawm, 16 tug tub rog Nplog Liab tau tag sim neej. 2 tug
tub rog Hmoob tau tag siv neej. Tub rog Hmoob txeeb tau tub rog Nplog Liab 16 rab phom AK, 1 rab phom
npes 41, 1 rab phom npes 58, thiab khoom ua tsov rog ntau yam.
Mojthem
Hnub tim 4 txog 8 lub Cuaj Hlis no, Hmoob Moj Them tau thov kev pab cuam sab
nyiaj txiag los ntawm ib tsoom kwv tij neej tsa Hmoob nyob rau xeev Minnesota thiab lwm lub xeev. Ib hnub peb
siv Xov Tooj Cua Hmoob Minnesota los nqua hu ib tsoom kwv tij Hmoob li ob teev los yog ob xuab moo. Tag nrho
plaub hmo ntawd peb siv 8 teev los nqua hu thiab thov suav daws kev pab cuam. Ib tsoom kwv tij Hmoob sib
pab nroos tau thaj tsam li $8,000. Cov nyiaj no yog thov los pab them nqe tso Hmoob Moj Them tawm rau ib tsoom Hmoob mloog.
Txoj kev sib pab zaum no pom tias ib tsoom Hmoob sib pab thiab sib hlub
heev, tshaj yav dhau los lawm. Muaj tej tsev neeg mas tag nrho suav daws puav leej pab. Tej tsev neeg mas pog
los pab, nyab los pab. Tej tsev mas niam los pab niam tug, txiv los pab txiv tug. Tej tsev mas txiv pab txiv tug, tub
pab tub tug li thiab. Hos muaj ib tus kwv tij Hmoob Yaj mas nws tseem pab rau nws txiv uas tuag lawm tug tib
si kom nws txiv pab peb ib tsoom Hmoob uas niaj hnub raug kev tsim txom. Cov tsis tau pab, muaj coob leej ntau
tus tseem chim thiab tu siab heev.
Thov ua tsaug ntau ntau
rau cov kwv tij nkauj muam Hmoob uas tau pab txhawb nqa Hmoob Moj Them. Saib cov neeg no nyob rau qhov txuas no.
