May 25, 2007
 
Film Documenting Oppression of Minorities in S.E. Asia Will Be Screened Today -- Despite Vietnam-Instigated Cancellation
 
By HNN Staff
 
New York, NY (HNN) -- Despite censorship by the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, which caused the cancellation of two films screenings this year during the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues -- upon Vietnam's request to the UN system, the documentaries will be screened in Midtown Manhattan Friday, May 25, 2007.
 
The 6th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is held in the United Nations Headquarters and announced a record of participation by governments, UN agencies, Indigenous representatives and NGOs, over 2500 participants are attending.
 
Since the cancellation of two side events, indigenous representatives are busy gathering signatures to forward together with a letter of concern to the UN system.
 
"They cut our side event with the film"Eliminated Without Bleeding" off because they are afraid of the truth:" said Thach Tach, the president of the Khmer Krom Federation, the sponsor of one of the cancelled special side events "The Vietnamese governmental representative takes this very personal, instead of opening a dialogue with us who come here year after year, complaining about the human rights abuses by Vietnam against our people, he attacks us, stops our side event, and creates even more bad publicity for his country. That is not diplomacy as it should be - that is again and again oppression, in accordance to Vietnam's headquarters, you can see how they do things back home, as we can see here today very clearly at the UN".
 
"How can an UN agency, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, obey one member state -- to hinder our voices to be heard, I can not understand this," said Kue Xiong, preseident of the Lao Human Rights Council, one of the sponsors of the other special event which got cancelled upon request by the Vietnamese Mission to the UN.
 
"We come here because we thought that one of the mandates of the PFII is to raise awareness and to disseminate information on Indigenous peoples, but I see only a silent wall, and no letter to us with a formal explanation why it was cancelled," he said, adding:
 
"Vietnam always says that they have nothing to do with the massacres of our people in Laos, well why do they have such a problem with our our film to be shown, 'Hunted Like Animals'? For sure we know why, because the film shows very clearly, what the situation truly is. But we will not allow that our desperate peoples voices are censored."
 
The Vietnamese Mission to the UN has made numerous public statements during the PFII sessions over the years, attacking any participants with words such as "resistance movement, irresponsible, not credible - and categorically reject any human rights violation claims made by Indigenous Peoples representatives and NGOs.
 
" I think the the problem has many facets, or rather the factors leading to such a "block" from Vietnam should not be read as a simple problem from the government of Vietnam. The way that the UN system, the PFII and its secretariat is being "steered" I fear has many inadequacies.
 
"Also, it is clear that the films 'Hunted Like Animals', and 'Eliminated Without Bleeding' are already in the public domain and can be seen by everyone who is interested! So Vietnam's protest needs to be seen from the UN angle re diplomacy and sovereignty as well," said Roy Layfungbam, Centre for Organisation Research & Education (CORE)
 
“The United Nations should never allow a state to suppress information on human rights violations -- rather the UN should do everything to enable the weak, the discriminated, the oppressed to speak out and strengthen the work of NGOs instead of undermining them by preventing the documentation of truth.” Renate Domnick, STP
 
One of the films, "Hunted Like Animals," covers rights abuses docmented by Huntington News Network with reporting by Rebecca Sommer and others. The film, produced with the support of the US-based Hmong-Lao community, documents the systematic military aggression against the Hmong ethnic minority hiding in the jungles of Laos, and the reasons why thousands of Hmong from the jungle fled to Thailand.
 
Rebecca Sommer, an independent documentary filmmaker and human rights advocate, spent over a year on researching and recording video on the issues of the Hmong Lao in Laos and refugees in Thailand, and the Khmer Krom from Vietnam in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006.
 
“Even though the UN has no access to the over 7700 current Hmong refugees in the camp, and no access to the conflict areas inside Laos — this film brings the words and testimonies of the Hmong Lao out to everyone,” Sommer told HNN. “Hunted like Animals was distributed as a lobby tool. We disseminated this year over 1500 DVDs to UN agencies, committees and Reporters (Geneva, NYC, Bangkok), to heads of states, relevant governmental departments, and NGOs. The Khmer Krom film is going to be released next month, both films are already available online."
 
Additional High-8 footage, shot and narrated by Hmong hiding in the jungles of Laos, is interwoven into the film like a tapestry, and gives graphic evidence of the ongoing and increasing aggression of the Lao PDR military, including artillery and chemical warfare.
 
The violence dates back to the Vietnam War, Sommer explained. Coerced into joining the CIA’s anti-communist efforts, the Hmong ethnic minority was the CIA’s Secret Army. When the U.S. pulled out of Southeast Asia in 1975 and the Lao kingdom was overthrown by the communists, the Hmong became targets of retaliation and persecution, Hundreds of thousands fled Laos, others ran to remote mountainous regions. More than 10,000 are estimated to survive.
 
The film lays to rest misinformation that has been perpetuated for decades. Efforts by the Thai and Lao governments to conveniently label the Hmong refugees in Thailand economic refugees looking for a better life, or simply rebels, are becoming unspeakable falsehoods when seeing and hearing the Hmong Lao talk for themselves.
 
“In our capacity as adviser to this film, we find it unique, largely due to the fact it has been actively supported by a broad circle of Hmong people. We highly recommend this film and believe this film will serve as a bridge that will stretch all the way from our people living in desperation to the international world community," says Vaughn Vang, Executive Director, Hmong Lao Human Rights Council.
 
"The documentary 'Eliminated without Bleeding' gives our Khmer Krom people a real voice, we are really really upset and disappointed that we have not been supported by the secretariat of the PFII to show the situation, but we will not give up," said Mr. Thach
 
The screening will be just west of the UN complex at 217 E. 42nd St., at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 25, 2007. The organizers -- Earth Peoples, the NGO Committee on Human Rights and Lao Human Rights Council -- praised the "generous donation of the space by Collective P.A.S.T. at Cashama.