Sept. 17, 2006
 
Sommer Reports Press Errors in Continuing Saga of Hmong Detainees in Thailand, Furnishes Copy of Letter to Thai Ambassador to U.S.
 
By David M. Kinchen
Editor, Huntington News Network
 
Human rights activist Rebecca Sommer told HNN that the news report from the Associated Press (AP) regarding the 35 detained Hmong in Thailand is “NOT true…Two sources informed me that the group comes from the conflict area, Yang Toua Thao and Moua Toua Ther's groups in hiding, (which was confirmed by phone with them) They came out secretly, tried first to merge into the villages, but villagers reported them to Lao soldiers- then families got intimidated because authorities started to search for them aggressively, with comments that if found that they would bring them to jail. Therefore, they fled to Thailand.”
 
This is the AP quote in question: “The 35 Hmong told police they were farmers and had fled Laos because authorities there forced them to abandon their traditional highland habitat for the lowlands, making it difficult to make a living.”
 
Sommer added: “The Thai try everything to make this a ‘human trafficking’ issue, and do not want to see the root problem.”
 
Here’s a report from Sommer, a German-born, U.S. based documentary filmmaker and representative of Society for Threatened Peoples International, Indigenous Department:
 
“We had to pay with all our silver for the boats fare“ said Neng Thao, who led the group of mostly children and women to in order to escape the military aggressions in Laos mountainous jungles. And to reach the safety of Thailand,” but arriving, we got immediately detained.”
 
“We are so desperate” said group member Mee Thao, mother of 4 children“ we hoped to find safety, now we are held in Nong Khai prison.”
 
“Approximately 6,800 ethnic Hmong Laotians are living in the makeshift refugee camp in Huay Nam Khao, in Thailand’s province of Phetchabun. They started arriving there in large numbers in 2004, seeking refugee status. The majority of them claim they have been persecuted by the Lao military. The Thai authorities define them as ‘illegal’ immigrants, while the Lao government has expressed doubt that they are Lao nationals.”
 
Sommer added: “the Lao government has a policy of genocide against ethnic Hmong.” She hopes the United Nations, with which her organization Society for Threatened Peoples has consultative status, will agree.” At least from our N.G.O. (non-governmental organizations) circles we do definitely say it’s genocide, and that’s the reason why most fled to Thailand."
 
The Laos Government has targeted the Hmong for more than 30 years inside military training areas sealed off for outsiders by the Laotian military, Sommer added.
 
Neng Thao and his group of 35 refugees belong to an unknown number of Hmong and other minorities that have remained in the jungle after the Vietnam War, hiding from the Lao military.
 
“ we have given up the fight a long long long time ago, and are simply trying to survive-hiding inside the Xaysomboun Special Zone, but we are surrounded and attacked by the military day and night, they use chemical weapons and heavy artillery, we had to escape.”
 
The Laos Government denies the Hmong are persecuted.
 
„Even though they got deatined because they are considered illegal migrants by the Thai government, they are not criminals, but rather a people who fled in fear and terror. Most of them are children and teenagers.“, said Chue Chou Tchang, Hmong community leader from St. Paul, MN. ” The Thai government must release these innocent Hmong people, they have suffered enough.”
 
“I personally witnessed that over 230 detained Hmong Lao refugees are treated like animals, they are held in horrible conditions in the prisons, without daylight, given sparse food and are forced to drink dirty water,” said Rebecca Sommer,” and that in a country which ratified the UN Convention on the Right of the Child.”
 
“We are very concerned that the Thai police will try to deport the detained Hmong refugees back to Laos as they tried last month with a group of 31 refugees, “say’s Chue Hue Vang, the executive director of UHCPFR, a Hmong organization based in California, “the US Hmong community will send another delegation to intervene on behalf of our people in despair..”
 
“Amnesty International has a long string of urgent actions for the Hmong, my organization launched a major letter campaign to the Thai and Lao government. “ said Rebecca Sommer, from the Society for Threatened Peoples International, “Ten thousand’s of Appeals and Letters of Concern are currently sent to Laos and Thailand, we hope it will make a difference.”
 
Rebecca Sommer furnished HNN with a copy of a letter she sent to the Thai ambassador to the U.S.:
 
H.E. Ambassador Virasakdi Futrakul
Royal Thai Embassy
1024 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 401
Washington, D.C. 20007
Tel:(202)944-3600
Fax:(202)944-3611
 
c/c : Office of the National Security Council, Bangkok, Thailand
c/c : Permanent Mission of Thailand to the UN
 
H.E. Ambassador Virasakdi Futrakul,
 
On behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples International, I wish to voice my concern for the unacceptable conditions of the 240 Hmong Lao refugees detained in Phetchabun province prisons.
 
We urge you to intervene and release these innocent Hmong people. Even though they are considered illegal migrants by the Royal Thai Government they are not criminals, but rather a people who fled in fear and terror. Most of them are children and teenagers. We remind that the Royal Thai government ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
 
I personally witnessed that in the Petchaboun and Lomsack prisons, the refugees are treated like animals, held without daylight, given sparse food and are forced to drink dirty water. You may have seen articles in the news that went around the world this month:
 
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/national/060902-staff-hmong.html
http://www.icar.org.uk/?lid=7291
http://www.voanews.com/lao/2006-09-01-voa3.cfm
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/31/regional/regional_30012397.php
 
We hope, that you are able to intervene in this unfortunate situation, which would be a positive gesture of good will at the time when the Government of Thailand is submitting a candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General.
 
We would like to remind you that, without an exception, all the detained refugees in the prisons of Phetcheboun province fled from Laotian military training areas in Laos. The refugees in Phetchabun made credible claims that they have been victims of unprovoked military aggressions by the Lao PDR military! International human rights organizations, including the Society for Threatened Peoples, are highly alarmed that to this day, the Royal Thai government declined the UN access to these refugees.
 
The global community is well aware that human rights violations are occurring in Laos against the Hmong Lao. This is the root of the problem: Hmong people are escaping their country of origin and flooding Thailand because they have no other choice!
 
We are highly concerned to see that Thai military officials announced that only approximately 100 former Hmong CIA soldiers will be granted protection by Thailand. We strongly object to this extremely low number of people considered by the Royal Thai Military, under the order of the Royal Thai National Security Council, to be in need of protection.
 
I am the author of an independent comprehensive report regarding this issue that has been submitted to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, various UN agencies, governments, and NGO’s. I witnessed over 1000 refugees in the Phetchabun temporary migration settlement who fled directly from the conflict area. They cannot be sent back without endangering their lives. Please refer to my report for more details:
http://www.earthpeoples.org/REPORT-Hmong-Rebecca_Sommer.pdf
 
We-I, strongly urge the Royal Thai government to allow the UN system full access to the refugee settlement - and therefore enable the UNHCR to conduct a due pre-screening process in order to determine which of the refugees are in need of protection.
 
Thank you for your consideration.
 
Respectfully,
 
Rebecca Sommer
Society for Threatened Peoples International, Indigenous Department, US