The recent arrests of Hmong Americans in the United States of America plotting against the government of Laos could potentially increase the human rights violations committed against Hmong in Laos. The government of Laos must uphold its international human rights obligations.
The recent arrests of Hmong Americans in the United States of America plotting against the government of Laos could potentially increase the human rights violations committed against Hmong in Laos. The government of Laos must uphold its international human rights obligations.
Nine Hmong Americans were arrested in the United States for allegedly plotting against the government of Laos. It is in this light that FORUM-ASIA reminds the government of Laos of its obligations under international law and insists that the recent arrests are not used as an excuse to further violate the rights of the Hmong people.
We are concerned that the recent events in the United States will lead to further persecution of Hmong Lao. The Hmong in Lao already face a range of human rights violations, including the denial of basic rights, such as access to clean water and primary education, to massacres in the Laos jungles. In April of 2006, a widely reported and recorded massacre took place in Vientiane province, where most of those killed were women and children.1 We fear that the recent events in the USA will further stigmatise the Hmong Lao people, increasing violations against them.
The Hmong Lao cross the border into Thailand to escape persecution and seek asylum in Thailand. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 48 Hmong Lao, recently arrived in Thailand seeking asylum, may soon be repatriated. The UNHCR strongly urges both the Laos and Thai governments to stop deporting asylum seekers until their status can be individually assessed. 2 Asylum seekers who are repatriated could face even more danger and uncertainty than before as the government of Laos does not allow for organisations, including the UN, access to those who have been repatriated.
FORUM-ASIA also reminds the Laos government that it has acceded to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and has an obligation to respect the rights provided for therein. In April 2005, the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended that the government of Laos (a) allow independent monitors to access already repatriated Hmong, (b) allow UN bodies to visit the areas where the Hmong refugees have taken refuge, and (c) authorise UN agencies to provide emergency humanitarian assistance. In order to show its commitment to the principles under the said convention, the government of Laos should ensure that these recommendations are implemented immediately.
FORUM-ASIA likewise reminds the government of Thailand that they are obliged to strictly follow the principle of non-refoulment under international law, and as a member state of the UN, they must protect those that seek asylum within their borders. Thailand must not repeat the act of 25 May 2007 when it sent 31 Hmong asylum seekers back to Laos. Any guarantee for their safety vanished as soon as they crossed the border.3
1 Laos: Massacre of unarmed Hmong women and children:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA260022006?open&of=ENG-LAO
2 UNHCR Statement 1 June 2007: http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4660020811.html
3 FORUM-ASIA Press Statement, 30 May 2007: https://forum-asia.org/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=323&Itemid=32
