Report by Fact Finding Commision

February 28, 2008

On February 27, 2007 at about one o’clock p.m. Bangkok time, twelve (12) Hmong refugees from the Huay Nam Khao camp, Phetchabun Province, were forced by Thai military to return to Laos, their native country where they tried to escape persecution. Initially, during the forced repatriation process, some of the refugees thought these four families were part of the 136 families that were screened in December 2007 who had volunteered to return.

The surprising incident started at about nine o’clock in the morning were some 70 Thai military in uniform entered the refugee camp and ordered three groups of the Hmong refugees to go outside the fenced camp to be screened. Upon completion of the screening process, four families – 12 people – were forced by Thai military to return to Laos.

Many were thrown into the trucks by soldiers, which frightened some children causing them to run for help. A ten year old child who witnessed his mother, Mee Vang, being thrown into the back of the truck by the military was frightening and he took off running crying for help. Dramatically, the military unleashed their dogs to chase the boy. Instead, the dogs attacked another boy, Chong Lee (Coob Lis) who is four (4) years of age, who happened to be a bystander at the chaos. The dogs bit Chong Lee on the side of his head and his face. Chong has been receiving medical care from

Doctors Without Border who is stationed at the camp site to provide health assistance to the refugees. By 2:00 p.m., the four houses that the returned families previously lived in were completely torn apart and taken down by Thai military. This intention was the signal to the rest of the remaining Hmong refugees in the camp that they too will be returned to Laos.

The whereabouts of these four families remain unknown to those refugees in the camp and the rest of international community. They were transported in two trucks. The vehicles are registered to Phetchabun Province. Their license plate numbers are 821 and 824.

The following are the names of the 12 victims that were forced repatriated from Huay Nam Khao:
Name Sex Age Relationship Address/Group Number
Wa Lor Yang M 65 Head of household B04120
Yee Vue F 61 Wife
A Yang M 24 Son
Bao Vang F 24 Daughter-in-law
Shai Yang M 1yr Grandson
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Cha Lee M 25 Head of household A07208
Pa Nhia Thao F 23 Wife
Koma Lee M 1 yr Son
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Mee Vang F 62 Head of household A09214
Vang Lee M 12 Son
Chai Lee M 10 Son
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Zoua Vue F 36 Head of househoud B07115

According to sources, these 12 people are not part of the 136 families who volunteered to return to Laos in December 2007. Sources also revealed that Pa Nhia Thao, the 23 year old woman who is the wife of Cha Lee, was promised by Lao authorities with rewards if she could volunteer herself, provided other refugees’ names, and influence them to returned to Laos. They returnees were not aware that they would face forced repatriation by Thai military when they were ordered to go outside the camp for the screening.

These four families – 12 people – were transported from the refugee camp to Khuang Keng on February 27, 2008. They were kept in Khuang Keng over night. In the duration at Khuang Keng, Zoua Vue, the 36 year old woman who was all by herself, disappeared in the middle of the night. The whereabouts of Zoua Vue remain unknown at this time.

On February 28, 2008, the remaining eleven individuals were transported from Khuang Keng to Nong Khai. From Nong Khai to Vientiane, Laos, they were covered up on the trucks, so no one could see them. These eleven people were turned over to Lao PDR authorities in Vientiane.

According to sources that has been following closely on this incident, shortly after they were handed over to Lao authorities, Cha Lee was hit twice on the head and kicked once by the Lao authorities. The group then were sent to the prison in Muang Pak Sa, where the 21 teenager girls, who were detained by Thai authorities in November 2004 in Kha Khao, Phetchabun province and turned over to Lao authorities in December 2004, were jailed. The final destination for these eleven individuals and their treatment by authorities are unknown at this time and remained frightened and deeply concerned by family members as well as Hmong community leaders in exiled.

Commentary: If this repatriation process for Hmong refugees in Thailand and Hmong refugee resettlement in Laos is a bilateral effort of the Thai-Lao governments and international community, it is the responsibilities of Thai-Lao governments, United Nations, Human Rights organizations, and international community to enforce this bilateral effort to monitor and ensure that no returnee is missing on the way from Thailand to Laos and that they are being treated humanely by Lao government and his direct service authorities. United Nations, Human Rights organizations and other third parties must have full access to participate and monitor the Hmong refugee repatriation and resettlement program in Thailand and Laos, and a long term monitoring plan must be developed and implemented by United Nations, Human Rights organizations and other NGOs.