Repatriation of Laos’ ethnic Hmong finishing late Monday

NONGKHAI, Dec 28 (TNA) – The removal of the last of Thailand’s long-term ethnic Hmong refugee population to Laos from Phetchabun was expected to be complete late Monday, with the official ceremony handing over the returnees will take place Tuesday at Bolikhamsai province’s Paksan City, hundreds of miles from their former homes in the north of the Lao PDR.

Thai Army Gen Worapong Sanganetra, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff, chief coordinator of the operation and Lt-Gen Nipat Thonglek, chief of the Army’s Border Affairs Department, had checked the readiness of the operation at the northeastern Thai Mekong River province of Nongkhai before the handover ceremony on Tuesday at 10am.

A total of 4,381 ethnic Hmong from Huay Nam Khao in Petchabun province are being deported to Laos.

The first batch of 448 Hmong arrived Nongkhai late Monday afternoon with successive truckloads arriving in the evening. The last batch was expected in Nong Khai at 3am Tuesday.

All will be transferred to Paksan, capital of Bolikhamsai province, after crossing via the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge awaiting the handover ceremony.

Gen Worapong said the operation was running smoothly without resistance. He said the Lao government officials had given assurances regarding the safety of the returnees and would take good care of them.

The Lao authorities were to take 30 days to inspect the documents of the Hmong entitled to resettle in third countries before allowing them to travel to their destinations, he said.

Meanwhile, a Lao official said that the paperwork for the returnees was expected to last one week and then all of them would be sent to their own homes.

If anyone did not want to go to their former homes, the Laos government had prepared locations for them to stay in Bolikhamsai province and in and around Vientiane, the Lao capital.

The government would also provide necessary equipment and financial support during the first year of resettlement.

Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya said the deportation was done due to Thailand’s confidence in Laos which had given assurances that the ethnic Hmong would be safe after returning to their motherland.

Thailand also have full confidence in the closed bilateral cooperation between the two nations, he said.

He said Thailand did not sent the Hmong to be persecuted in Laos but to help them to have a better life, and that this could be proved after seeing that the 3,000-4,000 ethnic Hmong who were repatriated earlier have enjoyed a better standard of living.

Thailand also announced its readiness to finance projects to the develop quality of life of both Lao and Hmong people, he said.

Mr Kasit said it was unacceptable for him if someone said that they did not believe the Lao leaders’ promise to take good care of the returnees.

The repatriation of the Hmong to Laos began on May 25, 2007 when more than 3,000 were deported in 19 operations.

Thailand claims most of the Hmong at the camp have no legitimate claim to refugee status, but are simply economic migrants who have entered the country illegally. (TNA)