Release Date: 2008-02-29
Original Link: http://presszoom.com/story_143777.html
Source: Center for Public Policy Analysis
On February 27, 2008, Thai Third Army attack dogs were reportedly ordered by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to maul a group of Hmong refugees prior to their forced repatriation back to the communist regime in Laos that they fled according to the Washington, DC-based Center for Public Policy Analysis and Lao Hmong human rights organizations.
(PressZoom.com) - On February 27, 2008, Thai Third Army attack dogs were reportedly ordered by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to maul a group of Hmong refugees prior to their forced repatriation back to the communist regime in Laos that they fled, according to sources in Thailand, refugee camp sources, and multiple Lao Hmong families and community leaders in the United States with family in the detention center.
“Reliable and multiple eyewitness sources in Thailand have reported that Thai military officials, at the apparent direct order of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, in preparation for his upcoming trip to Laos, used teams of military attack dogs led by armed soldiers to intimidate and maul some 12-13 Lao-Hmong refugees at Ban Huay Nam Khao detention center as brutal preparation before forcing them back to the Communist regime,” stated Philip Smith, Executive Director, of the Center for Public Policy Analysis, in Washington, D.C.
“Clearly, these Lao Hmong refugees and asylum seekers did not ‘volunteer’ to go back to Laos as the Thai government and military have falsely stated and we condemn this brutal action as a clear violation of human rights and international law,” continued Smith.
Two or three of the Hmong refugees were reportedly too critically bloodied and injured by the dog attacks to be returned to Laos at this time.
“We are appealing to Prime Minister Samak to call of the attack dogs before his upcoming trip to Laos and stop misguided elements of the Thai Third Army from using these dogs to attack innocent Lao-Hmong refugees and asylum seekers that the United Nations and international community wish to resettle in third countries,” continued Smith.
A coalition of Lao and Hmong organizations in the United States has emerged to condemned these brutal attacks at the Lao Hmong refugee detention camp at Ban Huay Nam Khao, Petchanbun Province,” Smith stated. “Members of the U.S. Congress are frankly outraged and emerging to seek to take action to address these matters in coming days and weeks and they do not approve of Prime Minister Samak’s apparent brutal and horrific actions in mistreating these defenseless refugees along with Thai Third Army officials and their attack dogs,” Smith continued; Samak’s trip to Laos, and reputation in Washington, may have been seriously damaged by this terrible and unnecessary incident because America and the King of Thailand have historically cared deeply about the plight of the suffering Lao and highland Hmong people, especially those who served with the United States during the Vietnam War.”
“Thai army dogs mauling and sadistically attacking defenseless Lao Hmong refugees while Thai soldiers watched, prior to them being forced back to Laos, is not a good first step for Prime Minister Samak’s visit to Laos or his profile in Washington ,” Smith stated.
The following is a statement of Vaughn Vang, Director of the Lao Human Rights Council, Inc., of Green Bay, Wisconsin, about Prime Minister Samak's dog attack order and forced repatriation order against the Lao Hmong refugees:
“An important representative of the Hmong refugees at Ban Huay Nam Khao (White Water) Refugee Camp in Thailand has reported that at approximately 12:00 noon, on February 26, 2008, the Thai government and military officials of the Thai Third Army gathered three families totaling 12 individuals to meet the Thai government officials at the station. The Thai government officials demanded that these 12 refugees return to Laos immediately. They retained this group in custody and had Thai military officials bring this group's belongings to the station. It has been reported that the Thai Third Army and Thai government has already sent these 12 refugees back to Laos.
Before the repatriation, these 12 individuals refused to return to Laos. They have already pleaded to the French organization, Doctors Without Borders, who has been supplying them with food and medicine that they do not want to return to Laos because they are guaranteed to be persecuted, tortured, and killed by the Lao government. However, the Thai government has repatriated these refugees, despite their pleas to remain in Thailand.
Several leaders among these Hmong refugees have pleaded to the Thai government to allow these 12 refugees to remain in Thailand, however, the Thai government officials responded, falsely stating that they have returned to Laos at their own free will and there were no forced repatriation—which is false. This is also the false and distorted response by Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, which is total propaganda and a gross distortion of the horrible facts.
There are seven families remaining that are in wait of forced repatriation to Laos this Thursday, February 28, 2008. Every individual of these families are not willing to return to Laos.
Approximately at 12:00pm, Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Thai military officials began arresting these above listed individuals from these families. They entered the homes, restraining the arms and legs and forced them into a car. The whereabouts of these Hmong refugees are unknown.
Approximately at 3:00pm, Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Thai military officials returned to the refugees' homes and gathered all their belongings. The whereabouts of these items are also unknown.
Furthermore, there is another listing located in the Thai government office building including names of other Hmong refugees that will be facing forcing repatriation in the immediate future; however, the times and dates of the forced repatriation by the Thai government is unknown.
A Hmong refugee child by the name of Coob Lee, age 4 years old, was among the 8000 Hmong refugees when Thai officials arrested the Hmong refugees facing repatriation to Laos. The child ran from the Thai officials out of fright; therefore, Thai military officials ordered a canine unit with large attack dogs after the child. Many of the estimated 8000 Hmong refugees witnessed the child being attacked by the dog. The child was severely injured by the violent attack.
Chia Lee and Chia Yang, Thai military officials captured these two men while they were walking on the roadside. The Thai military officials sent two canine units with vicious dogs to attack these two men when they tried to escape. They were severely injured and hospitalized at Khao Koua Hospital.
During the capturing of Hmong refugees, Thai military officials release canine units with more dogs to attack any Hmong refugee that tries to escape resulting in many severely injured individuals.
The Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. has documentation supporting the statements that these refugees are not willing to return to Laos and we strongly believe that these 8000 refugees in Ban Huay Nam Khao (White Water) Refugee Camp will not willingly return to Laos at their own free will because the LPDR government regime is still continuing to persecute and kill thousands of unarmed Laotian and Hmong civilians in Laos throughout the jungle and mountains of Laos.
If the Thai government forces repatriation on these refugees to Laos, they will, in many cases, be persecuted, tortured, and killed.
These Lao-Hmong asylum seekers and refugees are clearly not willing to return to Laos according to the reports that we are receiving from them and their families. The statements by Thai government officials that these asylum seekers are returning at their own free will are completely and totally false.
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The Center for Public Policy Analysis is a Washington,DC-based think-tank and research organization focused on national security and foreign policy issues.
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