Asia Finest Discussion Forum > Hmong Laos Human Rights Council Reports

Jungz

Jul 30 2008, 03:11 AM

Hmong Laos Human Rights Council Reports New Ethnic Cleansing Attacks By LPDR

http://media-newswire.com/release_1069296.html

Fifteen (15) Members of Congress have introduced and cosponsored legislation (H. Res. 1273) to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Laos. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and other Members of Congress.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington D.C. - The Hmong Lao Human Rights Council, Inc., the Center for Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ), the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. and other organizations are voicing concern about reliable reports from Laos regarding a recent combined two-pronged military offensive operation undertaken by two Lao special military groups to attack Hmong in-hiding in the jungles.

“At 10:00 pm on Sunday, July 28, 2008, the Lao PDR government regime deployed two military groups to attack Hmong in-hiding in Phou Bia, Phou Lang, and Pha Phai areas of Laos,” stated Vaughn Vang, Executive Director of the Hmong Lao Human Rights Council, Inc.

Vaughn Vang continued: “The first military group led by Colonial Thong Xue consists of 60 soldiers who entered these areas from the direction of PhaXai, Lan Kai. The second military group led by Colonial Lor Fong Yang consists of 100 soldiers who entered from the direction of Xieng Khouang.”

“The ethnic cleansing mission ordered upon these two military groups is to eliminate all Hmong in hiding in the Phou Bia areas, including thousands of unarmed civilians, women and children, starting the first week of August 2008; the Lao PDR’s ultimate goal is to exterminate all Hmong people to the roots, including innocent women and children, in these areas that are not under the Lao military’s control by the end of the year 2008,” concluded Vang.

“The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, or LPDR, has come under increased international criticism for its attacks against freedom-loving Laotian and Hmong people who oppose the regime’s one-party Stalinist regime in Laos and its egregious violations of human rights, including mass starvation, military attacks against civilians, atrocities and war crimes, especially against the ethnic minority Lao-Hmong people,” stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Washington, DC-based Center for Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ).

“The freedom-loving Laotian and Hmong people join the U.S. Congress and international human rights and humanitarian organizations in urging the Lao regime, the LPDR communist regime, to stop killing its own citizens and immediately abandon these senseless and brutal military attacks on unarmed Laotian and Hmong civilians, women and children; these war crimes and atrocities by the Lao military are being noticed and documented by the international community, including independent human rights organizations,” stated Bounthanh Rathigna, President of the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. “ The Lao and Vietnamese military generals and communist party officials responsible will eventually be held accountable by the international community for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the killing of thousands of innocent Laotian and Hmong people.”

Fifteen ( 15 ) Members of Congress have introduced and cosponsored legislation ( H. Res. 1273 ) to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Laos. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy ( D-RI ), U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf ( R-VA ), U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin ( D-WI ), U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher ( R-CA ) and other Members of Congress.

The new legislation, introduced in June, urges the LPDR regime in Laos to immediately cease its current military attacks and mass starvation campaign against the Laotian and Hmong people and to abide by international norms of conduct. The legislation further urges the LPDR regime to cease its human rights violations against the freedom-loving Laotian and Hmong people and abide by H. Res. 402, which passed the U.S. Congress in 2004. The two bills lay out a host of systemic problems in Laos and the failures of the LPDR to address basic issues of human rights violations, ethnic cleansing and atrocities by the Lao military, political and religious persecution, the need for free and fair multi-party elections and the jailing of peaceful Lao student dissidents.

--
Contact:

Anna Jones

Tele. ( 202 ) 543-1444

Center for Public Policy Analysis
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite #212
Washington, DC 20006 USA
Tele. ( 202 ) 543-1444

e-mail: info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

website:

www.cppa-dc.org

cocoo

Aug 2 2008, 03:59 AM

Wilfree

Aug 2 2008, 02:06 PM

QUOTE(Jungz @ Jul 30 2008, 03:11 AM)

Hmong Laos Human Rights Council Reports New Ethnic Cleansing Attacks By LPDR

http://media-newswire.com/release_1069296.html

Fifteen (15) Members of Congress have introduced and cosponsored legislation (H. Res. 1273) to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Laos. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and other Members of Congress.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington D.C. - The Hmong Lao Human Rights Council, Inc., the Center for Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ), the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. and other organizations are voicing concern about reliable reports from Laos regarding a recent combined two-pronged military offensive operation undertaken by two Lao special military groups to attack Hmong in-hiding in the jungles.

“At 10:00 pm on Sunday, July 28, 2008, the Lao PDR government regime deployed two military groups to attack Hmong in-hiding in Phou Bia, Phou Lang, and Pha Phai areas of Laos,” stated Vaughn Vang, Executive Director of the Hmong Lao Human Rights Council, Inc.

Vaughn Vang continued: “The first military group led by Colonial Thong Xue consists of 60 soldiers who entered these areas from the direction of PhaXai, Lan Kai. The second military group led by Colonial Lor Fong Yang consists of 100 soldiers who entered from the direction of Xieng Khouang.”

“The ethnic cleansing mission ordered upon these two military groups is to eliminate all Hmong in hiding in the Phou Bia areas, including thousands of unarmed civilians, women and children, starting the first week of August 2008; the Lao PDR’s ultimate goal is to exterminate all Hmong people to the roots, including innocent women and children, in these areas that are not under the Lao military’s control by the end of the year 2008,” concluded Vang.

“The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, or LPDR, has come under increased international criticism for its attacks against freedom-loving Laotian and Hmong people who oppose the regime’s one-party Stalinist regime in Laos and its egregious violations of human rights, including mass starvation, military attacks against civilians, atrocities and war crimes, especially against the ethnic minority Lao-Hmong people,” stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Washington, DC-based Center for Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ).

“The freedom-loving Laotian and Hmong people join the U.S. Congress and international human rights and humanitarian organizations in urging the Lao regime, the LPDR communist regime, to stop killing its own citizens and immediately abandon these senseless and brutal military attacks on unarmed Laotian and Hmong civilians, women and children; these war crimes and atrocities by the Lao military are being noticed and documented by the international community, including independent human rights organizations,” stated Bounthanh Rathigna, President of the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. “ The Lao and Vietnamese military generals and communist party officials responsible will eventually be held accountable by the international community for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the killing of thousands of innocent Laotian and Hmong people.”

Fifteen ( 15 ) Members of Congress have introduced and cosponsored legislation ( H. Res. 1273 ) to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Laos. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy ( D-RI ), U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf ( R-VA ), U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin ( D-WI ), U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher ( R-CA ) and other Members of Congress.

The new legislation, introduced in June, urges the LPDR regime in Laos to immediately cease its current military attacks and mass starvation campaign against the Laotian and Hmong people and to abide by international norms of conduct. The legislation further urges the LPDR regime to cease its human rights violations against the freedom-loving Laotian and Hmong people and abide by H. Res. 402, which passed the U.S. Congress in 2004. The two bills lay out a host of systemic problems in Laos and the failures of the LPDR to address basic issues of human rights violations, ethnic cleansing and atrocities by the Lao military, political and religious persecution, the need for free and fair multi-party elections and the jailing of peaceful Lao student dissidents.

--
Contact:

Anna Jones

Tele. ( 202 ) 543-1444

Center for Public Policy Analysis
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite #212
Washington, DC 20006 USA
Tele. ( 202 ) 543-1444

e-mail: info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

website:

www.cppa-dc.org

^Why don't you post this in Lao Chat too? Just curious.

Buddhalove

Aug 3 2008, 10:46 AM

Same old song, and it's getting old.

HelenaSerenaInsixiengmay

Aug 4 2008, 07:00 AM

As an Asian American of Lao descent (that's Lao, not Hmong) I must say that I'm deeply ashamed of the fact that there are remnants left over from the Vietnam War left in the jungle.

I've even joined a group on Facebook dedicated to raising awareness of the plight left in the jungle.

A few links for you:

http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2003/19086.htm

http://www.amnesty.org/fr/library/asset/AS...60052006en.html

http://www.hmongnet.org/hmong-au/hmong82a.htm

From the last link:

QUOTE

Despite the continual escape of Hmong to Thailand, the Lao government appears to have made a genuine attempt to incorporate minority groups into the new People's Democratic Republic of Laos, at least in so far as policy-making is concerned. Those displaced by the war prior to the 1973 ceasefire either have returned to their old settlements or were resettled in new villages. To increase the people's productivity, labour co-operation and other changes in the relations of production have been tried, but the means of production remain much as in the RLG days.

While I am not disputing the reports of the atrocities committed against the remnants left in the jungles - nor the hardships Laos' minorities must, at times, endure - I do dispute the claims that it is somehow in the Lao government's interest to wipe out minorities in general; or that it is somehow a stated policy agenda. There is not enough evidence to support that claim.