Laos, Vietnam
Troops Slaughter Lao, Hmong: Over 6500 Face Death
"Over 6,500 Lao Hmong civilians may be killed in the coming weeks and months in
Laos as a result of this joint military offensive by Laos and Vietnam," stated
Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis in
Washington, D.C.
(Media-Newswire.com)
- Washington, D.C. and Bangkok, Thailand, April 2, 2009 - Lao Hmong civilian and
dissident groups in hiding in the Phou Bia mountain area of Laos are under
attack by ground forces and artillery units of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
( SRV ) and Lao Peoples Democratic Republic ( LPDR ) resulting in hundreds of
dead and wounded civilians.
Over 6,500 Lao Hmong civilians may die in the coming weeks and months as a
result of this joint military offensive by Laos and Vietnam that parallels
recent high-level LPDR-SRV military and communist party meetings and the
announcement of strengthened military cooperation between the two Communist
nations.
Lao Peoples Army forces ( LPA ) and Vietnam Peoples Army ( VPA; also sometimes
known as the PAVN ) ground forces, with significant artillery, mechanized
infantry and special forces “hunter-killer” teams., are being deployed to Xieng
Khouang Province, Saysambone Closed Military Zone ( also known as Xiasambone
Military Zone ), Luangbrabang Province, Vientiane Province and Khammoune
Province in the latest joint SRV-LPDR military offensive in March-April, 2009.
The rape and disembowelment of Lao Hmong women and children, and other
atrocities, are increasingly commonplace among rampaging Lao military and LPDR
security forces.
“These recent March-April ethnic cleansing operations and bloody attacks by Lao
and Vietnamese troops targeting largely unarmed villagers and those hiding in
the jungle, have resulted in hundreds of new Hmong and Laotian civilian deaths
and casualties,” stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for
Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ) in Washington, D.C. “Clearly, these ethnic
cleansing operations and atrocities against Hmong and Lao civilians and
political and religious dissidents rise to the level of war crimes and crimes
against humanity; The recent joint military offense by Laos and Vietnamese
government troops was very carefully planned and timed to preceded and follow
recent senior level meetings in Vientiane between LPDR military and Party
officials and their counterparts in Hanoi,” Smith continued.
In recent years, Amnesty International, the Hmong Lao Human Rights Council, the
New York Times, the BBC, Time Magazine, Al Jazerra and other independent human
rights and news media organizations have documented attacks against Laotian and
Hmong civilian and dissident groups encircled and trapped in Laos where they are
subjected to mass starvation and military attacks by the LPDR regime.
http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/aidoc/ai.nsf/Index/ENGASA260042004
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA26/003/2007
Laos-Hmong scholar Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt has also chronicled many of these
attacks and atrocities against the Hmong and Laotian people.
www.tragicmountains.org
On March 30, a senior delegation of the General Political Department of the
Vietnam People’s Army arrived in Vientiane beginning a reported five-day visit
to Laos and the LPDR regime according to official SRV state news agencies in
Hanoi. LPDR Party General Secretary and State President of Laos Choummaly
Sayasone reportedly received visiting Vietnamese General Le Van Dung and an
significant entourage of Vietnamese military officers, including senior VPA
officials. Vietnamese General Le Vang Dung, is also the Chairman of Vietnam’s
Communist Party Central Committee.
In recent days, enhanced military cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has been
officially announced by Vietnam’s state controlled media, including Nhan Dan and
VOV News. Vietnam and Laos announced strengthened military cooperation as a
result of these meetings in Laos, which followed heavy attacks against Laotian
and Hmong civilian and political and dissident groups.
The SRV and LPDR military in Laos are also increasing utilizing ethnic Hmong
commanders of the LPA and VPA army to hunt and kill fellow ethnic Hmong who
oppose the LPDR regime or who seek to live independently of the Lao regime.
“The military troops involved in some of the most bloody attacks and atrocities
against unarmed Lao Hmong civilians and political and religious dissident groups
in hiding in the jungle and mountains of Laos are often led by several infamous
Hmong commanders working for the Lao government including Colonel Xai Blong Lor,
Kao Moua, Kham Xavoie, Thong Xue, Kham Phan and Ia Cai, “ stated Philip Smith,
of the CPPA in Washington, D.C. “Vietnam and the Lao military are using Hmong
military units and commanders to kill their fellow Hmong people, including many
hundreds of innocent, defenseless civilians.”
The Lao PDR Government has reportedly ceded control of the much of the Phou Bia
area and other closed military zones in Laos to SRV and VPA military forces of
Vietnam and is seeking to kill the Hmong groups in-hiding in the Phou Bi area by
mid September of 2009,” stated Vaughn Vang, Director of the Hmong Lao Human
Rights Council, Inc.
Smith continued: “According to reliable reports from Laos and Lao Hmong family
members in the United States, a group of Lao Hmong in hiding in Laos, the Young
Chue Vang group, was reportedly attacked for by the Vietnamese soldiers in mid
March. Heavy artillery attacks reportedly started on March 12 lasting into the
early hours of March 13. The joint Lao-Vietnamese military groups also
surrounded the Young Chue Vang group of Lao Hmong, cutting off food supplies,
water. The attack left many Lao Hmong civilians of the group wounded without
medical aid, many died.”
Nhia Lue Vue, a Lao Hmong representative of one of the groups under attack in
Laos, has appealed to the United States, United Nations and the world community
to immediately demand that Vietnam and Lao PDR Government withdraw its military
troops from all areas in Phou Bia and Phou Da Phao and to immediately stop all
military attacks against Lao and Hmong civilians and dissident groups in
hiding.
Smith further stated: “Mr. Vue also stated that there are approximately 6697
Hmong in-hiding in the Phou Bia area that will be massacred and slaughtered by
the Vietnamese and Lao military troops in next few weeks or months. The
majority of this group consists of Lao Hmong women and children whom are
starving and dying due to the lack of food, supplies and water which were cut
off. This Lao Hmong group also has many people whom are ill and need serious
medical attention.”
Chud Nou Vue, another representative of the Lao Hmong group under attack by the
Lao and Vietnamese troops said: “We are civilians, men, women and children who
do not wish anything else but to live in peace from persecution, torture and
death by the Lao PDR government. Our ancestors were living in the Laos for
centuries and so we do not wish to live in another country. This is our country
where we love and we respect, why are we being killed and torture for actions we
have not done.”
“The United States, the United Nations and the world community must immediately
urge the Vietnamese and Lao PDR government to stop all of its military attacks
on the Hmong in-hiding; The 6697 Hmong in-hiding in the mountains of Phou Bia
will all be slaughtered or captured and tortured in the coming weeks and months
if action is not taken to stop these atrocities and ethnic cleansing,” said
Vaughn Vang, Director of the Hmong Lao Human Rights Council.
Vaughn Vang concluded: “The Thai Government must also immediately stop the
force repatriation policy of the 5,000-6,000 Hmong refugees at Huay Nam Khao,
Thailand, who are also in danger of being persecuted or killed by the Lao PDR
government.”
Kay Danes, a prominent human rights and humanitarian activist from Australia,
has been invited to the United States to speak about conditions in Laos and to
discuss her new book, "Standing Ground", which details human rights and harsh
prison conditions facing political prisoners in the LPDR.
http://media-newswire.com/release_1088730.html
Contact: Maria Gomez
Center for Public Policy Analysis
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite No.#212
Washington, D.C. 20006 USA
Tele. ( 202 ) 543-1444
e-mail: info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
www.cppa-dc.org