Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VIENTIANE1234
2006-12-29 05:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vientiane
Cable title:  

REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS LAO VICE PRIME

Tags:  EAID LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG TH 
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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVN #1234/01 3630549
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 290549Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0731
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7051
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 001234 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, H, DRL, PRM/ANE; BANGKOK FOR USAID;
PACOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2016
TAGS: EAID LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG TH
SUBJECT: REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS LAO VICE PRIME
MINISTER

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 001234

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, H, DRL, PRM/ANE; BANGKOK FOR USAID;
PACOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2016
TAGS: EAID LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG TH
SUBJECT: REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS LAO VICE PRIME
MINISTER

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Representative Betty McCollum pressed Deputy
Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad for more cooperation on
dealing with unexploded ordnance, education, and health care
and effectively used her attendance at Christmas Mass to
indicate the importance of freedom of religion to the United
States. Somsavat used much of his time to argue that many
Americans, including Members of Congress, misunderstood the
GOL,s handling of its Hmong minority and that the
Department,s Annual Human Rights Report repeated information
that did not reflect the reality in Laos. Representative
McCollum,s suggestion was to allow a neutral third party
such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
to become active in Laos to verify the reality. End summary.


2. (C) The most senior official with whom Representative
Betty McCollum met during her December 21-29 visit to Laos
was Somsavat Lengsavad ) Deputy Prime Minister (since 1998)
and Permanent Government Member (since 2006). Somsavat, now
also a member of the Politburo, had been Foreign Minister
from 1993-2006 and gained much credit for passage of Normal
Trade Relations in 2004 ) a process in which Representative
McCollum played a key role in the Congress. Somsavat began
their December 27 meeting by thanking her for her support for
NTR.

Representative McCollum,s Presentation
--------------

3. (C) Representative McCollum told Somsavat she applauded
the Lao Constitution,s guarantee of freedom of religion
since this had allowed her to pass a very pleasant Christmas
Eve by attending Mass at Vientiane,s Catholic Church. She
had also met the Bishop and a newly ordqained priest. She
commended the Government of Laos (GOL) for allowing the
Church to select its own leaders.



4. (C) Representative McCollum highlighted for Somsavat the
opportunities for the United States and Laos to work together
on the long process of removing unexploded ordnance (UXO)
from the Indochina War period as well as for bilateral
cooperation in education and health care. Representative
McCollum noted that Laos is a becoming a leader in preparing
to deal with Avian Influenza (AI) and urged the GOL to share
its growing expertise with other countries. She called for a
partnership to deal with maternal and child health ) to
ensure healthy mothers during childbirth and health children
after delivery.

Somsavat,s Response
--------------

5. (C) Somsavat thanked Representative McCollum for her
aspirations to help Laos deal with the challenges remaining
from the war legacy. He emphasized the goal of the GOL to
develop the Lao economy and society to end the country,s
underdeveloped status and improve the living conditions for
the people. He stressed the GOL,s intention to continue to
follow market economy principles. Somsavat also told
Representative McCollum that the GOL is doing its utmost to
unify all ethnic groups in Laos with the goal of maintaining
political stability and political order. Somsavat pointed
out the GOL,s policy of maintaining good relations with all
countries. He added that the GOL appreciated the support
Laos was receiving from other countries to help eradicate
poverty.


6. (C) Looking back on his many years as Foreign Minister,
Somsavat emphasized that he did his utmost to work for
relations with the United States to become more normal. He
said he had done his best to support cooperation in various
fields and is now pleased that the bilateral relationship is
expanding through the concerted efforts of both sides.
Somsavat mentioned his consistent support for the process of
searching for the remains of MIAs from the Vietnam War
period, which he recognized as one of the top priorities of
the USG. Somsavat also highlighted bilateral cooperation on
counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism.


7. (C) Somsavat recognized that there have been a number of
bilateral exchanges among government officials and
legislators from the two countries but pointed out that these
are neither regular nor frequent. He said he hoped that
Representative McCollum,s visit would spur the National
Assembly to plan more exchanges with the Congress.

Misunderstanding The Hmong Situation
--------------


8. (C) Somsavat spent some time complaining about the State
Department,s Annual Human Rights Report (HRR). He noted the
HRR cited the GOL,s problems with the Hmong ethnic group but
claimed that this does not reflect the reality. Somsavat
pointed out he had told the Ambassador that the American
people misunderstand the situation; more should come to Laos
to witness the reality. Somsavat opined that U.S. Congress
Members and politicians were receiving distorted news from
groups in the United States which opposed the GOL )
including the group led by former Hmong General Vang Pao.
According to Somsavat, even Professor Yang Dao (a
Hmong-American author and activist well known for being the
first Hmong to earn a Ph.D.),&misunderstood at first.8
However, after visiting Laos, Yang realized that much of the
information he had been given had been fabricated. Somsavat
noted that General Vang Pao had even complained to a court
about Yang.


9. (C) Somsavat complained in essence that USG policies had
complicated the situation, including the 2004-05 decision by
the USG to resettle 10,000-15,000 Hmong in the Wat Tham Kabok
camp in Thailand to the United States. According to
Somsavat, &evil-minded8 people used the USG decision to
instigate more Hmong in Laos to flee to Thailand in the
expectation of also being resettled in the United States.
These latter Hmong, according to Somsavat, were not
discontented or against the GOL; they just wanted an
opportunity to visit their relatives in the United States.
This allowed them to be lured by human trafficking
syndicates. Somsavat highlighted that some Hmong willing to
return to Laos told the GOL they had paid the traffickers
high fees to be resettled in Thailand.


10. (C) Somsavat continued to say that now the GOL and the
Thai had agreed to set up an ad hoc working group to inspect
how many Hmong in Thailand wanted voluntarily to return to
Laos or wanted to go abroad. The GOL is willing to welcome
those wanting to return. Somsavat insisted the GOL policy is
to build solidarity and national concorde: &there is no
reason whatsoever in nation building to cause unrest or
ethnic tension; this does not serve any purpose,8 he
affirmed. The Vice President of the National Assembly
(Madame Pany Yathotu) is a Hmong woman; this had not happened
in China, Thailand, or Vietnam, he pointed out with pride.
Somsavat urged Representative McCollum to tell the Congress
and the American people that the GOL followed a policy of
equality, solidarity, freedom of religion, and the unity of
all ethnic groups.

Representative McCollum,s Rejoinder
--------------

11. (C) Representative McCollum told Somsavat there are many
challenges in reconciliation. Even when families try to
reconcile, they often have to turn to a &trusted elder8 or
community leader seen as a fair party for assistance. If
inaccurate rumors are started, the elder can deal with them.
Representative McCollum told Somsavat it would help her and
others who would like a stronger partnership with Laos if the
GOL would invite an international entity to &stop the
rumors.8 She encouraged him to consider asking a neutral
third party such as the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) to talk to both sides. Then the ICRC can turn
to the world and announce the rumors are false. She pointed
out that the State Department, without an independent third
party to rely on, has to write the HRR based on the
information available.


12. (C) Representative McCollum pointed out to Somsavat that
having the assistance of the ICRC would create an opportunity
for the GOL to work with the Thai Government to resolve the
situation of the many Hmong currently encamped in Thailand.
If these Hmong are verified to have left for economic reasons
or because they received false information, the international
community would be able to stand up with the Lao and say
&you should go home.8 Through this process, Representative
McCollum pointed out, the ability of those who create the
false rumors would be curtailed.


13. (C) In her closing, Representative McCollum wished
Somsavat success in resolving the GOL,s many challenges with
Thailand, with the return of Hmong from Thailand, and with
gaining third-party validation of these issues. She
pointedly also asked Somsavat to resolve quickly the issue of
the 26 children detained for more than a year; unfortunately
Somsavat did not take the opportunity provided by
Representative McCollum to indicate that a possible
resolution of the children,s case was close.

Comment
--------------

14. (C) The decision by Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat to use
this meeting with Representative McCollum to push so strongly
on the &misinformation8 about the Hmong situation is not
surprising since GOL officials are well aware of both the
large number of Hmong-Americans and Lao-Americans living in
Minnesota,s Fourth District as well as Representative
McCollum,s high profile within the Congress on issues
dealing with Laos in general and the Hmong in particular. As
in previous meetings, we believe Representative McCollum,s
encouragement of permission for increased ICRC activities
here was the perfect response. We were disappointed that
Somsavat, with the inside information he has access to from
his Politburo membership, was not willing to respond when
Representative McCollum raised the ongoing saga of the 26
detained children.


15. (U) Representative McCollum has cleared this cable.

HASLACH