THREAT TO DEPORT LAO HMONG GROUP FROM PETCHABOON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000434

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, PRM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM PREL KIRF TH LA
SUBJECT: THREAT TO DEPORT LAO HMONG GROUP FROM PETCHABOON

REF: A. VIENTIANE 396

B. VIENTIANE 390

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach, reason 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Several sources reported to us over the
weekend that Thai authorities had arrested a group of 24 Lao
citizen ethnic Hmong in Petchaboon province on May 11 and had
threatened to deport them to Laos. According to these
sources the Hmong were "remote people" who had fled Laos as a
result of military activity. One of our sources also told us
Thai authorities had attempted to deport a separate group of
16 Hmong from Petchaboon the week of May 1-5, but Lao
authorities had refused to accept them. The Lao officially
will not acknowledge any of the Hmong in Petchaboon,
including these recent arrivals, could be Lao citizens, and
the GoL appears to have alerted its border officials along
the Mekong to guard against "illegal" deportations from
Thailand. Hmong remaining in the forest are desperate, and
some may be considering reprisals against Lao civilian
targets. End summary.

New Groups
--------------

2. (C) Several sources informed us May 12 that Thai
authorities in Petchaboon province had arrested a group of 24
ethnic Hmong from Laos and had threatened to deport them back
to Laos over the weekend. Two sources -- a Hmong source in
Thailand and a U.S.-based American citizen -- said the Hmong
were members of "remote people" groups who had faced attack
by Lao military forces and had fled to Thailand only last
week. These sources related the group was being held in Khao
Kho district jail pending their return to Laos. This is the
same facility where the group of Hmong children were held
immediately after their arrest, and where the two drivers
from that group continue to be held. Informed about the
possible deportation by one of the same sources, AP reported
this story on May 12.


3. (C) We also heard from our Thai-based Hmong source that
during the week of May 1-5 Thai authorities in Petchaboon had
attempted to deport a separate group of 16 Lao citizen Hmong,
a group that included 14 recent arrivals to Petchaboon and
the two male drivers arrested with the group of 27 Hmong
deported to Laos in December and held in Khao Kho since that
time. Thai authorities took these 16 Lao to the Mekong river
town of Ban Kok Phai in Loei province and alerted police in
the Lao village of Ban Wan across the river that they were
deporting "Lao citizens." However, the Lao police would not
allow the group to be sent over and ultimately the 16 Hmong
were taken back to Khao Kho district jail. Our source
believed these 16 were being held with the 24 Hmong arrested
last week.


4. (C) In a conversation today, the MFA Press Spokesman Yong
Chanthalangsy said he was alerted to the possible deportation
of the 24 Hmong by the AP story Friday, but said there was
"no evidence" they were Lao citizens. Yong asserted any
informal deportation across the Mekong river would be
"illegal," as the Lao would first need to vet any deportees
to ensure they were Lao citizens. He claimed that Lao police
up and down the Mekong were on the alert for this sort of
deportation and were under orders not to accept any returnees
from Thailand who did not go through a formal repatriation.
Yong said Laos did not want to have "another big problem,"
apparently referring to the 26 missing Hmong children (ref A).

Thai Take on the Groups
--------------

5. (C) Bangkok Refcoord contacted the Thai National Security
Council on May 15 regarding reports of Hmong deportations.
Based on information from an NGO contact early last week,
Refcoord and UNHCR had contacted the NSC and expressed
concern about a group of 16 Hmong who reportedly had been
arrested and were in jail at a location about 30 miles east
of the Petchaboon site. There was no indication at that time
that the Thai were considering deportation of the group. On
May 15, although the normal NSC interlocutor was out of the
office, another NSC staffer stated that the NSC had directed
Thai immigration not to deport the group of 16. It is not
completely certain that the group of 16 mentioned above by
the Hmong source is the same group since the group inquired

VIENTIANE 00000434 002 OF 002


about last week had reportedly arrived in Thailand several
months ago. Thai NSC staff also stated on May 15 that no
deportation activity was anticipated for the group of 24
Hmong.

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

6. (C) The Lao appear to be on guard against informal
deportations by the Thai. The claim that the groups facing
deportation are recent arrivals to Thailand indicates at
least some Hmong are slipping through the Lao and Thai
dragnet and making their way to Petchaboon. Our sources tell
us that at least some of these people are literally fleeing
for their lives. Lao military pressure against "remote
people" groups in Bolikhamsai and Vientiane provinces has
forced many Hmong to flee those areas and make their way out
of the country as best they can (ref B). If they are indeed
"remote people," they will face arrest on their return,
especially any of their number who are males of arms-bearing
age.


7. (C) On that note, one of our sources, with close contacts
to Laos' insurgents, has reported that the key leaders of
these Hmong bands are looking to leave the country but want
to know what their options are. They feel they are between a
rock and a hard place, and are unlikely to flee if they
believe they will be arrested by the Thai and handed back to
the Lao, for certain imprisonment and likely execution. With
their backs to the wall, they are also looking at other
tactics. The same source said he had heard talk among "some
groups" of launching reprisals against Lao civilians to exact
revenge for their persecution. We have stressed (a point our
source readily supports) that any tit-for-tat attacks will
only result in more needless bloodshed and will likely
escalate the Lao military's efforts to wipe them out. End
comment.


8. (U) This message was coordinated with Embassy Bangkok.

HASLACH