PLANS FOR JOINT DEMARCHE ON MISSING HMONG CHILDREN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000496 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, PRM E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF TH LA SUBJECT: PLANS FOR JOINT DEMARCHE ON MISSING HMONG CHILDREN REF: A. VIENTIANE 443 ¶B. VIENTIANE 67 Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach, reason 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action cable. Please see para 11. Summary -------------- ¶2. (C) With no sign of the Lao intending to release the 26 Hmong children held since December, the "like-minded" group in Vientiane plans to jointly demarche the Lao government as soon as modalities can be arranged, perhaps as early as the week of June 12-16. Timing is an important point: the Lao will announce cabinet changes June 10 and the Foreign Minister is almost certain to be replaced. The UN Secretary General wrote to the Lao President May 18 asking the Lao to return the children to Thailand; so far the Lao have not responded to the letter, but UNDP's ResRep will press for an answer. The Australians have redrafted talking points, while like-minded countries (with the EU embassies joining bilaterally) will seek permission to participate. The group agrees that the demarche is the logical next step in pressing the GoL on the missing children, and that the pressure from the international community needs to be kept up. Unless the Lao turn the children loose in the next week or two, the joint demarche looks set to go. End summary. Like-minded meeting -------------- ¶3. (C) The like minded group (U.S., France, Australia, Germany, Poland and UNDP) met June 1 at the invitation of the French Ambassador to discuss next steps on the missing Hmong children (ref A). The Swedes, who are normally part of the group, were unable to attend. To date there are still no signals that the Lao intend to release the group, in spite of the Thai government's handing over to the GoL two weeks ago details of the December 5 deportation; the Lao had been demanding that information as a first step in "locating" the children. ¶4. (C) According to the French Ambassador, the details provided by the Thai were sparse, saying the group had been deported by "unnamed Thai officials" on December 5 at Thaphabat district in Bolikhamsai province, the Thai welcomed the children back, and the return must be done in a "secret" manner. The Lao reaction to the information was subject to interpretation: the French Ambassador, like us, believed the Lao were not satisfied with the amount of detail, for example wanting to know the names of the Thai officials responsible for the deportation. On the other hand, the Lao Press Spokesman had said the Thai details had been passed on to officials in the province where the children "went missing," implying they may have a plan in place to "find" the children and send them back to Thailand. The Lao also have a copy of the Thai immigration report, with names of Thai officials, handed by the Ambassador to the Deputy PM/Foreign Minister January 18 (ref B). ¶5. (C) In another important development, the UNDP ResRep told the group that UN Secretary-General Annan had written to the Lao President May 18 noting the children's deportation to Laos and asking that the Lao locate the group and return them to their families in Thailand. (We have e-mailed a copy of the letter to EAP.) The UNSG also raised the case of the children with Thai PM Thaksin during the course of his recent visit to Bangkok, according to the ResRep. In addition, the ResRep noted that, per UNHCR in Bangkok, the Vietnamese Embassy here had recently spoken with the Lao MFA about the missing children, albeit without a positive response. ¶6. (C) The Australians had raised the missing children during a recent, and long-delayed, meeting between the Ambassador and Foreign Minister. The Australian Ambassador referred to the meeting as largely a "diatribe" by the FM against the VIENTIANE 00000496 002 OF 003 U.S., heavy on Cold War rhetoric and haranguing the U.S. for having "gone public" on the children. Finally, our Embassy's Political Officer had spoken with the Vietnamese Embassy First Secretary earlier this week about the case, informing him that a copy of the Bolikhamsai province police report on the arrested children was "circulating" in the diplomatic community and was leading members of the community to believe the Lao were lying about their claim not to know where the children were. We assume this information will get back to the Lao via their friends the Vietnamese. Joint demarche -- yes, but when? -------------- ¶7. (C) In view of the dilatory Lao reaction to the new Thai information, the group agreed that the joint demarche was called for, although timing was debatable, with the EU (as usual) making the strongest pitch for giving the Lao more time. Even the EU Charge came around and agreed, however, that the time had come to act. The group concluded that the demarche should be delivered "as soon as possible," meaning most likely the week of June 12-16, or as soon thereafter as MFA would grant a meeting. One complication was the likely cabinet shakeup expected for around June 10; the Foreign Minister was almost certain to be replaced, and any demarche after that date would be with a new FM (most likely Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith) who would be only vaguely familiar with the Hmong children issue. ¶8. (C) In preparation for the demarche, the Australian Ambassador offered to provide a new set of draft talking points, while all those present who had not yet obtained permission to join the demarche (the Germans, Poles and French) promised to contact their ministries immediately. We have incorporated the draft demarche points, at the end of this cable, for Department's clearance. At the same time, the UNDP ResRep would seek to call on the GoL to encourage a formal response to the UNSG's letter, as the group felt an early response to this letter would provide a more tangible signal of Lao intentions regarding the missing children. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) In view of the Thai request that the return of the children should be done "secretly," it is possible there is some move in the works by the Lao to repatriate the children without our knowledge -- we are keeping our fingers crossed. However, our experience with the GoL leads us in the opposite direction. The hints coming out of the government that the Thai information was insufficient strongly imply they have yet again moved the goalposts. One thing is for certain: the Thai have done all that can reasonably be expected to accommodate the children's return. The Lao now bear all responsibility for resolving this. The joint demarche is the next step in reminding the GoL yet again that the entire international community (and not just the U.S., as the FM so fervently believes) cares about the welfare of the children. ¶10. (C) One more thing: In a telling bit of hypocrisy from the GoL, the FM, who ironically heads the National Women and Children Commission, only two days ago briefed the press on the "bright future" for Laos' children. He obviously wasn't counting among those children the 26 his government is holding incommunicado and under reportedly appalling conditions in Bolikhamsai and Phongsaly provinces. End comment. Draft talking points -------------- ¶11. (C) Action request: Embassy requests Department's clearance of the following draft talking points for the joint demarche: -- 29 individuals were arrested in Petchabun province in Thailand late in November 2005. They were reportedly held at Khao Khor District Prison before being transferred to VIENTIANE 00000496 003 OF 003 immigration detention in Nongkhai Province. -- 27 of the original group, 26 of whom were then between the ages of 12 and 20, were subsequently illegally deported from Thailand to Bholikhamsai Province in Laos in early December. -- The Government of Laos has previously informed us that it is unaware of the whereabouts of the group, has initiated a search, and has sought further details, in particular of the 16 girls and 5 boys 18 years old or younger, from Thailand. -- We understand that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote to H.E. President Khamtay Siphandone on 18 May expressing concern and asking that Laos work to ensure that the children are reunited with their families as soon as possible. -- We further understand Mr. Annan discussed the matter with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok on 26 May, and was assured that Thailand will accept the children back and has provided the requested information to Laos. -- We join the Secretary-General in urging the Government of Laos to resolve the matter, through renewed diplomacy and the early return of the children to Thailand. We offer our assistance to the Government of Laos should it be needed. -- The international community accepts that the best means of assuring the early return of the children is through private diplomacy between Laos and Thailand, and not through international organizations or resort to public statements. -- That said, we cannot ignore the increased interest in the case by concerned communities and individuals within our own countries, and the prospect of increased public attention and calls for international action. -- We look forward to close cooperation and timely information as to the status of the group, especially the children, so that those now following the case within our own countries can likewise be informed. -- We make this demarche in the spirit of cooperation and frank and open exchange. HASLACH