HMONG-AMERICANS RECRUIT "TROUBLEMAKERS" FROM THAI

S E C R E T VIENTIANE 000309 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS STATE FOR DS/IP/EAP STATE FOR DS/IP/ITA PACOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV MK MN KV EU MA PO SUBJECT: HMONG-AMERICANS RECRUIT "TROUBLEMAKERS" FROM THAI HOLDING CAMP REF: A. A: 06 VIENTIANE 1205 ¶B. B: 07 VIENTIANE 0011 ¶C. C: 07 BANGKOK 0596 Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA M. HASLACH FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND ( D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Unidentified Hmong-Americans are said to be recruiting Hmong from the holding camp in Thailand's Petchabun Province to return to Laos to stage incidents apparently in support of the three-decade-old but failing Hmong insurgency. The Embassy is working to gather more information. Meanwhile we are concerned about the safety of all concerned. End summary. ¶2. (C) An Embassy contact who has reported accurately in the past informed the Embassy by e-mail April 15 that unidentified Hmong Americans had recruited three teams of 7-12 men each, apparently in early February, to go back to Laos "to cause trouble." Shortly after this, the Embassy received reports of fire-fights along Route 13 north of the tourist city of Vang Vieng (about one third of the way from Vientiane north to Luang Prabang) which led first to a warden message and later a public announcement advising AmCits against travel in that area. The contact said the February fighting was caused by these teams returning to Laos. ¶3. (C) The contact also passed on reports that another 50 men had been sent to Bolikhamxai Province -- an area where the Embassy believes virtually all insurgents have surrendered to the Lao authorities or fled the country (Ref A). The Embassy is not aware of any upsurge of fighting in Bolikhamsay. ¶4. (C) The contact also reported that recruitment continued in early April, but the Hmong-Americans were only able to recruit 100 from the camp; their goal was reportedly 300 new fighters. There is no additional information about the specific focus of this additional group of 100 men. Comment -------------- ¶5. (S) We are trying to set a time to meet this contact in person to be able to gather more precise information, including names of those involved if possible, than that which can be sent over the Internet. We are increasingly concerned about the safety not only of the Hmong Americans who are reported to be engaged in recruiting these fighters to return to Laos but also the safety of this contact as well as that of respected Hmong activists such as Laura Xiong who have been working to help Hmong leaders, particularly those at the Nong Khai Immigration Detention Center (Ref C). As per Ref B, there have been a series of more than 20 assassinations in northeastern Thailand of Hmong Americans and Lao Americans during the past few years. Those targeted for assassination have fallen into a nearly identifcal demographic -- that of those threatening Lao stability. HASLACH