Thailand deports thousands of Hmong to Laos

[ccharles000]

Thailand has removed about 4,000 ethnic Hmong from a northern refugee camp to deport them back to communist-ruled Laos, despite international criticism.

No violence was used as all of the Hmong were moved out of the camp in Phetchabun province, officials said.

Thailand describes them as economic migrants. The Hmong say they face persecution in Laos because they backed US forces during the Vietnam war.

The United Nations urged Thailand to stop the deportations.

Col Thana Charuvat, who is co-ordinating the repatriation, said about 5,000 soldiers, officials and civilian volunteers had entered the camp in Huay Nam Khao village late on Monday morning.

By late afternoon, the last of the Hmong had been driven from the camp in army trucks to buses that were waiting to take them to the border with Laos.

"There was no resistance from the repatriated Hmong because we used psychological tactics to talk with them, to assure them that they will have a better life in Laos as the Lao government has confirmed," Col Thana said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8432094.stm

[Nikki Stone1]

1. "we used psychological tactics to talk with them"

Those people will be killed in Laos.