More Hmong are likely to sneak in as the Lao army continues its campaign to isolate the forces of the Secret

Story By Achara Ashayagachat

Local authorities are facing an uphill task in putting into order the holding centre for Hmong, better known as Ban Huay Nam Khao Hmong refugee camp in this northern province.

This week, local authorities under the Khao Kho Task Force are moving the camp which holds 7,743 people, to a new site, about three kilometres away.

The ongoing relocation into a new confined zone near the old area has allowed authorities to screen out about 400 people who are not entitled to the Lao-born Hmong category.

"After the Khao Kho Task Force stepped in, we were able to send 400 of them to their domiciles in Phetchabun, Loei, Phayao, Nan, and Chiang Rai. But we believe there might be a few hundred more and the authorities, with assistance from headmen and groups, are identifying them. It's not an easy job," said Maj Gen Somchai Utama, head of the paramilitary Task Force.

Military records showed that 161 Hmong captured from several districts in Phetchabun were deported to Laos on June 9 this year. On May 24, 31 were arrested and sent back, and on Dec 5, 2005, another 27 were repatriated to Laos.

Sources said surveillance is now stringent along the Thai-Lao border to prevent further crossings of Lao-born Hmong into Thailand.

Hmong children at the Ban Huay Nam Khao camp.	A Hmong boy plays traditional music instrument.
A Hmong family in a new site, surrounded by barbed wire.	Soldiers supervise relocation.
Women prepare food in a makeshift kitchen.	A Hmong mother sews traditional cloth.

But authorities believe more refugees are likely to sneak into Thailand as the Lao army remains active in silencing the trapped-in-the-jungle forces of the Secret War veterans and their Hmong families.

A Hmong from Xaiyaburi who is detained in the restricted zone at Ban Huay Nam Khao said he had no idea how many fighters remained there, since he came to Thailand at the age of three. His late father had told him of the story of these fighters.

"He said Lao was not really free and I doubt it is free even today. I heard from people here that around 500 people are still hiding and sometimes meet the Lao army in the jungle," said the Hmong, who came from Tham Krabok zone. There are seven zones in the camp which are divided on the basis of origin of dwellers.

Authorities said they are concerned about human trafficking networks, including corrupt headmen or district officers, who smuggled Thai-born Hmong, some holding Thai citizenship, into the camp. This group of Hmong wanted a chance to resettle in a third country, the same way as the Lao-born group.

A girl eats a snack.

The fact that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has tried to help some of those persecuted Hmong by granting them person of concern (POC) status, has agitated the Surayud government, as it fears the move could encourage more Hmongs into Thailand.

Laos has also made it clear to the UNHCR that international organisations could not interfere in how the Lao government manages land or relocates local people in its territory.

International donors are also experiencing "refugee fatigue" for Southeast Asia, and sources of assistance are significantly drained out.

"The international players are also reluctant to pledge any help or intervene in humanitarian causes as they fear a possibly protracted game if they get involved," said a UN source.

Washington has been cautious in commenting on the Hmong issue, especially those in Thailand.

The US was not planning to open any new large-scale refugee resettlement programme for Hmong, but it was willing to consider refugee resettlement for individuals who were referred to the US Refugee Admissions Programme by UNHCR.

A group of more than 150 Hmongs with PoC status has been detained in the Nong Khai immigration centre for over six months. Thailand has yet to issue an exit visa to these people to allow them to resettle in third countries, including the US. Since the late 1970s, the US has resettled approximately 250,000 Lao nationals. Of these, approximately 145,000 were highland Lao, the majority of whom were ethnic Hmong.

Condoms keep camp numbers down

High birthrate adds to budget woes, but family planning works

Story by ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT

Jong Jeu sae Lao, a Hmong refugee at the Huay Nam Khao camp, has no idea what "family planning" is, but he certainly knows how to have fewer children.

The 36-year-old ethnic Hmong produced a packet of condoms out of his dark green bag.

"We are taught how to sleep with our wives without getting more kids," said Jong Jeu, who had eight children before joining the camp in 2004. He had only one more child in his entire three-year stay at the camp.

This happened to several other Hmong men, most of whom have had 5-9 children before moving into the camp.

Family planning is part of the healthcare scheme at the camp which currently houses 7,743 displaced Hmong people.

The scheme, including food relief, is run single-handedly by Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

There is also an outpatient section which provides round-the-clock service.

Jong Jeu Sae Lao, 36, shows a packet of condoms to prove his cooperation with authorities and Aid agencies' birth control campaign in the crowded Hmong shelter in Phetchabun province.

However, Thai authorities remain concerned about the rapid increase in the camp population, with a monthly birth rate of 25. The population increase means more money is needed to run the camp. A few million baht, sponsored by local entrepreneurs, church and welfare groups and some government agencies, has been used to build new camps, located a few kilometres away, and basic infrastructure such as a road and water pipelines. Another 10 million baht will be needed for administrative work, said Maj-Gen Somchai Utama, who heads the Khao Kho Task Force.

The MSF's budget, meanwhile, has increased from nine million baht (196,466 euros) in 2005 to about 27 million baht in 2006. This year it would rise to 65 million baht, said field coordinator Nolwenn Conan.

The government does not say how long it will allow these displaced Hmong people to stay, but many expect they could be here at least another five years. By that time, the camp population may grow into 10,000.

Bangkok Post 30 June 2007