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Human rights groups fear violence as Thailand forces deportation of Hmong

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Several human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), on Sunday expressed concern over the potential for violence as the Thai government begins the forced deportation of 4,000 ethnic Hmong to Laos from a refugee camp inside Thailand. The Hmong fear that they will face persecution in Laos for supporting the opposition government if they are forced to leave their camp in Thailand. The Thai government believes that the Hmong entered the country illegally, and therefore are not entitled to be protected as refugees. In anticipation of potential problems with the evacuation, more than 4,500 Thai troops, police and security staff were sent to the camp for assistance. In a statement issued by the US Department of State last week, the US government asked Thailand to reconsider its decision. The deportation of the Hmong has already caused tension in the region. In October, HRW called on Laos to release Hmong leaders who were forcibly repatriated from Thailand and imprisoned in Laos for their role in a June protest at the camp. The Hmong have been engaged in conflict with the Laos government since the Vietnam War, during which they supported the US. Over 300,000 Hmong fled Laos to Thailand in the early 1970s, where several thousand still remain. In 2004, Thailand began forcibly repatriating Hmong refugees to Laos, where refugees reportedly fear reprisal.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 27, 2009 (boomark / email).