February 27, 2010
Chuck Palazzo
The Abandonment of the Hmong by the US Continues
Why has the United States turned its back on some of the bravest and
loyal people that stood by our side during the Vietnam War? The
so-called "Secret War", which began during the early 1960's,
continues to remain secret in many ways it is becoming more
apparent to me, that the United States and especially the CIA has
turned its back on The Hmong and they will face continued suppression
at best, and possible genocide at worst. How better to keep a
"secret" than to ensure the people that might have knowledge of same,
quietly disappear?
The CIA began to recruit and train the indigenous Hmong people in
Laos to join the US in fighting the Vietnam War in the early
1960's. Over 50% of The Hmong men in Laos were supported by the CIA
to join fighting the "Secret War". Their primary responsibility was
to block the Ho Chi Minh Trail which was the main military supply
route from the north to the south of Vietnam. The Hmong put
themselves in great danger but their loyalty to the US never
wavered. They were indeed heroes, saving many Allied forces from
capture, imprisonment and death. From 1967 1971, close to 4,000
Hmong soldiers were killed and over 5,000 injured and
disabled. Between 1962 1975, over 12,000 Hmong died fighting
against the Pathet Lao what many consider to be the Lao equivalent
to The Viet Cong, and who eventually took control of Laos. Following
the US withdrawal from the region in 1975, we abandoned the
Hmong. They were left to escape their country of origin and most
fled to Thailand where they have lived in UN refugee camps ever
since. Still others continue to evade capture as they continue to
live in the jungles and mountains as they continue to be hunted and
apprehended by the local governments. A few have been able to escape
and migrate to western countries.
During December, 2009, Thailand forced over 4,700 Hmong refugees back
to the regime in Laos. Several hundred if not more, have been
unaccounted for, and the worst is believed to be occurring Hmong
men have been beaten and have been subjected to food deprivation to
ensure they sign confessions, presumably regarding their
participation during the "Secret War" as well as to intimidate the
other members of the Hmong and ensure they remain silent about the
war and certainly about the Lao Government and its officials. With
signed confessions in hand, the Lao officials are probably hoping
that this week's delegation of US and Thai officials, as well as by
journalists, will go as planned remain silent. In fact, it has
been reported that The Hmong who have been forcibly returned to Laos
have had hundreds, if not more, removed from the "settlement camps"
and scattered throughout Laos to remote prisons. Keep them silent?
How better to keep any information from them from reaching the masses
then to remove them from any possible contact with non-Lao officials
or journalists? Perhaps to silence them permanently which many
fear has already begun. Approximately 8,000 members of The Hmong who
have been forcibly repatriated to Laos from 2007 -2009 are
missing. Many of these brave men, women and children attempted to
petition the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at their
Bangkok Headquarters for political asylum. The result? Forced back
to Laos by the Thai Army against their wishes but certainly favored
by the Lao Government, and apparently the US, to keep the silence, silent.
During July, 2009, a US Delegation led by the principal deputy
assistant secretary for the State Department's Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration, visited the Hmong in two refugee camps in
Thailand. Nothing was resolved, and to make matters worse, mixed
signals were sent to The Hmong People they had indeed been given
the impression that they would be granted asylum and allowed to enter
the United States. What the Assistant Secretary did do, was to meet
privately with Thai Military officers and a handful of The
Hmong. He never met with the thousands of Hmong that were in the
camps. Instead, upon his return to the US, he issued a press
statement saying the US had no plans for a massive resettlement, but
they would consider referrals on a case-by-case basis. The US
delegation demanded an appropriate and transparent screening process
to identify those detainees who may have protection concerns. "Those
Lao Hmong who are found to be in need of protection should not be
forcibly returned to Laos", it said. The repatriation plan could not
be enforced easily since it runs against the Hmong's freewill,
notably those who claimed they are close associates of the CIA and
fear suppression from the Lao government. The Lao Military dismissed
any such allegations and "guaranteed that no Hmong would be punished
upon return to Laos".
One interesting and alarming issue is this it is estimated that
several hundred of The Hmong who had close ties to the CIA are indeed
in several of the many camps now, presumably back in Laos. The
entire Hmong population is being held, however. Can the US not
utilize its records and negotiate on behalf of those few hundred and
have they as well as the entire Hmong people freed from Laos, refugee
camps, or the jungles and mountains? There are many who seek asylum
in the US for a variety of reasons. There are no other foreign
people who deserve asylum in the US, or a western country of The
Hmong's choice, then the Hmong. In my opinion, The Hmong have indeed,
more of a right, as a result of what they did to help their American
allies during the Vietnam War. Let us not forget, that Thailand also
participated in the "Secret War".
In 1993, Vue Mai, a former Hmong soldier who had been recruited by
the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to return to Laos as proof of the
repatriation program's success, disappeared in Vientiane. According
to the U.S. Committee for Refugees, he was arrested by Lao security
forces and was never seen again. According to Amnesty International,
at least nine Lao protest leaders have disappeared in Laos following
their arrest in Vientiane on November 2, 2009. "Guaranteed that no
Hmong would be punished upon return to Laos". Interesting
comment. My definition of "guaranteed" is very different.
There are not only those Hmong who have been placed into refugee
camps, or perhaps "re-education" camps by now. There are in fact,
many brave Hmong who continue to evade capture. An investigative
reporter met and spoke with several Hmong in the mountains. The
following quote, by a former CIA recruit is very telling. "I am CIA.
In 1970 Mr. Jerry gave me this M79 and told me to shoot enemy," this
Hmong fighter and former "secret war" recruit says in a perfect
American accent, as he waves a battered grenade-launcher in the
air."We have lost thousands of troops for America when the Laos
soldiers kill us they feel like they have killed an America soldier.
The CIA must come and save us." He continues "At least before, we
thought we could escape to Thailand but now we have no place to run
to," as he looks over to a mountain just three miles away. "We can't
keep running, soon we will all die here. Just over that mountain is
where the enemy is and as we speak they are hunting us down with dogs
it's just a matter of time before they attack us again."
The CIA had the wherewithal and all the resources required, to
recruit the Hmong for the "Secret War". Nearly 50 years later, they
can certainly extract anyone they chose from any mountain top or
jungle. Not doing so for The Hmong, whether it be our CIA to perform
extraction missions clandestinely, or the organized removal, with all
Government's involved approval, for those Hmong in refugee camps and
elsewhere, by doing nothing is, a disgrace. The US has clearly
turned their backs on The Hmong who remain in Southeast Asia. What
"secrets" remain preventing the US and the UN from performing the
necessary humanitarian work and free all Hmong from ongoing persecution?
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