Samak Defies U.S. Congressional Appeals to King of Thailand: Hmong Protestors to...

Samak Defies U.S. Congressional Appeals to King of Thailand: Hmong Protestors
to Be Forced Back to Laos

WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for Public Policy
Analysis (CPPA) in Washington, D.C. joined with a coalition of organizations
and Members of the U.S. Congress today in challenging Thai Prime Minister
Samak Sundaravej's refusal, along with Lt. General Nipat Thonglek, to heed
appeals by Members of the U.S. Congress to His Majesty, the King of Thailand,
to stop the forced and involuntary repatriation of over 200 more Hmong refugee
protestors who are to be sent back to Laos today.
The U.S. Congress introduced legislation in June, H. Res. 1273, appealing
to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, to seek his
assistance to help stop the forced and involuntary repatriation of over 8,000
Hmong refugees at Ban Huay Nam Khao camp, Petchabun Province, and Nong Khai
Province. The legislation also urges the Lao government to address the human
rights crisis in Laos and stop its military attacks on the Laotian and Hmong
people.
H. Res. 1273 was introduced and cosponsored by eight Members of the U.S.
Congress including: Patrick Kennedy (D-RI); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Frank Wolf
(R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Ron Kind
(D-WI) and James Langevin (D-RI) and Chris Shays (R-CT).
"It is important to remember that these 215 Hmong refugees are among the
groups of those 5200 refugees from Ban Huay Nam Khao refugee camp that the
Thai military, at the orders of Prime Minister Samak, brutally arrested after
their protest march out of the refugee camp in Petchabun to the United Nations
in Bangkok, because they refused to return to Laos," stated Philip Smith,
Executive Director of the CPPA.
Smith concluded: "It is absurd to accept the false assertions of Prime
Minister Samak, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek, and some Thai military officials who
have said that these Hmong refugees, who were engaged in massive protest
marches against returning to Laos, now want to return to Laos. On the
contrary, these refugees have repeated protested being sent to Laos. They
were arrested and imprisoned for refusing to be repatriated to Laos, despite
the appeal by Members of the U.S. Congress to His Majesty, King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, for his protection and assistance to save the
Hmong refugees."
Contact: Anna Jones
Tele. (202) 543-1444
info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
www.cppa-dc.org

SOURCE The Center for Public Policy Analysis

Anna Jones, The Center for Public Policy Analysis, +1-202-543-1444,
info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org