ຕາມທີ່ໄດ້ໄປອ່ານຂ່າວຢູ່ເວັບວຽງຈັນໄທມ໌ ເພິ່ນວ່າທ່ານນາຍພົນບົວສ້ຽງ ຈຳປາພັນ ຈະເຊື້ອເຊີນບັນດາທູດຕ່າງປະເທດໃນລາວໄປຢາມພີ່ນ້ອງມົ້ງທີ່ອາສາສະໝັກກັບຄືນມາຢູ່ລາວ, ລາວຈະໄດ້ຜົນປະໂຫຍດຫຍັງແດ່ຈາກການຢ້ຽມຢາມຄັ້ງນີ້? Laos welcomes foreign visit to Hmong village
Foreign ambassadors to Laos will be invited to visit the Hmong resettlement village, though officials in charge are yet to specify full details.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of National Defence's General Staff Department, Brigadier General Bouasieng Champaphanh, yesterday spoke to the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Laos, Mr Tjaco Van den Hout, about the possibility of visiting the village in Borikhan district, Borikhamxay province.
“We would be pleased to organise a trip for all interested ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng told Mr Van den Hout during a meeting at the Ministry of National Defence.
But he suggested the ambassador submit an official request to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek approval and discuss details of the trip with the foreign ministry.
“There is no problem with your request. Once the approval is made, I will organise the trip for all interested foreign ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador.
Officials said the trip to take the ambassadors to the village is expected to take place soon.
In 2004, a large group of Hmong people left Laos for Thailand in the hope of onward travel to the United States.
The total number of migrants rose to almost 8,000 people, of whom about 7,800 were held in a detention camp in Phetchabun province and 158 were detained in Nong Khai province.
In December last year, the two governments successfully repatriated them back to Laos.
Brig Gen Bouasieng told the Netherlands' ambassador that the Lao and Thai governments considered all the detainees to be economic migrants who sought employment in foreign countries illegally.
However, he stressed that Lao people can apply to work in foreign countries legally in line with Lao labour laws.
“We don't prohibit people from working in foreign countries, but we do require them to acquire the proper paperwork first,” he said.
Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador that all the returnees are being treated well, noting that the Lao government has not prosecuted them upon their return as some rumours suggested.
Instead, the government has provided them with an assistance package to enable them to resume normal lives, despite suffering significant financial constraints.
“The returnees who went back to their hometowns were assigned local authorities to help them, while those in the resettlement villages are being cared for by the government,” Brig Gen Bouasieng said.
He encouraged any country concerned about the living conditions of the returnees to provide assistance to them.
ຕາມທີ່ໄດ້ໄປອ່ານຂ່າວຢູ່ເວັບວຽງຈັນໄທມ໌ ເພິ່ນວ່າທ່ານນາຍພົນບົວສ້ຽງ ຈຳປາພັນ ຈະເຊື້ອເຊີນບັນດາທູດຕ່າງປະເທດໃນລາວໄປຢາມພີ່ນ້ອງມົ້ງທີ່ອາສາສະໝັກກັບຄືນມາຢູ່ລາວ, ລາວຈະໄດ້ຜົນປະໂຫຍດຫຍັງແດ່ຈາກການຢ້ຽມຢາມຄັ້ງນີ້? Laos welcomes foreign visit to Hmong village
Foreign ambassadors to Laos will be invited to visit the Hmong resettlement village, though officials in charge are yet to specify full details.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of National Defence's General Staff Department, Brigadier General Bouasieng Champaphanh, yesterday spoke to the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Laos, Mr Tjaco Van den Hout, about the possibility of visiting the village in Borikhan district, Borikhamxay province.
“We would be pleased to organise a trip for all interested ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng told Mr Van den Hout during a meeting at the Ministry of National Defence.
But he suggested the ambassador submit an official request to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek approval and discuss details of the trip with the foreign ministry.
“There is no problem with your request. Once the approval is made, I will organise the trip for all interested foreign ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador.
Officials said the trip to take the ambassadors to the village is expected to take place soon.
In 2004, a large group of Hmong people left Laos for Thailand in the hope of onward travel to the United States.
The total number of migrants rose to almost 8,000 people, of whom about 7,800 were held in a detention camp in Phetchabun province and 158 were detained in Nong Khai province.
In December last year, the two governments successfully repatriated them back to Laos.
Brig Gen Bouasieng told the Netherlands' ambassador that the Lao and Thai governments considered all the detainees to be economic migrants who sought employment in foreign countries illegally.
However, he stressed that Lao people can apply to work in foreign countries legally in line with Lao labour laws.
“We don't prohibit people from working in foreign countries, but we do require them to acquire the proper paperwork first,” he said.
Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador that all the returnees are being treated well, noting that the Lao government has not prosecuted them upon their return as some rumours suggested.
Instead, the government has provided them with an assistance package to enable them to resume normal lives, despite suffering significant financial constraints.
“The returnees who went back to their hometowns were assigned local authorities to help them, while those in the resettlement villages are being cared for by the government,” Brig Gen Bouasieng said.
He encouraged any country concerned about the living conditions of the returnees to provide assistance to them.
ຕາມທີ່ໄດ້ໄປອ່ານຂ່າວຢູ່ເວັບວຽງຈັນໄທມ໌ ເພິ່ນວ່າທ່ານນາຍພົນບົວສ້ຽງ ຈຳປາພັນ ຈະເຊື້ອເຊີນບັນດາທູດຕ່າງປະເທດໃນລາວໄປຢາມພີ່ນ້ອງມົ້ງທີ່ອາສາສະໝັກກັບຄືນມາຢູ່ລາວ, ລາວຈະໄດ້ຜົນປະໂຫຍດຫຍັງແດ່ຈາກການຢ້ຽມຢາມຄັ້ງນີ້? Laos welcomes foreign visit to Hmong village
Foreign ambassadors to Laos will be invited to visit the Hmong resettlement village, though officials in charge are yet to specify full details.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of National Defence's General Staff Department, Brigadier General Bouasieng Champaphanh, yesterday spoke to the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Laos, Mr Tjaco Van den Hout, about the possibility of visiting the village in Borikhan district, Borikhamxay province.
“We would be pleased to organise a trip for all interested ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng told Mr Van den Hout during a meeting at the Ministry of National Defence.
But he suggested the ambassador submit an official request to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek approval and discuss details of the trip with the foreign ministry.
“There is no problem with your request. Once the approval is made, I will organise the trip for all interested foreign ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador.
Officials said the trip to take the ambassadors to the village is expected to take place soon.
In 2004, a large group of Hmong people left Laos for Thailand in the hope of onward travel to the United States.
The total number of migrants rose to almost 8,000 people, of whom about 7,800 were held in a detention camp in Phetchabun province and 158 were detained in Nong Khai province.
In December last year, the two governments successfully repatriated them back to Laos.
Brig Gen Bouasieng told the Netherlands' ambassador that the Lao and Thai governments considered all the detainees to be economic migrants who sought employment in foreign countries illegally.
However, he stressed that Lao people can apply to work in foreign countries legally in line with Lao labour laws.
“We don't prohibit people from working in foreign countries, but we do require them to acquire the proper paperwork first,” he said.
Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador that all the returnees are being treated well, noting that the Lao government has not prosecuted them upon their return as some rumours suggested.
Instead, the government has provided them with an assistance package to enable them to resume normal lives, despite suffering significant financial constraints.
“The returnees who went back to their hometowns were assigned local authorities to help them, while those in the resettlement villages are being cared for by the government,” Brig Gen Bouasieng said.
He encouraged any country concerned about the living conditions of the returnees to provide assistance to them.
ຕາມທີ່ໄດ້ໄປອ່ານຂ່າວຢູ່ເວັບວຽງຈັນໄທມ໌ ເພິ່ນວ່າທ່ານນາຍພົນບົວສ້ຽງ ຈຳປາພັນ ຈະເຊື້ອເຊີນບັນດາທູດຕ່າງປະເທດໃນລາວໄປຢາມພີ່ນ້ອງມົ້ງທີ່ອາສາສະໝັກກັບຄືນມາຢູ່ລາວ, ລາວຈະໄດ້ຜົນປະໂຫຍດຫຍັງແດ່ຈາກການຢ້ຽມຢາມຄັ້ງນີ້? Laos welcomes foreign visit to Hmong village
Foreign ambassadors to Laos will be invited to visit the Hmong resettlement village, though officials in charge are yet to specify full details.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of National Defence's General Staff Department, Brigadier General Bouasieng Champaphanh, yesterday spoke to the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Laos, Mr Tjaco Van den Hout, about the possibility of visiting the village in Borikhan district, Borikhamxay province.
“We would be pleased to organise a trip for all interested ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng told Mr Van den Hout during a meeting at the Ministry of National Defence.
But he suggested the ambassador submit an official request to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek approval and discuss details of the trip with the foreign ministry.
“There is no problem with your request. Once the approval is made, I will organise the trip for all interested foreign ambassadors to visit the village,” Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador.
Officials said the trip to take the ambassadors to the village is expected to take place soon.
In 2004, a large group of Hmong people left Laos for Thailand in the hope of onward travel to the United States.
The total number of migrants rose to almost 8,000 people, of whom about 7,800 were held in a detention camp in Phetchabun province and 158 were detained in Nong Khai province.
In December last year, the two governments successfully repatriated them back to Laos.
Brig Gen Bouasieng told the Netherlands' ambassador that the Lao and Thai governments considered all the detainees to be economic migrants who sought employment in foreign countries illegally.
However, he stressed that Lao people can apply to work in foreign countries legally in line with Lao labour laws.
“We don't prohibit people from working in foreign countries, but we do require them to acquire the proper paperwork first,” he said.
Brig Gen Bouasieng assured the ambassador that all the returnees are being treated well, noting that the Lao government has not prosecuted them upon their return as some rumours suggested.
Instead, the government has provided them with an assistance package to enable them to resume normal lives, despite suffering significant financial constraints.
“The returnees who went back to their hometowns were assigned local authorities to help them, while those in the resettlement villages are being cared for by the government,” Brig Gen Bouasieng said.
He encouraged any country concerned about the living conditions of the returnees to provide assistance to them.
PHONKHAM VILLAGE, Laos (AFP) - The Laotian government allowed UN agencies and top diplomats brief access Friday to a village housing thousands of ethnic Hmong who were expelled from Thailand in December. In an attempt to quell international concerns about the group, officials led a tightly-controlled trip via helicopter to remote Phonkham village, a newly-built community in central Bolikhamsay province. Bangkok sparked a global outcry in December when it used troops to forcibly repatriate about 4,500 Hmong from camps in northern Thailand to its communist neighbour. The group included 158 people recognised as refugees by the United Nations. Hmong are a Southeast Asian ethnic group who fear persecution for fighting alongside US forces in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. Thailand and Laos both said the Hmong were illegal economic immigrants. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was never given access to the vast majority of the Hmong in Thai camps to assess if any were in fact refugees, despite concerns that a significant number would need international protection. But a UNHCR official was invited to take part in Friday's short visit, along with representatives of the World Bank, the UN Development Programme, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "We're glad the Laotian government did invite us to go... I think it's a good first step," said UNHCR spokeswoman Kitty McKinsey. "We would like an opportunity to talk to the people who returned." The visitors included about 20 Western diplomats including the US ambassador to Laos, European Union delegates, and foreign reporters. They were welcomed to the village by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Phongsavath Boupha. He said his ministry was pleased about the visit, "so you can experience the real atmosphere of the village". But for most of the two-hour stay, the delegation was confined to an unfinished village hall, mainly to be briefed about planned infrastructure developments, with no time allocated for one-on-one discussions with the Hmong. "The returnees are stable and confident in the leadership of the government and our officials in charge," said Bounthan Douangtanya, speaking on behalf of the committee that administers Phonkham. But as the visit concluded, some Hmong approached the delegation and said they wanted to leave. US congressmen, US diplomats and the Thai military earlier visited members of the repatriated group, but rights groups and foreign embassies have been seeking better access to ensure the returnees are properly treated. Diplomats have said there were no reports of mistreatment. Separately in Bangkok, David Lipman, the head of the European Union delegation to Thailand, reiterated a call for "free and unfettered" access to the resettled Hmong, especially the 158 whom the Netherlands, the US, Canada and Australia have offered to resettle. Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya -- who met Friday with Lipman, other Bangkok-based Western diplomats, the IOM and UNHCR -- said he would pursue the envoys' request with Laotian authorities, an EU press release said [url]http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/afp/20100327/01/3752578104.jpg?x=292&sig=psmu8oiXxKlJeEt7pg3dkg--[/img] ຮູບນີ້ອາດຈະໃຫ້ຄຳຕອບດີວ່າເປັນຫຍັງບາງຄົນຈຶ່ງຢາກອອກຈາກສູນນີ້.
