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405 Hmong Holdouts From Vietnam War Era Surrender In LaosBANGKOK, Dec. 13 — A lingering legacy of the Vietnam War emerged from the jungles of Laos on Wednesday, as hundreds of members of the Hmong hill tribe minority surrendered to the Communist government after decades on the run. The group is the latest of several ragtag bands of Hmong to surrender, remnants of a guerrilla army that served the pro-American government until it fell in 1975. The surrendering groups chieftain, Moua Tua Ter, accompanied the 405 people — mostly children — to Ban Ha village in Phoukout District before returning to the jungle with a few of his guerrillas, according to the Fact Finding Commission, an organization that lobbies in the United States for recognition of the Hmongs wartime service. The Hmong appeared to be very hungry and tired, the group said in an e-mail message, and villagers served them a meal of rice and pork. The newcomers became nervous when 50 Lao government soldiers who had shown up a few hours after the surrender separated the Hmong from the villagers. The Hmong were loaded onto five military trucks and soldiers said they would be taken to the district capital where there is an army camp. The Hmong helped the American military effort throughout the Vietnam War, gathering intelligence in Laos, engaging North Vietnamese soldiers there, rescuing downed American pilots and sabotaging part of the Ho Chi Minh supply trail. But Washington did not officially acknowledge its military presence in Laos during that time, and the Hmong were all but abandoned after their Communist enemies, the North Vietnamese-backed Pathet Lao, came to power. More than 300,000 Laotians, mostly Hmong, fled the country after the takeover, with many resettling in the United States. Thousands stayed behind, some adjusting to the new regime and others staying in the jungle, where they faced sweeps by government soldiers. Over the years, roving bands of Hmong guerrillas retreated farther into the jungles with their families, facing starvation and continued military pressure. In recent years, some have turned themselves in, while others have sneaked into Thailand. Thailand is seeking to repatriate Hmong who entered illegally. Thousands more Hmong are believed still in the jungle. Details of the surrender on Wednesday were provided by the Fact Finding Commission, which is in touch with the Hmong through satellite telephones. News of the surrender could not immediately be independently verified. Asked about the reported surrender, a Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman said Hmong are constantly leaving remote areas to be resettled. Thousands of Hmong are moving because we are having a lot of development activities, said the spokesman, Yong Chanthalansy, in a telephone interview from Laos. Officials with Amnesty International said independent monitors should have access to those who surrender. The last time a similar group emerged from hiding in the jungle, they were taken to an army camp and held there incommunicado for months in very harsh conditions, according to reliable information given to Amnesty International, Brittis Edman, a researcher for the group, said in an e-mail message. We are hoping this will not happen again. Amnesty International has accused the Lao government of gross human rights violations in persecuting the Hmong. The Lao government denies the accusation. Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationMumbai Journal: Human Rat Trap Knows His Enemy. They?re Winning....A Monk’s Tale of Protest and Escape From Myanmar... As Asia Keeps Cool, Scientists Worry About the Ozone Layer... Ferry Capsizes in Indonesia, and Hundreds Are Missing... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - 405 Hmong Holdouts From Vietnam War Era Surrender In Laos |
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