President Obama Urged To Address Laos, Hmong Crisis During Asia Trip, Student Protests in Vientiane

2009-11-14 06:46:09 - U.S. President Barack Obama is being urged to address the Laos, Hmong crisis during his Asia trip and visit to Singapore by Laotian student, human rights and humanitarian organizations. President Obama is also being urged to address the current Lao Hmong refugee crisis in Thailand where some 5,000 Lao Hmong political refugees face forced repatriation back to the Stalinist regime in Laos that they fled. The Peoples Army of Vietnam has sent more troops to Laos from Hanoi to assist the LPDR military regime in Laos during the planned protests and anti-government rallies.

Bangkok, Thailand and Washington, D.C., November 14, 2009

Contact: Mr. Juan Lopez
info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
Tele. (202) 543-1444

With the start of the APEC meeting in Singapore attended by U.S. President Barack Obama and the Southeast Asia Games ( or SEA Games) on the horizon, the Lao military is seeking to renew a major faltering effort to stem civil unrest and intervene against Laos and Hmong
anti-government activists.
Lao students, pro-democracy and human rights groups as well as political and religious dissidents in Laos have sought to mobilize in mass opposition to the one-party, military junta in Vientiane in recent weeks. President Obama is being urged to address the Laos, Hmong crisis during his Asia trip by Laotian student, human rights, humanitarian and non-governmental organizations. Obama is also being urged to address the current Lao Hmong refugee crisis in Thailand where some 5,000 Lao Hmong political refugees face forced repatriation back to the Stalinist regime in Laos that they fled.

The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (LPDR) is a one-party, authoritarian regime closely allied with Burma and North Korea. The LPDR regime has held rallies this year in support of the Marxist-Leninist regime in Pyongyang despite President Obama's efforts to remind Communist leaders in Laos that they are a post-Marxist Leninist Communist regime. http://www.pr-inside.com/laos-north-korea-hold-rally-prior-r1402606.htm

As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to meet with Southeast Asia leaders in Singapore, more Lao students and human rights activists have been imprisoned for advocating peaceful reform of the communist regime in Laos. The total number of Laotian political and religious dissidents arrested in Laos by secret police and army units since November 2nd has been confirmed at 1176 from sources inside Laos, including multiple sources inside the Lao government and Lao military. Lao Hmong civilians and anti-government groups, including dissident Protestant and Catholic Christians, are also suffering increased attacks as the government has intensified its crackdown prior to the start of the Southeast Asia games in Vientiane in December.

The U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) has also reported about some of the activists in Laos seeking to demonstrate for reform in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (LPDR).

“We are very concerned that the new Laotian protesters and pro-democracy activists in Laos are being jailed in terrible and harsh conditions in Sam Khe prison where they are suffering in horribly from the abuses of communist authorities,” said Mr. Oudong Saysana and Ms. Nouamkham Khamphylavong of the Lao Students Movement for Democracy ( LSMD ). “By the 5th of November we received reports and confirmation from Lao student movement members inside Laos that the arrests of over 300 Laotian people had indeed occurred.”
http://www.media-newswire.com/release_1105004.html

Currently, as of November 14, 2009, over 1176 people have been arrested by Lao government for suspected roles in organizing or participating in rallies in opposition to the Lao government’s policies and oppressive

Ms. Nouamkham Khamphylavong, along with other Lao students, participated in the October 26, 1999, peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in Vientiane, Laos seeking political freedoms and change in Laos. Many of her colleagues and fellow students have been imprisoned in Laos for over 10 years by the Lao military junta.
http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA260042000?open&of=ENG-LAO
http://www.media-newswire.com/release_1096784.html

“The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has intervened in Laos with special police and army units to seek to halt the spread of anti-government opposition in key provinces inside Laos, including Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Xieng Khouang, Khammoune, Sam Neua and Savanakhet Provinces and others,” said Bounthanh Rathigna of the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc (ULDL).

Mr. Rathigna continued: "Religious and political dissidents are seeking to protest the corrupt LPDR regime in Laos and the soldiers from Hanoi that are continuing to oppress and exploit the Laotian and Hmong people; Hundreds more have been arrested by the LPDR secret police in Laos and Lao army along with troops from Hanoi, more and more each day."
http://www.pr-inside.com/virginia-laos-hmong-appeal-to-senator-r1436647.htm
http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/10586-1257366404-hundreds-more-laotians-arrested-by-laos-army-as-sea-games-approach.html

"The Laotian people who are trying to demonstrate against the Lao government want political change and reform in Laos; they want true religious freedom for all Lao Buddhists, Christians and Animists, and to end the LPDR regime's Stalinist and one-party communist control of the Lao peoples' religious affairs, political affairs and economic freedom. The Lao students, activists and protesters in Laos, along with Laotian people, want an end to the LPDR regime's corruption and military rule; The Lao and Hmong people want the soldiers and troops from Vietnam and Hanoi out of Laos," said Boon Boulaphanh, of the Laotian Community of Minnesota.

“More attacks have occurred against the Lao Hmong Christians and Animist dissident groups hiding in Phou Bia and Phou Da Phao mountain areas in Laos in recent days,” said Vaughn Vang, Executive Director of the Lao Hmong Human Rights Council. “We are appealing to President Obama to help urge the Lao government to stop these attacks on religious and political dissidents as well as ordinary Laotian and Hmong civilians who wish to live in peace and freedom away from the corrupt one-party communist regime in control of Laos.”http://www.pr-inside.com/laos-8-lao-hmong-children-captured-r1434824.htm

“The Lao Peoples Army (LPA) backed by special units and battalions of the Vietnam Peoples Army (VPA) have mobilized forces in key provinces of Laos to attack enclaves of Laotian and Hmong civilians hiding in the mountains and jungles of Laos as well as groups of religious and political dissidents opposed to the Communist regime in Laos, especially dissident Christian, Animist and Buddhist groups,” Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) in Washington, D.C.

“The growing movement of support for the Lao Students Movement for Democracy of October 1999, has come under heavy attack by the Lao security forces following efforts to organize various protests and events to mark the 10th anniversary of the peaceful protests that occurred in Vientiane, Laos,” Smith said.

“The confirmed total number of Laotian political and religious dissidents arrested in Laos in November now stands at 1176 with scores jailed in Vientiane's infamous Sam Khe prison,” said “The ongoing and unnecessary arrests of ordinary Laotians and students peacefully opposed to the Lao military junta as well as political and religious dissidents is overshadowing the start of the Southeast Asia Games ( SEA Games ) slated to begin in weeks. Laos’ Sam Khe prison has swelled with the arrest of dozens more Laotian political and religious dissidents in recent days, including 38 more people today in Vientiane,” Smith continued.

The Lao Movement for Human Rights (MLDH - Mouvement Lao pour les Droits l’Homme, or LMHR ), the Lao Students Movement for Democracy (LSMD), the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. (ULDL), the Lao Hmong Human Rights Council (LHHRC), the Laos Institute for Democracy (LIFD), the Lao Veterans of America, Inc. (LVA), Lao Community of Minnesota (LCMN) Hmong Advance, Inc. (HA), Hmong Advancement, Inc. (HAI), the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) and other organizations have issued statements and appeals in opposition to the arrests of the some 1176 Laotians in recent days.
www.onlineprnews.com/news/10586-1257366404-hundreds-more-laotian ..

--

Center for Public Policy Analysis - CPPA

Contact (s): Ms. Maria Gomez or Mr. John Smith,
Communications Department
CPPA
Telephone contact. (202)543-1444
e-mail contact: info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

CPPA - Center for Public Policy Analysis
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., North West
No. # 212
Washington, D.C. 20006

http://www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

Source