Hmong Pages Attempts To Visit Phonkham Village Shortly After Senator Franken’s Visit

By Malisamai Vue

On June 18^th, 2010, Hmong Pages made a trip to Phonkham village east of Bolikhan district, in Bolikkhamxay province, which is occupied by the involuntary returnees of Whitewater Camp in Thailand. Needing a five hour car ride from Vientiane, the capitol of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) to teach the site, “It felt like traveling to the ends of the earth,” said Cheu Lee of Hmong Pages, who recently took a trip there to experience the settlement firsthand. Refugees are often taken to live in very harsh or isolated lands.

Currently there are two gates guarded by military officials to enter Phonkham village. Hmong Pages’ Cheu and Choua Lee made it through the first gate and were denied access into the village at the second gate.

According to the conditions of one returnee, it is shared that Laotian officials continue to work with the returnees, providing approximately a three mile radius farmland for them to use and assisting with minor medical care. At the moment, they are treated well.

Hmong Pages also discovered that there are roughly 400 families and at least 3,500 returnees that reside inside Phonkham village.According to members of the returnees, Phonkham village is a temporary camp. The returnees have permission to leave and re-enter the village. They can visit with families that live in the country and if they receive sponsorship from families, they can leave Phonkham village and go live among societal communities. The returnees also have the opportunity to leave the camp to work or look for work outside Phonkham village.

Senator Al Franken's office has been working with the U.S. State Department over the forced repatriation of the more than 4,500 Hmong to the LPDR late last year, a move he condemned. As part of his visit to Southeast Asia with other elected officials, Senator Franken had the opportunity to visit Phonkham village on July 6^th, 2010 guided by a Laotian military officer.

During Senator Franken’s visit, he stated, “I did not get the kind of access I would have liked to get a full picture of the condition of the Hmong returnees. I did get to speak to a group of them and let them know we care about their fate.  I also let high-ranking Lao officials know that on future visits, our Ambassador and others from the international community should have greater access to the Hmong returnees.  I also expressed my desire for a list of all the returnees so their families and friends in the U.S. can locate them.  The 100 returnees who were screened by UNHCR for resettlement elsewhere should be allowed to resettle in the countries that have offered, including the U.S.  Finally, I echoed the support the State Department has already expressed for humanitarian and other assistance for the Hmong.”

Senator Al Franken did get the opportunity to echo his continued concerns over the returnees to Secretary Hilary Clinton in her meeting with LPDR’s Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith during his visit to Washington D.C. from July 12^th-14^th in 2010.

Although restrictions and access is still at great concern, the Laotian government is well aware that there is an international watch on any human rights violation.