February 26, 2004

LPDR and Vietnamese Troops Kill 35 Freedom Fighters at Phou Marhtao

Laos (FFC)  The  Freedom Fighter group at Phou Marthao, Bolikhamxay province, Laos reported to Fact Finding Commission on February 25, 2004 that since February 19 - 25, 2004 the LPDR government has launched heavy attacks on them by using M6 and 8 helicopters to bomb and spray chemical poison to areas where they were hiding.  There were 200 North Vietnamese troops and 400 LPDR troops (200 from Xieng Khouang Province and 200 from Bolikhamxay Province).  During these heavy attacks, 10 people were killed in combat; 25 were killed by biological and chemical poisoning; and 60 were exposed to chemical.  The symptoms occurred during the exposure and prior to their deaths were headaches, dizzy, blurry vision, vomiting, and diarrhea with blood.   The duration of time from the time they exposed the chemical to the time they died was between 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much chemical they were exposed to.   This report was reported by Freedom Fighters spokesmen Seenon, Wameng Yang, and Tong Chia Vue.

The Freedom Fighters are U.S. Secret War veterans who are also known as "the Resistance."  When the United States abandoned Southeast Asia in 1975 these groups, which had fought in the CIA financed "Secret War" were unable to escape from Laos. They fled to the mountains and jungles to escape retribution at the hands of the communists.  These veterans are fiercely loyal to the United States and the principals of democracy.  For twenty-eight years these veterans and their families have lived in the jungle holding on to the hope their American allies would come to their rescue.