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Coming to America
Hmong at Wat Thrambrok Encouraged About Future
Thailand (FFC) On it's second trip to the Hmong refugee settlement at Wat Thrambrok, the Fact Finding Commission found people uplifted and encouraged by the hope they would soon be moving to the United States.
This is in contrast to FFC's first visit in December of 2001 in which discouragement and despair permeated the mood of the fifteen thousand residents of the settlement. The people there are still very poor. Most "houses" consist of metal and bamboo roofing and siding on a bamboo structure. Many of these homes are the size of a small bedroom in America, and all have a dirt floor. Sewage runs through open trenches down the middle of the narrow paths, which wander through the various neighborhoods. Naked children, most in need of a bath, run and play on the dirt paths, splashing in the water trenches. There are many pet dogs, all thin, who run about the streets. Some chickens run loose. Most are kept in bamboo cages. One little two-year-old boy was observed trying to push a tiny chick back into a cage from which it had escaped. The water is not sutable for human consumtion. Everywhere you look you see five-gallon bottles filled with water the people must purchase.
There are some people who own motorcycles, and a few who drive small Japanese pick-up trucks. We were told those that are seemingly well off receive financial assistance from their families who are already in the States. As always the primary source of income for the people in the settlement is from the intricate Pan Dao's and Hmong costumes sewn by the women. These magnificent works find their way to specialty stores in the United States.
Though little had changed in the living standards since FFC visited Wat Thrambok in 2001 we found the mood much different then than today. People without a country they struggled for survival. Constantly overshadowing them was the fear their outcome would be deportation back to Laos. At that time the Thai government had started a registration of the people. Many feared the documentation was a precursor being sent back across the Mekong. Back to the persecution they ran from nearly thirty years ago. There was in 2001 little schooling for the children. They were in need of medical attention. The streets were not secure with a reported influence of methamphetamine spreading among the poor masses.
Today, Wat Thrambrok appears cleaner, and safer. The people look healthier and as stated are in high spirits anticipating their future in America. Many spoke of their families in places such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Carolina, and California. Those going to Wisconsin and Minnesota were asked if they had ever seen snow. Having never left the warm tropical climates of South East Asia they all admitted they had not. Most did not know what really to expect in the United States. They all felt, however, it was freedom from the conditions they were now living under.
The settlement is under the military control of the Thai government. FFC needed the assistance of another news organization to gain access to the settlement. Once inside we were given free access to all parts of the settlement. It became apparent the military escort assigned to us was sent to assist rather than monitor our activities. Some preconceived notions that the settlement had turned into a prison camp were relieved by the visit. The Thai military does control those going in and out of the settlement, which is located on the grounds of a large Buddhist Temple. They are also responsible for internal security. Where drugs had been a problem, their threat has been nearly eradicated. In recent medical exams only three of five-thousand people tested positive for drugs. Persons are not allowed to come into or leave the settlement without the authorization of the military authorities which leaves the residents with the sense they are prisoners in their own community. On the other hand, the drug dealers have been driven out. There is a sense the people feel more secure. The attention given them has brought medical care, schooling, and financial relief to some. This coupled with the hope of a certain future has improved the overall atmosphere of the settlement.
We found Major Tanongsak Tanarat the military commander of the 200 soldiers, which guard Wat Thrambrok, to be cordial and anxious to leave a good impression with outside observers. . He was very sensitive to the impression we had of the military presence there. He was quick to point out the reason for the military presence was to allow control of a large group of illegal residents. (Illegal in the sense they do not have Thai citizenship, and have lost their official refugee status). He was very interested in the contrasts between our visit in 2001 and that of today. Major Tanongsak seemed pleased to learn we found the people better off today than then.
We learned from responsible authorities that most of the residents of Wat Thrambrok would be eligible for resettlement. UNHCR processing and health evaluations are expected to be completed mid April. Processing by the United States will then begin with the first departures expected in early June.
The people in Wat Thrambrok are there because they escaped the persecution by the communist Pathet Lao of those that we're loyal to the United States during the Secret War in Laos. When resettlement to other nations or Thai citizenship became allusive they found themselves to be a people without at country. However, when asked they said the United States was not obligated to help them. They were just very gratefull they now had the opportunity for a safe and secure future, coming to America.
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