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More Questions Than Answers
By: Georgie Szendrey
Vientiane (FFC) No honking of horns or noise from a city inhabited by nearly a half million people. Walking down the streets in Vientiane is an eerie experience. You see many people - mostly very anxious to help or please - but a shy look of not knowing whether to help or run. What a contrast to Bangkok where you see countless dogs and cats strolling the busy and noisy streets - where vendors are busy selling their wares - not so in Vientiane. It is quiet, serene - as if a thick cloud of waiting is looming over the horizon, waiting for someone to speak, or some action to be taken.
On March 30th, 2004, prior to Ambassador Douglas Hartwick leaving his post in Laos, we met with him and his aide Greg Chapman at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane for a lengthy discussion on the seriousness of the surrender or capture of the Hmong and Lao who had fled and lived in the mountainous regions of Laos for 28 years. It was conveyed by Hartwick that they must surrender or the Lao government will hammer them until they are all dead. If they surrender it is possible they might be placed in one of two or three detention camps located in a remote region in Northern Laos.
As of this interview no one knew the condition of these men, women and children. According to Hartwick the Lao government refuses to allow outside observers including himself or his staff to do welfare checks on the condition of these people or even confirm their whereabouts.
To little or no avail Colin Powell and U.N. General Secretary Kofi Annan have insisted that the Lao government open their doors and allow an independent fact-finding mission into Laos to investigate the condition and welfare of the 1000 Hmong and Lao, comprising mostly of women and children who surrendered in early January through March 2004.
It was completely out of the question, according to Hartwick that the Lao government would allow an independent NGO to do a welfare check, or fact-finding into the mountains of Laos, or even bring humanitarian aide to the suffering Lao, Hmong, Kmu or Mein who had been captured or surrendered to the Lao army.
Why such extremes? Hartwick related that, according to the ideology of the Lao officials - to allow an independent team to come in from the UN or other international agencies, such as Amnesty international, Red Cross or other NGO would give an atmosphere of negativity, calling attention to the fact that all is not well in Communist Laos. Moreover there is a growing amount of unrest amongst the stifled Lao countrymen, and that there continues to be a hostile environment between the previous Royal Lao Government, the United States Secret War Veterans and the Lao government. This puts a damper on their ability to convey to the Lao countrymen and the international community that the utopia promised by the communist government of Laos has succeeded.
It was questioned if it would be safe for Moua Toua Ter or other Secret War Veteran leaders to surrender to Lao communist forces? All agreed any and all of the US Secret War Veteran leaders need to be gotten safely out of Laos and to a third neutral country for their safety. In Laos they would be tried and condemned as war criminals.
Some low level officials acknowledge the existence of these people and their surrender or capture. Top-level government officials deny the existence of any type of insurgency in the country, surrender or even capture. They call the US Secret War Veterans "the people of the forest," or "displaced Hmongs," refusing even to acknowledge their ties to the Secret War Veterans or the previous government of Laos.
In fact it was stated to the FFC by a lower government official that they encourage the displaced Hmong to come down and surrender. However, it was in question how they are encouraging them, if it was through military action against men, women & children, starvation or just the dropping of leaflets.
They refuse to communicate to the diplomatic community, even at the threat of not achieving NTR status between the U.S. and Laos. It was said that the top government officials of Laos do not care if they have NTR status. They have Vietnam and China to support their financial needs. They are hostile towards the US and have no need for US financial support.
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