from the communist persecution.  While many escaped into Thailand and from there to other countries, some unable to get out of the country fled to mountains and jungles within Laos.  In recent years the LPDR military has stepped up its efforts to rid Laos of the Secret War veterans, their families, and their descendents.
In April of this yea, only a few weeks before this incident, the Fact Finding Commission went to Laos to investigate reports of these veteran groups surrendering to the Lao authorities.  FFC spoke with Bounthavy Vilayvong, Head of Policy Division, Department of Ethnic Affairs, Lao National Front for Construction.  Vilayvong stated these groups where being "encouraged" to come out of the mountains and participate in the LPDR "resettlement program."  Vilavong assured FFC the people in the mountains are all Lao citizens and will be treated as such, and not as insurgents or rebels.  He assured us they will not be arrested if "they have not committed a crime."   

Va Char Yang has documented the hardships faced by the Secret War veterans and their families including starvation, the effect of chemical weapons, and struggle to survive.  His videos are the basis of much of the Fact Finding Commissions work and can be viewed on www.factfinding.org.   His story about the May 19^th attack is the subject of an article in the September 20, 2004 Asian edition of Time Magazine as well as documentaries on BBC and CNN.