PRESENTATION ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN LAOS

Organized by Interfaith International
and co-hosted by NGO Committee on the Status of Women

Monday 11th August 2003

Conchita Poncini, of International Federation Of University Women, opened the debate stating that Hmong indigenous populations of Laos are persecuted by the communist Laotian government since 1975. Charles Graves, of Interfaith International, specified the theme of the debate would be focused on the difficult living conditions of the Hmong populations.

Two videos were presented during this meeting:
-"Hope Lost", which described the persecution by the Laotian Popular Democratic Army of the civilians in particular the Hmong's ethnic in the mountainous region of Nang Vieng. The video emphasized on the use by the Laotian army of chemical weapons and machine gun against civilians; and
-"a Helicopter Come from Nang Vieng", which portrayed the victims of an army's aggressions. They appealed the International Community for an immediate humanitarian intervention. Thus, we saw the consequences of the bombings: dizziness, paralysed peoples, headaches, children becoming blind and the urgent problem of the lack of medical treatment.

The first speaker, Mr. Stephan Vang, Chairman of Lao/Hmong Congress for Democracy based in Washington DC dealt with the origins of the present human right's disaster. He explained that Hmong people were persecuted because the government accused them of complicity with France during the so-called "guerre d'Indochine" and the United States during the Vietnam War. Mr. Vang justified the attitude of Hmong saying that they wanted to side "with anyone who fight against communism". The second part of the problem had a racial origin; the historical rivalry between Hmong and others Laotian populations.

Rev. Dr. Naw Karl Mua, Pastor of Life Lutheran Churchs in St. Paul based in Minnesota, testified on his own experience as a victim of the communist regime. He was arrested with two journalists, Thierry Falise of Belgium and Vincent Reynaud of France, the 2nd June 2003 in the Nang Vieng region. They were sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined about $1,100 each after a two-hour trial on June 30, but thanks to the intensive French government's pressure they were released July 9. He explained the psychological torture of the Laotian authorities and the terrible conditions of living in Laotian prisons.

He then denounced the "extermination plan" organized by the Laotian government and underlined four reasons of persecuting Hmong populations in Laos. Thus, they died because of starvation, sickness and extermination by communist authorities. He concluded enumerating the prerequisites to an improvement of living conditions of civilian population of Laos. The first need is an intervention of the international community in order to protect Laotian citizens. Then he asked for the establishment of a safe heaven for Hmong populations and for a humanitarian intervention directed by the United Nations. Finally, he called on International Community to pressure Laotian government in order to set up a democratic regime.

By: Clément Therme and Didier Dutoit

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