PHETCHABUN, Thailand -- Thailand early Monday morning launched an operation to close a refugee camp and send some 4,000 ethnic Hmong back to Laos, despite concerns about their safety.
Col. Thana Charuwat, the Thai Army's field coordinator for the operation, said it began at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning, and involved a total of 5,000 troops.
He said the soldiers were unarmed, but equipped with shields and batons, which he described as meeting international standards for dealing with such situations, where people are being moved back against their will.
Many of the Hmong claim they face persecution in their homeland because of its communist government's alleged antagonism toward them. Hmong hill tribe people fought on the side of a pro-American government during the Vietnam War, but the communist side -- popularly known in the West as the Pathet Lao -- emerged triumphant in 1975.
Thailand claims most of the Hmong at the camp have no legitimate claim to refugee status, but are simply economic migrants who have entered the country illegally.
Shortly before 5 a.m., journalists staying at a press center about seven miles (12 kilometers) from the camp observed at least two dozen trucks head toward the refugee camp. There appeared to be about 20 soldiers on each truck. A large contingent of troops were already inside the camp, which has been sealed off to journalists and other outsiders.
Col. Thana said the army hoped to complete the operation within 24 hours. He said the Hmong would be taken to a nearby staging area where they would be put on buses, which would take them to the Thai border town of Nong Khai, and then across to Laos, with their destination there being Paksane district in the central province of Bolikhamsai.
Human rights groups warned earlier that the planned expulsion could turn violent. Thana said the army's initial action would be an effort to have the Hmong agree to be sent back voluntarily.
Sunai Phasuk, a Thai representative for the New York-based group Human Rights Watch, said mobile phone signals inside the camp had been jammed so nobody could call out. Rights groups fear the Hmong will resist the deportation, as they have during smaller-scale repatriations.
According to Human Rights Watch, one of several groups trying to monitor the situation, soldiers, police and other security personnel were mobilized near the camp and told to wear body armor. There also were reports that 100 trucks and buses were standing by.
"It never happens smoothly," Mr. Sunai said. "If the Hmong resist it and there is an eruption of violence, the army may react in full force."
Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said earlier that Bangkok has secured an agreement with Laos to repatriate the group before the end of the year.
The U.S. and human rights groups have expressed concern about their expulsion, saying some of the Hmong could qualify for refugee status and should not be sent back.
Laos has in the past denied the Hmong are Lao citizens, describing them as Thailand's problem, though Bangkok says Laos has agreed to take this group back.
The Thai government has sought to quiet international concerns, saying measures will be taken to ensure that human rights are not violated.
"We have assurances from the top level of Laos that these people will be safe and sound," Mr. Panitan said.
The U.S. State Department has urged Thailand not to hastily expel the entire group, noting that in the past the Thai government has said many of them are in need of protection. Acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement Thursday that to repatriate such people would "imperil the well-being of many individuals' and violate international principles.
Mr. Toner said the U.S. had raised the issue many times with Bangkok, most recently this week during the visit of a senior State Department official.
Copyright © 2009 Associated Press
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