FOLLOW UP STORY

THE HMONG OF LAOS. NOW IN THAILAND'S DETENTION CENTERS


Many Hmong who fled the killing Fields of Laos, for a refugee camp in Thailand. Face a new threat by another government.

Thailand's new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Army Chief Anupong Paochinda, in apparent preparation a mass forced repatriation of Hmong refugees to Laos.

Thai special troops, equipped with riot gear, have set up tents encircling the Hmong refugee camp and are engaged in military exercises in a new effort to force Hmong refugees back to Laos, stated Vaughn Vang of the Lao Human Rights Council. "Thai officials are preparing to force a group of 18 Hmong families and about 2,000 Hmong refugees back to Laos soon."


"Why isn't the international community horrified over the forced repatriation of Hmong political refugees to a regime with a history of cruelty toward the Hmong who fought against communist forces in their homeland of Laos?" questioned Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, a human rights and refugee expert.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

STAND STRONG FOR THE HMONG

Dr. Hamilton-Merritt's acclaimed book 'Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, the Americans and the Secret Wars for Laos' (Indiana University Press) is replete with horrific examples of the persecution, torture and killing of Hmong refugees forcibly repatriated to Laos. http://www.tragicmountains.org

"On December 30 2008, some 600 Royal Thai Third Army soldiers, reinforced by Ministry of Interior (MOI) forces, were secretly deployed to encircle Hmong political refugees at Ban Huay Nam Khao, Phetchabun Province, Thailand," stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.

Thai commanders are threatening to attack or burn the refugee camp unless the Hmong return to Laos.

"Many in the U.S. Congress and Washington, D.C. are concerned that the Thai military and MOI, at the apparent orders of Prime Minister Abhisit and General Anupong, are mobilizing to force Hmong refugees back to Laos," Smith continued.

"Thailand's new Prime Minister Abhisit and General Anupong work to implement the appeals made by the U.S. Congress, in H. Res. 1273 and numerous Senate and House letters, to His Majesty the King of Thailand, to grant asylum to the Hmong refugees until they can be resettled abroad," Smith said.

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TOGETHER MAKE THE WORLD HEAR THERE VOICES.

Stand together for Aboriginal Health

Since the first white man touched the sandy shores of Australia, well over 220 years ago. The rightfully land owners, have been slaughtered, caged, abused and had there children taken away (stolen generation)

Welcome now to 21st century Australia
The life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is almost two decades less than the general Australian population.

No longer can there voices go ignored..

While most women in Australia can expect to live to an average age of 82 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women can expect to live to only 64.8 years. The situation is even worse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men whose life expectancy is only 59.4 years.
Too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders continue to live without equal access to basic health conditions and the acceptance by the wider community that non-Indigenous Australians take for granted. Yet it is inconceivable that a country as wealthy as Australia cannot solve a health crisis affecting less then three per cent of its population.

We should not accept that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders end up in hospitals at twice the rate of other Australians. Nor is it fair that while most Australians can look forward to long healthy lives with access to some of the best health care facilities in the world, Indigenous Australians can expect to die at much higher rates of heart disease, cancer, and kidney failure, to name a few diseases.


There are always answers.
The lack of leadership shown by past Australian government on this matter, has forced the hand of this organization to create the change.

WE NEED YOU.

Please join with the Black Book Organization. Together through her partners
Oxfam Australia and many Indigenous tribes across Australia.

Together through your support.
The Black Book hopes to achieve
# Increasing Indigenous Australians' access to health services
# Address the critical social issues such as poor housing, nutrition and education
# Building Indigenous control and participation in the delivery of health and other services

There is no quick fix but with a long term commitment to work with Indigenous communities we can bring the change.