European and American officials have reportedly met representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to voice their concern about a series of cases involving Hmong thought to be in grave danger if returned to Laos.

Officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are also seeking to end the veto imposed by the Interior Ministry on processing applications from "people of concern". UNHCR staff were told to stop processing refugee applications late last year because of the "large" number of Hmong and North Korean refugees arriving here.

The head of a key non-government group said this week the crisis would be eased greatly if Bangkok permitted UNHCR staff to help process Hmong who arrive in Phetchabun and the Northeast - to verify if new arrivals are "illegal immigrants" or "genuine refugees" fleeing the Lao and Vietnamese military.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF), has been caring for about 7,800 Hmong at Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun province for almost two years, providing humanitarian assistance such as medical care, water and sanitation, food and shelter.

MSF has undertaken this operation with its own funds - more than ¤1.3 million (Bt57 million) for 2007 - "because no funding agency is willing to get financially involved in this issue until the Thai government is more open and allows the UNHCR to take part in the screening process".

MSF also has serious concerns about Thailand's recent bilateral agreement with Vientiane to forcibly return all people from Laos who seek refuge here.

Country director Gilles Isard said: "Things are extremely difficult now; it seems that there is no space to find a reasonable solution to this problem. After having been working with those Hmong people for almost two years, we have gathered much information about their situation in Laos, and it seems very clear that the majority of the people living in this camp have very good reason to be here.

"We are convinced that they will face harsh treatment if they ever have to be returned to Laos. Thailand considers those people 'illegal migrants', and I guess it is probably true for some of them, but not for all of them.

"So, a way to make an objective distinction between the real refugees and the illegal migrants must be found, and then the appropriate measures must be taken accordingly.

"Recently, several groups arrived directly from the jungle into the camp, claiming they have nowhere else to go if they want to survive. But we hardly had time to see them before they were arrested, and a couple of days later sent back to Laos.

"A group of 31 were sent back recently and a second group of 45 is at Lom Sak and will be sent back soon. There is nothing much we can do to stop that, besides informing the UNHCR and different foreign embassies.

"MSF has no benefit to work in this camp. If we commit to get involved in this project it is for two reasons: First, we believe that the majority of those Hmong people must be protected and must receive humanitarian assistance. Second, we acknowledge that it is a burden for Thailand and we have decided to help the Thai authorities handle this problem by covering the cost and managing this assistance.

"A new camp is currently under preparation, it will provide better living conditions for the 7,800 refugees, and this is very positive. But we do not want this camp to become a detention centre for the Hmong before they are forcibly returned to Laos without any guarantee for their well-being once returned.

"We'd like the Thais authorities to find a way to consider this issue more openly and if possible give access to the UNHCR to screen those Hmong people objectively."

Jim Pollard

The Nation