Army puts block on Hmong coverage

The restrictions include no reporting of events or incidents that may shed bad light on Thailand or its officials or anything that may encourage Hmong to attempt to enter this country.

The Third Army Region - which has responsibility for the Laos-born Hmong - recently restricted journalists' access to the refugees' new camp. No reason was given.

According to Army commander in charge Maj-General Somchai Utama, reporting could not include information that could be interpreted as incentives for Hmong to migrate to Thailand.

A sizeable portion of the Hmong at Ban Huay Nam Khao is believed to be illegal migrants and economic refugees, not asylum seekers.

The guidelines encourage the news media to report the affect of the Hmong influx on Thai villagers.

They said the news media "shall refrain from reporting bad treatment, if any, of the Hmong by officials".

A witness recently reported a soldier "mistreated" a Hmong refugee he accused of "flirting" with a Hmong woman. The witness said the soldier became angry and kicked him before a village leader intervened.

Camp officials declined to comment on the allegations and instructed The Nation to observe the guidelines.

The military instructed the news media not to report the legal status of Hmong in the shelter or the protection they were entitled to under local or international law.

Supalak G Khundee

The Nation

PHETCHABUN