Thai Army begins operation to send 4,000 ethnic Hmong back

Thai Army begins operation to send 4,000 ethnic Hmong back to Laos, despite...

By The Associated Press

Sunday, December 27, 2009 at 3:12 p.m.

Thai Army begins operation to send 4,000 ethnic Hmong back to Laos, despite safety concerns.

The Associated Press----------------------------------------------------------

(This is the whole story as posted by A.P.)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009 ... thnic-hmo/

Thailand begins operation to deport Hmong: official

KHEK NOI, Thailand (AFP) – The Thai army early Monday began its operation to forcibly return thousands of ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers to communist Laos despite international protests, an army official said.

"The operation started at 5.30am (2230 GMT Sunday)," Colonel Thana Charuvat, who is co-ordinating the repatriation, told reporters at an army centre about 12 kilometres (seven miles) from the camp in Phetchabun province.

He said 5,000 soldiers, officials and assisting civilian volunteers had entered the camp in Huay Nam Khao village to begin rounding up the group of more than 4,000 Hmong being held there.

"The operation is expected to take one day," he added.

Security forces were seen heading towards the camp by truck with batons and shields, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091227/ts ... 1227234653