WRITTEN QUESTION E-2598/02

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(18 September 2002)

Subject: Repressive measures against the Hmong minority in the Saysomboune special zone in Laos

According to the Lao Human Rights Movement, in recent weeks the Lao authorities have carried out a particularly violent campaign of repression against several thousand Lao of Hmong origin in the Saysomboune special zone.

According to well-informed sources, the operations by the Vientiane authorities included the deployment of large numbers of troops from the army of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, as well as the use of helicopters, and were carried out in the region of Xiengkhouang, between the districts of Tha Tong and Tha Vieng, and also the region of Phou Bia. The same sources report that the operations resulted in hundreds of deaths. As yet unconfirmed reports suggest that the operations also involved the use of chemical weapons to poison watercourses and destroy the crops of some 3 000 members of the Hmong ethnic minority.

What information does the Commission have on this campaign by the authorities of the Lao People's Democratic Republic against members of the Hmong minority in Laos? Will it conduct a wide-ranging inquiry into these operations as a matter of the utmost urgency? More generally, is the Commission aware of other repressive measures against minorities in Laos and what steps will it take to persuade the Vientiane authorities to end their policy of repression against minorities?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(15 October 2002)

The Commission is aware of persistent reports on security operations, allegedly pursued on a regular basis with the direct involvement of Vietnamese troops, in the special economic zone of Saysombourne in Laos. For many years part of the region, in particular the area south of Xieng Khoang, has not been open to traffic and foreigners are not allowed there for security reasons.

Ethnic minority groups in Laos often face a difficult situation. Many of them live in the impoverished upland areas, particularly in the north of the country. School attendance is lower in ethnic minority areas where access to schools is more difficult. In addition, there is no teaching in ethnic minority languages, only in the Lao language. The biggest ethnic minority group, the Hmong, frequently encounters a lot of mistrust from the administration, whereas other groups, like the Kamu, are more likely to accept the current political environment.

The Laotian government has also undertaken a large programme of relocation of various ethnic groups, among them the Hmong. Officially, relocation coupled with the Land Use Planning approach is undertaken to protect the environment affected by slash and burn techniques and to ensure that ethnic groups gain better access to services such as education and health. However, relocation is not easily accepted by the population and the resettled communities have sometimes been faced with a lack of access to fertile land and the inadequacy of basic social services, shelter, and job opportunities.

That said, the Honourable Member will doubtless recall that most Community funded projects in Laos are located in areas of high densities of ethnic minorities. The Commission's Country Strategy for Laos also deliberately targets such groups as priority beneficiaries.