BANGKOK, May 24 (TNA) -- Ethnic Hmong living at a temporary camp in Thailand's northern province of Phetchabun burned their shelters to protest the Thai government plan to repatriate them to Laos and for the Thai government to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to supervise the camp, a senior Thai foreign ministry official said Saturday.
Thani Thongphakdi, deputy director-general of the Ministry's Information Department, said between 200-300 Hmongs who objected to being sent back to Laos protested and burned their shelters Friday at Ban Huay Nam Khao camp.
No casualties were reported as the Hmong demanded the Thai government to stop sending them back to Laos and to allow UNHCR officials to supervise the camp, said Mr. Thani.
Of 1,300 shelters at the camp, about 850 were destroyed, he said, adding that the situation had returned to normal. About 300 Hmong again Saturday morning protested peacefully at the camp in a bid to draw the attention of the UN and the world community, said Mr. Thani. No one was arrested.
The Hmong fought alongside the US forces during the Vietnam War. After the war ended in 1975, many fled to the jungles fearing the communist authorities would hunt them down for working with the American forces. (TNA)-E111
