Letter to Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister, Kingdom of Thailand

Floor Speech

Washington, DC, December 17, 2009.

Mr. ABHISIT VEJJAJIVA,
Prime Minister, Kingdom of Thailand
Wisconsin Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. PRIME MINISTER,

We are writing to express our concern regarding reports of a possible repatriation to Laos of Lao Ilmong from the Huay Nam Khao camp and Nong Khai detention center in Thailand. While we recognize that the Kingdom of Thailand is burdened by the large number of refugees it hosts on its territory, we encourage you to not take steps to repatriate any individuals to Laos at this time. Thailand is a strong ally of the U.S., and the cooperation between our governments, including a history of working together on Laotian and Burmese refugee issues, is greatly valued.

We understand that your government has conducted screenings in the Phetchabun camp in fluay Nam Khao to identify and separate refugees meriting protection from those migrating for primarily economic reasons. We remain concerned, however, regarding the lack of transparency in this screening process, and the absence of a civilian entity to lead it. In July of this year, a group of Senators sent a letter to General Songkitti Jaggabatara requesting more information about the criteria and methods used in screening Laotian Hmong in the Phetchabun camp, but a response to this inquiry has not yet been received.

We acknowledge the difficulty that this issue has posed for both your country as well as the inhabitants of the camps. However, we believe that the lack of transparency in the screening and repatriation process only exacerbates these difficulties and heightens international concern regarding these populations. A process that adheres to the core tenets of the refugee convention, and is conducted by an independent third party organization, could resolve much of this concern by helping to ensure that the Lao Hmong are able to provide a full and accurate account that can serve as the basis for an appropriate status determination.

Before repatriating any individuals to Laos, we strongly urge your government to work with an independent third-party organization to conduct a transparent screening process consistent with international standards. Once such a process is in place. we hope that any Hmong determined to have refugee status will be provided opportunities for third country resettlement. This includes the individuals at the Nong Khai center, who have already been screened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. For those who are not judged to require protection, we encourage you to work with international organizations and the governments of the U.S. and Laos to establish a repatriation process that includes effective third party monitoring.

We also understand that Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz will be visiting Thailand in the very near future. We hope that the U.S. and Thailand can work closely to find a solution that alleviates the burden of this situation on Thailand, as well as the concerns about the repatriation of those in need of protection, and we would be happy to consult with you on this process.

We appreciate your efforts to ensure a transparent process and just resolution to this issue. The Kingdom of Thailand remains a close ally of the United States and we look forward to working with your government to strengthen this important relationship.

Sincerely,

Russell D. Feingold, United States Senator; Barbara Boxer, United States Senator; Sheldon Whitehouse, United States Senator; Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator; Patrick J. Leahy, United States Senator; Lisa Murkowski, United States Senator; Amy Klobuchar, United States Senator; Mark Begich, United States Senator; Al Franken, United States Senator.