US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK3850

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003850 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, PRM, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PREF, CASC, TH, LA, LAOS, HUMAN RIGHTS, Hmong 
SUBJECT: AMCITS RELEASED IN LAOS HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE IN 
BANGKOK 
 
REF: VIENTANE 600 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: Three US citizens, recently detained in 
Vientiane after trying to assist with the surrender of 
approximately 170 Hmong and Khmu in Laos, held a press 
conference on June 9 describing the events of June 4 and 5 
(Reftels).  Ed and Georgie Szendrey gave an emotional account 
of their "humanitarian mission" and resultant detention in a 
security facility in the Lao capital.  They appealed for the 
GOL to accept UN assistance for those who have surrendered 
and a military "stand down" with other groups who they claim 
are hiding in the forests and also wish to surrender.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) In a 90-minute press conference entitled, "Laos' 
Desperate Hmong Fighters: The Final Chapter?", Ed and Georgie 
Szendrey and Nhia Yang described for the Foreign 
Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) their motivations for 
helping the Hmong (and a small number of Khmu) to surrender, 
their subsequent detention by Lao authorities and their hopes 
for the peaceful surrender of thousands more.  The French 
journalist, Cyril Payen, who was scheduled to speak, did not 
attend.  Payen released a documentary earlier this year 
showing purported gross human rights violations inflicted on 
ethnic Hmong Lao. 
 
3. (U) Ed Szendrey opened the conference by matter-of-factly 
describing how he and his wife and two Hmong-American 
colleagues, who are all members of the California-based NGO 
called "The Fact Finding Commission," entered Laos the first 
week of June and early on June 4 met a group of about 170 
women and children.  He described how at first apparently 
armed Hmong men were with the women and children but in the 
darkness of the early morning made tearful good-byes to their 
wives and children and entrusted them to the Szendreys.  They 
then "surrendered" by walking to a nearby village where they 
were warmly greeted by the local people.  Eventually the 
local police chief and Lao security forces arrived to take 
custody of the Hmong. 
 
4. (SBU) The Szendreys recounted how later in the morning 
they and Nhia Yang boarded a bus for Vientane.  Subsequently, 
at Kilometer 52 outside of the capital at about 2:30 pm on 
June 4, they were detained by Lao security officials.  Ed 
Szendry noted that "we were not arrested, just detained."  He 
noted that he and his wife were interrogated until 11 pm at 
night on June 4 and again on the morning of June 5.  He 
claimed his Hmong Lao colleagues were interrogated until 3 in 
the morning June 4 and that all were kept in stark rooms with 
no windows.  Georgie recounted emotionally her time in the 
windowless room saying she felt "betrayed, violated and 
deeply hurt" by the GOL, who refused "for 47 hours" to 
contact the US Embassy or the UN as they had requested. 
(Note:  No mention was made at any time during the press 
conference of a 4th Amcit, Sia Cher Vang, who remains in 
detention in Vientiane.  End Note.) 
 
5. (U) Nghia and the Szendreys stated they had heard no 
information about the status of those who surrendered and 
called upon the GOL to allow the UN or other "independent 
observers" to monitor their situation.  They noted that one 
of their interrogators denied that the Hmong Lao were part of 
a resistance movement and were only a group of villagers 
moving from one village to another.  The Szendreys claimed 
that there is a separate larger group of Hmong in Bolikhamsai 
province, but they are unable to surrender because they are 
surrounded by Lao security forces. 
 
6. (SBU)  The Szendreys went on at some length to describe 
what they viewed as the dire poverty of the Hmong they 
encountered. They sounded conciliatory towards the GOL, using 
statements such as, "We just want reconciliation and healing 
to take place so these people can live in peace.  We don't 
hate the Lao Government."  They downplayed the idea of the 
Hmong resistance as an active military force.  Describing the 
Hmong, Ed said that "These people aren't fighters, they 
barely have any weapons and just want food and to live in 
peace."  In answer to a question by a National Public Radio 
reporter about what the USG could do to assist, Georgie 
stated that she felt "the US is obligated to help these 
people."  She asked that consideration be given to offering 
"safe passage" out of Laos to resettlement in the U.S. if 
possible.  However, Ed countered that he thought most just 
wanted to stay in Laos and that resettlement wasn't really 
what they desired.  They made no comment about plans for 
future trips to Laos. 
 
7. (U) The press conference was not covered in the Bangkok 
Post, The Nation or the International Herald Tribune's June 
10 editions. 
 
8. (U) This message was cleared by Embassy Vientiane. 
BOYCE