Thai authorities reassert that the more than 6,000 Hmongs living along the road sides leading into Ban Houai Nam Khao in Phetchaboun province are Hmong refugees from Laos who have entered Thailand illegally.
Lao officials, however, maintain that they are not citizens of Laos, and so are Thailand’s internal problems. Under these circumstances, the fate of those Hmongs remain therefore uncertain.
The Hmongs themselves said they came from Laos. As one refugee told VOA, his father had worked for the CIA, and they escaped to Thailand because they were being prosecuted by the Lao military.
Listen to our Laos Today report for more details.