Thailand denies it plans to register Hmong refugees who live outside of Wat Thamkrabok in northern Thailand or who have recently come from Laos in the hope of being accepted for resettlement in the U.S.
A U.S.-based Hmong group recently said the royal Thai government had agreed to allow those refugees to register for residency in Thailand.
As for Wat Thamkrabok, Thai officials say it will be closed as soon as all the Hmong refugees there have been shipped out to the U.S. So far, some 9200 refugees have arrived in the U.S. The remaining 6300 or so will leave Wat Thamkrabok by April 2005.
Lsten to our audio report for details.