ບັນດາກຸ່ມປົກປ້ອງສິດທິມະນຸດ ແລະພວກນັກເຄື່ອນໄຫວ ພາກັນຮຽກຮ້ອງຄັ້ງໃໝ່ ໃຫ້ລັດຖະບານລາວເປີດເຜີຍຂໍ້ມູນກ່ຽວກັບວ່າທ້າວ Kha Yang ຜູ້ຊາຍອົບພະຍົບຊາວມົ້ງ ທີ່ສະຫະປະຊາຊາດຮັບຮູ້ຊຶ່ງໄດ້ຫາຍສາບສູນໄປນັບແຕ່ລາວໄດ້ຖືກສົ່ງກັບຈາກປະເທດໄທໃນເດືອນທັນວາປີ 2011 ນັ້ນ ຢູ່ໃສແທ້ ໃນເວລານີ້. ທ້າວ Khan Yang ເປັນບຸກຄົນສຸດທ້າຍຈາກກຸ່ມຊາວມົ້ງ 158 ຄົນ ທີ່ໄດ້ຖືກສະເໜີ ໃຫ້ມາຕັ້ງຖິ່ນຖານໃໝ່ ຢູ່ໃນສະຫະ
ລັດຫລັງຈາກໄດ້ຖືກສົ່ງກັບຄືນ ໃນເບື້ອງຕົ້ນ ໄປປະເທດລາວຈາກສູນອົບພະຍົບໃນປະເທດໄທໃນປີ 2009.
ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າຜູ້ກ່ຽວໄດ້ເປັນຮູ້ກັນດີຢ່າງກວ້າງຂວາງ ຮວມທັງບັນດາສະມາຊິກລັດຖະສະ
ພາສະຫະລັດ ແຕຊາຕາກຳຂອງທ້າວ Yang ແມ່ນຍັງບໍ່ທັນເປັນທີ່ ຈະແຈ້ງເທື່ອ.
ກຸ່ມປົກປ້ອງສິດທິມະນຸດ Human Rights Watch ຫຼື HRW ທີ່ມີສຳນັກງານ ຢູ່ສະຫະ
ລັດໄດ້ຕິດຕາມຢ່າງໃກ້ຊິດໃນກໍລະນີຂອງທ້າວ Yang ແລະຂໍຮ້ອງໃຫ້ລັດຖະບານລາວ ໃຫ້ລາຍລະອຽດກ່ຽວກັບການເປັນຢູ່ຂອງທ້າວ Yang ແລະວ່າຜູ້ກ່ຽວຢູ່ໃສແທ້. ທ່ານ Phil Robertson ຮອງຜູ້ອຳນວຍການຝ່າຍເອເຊຍ ຂອງກຸ່ມ HRW ກ່າວວ່າ ໄດ້ມີຄວາມຢ້ານກົວກ່ຽວກັບຄວາມປອດໄພຂອງທ້າວ Yang. ທ່ານກ່າວວ່າ “ບັດນີ້ພວກເຮົາມີຄວາມເປັນຫ່ວງເພາະວ່າພວກເຮົາຊອກ ຫາລາວບໍ່ເຫັນ. ມີລາຍງານວ່າລາວຕິດຄຸກບໍ່ດົນຫລັງຈາກລາວໄດ້ກັບຄືນໄປປະເທດລາວ. ພວກເຮົາຮູ້ຄວາມຈິງວ່າ ການຄຸມຂັງກ່ອນການດຳເນີນ
ຄະດີ ຢູ່ໃນປະເທດລາວ ຜູ້ຄົນມັກຖືກປະຕິບັດຕໍ່ ແບບບໍ່ຖືກຕ້ອງ ເພາະສະນັ້ນ ເຮົາຈຶ່ງມີຄວາມເປັນຫ່ວງກ່ຽວກັບວ່າລາວໄດ້ຖືກດູແລຢ່າງໃດ ທັງໃນການຄຸມຂັງກ່ອນການດຳເນີນຄະດີ ແລະໃນຄວາມຈິງແລ້ວ ລາວໄດ້ຮັບການດຳເນີນຄະດີຫລືບໍ່”
ຄອບຄົວ ທ້າວ Kha Yang ໄດ້ຫລົບໜີຈາກປະເທດລາວໃນປີ 2004 ຫລັງ ຈາກມີການກ່າວຫາວ່າ ສະມາຊິກຄອບຄົວລາວຄົນນຶ່ງ ຖືກຂ້າໂດຍບັນດາເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ລາວ. ເຂົາເຈົ້າໄດ້ຖືກກັກຂັງໄວ້ຢູ່ຄຸກໜອງຄາຍທີ່ມີຊາຍແດນຕິດກັບປະເທດລາວ ແລະຕໍ່ມາໄດ້ຮັບຮູ້ວ່າເປັນອົບພະຍົບໂດຍ ຫ້ອງການຂ້າຫລວງໃຫຍ່ອົບພະຍົບ ສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ ຫລື UNHCR. ໃນປີ 2009 ປະເທດໄທແລະປະເທດລາວ ໄດ້ບັນລຸຂໍ້ຕົກລົງ ກ່ຽວກັບການສົ່ງຊາວມົ້ງ ຫລາຍກວ່າ 4,000 ຄົນ ທີ່ຊອກຫາການລີ້ໄພຢູ່ໃນບັນດາສູນອົບພະຍົບ ພ້ອມດ້ວຍຊາວມົ້ງ 158 ຄົນ ທີ່ຖືກຮັບຮູ້ໂດຍຫ້ອງການອົບພະຍົບສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ. ໃນວັນທີ 28 ເດືອນທັນວາ ປີ 2009 ທະຫານໄທໄດ້ກວດຕ້ອນພວກອົບພະຍົບຂຶ້ນໃສ່ລົດບັສ ແລະກີດກັ້ນບໍ່ໃຫ້ຕິດຕໍ່ກັບບັນດາເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ອົບພະຍົບສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ ແລະບັນດາກຸ່ມປົກປ້ອງສິດທິມະນຸດ. ພາຍໃຕ້ຂໍ້ຕົກລົງນີ້ ພວກອົບພະຍົບທີ່ຖືກຮັບຮູ້ ໂດຍສະຫະປະຊາຊາດໄດ້ຮັບອະນຸຍາດໃຫ້ເດີນທາງອອກຈາກປະເທດລາວໄດ້. ແຕ່ວ່ານັ້ນບໍ່ໄດ້ເກີດຂຶ້ນເລີຍ.
ການສົ່ງຊາວມົ້ງກັບຄືນໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ມີການຕິຕຽນຈາກສາກົນ ໂດຍສະເພາະພວກ ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ໄທ ໄດ້ໃຫ້ການຊ່ວຍເຫລືອໃນການຕັ້ງຖິ່ນຖານອົບພະຍົບຊາວມົ້ງ 14,000 ຄົນ ຢູ່ໃນສະຫະລັດ ພຽງຫົກປີກ່ອນໜ້ານັ້ນ.
Rights organizations and activists are renewing calls for the Lao Government to release information on the whereabouts of a Lao Hmong man, Kha Yang, a United Nations recognized refugee missing since his deportation from Thailand in December 2011.
Kha Yang is the last individual from a group of 158 Hmong offered resettlement to the United States, after initially being sent back to Laos from refugee camps in Thailand in 2009.
Despite widespread and high profile representations, including by U.S. congressional members, Yang's fate remains uncertain.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has closely monitored Yang's case and calls for the Lao Government to provide details on Yang's well being and whereabouts. Phil Robertson, the rights group's deputy Asia Director, said there are fears over Yang's safety.
"We're concerned now because we can't find him. There have been reports that he was imprisoned soon after he was returned to Laos," he said. "We know for a fact that in pre-trial detention in Laos frequently people are abused, so we have concerns about how he has been treated both in pre-trial detention and whether in fact he received a trial at all."
The Kha Yang family fled Laos in 2004 after a family member was allegedly killed by Lao officials. They were held at the Nong Khai detention center on the border with Laos, and later recognized as refugees by the U.N.'s High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
In 2009, Thailand and Laos reached agreement on the repatriation of over 4,000 Hmong asylum seekers in camps, with the 158 Hmong recognized by U.N. refugee agency included. On December 28, 2009 Thai troops herded the refugees onto buses and prevented access by U.N. refugee agency officials and human rights groups.
Under the agreement, the U.N. recognized refugees were to be allowed to leave Laos. But that did not occur.
The repatriation of the Hmong triggered international criticism, especially as Thai authorities had assisted in the resettlement of 14,000 Hmong refugees to the U.S. just six years earlier.
Joe Davy, a Hmong advocate based in Chicago, has worked with the Hmong community and refugees since he sponsored a Hmong family in the 1980s. Davy said he knew Kha Yang, who was seen as a leader' among the Hmong refugee community.
"I knew him when he was being held in Nong Khai jail and most of these Miao Hmong were sent back to Laos in 2009. But the majority of them were able to re-escape to Thailand and after a bit were settled in third countries, except for Kha Yang he wasn't able to escape," Davy said.
In 2009, the Kha Yang family was briefly held in detention before being transferred to a restricted village under police security.
Davy said Kha Yang became the target of threats of local authorities, prompting the family to flee once again around April 2011.
"The local police and the military in their village actually threatened him saying well we know you have guns in your house, so you better go home and bring them to our office. And so of course Yang and his brother, they don't know what they are talking about but they know what that means and so boom, he escaped to Thailand," Davy said.
Davy criticized the UNHCR in failing to provide assistance to the Kha Yang family in early 2011 despite them being recognized by the refugee agency. VOA requests for comment from UNHCR were declined "for confidentiality reasons."
Kha Yang was arrested by Thai authorities in 2011 after he left for work on a construction site.
On December 17, 2011 the Thai government deported Kha Yang "through an informal mechanism" to Laos where he was in custody at year's end," a 2012 U.S. human rights report said.
Robertson says Kha Yang is the last member of the Nong Khai recognized by the UNHCR who was not resettled.
"He is the only one who was sent back two times. And clearly his case represents a failure by the Thai government to recognize the refugee rights of this person," Robertson said.
A 2015 U.S. State Department human rights report on Laos said despite Kha Yang being recognized by the UNHCR, Lao authorities "did not acknowledge UNHCR requests for access to him." The report added, "Kha Yang's whereabouts remained unknown."
His wife, in an interview with U.S. media, said in the last conversation she had with her husband he said how he was "sure police would kill him." He had called on her to take the family "to a third country."
For four years she remained in Thailand with her children, fearful Thai authorities would arrest and send them back to Laos.
In January 2016, she and the children were cleared to travel to the U.S. and live with family in Madison, Wisconsin.
Over 250,000 Hmong have settled in the U.S. after living in refugee camps in Thailand following the Vietnam War. During the war, the U.S. enlisted thousands of Hmong fighters against Lao and Vietnam communist forces.
After the conflict, often seen as traitors by the Lao Communist Government, the Hmong faced alleged discrimination and abuse over the years.
