Hmong ‘facing annihilation’ in Laos

The ethnic minority Hmong living in Laos are “facing annihilation” and “eking out an existence” writes Tom Rainey-Smith, coordinator of Seoul’s English speakers’ chapter for Amnesty International Korea, in The Seoul Times. Many are on the run living in “forced primitivism; a hunter gatherer subsistence where they are the hunted.”

The Hmong are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Southeast Asia, with a population of 450,000 in Laos alone. They are also one of the main groups who were recruited by the CIA to fight against communist forces in Vietnam and Laos during the Vietnam War.

The Lao military has been targeting the Hmong ever since, forcing them to flee. Many attempt to escape by seeking asylum in neighboring Thailand, but face forced repatriation.

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