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Politics 

      Thais seek UNHCR aid
      over Hmongs

      THAILAND is seeking assistance from the
      UN High Commission for Refugees
      (UNHCR) in determining the citizenship of
      hundreds of Hmong living in a controversial
      Saraburi monastery, partly to smooth
      relations with Laos, an informed source
      said Sunday. 

      The UNHCR's Bangkok office is awaiting a
      decision from its New York headquarters
      on whether to comply with the Thai request
      or not, the source said. 

      ''The request to the UNHCR is in
      accordance with Laos' position that the
      screening of the Hmong in the Thamkrabok
      monastery should be conducted by the UN
      agency -- with cooperation from Thai and
      Laotian authorities,'' he said. 

      In 1993, the UNHCR rejected a Thai
      request to implement the registration and
      screening of Hmong in the monastery. It
      claimed that many Hmong in the monastery
      did not have refugee status and had
      already decided not to join UN-organised
      programmes to be resettled in a third
      country. 

      ''At that time, many of them refused to
      reside in Thai camps where the UNHCR
      organised resettlement programme for
      them. Instead, they went directly to the
      monastery. Some escaped from the camps
      to the monastery after they failed the blood
      test due to narcotics substance,'' the source
      said. 

      However, the UNHCR will reconsider
      Thailand's latest request for screening
      because it is aware that its presence could
      gain Laos' confidence about the process. 

      Laos has repeatedly refused to receive the
      Hmong from the monastery, claiming that
      they were not born in Laos and that they are
      members of an anti-Laos movement
      disguised as ordinary Hmong. It has also
      criticised Thailand for allowing the
      movement to use the territory as a base to
      attack Laos. 

      ''However, Vientiane had informed
      Bangkok in a meeting that it would leave
      the door open if the UNHCR steps in to
      screen the Hmong,'' the source said. ''If the
      UNHCR conducts the screening, we
      strongly hope that Vientiane will accept the
      result of the process and negotiate on how
      to deal with result.'' 

      The Interior Ministry last week began
      registering the Hmong, who numbered
      13,725 when registered last year. The
      registration process is expected to finish on
      Sept 4. 

      An interior ministry source said the Hmong
      are being divided into three groups: those
      who were born in the monastery, those who
      came from the northern highlands of
      Thailand and those who were not born in
      Thailand. 

      ''Those who claim that they were born in the
      monastery have to prove it with the
      necessary documents, while the second
      group will have to show their identity card
      from their provincial authorities,'' she said. 

      Those who cannot prove that they belong to
      either group are considered to be from
      Laos. The government must then decide
      how to deal with the third group, she said. 

      Meanwhile, a senior government security
      source said that leaders of the anti-Laos
      movement no longer live in the monastery
      as they were given asylum and citizenship
      by other countries, including the US. 

      Referring to a report that some 200
      members of the movement are still the
      monastery, the same source said that they
      were only families and relatives of the
      movement's members. 

      ''They are not members of the movement.
      They are not active and have no activities
      relating to the movement,'' he said. 

      If Laos still refuses to receive the Hmong, it
      is possible that the monastery inhabitants
      will be allowed to stay in Thailand under the
      same status as highlands citizens. 

      ''If Thailand agrees to allow the Hmong to
      stay in Thailand as Laos refuses to take
      them back, Laos should not criticise us of
      sheltering anti-Vientiane government
      movement in the future,'' the source said. 

      BY MARISA CHIMPRABHA 

      The Nation