Dear Friend,

Please read paragraph three. It was confirmed that the chemical was
not spray on anyone. In tact, it was sprayed on the Barbwire Fence to
prevent rust from ruining it, according to Thai official at
yesterday;s meeting.

Thaum Hmoob ntshai, Hmoob hu xov tooj tuaj mas Hmoob hais ntau tshaj
qhov muaj. Tabsi thaum taug qab mus zoo, tsis muaj li ntawd. Cov nyob
tebchaws no, yuav hais dabtsi tawm, check your sources before sending
out.

Cov neeg qaug tshuaj los tsis muaj tseeb. Tsuas yog Hmoob muaj qhov
ntshai, los yog xav ua tej yam koj zoo li tiag tiag xwb. Yog peb tsis
ua zoo. peb lam tau lam report raws cov neeg tid hu tuaj, peb yuav ua
rau luag lwm tebchaws saib peb tsis tseem ceeb.

Thov sawv daws mloog lus tseeb kom ntau tshaj lus cuav. Nag hmo muaj
ib tug poj niam hu tuaj hais tias, thaib tua tshuaj rau hauv church
mas neeg qaug coob heev. Nws hais mas txaus sawv daws ntseeg kawg. Cov
lus no, Hmoob California muab tso rau Hmoob mloog ib hnub saum xov
tooj cua.

Tabsi thaum tus neeg muab cov lus tseeb los hais, sawv daws tsuas
thuam thiab cem xwb.

Think about it.
****************************************************

Bamboo Houses Destroyed, Hmong reacted to Chemical Spray

May 24, 2008

Around 9:00 AM Central Standard Time on Saturday May 24, 2008, HIHRW
started receiving telephone calls from Huay Nam Khao reporting two
suspicious vehicles entering the camp
with what looked like guns attached to the top of each vehicle. The
residents believed these vehicles may be chemical trucks the Thai
Military use for spraying tear gas on protesters. At around 9:30 AM,
more telephone calls came in reporting that the Thai military had
begun to spray chemicals
at the population in the camp.

According to one caller, he overheard 4 shots coming from where the
vehicles were. Smoke was appeared on the air. Another man reported
that thousands of people rushed into the building of MSF (Medicine San
Frontiers) for safety. Another man reported that people were laying on
the ground, vomiting and coughing with dry throats. At around 10:01
AM, another man reported that 4 people were drowsy and one elderly
woman was vomiting. It was later reported that the five people were
taken to the clinic for treatment.

They feared that the Thai authorities sprayed chemicals on them
before taking them into trucks for deportation. Another man called to
confirm that some unknown chemical was actually sprayed on the fence.
The smell was all over the place. Due to panic and fear of chemical
poisoning, a Hmong man
announced over a loud speaker informing everyone that it was not
chemical poisoning. He encouraged every one to return to their
shelters. At around 11:00AM, another man reported that no one was
really sick.

Over the past several months, the people are not only reacting
politically but are actually panicking. They are psychologically
tormented by the Thai and Lao governments. Incidences that are blown
out of proportion, such as the spraying of chemical, may spread panic
to the population, causing
major psychological damage leading the Hmong to over react.

They have reason to fear. On January 31, 2007, the Thai military
used tear gas on a group of 153 in the NongKhai Immigration Detention
Center (IDC) for the preparation of forced repatriation. On June 9,
2007, it was reported that the Thai authorities used tasers to shock
groups of Hmong detainees in
Phetchabun province prior to repatriation. On May 23, 2008, the
Nations News Agency based in Bangkok published an article stating that
the Thai military may deport about 2,000 Hmongs from Huay Nam Khao to
Laos by Friday or Saturday. Under extreme circumstances, the Hmong
may react violently to attempted deportation.

On May 16, 2008, the majority of the population in Huay Nam Khao
went on a hunger strike demanding for the UN to step in. According to
one of the organizers, due to the mixture of the population, it was
very difficult to obtain cooperation in organizing any event that may
get the attention of the UN and international communities in good
faith. Even though they may have had good intentions, the results may
have turned out unacceptable by the Thai government.

On May 23, 2008 at around 9:45 AM (Thailand), the Thai Authorities
arrested Neng Moua, a section leader, for an unknown reason. Due to
fear of his safety, the entire population in the camp, except for
group F, followed Neng Moua to the military quarter. At around 10:15
AM, two houses in group G were on fire. It was reported that aid
workers from the NGO were able to stop the spreading of the fire. At
around 10:30 AM, more houses were burnt in Group A, and then five
minutes later group B was on fire. More than two hours later, it was
reported that half of the camp was destroyed by fire. It was
later reported that a total of 912 houses were destroyed leaving
thousands of people without shelter.

After the camp was destroyed by the fire, the Thai authorities are
still looking for certain Hmong leaders for unknown reasons. They
believe the Thai authorities are planning to arrest the leaders for
interrogation. Currently, no suspects have been arrested.

The Hmong leaders held a meeting yesterday regarding the
continuation of protest and a hunger strike. It was questioned whether
they should continue because the top leaders seemed to have shied away
from the plan. The news report that all of the Hmongs in Huay Nam Khao
will be repatriated due to
the recent protest and hunger strike. This has worried the Hmong
leaders in Huay Nam Khao.

Thousands of Hmongs are homeless, and disease is a major concern
because of the raining season. Women and children sitting in the rain
suffer from mosquito bites and sickness. It was reported that UNICEF
is on their way to Huay Nam Khao with more foods, pots and pans.

For information on this article, please contact Laura Lo Xiong at
lauraxiong@cox.net

Hmong International Human Rights Watch, Inc.