>  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
> lauraxi...@cox.net
>
>   Hmong International Human Rights Watch, Inc.