Forty years ago the CIA recruited thousands of Laotian men to fight in the battle against the Vietnamese Communists. Originally hired to intercept supply convoys along the Ho Chi Minh trail among other duties, the Hmong people are now left to fend for themselves. Today these men and their families live in small groups of under 200 moving every few weeks to avoid fatal attacks by the Laotian Army. In the post-war decades, the Hmong have adopted a truly nomadic lifestyle to ensure their short-term survival. Mostly living on wild yams, bamboo shoot, small animals, and rice from sympathetic farmers these groups are, "indigent even by the the standards of rural Indochina."
The Hmong live in a perpetual state of fear because they are viewed as enemies and betrayers of the Communist Party. Reports from Amnesty International has stated that the Laotian Army have been increasing their efforts to find these so-called insurgencies with the intention to, "starve the remnants of families from their jungle dwellings." Not surprisingly, the Laotian government denies that CIA veterans are hiding and supported that notion by saying, "There are no clashes. As you may notice by traveling our country, there is a peaceful atmosphere."
Ironically, they themselves are the ones who have been betrayed when the Americans pulled out of South East Asia and left little to no aid or support.
Sources:
NY Times
Amnesty International
No comments:
Post a Comment