Hmong conflict

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The Hmong conflict is an armed conflict between the armed forces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and former members of the Secret Army created by the CIA during the Second Indochina War , whose members mainly belong to the Hmong (Meo) ethnic minority .

The conflict began as a result of the United States' withdrawal from Indochina in 1973-75 and is now largely, but not entirely, over. The Laotian province of Xieng Khouang and its neighboring provinces as well as some border regions with Thailand are considered unrest areas .

Historical background

The Kingdom of Laos had achieved complete independence as a result of the Indochina Conference in 1954. The communist and anti-French resistance movement Pathet Lao , founded in the early 1950s , was able to quickly gain influence in the still young state thanks to North Vietnamese help and soon controlled several provinces and important political offices. The USA, which, like in South Vietnam , feared the communists would take power, decided to support the royalist Laotian government with military advisers and financial means in the impending civil war , a secondary theater of the Vietnam conflict . Due to the neutrality of Laos, who made a reinforced open military commitment impossible, as well as questioned by US military combat effectiveness and loyalty of the Royal Lao forces , the CIA began in the early 1960s, later known as Secret Army became known secret anti-communist guerrilla army in Laotian jungle. The soldiers recruited were mainly members of the Hmong, who were considered by the US agents to be belligerent and freedom-loving "mountain people" with a historical aversion to the Lao and Vietnamese . Trained and armed by the CIA and American special forces, and partly financed by drug trafficking by Air America and similar airlines , some 30,000 Hmong fought in American service. The central base of the irregular army commanded by Hmong General Vang Pao was the secret base of Long Cheng in Xieng Khouang Province.

In 1973 the United States withdrew from Laos as a result of the armistice in Vietnam . The attempt to integrate the Hmong into the royal Laotian army failed at the latest when the Communists came to power in 1975.

Course of the conflict

Hmong, especially those who took part in the military conflict, were singled out as punishment. A mass exodus of 300,000 refugees, including many Hmong, began in camps in Thailand .

Of those Hmong who remained in Laos, between two and three thousand political prisoners were sent to euphemistically so-called re - education camps, where they served three to five years' imprisonment. Affected by heavy physical work and difficult circumstances, many people died. Thousands of other Hmong, mainly former soldiers and their families, fled to remote mountain regions - especially to the poorly accessible area of Phou Bia , the highest mountain peak in Laos surrounded by dense forest. Initially, these loosely organized groups launched attacks against the Pathet Lao and Vietnamese troops. Others stayed hidden to avoid conflict. Initial military successes by these small gangs led to military counter-attacks by government forces, including aerial bombardment and heavy artillery, as well as the use of defoliants and chemical weapons.

Today, most of the Hmong in Laos live peacefully in villages and towns, but small groups of the Hmong, many of whom are descendants of second or third generation Secret Army soldiers, remain in remote areas of the country for fear of acts of revenge by the Laos government . As recently as 2003, there were reports of sporadic attacks by these groups, but journalists who have recently visited their secret camps described them as hungry and sick . Although they do not pose a military threat, the Laotian government has continued to characterize these people as bandits and continues to attack their positions, often killing and injuring women and children. Most deaths occur when people gather food from the jungle because permanent settlement is impossible.

Faced with continued military attacks by the government and a lack of food, some groups have started to come out of hiding while others have sought asylum in Thailand and other countries.

Some Hmong fled to California after the United States forces withdrew from Vietnam and ended their war in Indochina . In June 2005, as part of Operation Tarnished Eagle , the US FBI and counterterrorism officials uncovered a conspiracy to murder thousands and thousands of people simultaneously and forcibly overthrow the Laos government. The planned attack included ex- US Army Rangers , former Green Berets and others. The conspirators were supposed to use rifles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, bazookas and other weapons and ammunition smuggled from the US through Thailand to reduce government buildings in Vientiane to rubble , according to Bob Twiss. Lt. Col. Harrison Ulrich Jack, a California National Guard official who allegedly served in covert operations during the Vietnam War (in Laos, in collaboration with the Hmong and other tribal groups), and former General Vang Pao have been cited as likely leaders of the coup plot. Vang Pao had reportedly built a strong network of contacts within the US government and well-meaning corporate circles. Some speculate that the proposed new administration would accept foreign big business much more and could also lead to an explosion in drug trafficking, as was the case in Afghanistan .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Marilyn B. Young, Robert Buzzanco (Ed.): A Companion to the Vietnam War (= Blackwell Companions to American History. Vol. 7). Blackwell, Malden MA et al. 2002, ISBN 0-631-21013-X , p. 290.
  2. ↑ The Hmong: An Introduction to their History and Culture ( Memento of the original of October 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cal.org
  3. ^ Gary Yia Lee: Minority Policies and the Hmong in Laos. In: Martin Stuart-Fox (Ed.): Contemporary Laos. Studies in the Politics and Society of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia 1982, ISBN 0-7022-1840-5 , pp. 199-219, online .
  4. ^ Andrew Perrin: Welcome to the Jungle . In: Time Magazine , April 28, 2003. Retrieved April 27, 2007. 
  5. ^ Richard Arnold: Laos: Still a Secret War . In: Worldpress , January 19, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2007. 
  6. ^ Lao People's Democratic Republic , Amnesty International. March 27, 2007. Retrieved on April 27, 2007.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.amnesty.org  
  7. ^ David Kinchen: 438 former "Cob Fab" removed by helicopter after they came out of hiding . In: Hmong Today , November 17, 2006. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved March 22, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hmongtoday.com 
  8. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6721313.stm , and archive link ( memento of the original from December 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sacbee.com
  9. ↑ Al Jazeera English - News - Nine Charged Over Laos 'Coup Plot'
  10. ↑ US agents thwart planned Laos coup plot | csmonitor.com
  11. ↑ USATODAY.com - Rise of drug trade threat to Afghanistan's security

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