BKKSTAN wrote:Buggers!!

When Lao Teng and his wife, members of Laos' ethnic Hmong minority, fled their homeland last June, they had hoped that they could leave their fear of persecution behind.

Harsh reality quickly set in when they were arrested for illegal entry into Thailand upon their arrival at Huay Nam Khao, where about 8,000 other Hmong refugees have been living in limbo, wondering if their future holds a forced return to Laos.

Thailand classifies them as illegal immigrants despite their claims that they face persecution by the communist government of Laos due to their Vietnam War-era ties with the United States.

Ironically, the U.S. itself has raised a new hurdle to their migration. Post-9/11 anti-terrorism laws have disqualified many Hmong refugees for resettlement, since their guerrilla activity, originally in support of U.S. aims and later in self-defense, technically qualifies them as terrorists.

This would make many ineligible for asylum or green cards, even though in 2000 Congress passed a law easing the citizenship requirements for the Hmong in recognition of their Vietnam-era efforts. Their supporters hope the law can be amended or the Hmong given waivers.

"For far too long, the Hmong people have been dealing with the unintended negative consequences" of U.S. anti-terrorism laws, said Senator Norm Coleman, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Certainly Hmong refugees deserve better than this."

He gave no timetable for if or when the Senate might consider reviewing U.S. policy.

In January, a group of 153 Hmong -- including Lao Teng's brother and two nephews -- were on the verge of being sent back to Laos until last-minute agreements were confirmed with the U.S., Australia, Canada and the Netherlands to consider resettling them.

Smaller groups -- including a batch of 26 children and one adult -- have been quietly sent back in the past few years, generally to unknown fates, though the Lao government says it does not mistreat the Hmong.

The risks of involuntary repatriation seem even greater now, since the Lao government in December said it would officially take back the Hmong, reversing an earlier position.

"I wonder if they will still kill us as soon as we get in. That constant doubt makes it difficult to have a good night's sleep," said Ma Wai. He displayed scars on his shoulder and leg from what he said were gunshot wounds inflicted by Lao soldiers. He slipped into Thailand, along with his wife and uncle, two years ago.

"My uncle was one of the people secretly deported to Laos," he said. "No one has heard from them since they were sent back."