The Hmong Hunt

Just today when I was serving for the latest Al Jazeera videos on YouTube, I came across an interesting video entitled The Lost Tribe. Initially, I was hesitant to watch the video as I thought it was some sort anthropology documentary on one of the few oldest tribes in the world that are forgotten; however, knowing that it is foolish to be ignorant, I've decided to click on the video to know more about the content of the documentary. Furthermore, seeing that these are one of the few Al Jazeera reports that are up to date, I've decided to watch the video as I thought it would be a good idea to stay on top of things. After more than 20 minutes of the video, I could not help but to feel sorry for the Hmong tribes and I deeply regretted for my stupidity due to my earlier speculation of the video.

The Lost Tribe is a video report by Al Jazeera's television journalist, Tony Birtley on the current situation of the Hmong tribe in Laos. Tony Birtley, accompanied by a camera man explores the thick jungles of northern Laos to find this troubled tribe which is still under the Lao military's gun sight. In this report, he reveals the sorrow, desperation and the fear of the Hmong people whom struggle greatly to survive the Lao military’s persecution. Constantly moving and seeking shelter under the most appalling conditions in the jungles of Northern Laos with the hope of evading their military hunters, ambush and gun fights between the Hmong tribe and the Lao military are regular. With the presence of Tony among the Hmong tribe which seemed like savior and hope delivered by God, the Hmong tribes pleaded, beg and even worshiped him hoping that he will free them from their ever dreadful state of being hunted and persecuted by the Lao army. Knowing that he is just a journalist, Tony regretfully informed that he is powerless to influence the international aid’s attention on them. The most surprising aspect of the video was when the Hmong tribe decided to take Tony and his cameraman hostage, thinking that their action would force the United Nations to regard their attention on the Hmong tribe’s problem. Like any hostage would feel, Tony and his cameraman were nervous about the fact that they were taken hostage, yet they fully understood the Hmong’s action given their desperation for survival and help. Fortunately for Tony and his cameraman, they were released by the Hmong tribes a week later when Tony promised to pass on a letter prepared by the head of the Hmong tribe to the United Nations.

The Lao government's eagerness to annihilate these Hmong tribes bears its roots more than 40 years ago during the Vietnam War. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited over 80% of the Hmong people in Laos to aid the American soldiers in the Vietnam War; these Hmong soldiers were trained by the CIA to act as a Special Guerrilla Unit spearheaded by Vang Pao. The Special Guerrilla Unit was responsible for blocking their Vietnamese adversaries’ supply route from the north to the south. As the Special Guerrilla Unit was deployed on the front line of the war, its operatives mostly aided U.S forces to disrupt the North Vietnamese Army’s supply line and rescued downed American pilots. Due to such extensive duty of the Special Guerrilla Unit, more than 40,000 Hmong were killed in action

When the Americans lost the war in Vietnam in 1975, they withdrew their troops shortly before the communist government invaded Laos. Seeing that the Hmong assisted the Americans during the war, they became targets for retaliation and persecution by the communists. Under the new Lao regime, a number of Hmong returned to their villages and moved on; however the majority fled to Thailand via the Mekong River only to be frequently attacked where it became the biggest exodus for Hmong people from Laos. Although some of them made their way to Thailand, they were neglected and held in filthy United Nations refugee camps. For those who did not escape from Laos, they were declared as political prisoners under the Lao government and they were forced into re-education camps where they were subjected to harsh labor and appalling living conditions which resulted in many deaths.

From time to time, the Hmong executed attacks against the Lao and Vietnamese troops. Zong Zoua Her, the leader of the Hmong (even until today) with his followers established a guerilla movement called Chao Fa to resist the Lao and Vietnamese army. Their offensive campaign were a success, on the other hand, the Chao Fa’s attacks only encouraged the Lao government to conduct military counter attacks on them via aerial bombing , heavy artillery and even the use of defoliants and chemical weapons.

The Hmong featured in The Lost Tribe video, mostly comprise 2^nd or 3^rd generation descendants of former Special Guerrilla Unit soldiers. They constantly remain in hiding especially around the remote areas of Laos as they fear for government prosecution. On the constant run for more than 30 years, the Hmong are deeply isolated and they are stricken with poverty. The Hmong children are deeply malnourished, dressed in old thorn clothes, deprived of medicine and food as well as a basic sense of education. With an unimaginable poor standard of living for the Hmong, there seems to be no future prospect for them and with the lack of aid, many Hmong sees this as the “end of their line”.

After more than 20 minutes of the video, I could not help but to feel sorry for the Hmong tribes and I deeply regretted for my stupidity due to my earlier speculation of the video. What pisses me off about this issue is that during the Vietnam War and the decades that followed by, the U.S Government denied the fact that they recruited the Hmong to fight their war. The Clinton administration apparently denied the use of Hmong in the Vietnam War in order to justify the repatriation of Thailand-based Hmong war refugees to Laos in the late 1990s. On the other hand, several U.S. conservatives’ back then has urged the U.S. Government to acknowledge the existence of the Special Guerrilla Unit and to honor the Hmong as well as U.S veterans from the war. As a result of that, a Laos Memorial was dedicated on the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the Hmong from the Vietnam War. It is also great to know that there are individuals who would sacrifice themselves for the cause of those in need. Harrison Jack, a retired Army infantry officer attempted to recruit Special Forces operatives to play the role of mercenaries whom will assist Vang Pao and his comrades to overthrow the oppressive Lao government. Unfortunately, they were all arrested for plotting to overthrow the Lao government in violation of the federal Neutrality Acts and for multiple weapons charges.