Feb 09, 2007

Hmong ChaoFa: Admitted to UNPO


As an indigenous community in South East Asia the Hmong face the threat of human rights abuses and oppression familiar to many UNPO Members.

The latest meeting of the UNPO Presidency, which met from 01 – 03 February at the European Parliament in Brussels, has continued pursuit of UNPO’s goal of giving a voice to all unrepresented nations and peoples, by welcoming the Hmong ChaoFa into the organisation.

[More on this Meeting of the UNPO Presidency]

 

The Hmong People live in distinct communities across all of South East Asia, numbering approximately 10 million. Of these, 300,000 presently live in Laos, and have joined UNPO as the Hmong ChaoFa Federated State.

The Hmong are indigenous to South East Asia, though many of the traditional communities have been destroyed, resulting in waves if displacement and relocation. During the Vietnam War many Hmong were recruited to fight with US forces, which has since resulted in large communities migrating to the US following the repressive rule of Vietnamese and Lao authorities.

The Hmong ChaoFa Federated State adopted its constitution in 1998 and has since worked towards restoring the right of self-determination to the Hmong People of Laos through peaceful campaigns, both across South East Asia and beyond. Like many indigenous communities in the region, the Hmong are also reportedly the victims of extensive human rights violations, with UNPO Membership offering a new means of publicising and combating these abuses.