Congress Appeals to Obama Administration, Thailand: Stop Hmong Retur...( WASHINGTON June 17 -- A U.S. Congres...),Health

WASHINGTON, June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A U.S. Congressional letter to Secretary of State Clinton regarding the Lao-Hmong refugee crisis in Thailand and Laos was sent today by 31 Members of Congress, as more cosigned the letter prior to transmittal.

"First, we ask you to directly urge the Prime Minister of Thailand and senior Thai military officials to halt the forced repatriation of the Hmong at Huay Nam Khao ... there are currently about 5,000 Hmong refugees... who claim to have fled violence and persecution in Laos," the letter states.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Borders, withdrew from the Lao Hmong camp in Thailand last month in protest over the forced return of refugees to Laos.

"It should be noted that the recent protest by Nobel Peace Prize winner.. MSF is historical," said Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, author of "Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, The Americans, and the Secret Wars for Laos" and Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her human rights work for those abused in Laos. www.tragicmountains.org

Hamilton-Merritt continued: "MSF deserves another Nobel for its courageous protest... Many of the refugees in Thailand were our staunchest allies. Secretary Clinton should acknowledge this heroic act by MSF by reading the carefully documented reports of medically certified abuses, Thai mistreatment, and forced repatriation. Read the reports about the fear of those who are about to be forcibly returned to their abusers in Laos. Know their stories: Hear their cries." http://doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=3627&cat=press-release_ase_
'/>"/>