The Thai authorities are reportedly preparing to forcibly return a group of 48 Lao Hmong asylum-seekers, including at least 30 children, in breach of international law. The 48 are now held at a police station in the northern province of Phetchabun. On 8 June members of the group telephoned relatives in Thailand, saying that armed…

On 8 March the Lao authorities publicly claimed to have “found” 21 girls and young women who have been missing since December 2005, but have not revealed their current whereabouts. Six others remain unaccounted for. The 27 have reportedly been held incommunicado in deplorable conditions, ill-treated and possibly tortured.

Around 80 members of a group of at least 231 ethnic Hmong Laotian refugees are reported to be held in extremely harsh and unsanitary conditions at two detention facilities in Thailand’s Phetchabun province. There are serious concerns for their health.

The group of at least 231 ethnic Hmong Laotian refugees, which has been detained in northern Thailand since June, is at immediate risk of being forcibly returned to Laos. If returned, the refugees could face serious human rights violations, including torture and ill-treatment.