FEINGOLD FOCUSES ON HUMAN RIGHTS, COUNTER-TERRORISM ISSUES DURING
VISIT TO THAILAND
Resettlement of Hmong Refugees Among Major Topics Discussed
with Thai Officials During First Half of Visit to the Region
February 22, 2006
Bangkok, Thailand – In meetings with senior Thai government officials
this week, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold discussed human rights, counter-terrorism
efforts, and the historically strong relations between Thailand and
the U.S. during an official visit to Southeast Asia. As a member of
the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees, Feingold is
visiting Thailand and Indonesia to develop a better understanding of
the counter-terrorism and regional stability challenges faced by two
critical partners in the region.
During each of his meetings with Thai officials, Feingold discussed
the importance of returning 27 Hmong, 26 of whom were minors, to their
families in Thailand. Last December, the 27 Hmong were deported to Laos
and are currently unaccounted for in that country. Feingold urged the
Thai and Loatian governments to immediately reunite these individuals
with their families in Thailand and to permit the international community
immediate access to them to ensure their well-being.
Feingold also stressed the need for the Thai government to respect
human rights and the rule of law as it addresses unrest in the country's
southern provinces, as well as narcotics issues. In addition, Feingold
discussed Thailand’s policy towards the neighboring country of
Burma. Feingold said that recent changes to Thailand’s policy
on Burma were positive but that more needs to be done to hold the Burmese
government accountable for its human rights violations.
In the first half of his week-long tour through Thailand and Indonesia,
Feingold met with Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin, the Thai Foreign
and Defense Ministers, human rights organizations, members of parliament,
and a range of experts on Thai security and regional issues. In addition
to the topics mentioned above, Feingold discussed regional security
issues, as well as the root causes of extremism and the need to incorporate
human rights into counter-insurgency activity.
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