/EINPresswire.com/ In response to the report written by Songrit Pongem, Laos: No Democracy, Only Socialism, dated 26 April 2010 with regards to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s affirmation that their ultimate goal was to lead the nation towards socialism,
Human Rights Watch Laos pleads to the following persons for support and aid.
This request is for the implementation of holding multi-national party elections under the international community monitoring and national reconciliation:
– H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, General Assembly President of 64th session of the United Nations;
– H.E. Mr herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Nation; and
– H.E. Mrs Hillary Clinton, Secretary State of United States of America.
This plea is to persuade the Lao’s Prime Minister, Bouasone Bouphavahn , to retract his comments to the foreign reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit with the country making no plans to introduce a multi-party democracy.
In addition to wanting to lead the country into socialism, the Lao PDR wants to transfer and push the country to be similar to that of Vietnam West. The Vietnamese communist party continues their policy of neocolonization, whilst nibbling away at Laos by annexing sizable portions of its border. This is demonstrated with the flooding of Vietnamese settlers and their exploitation of the natural resources within the three southeastern provinces of Attopeu, Sekong and Saravan in Laos.
Currently, the Vietnamese communists have extended their hegemony over Laos. The Lao party leaders are anointed by Hanoi, whilst also receiving their marching orders through a Vietnamese shadow government.
On 17th July 1977 the political leaders installed by Vietnam in Laos were forced to sign a Treaty (dated 18th July by the Secretariat of the Vietnamese Communist Party) which transferred the whole of Lao territory to Vietnamese sovereignty.In late 1977 “678 Bureau” was set up under the overall command of General Tran Van Kwang in Tilien, Hanoi, to oversee the control of Laos under the Treaty signed in July. Eight full Divisions of the Vietnamese Army were then sent to Laos to guard each part of the country, because they were afraid that the Lao people who loved their country would rise up and fight back.
Divisions 530 and 600 were sent to guard Huaphan, Xieng Khuang and Phongsali Provinces; Division 396 was sent to guard Oudomsay and Luang Namtha Provinces; Division 324 was sent to guard Luang Prabang, Sayabouli, and Vientiane Provinces and the South of Xieng Khuang Province; Division 176 was sent to guard Bolikhamsay Province and the North of Khammouan Province; Division 967 was sent to guard the South of Khammouan Province and Savannakhet Province; Division 968 was sent to guard the North of Salavan Province and Champassak Province; and Division 632 was sent to guard the South of Salavan Province and Attapeu Province.
The total strength of these eight Divisions exceeded 50,000 men; in addition to this Military Advisors were sent to control the Pathet Lao soldiers who were assigned under Vietnamese command. The Vietnamese provided military training to the Lao military assigned to their command in many different fields. For example: 100 officers per training cycle were sent to train as Military Surgeons in Hadong, in revolving cycles; 300 Lao and Cambodian officers at a time were sent for flying instruction (Secret Code 400); 30 officers at a time were sent for training in Chemical Warfare at Seun Dong; 150 officers at a time were sent for training in Fire Cannon at Betong; and 150 officers at a time were sent for Tank training at Savarn May and Ving Fou. In addition to this, military Special Agent training schools were set up inside Laos in two locations, in Vang Vieng and Seno, under Vietnamese command.
In 1987, the Vietnamese ordered the Lao military under their command to announce the “New Economic Mechanism” to attract foreign investors and traders to combat the sudden loss of Soviet aid. From 1988 until the present time Vietnam has disguised the appearance of troops in most areas as labourers, in order to circumvent public international criticism. On 11th November 1995 Vietnam signed a new Treaty with Laos to further enhance this arrangement, under the name “Labour Exchange Agreement”.
Under the terms of the Labour Exchange Agreement, Vietnam sent their soldiers to Laos in the disguise of ordinary labourers; these labourers had trucks of their own, in
which they kept a wide variety of special weaponry for military action for any eventuality in the region.
In order to facilitate the looting of the rich natural resources of Laos, the Army set up many regions completely closed to access under four different terms: Special Danger Zones, Protected Forest Reserves, Special Development Zones, and Boundary Zones. These special regions were used for maintaining Vietnamese military forces, scientists, and Vietnamese labour extracting the most valuable natural resources. The region is marked as a Boundary Zone, and any outsider found entering this zone will be shot on sight.
Best Regards,
Mr Bounkhong Arounsavat
President of the Human Rights Watch Laos, Inc.
Canberra 8/05/2010