,,iv #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #iib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #ab1 #bjah,mr4 ,garrett submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,condemning the actions taken by the ,lao ,people's ,democratic ,republic against the ,hmong ,chao,fa ,indigenous people1 and for other purposes4 ,whereas the ,hmong ,chao,fa indigenous people1 a peace-loving nation1 existed more than #e1jjj years in greater ,asia and ,southeast ,asia1 with their own distinct language1 culture1 religion1 and national flag2 ,whereas the ,hmong ,chao,fa ,indigenous ,nation are the descendants of ,hmong ,great ,king ,chi-,you 7,great ,grand ,father7 and ,joualidou was his ,kingdom in #bfjj ,b4,c41 and ,san-,miao ,kingdom 7now called ,southern ,china71 and ,prince ,nraug ,na and ,princess ,gao ,youa were the founders of the ,great ,kingdom of ,jars 7now called ,plain ,de ,jars71 ,xieng ,khoung ,province1 ,laos2 ,whereas the ,hmong nation was allied with ,france during the ,french ,indochina era for the ,french colonial empire from #aidf to #aied under the command of ,major ,roger ,trinquier2 ,whereas the ,hmong people also allied with ,thailand and the ,united ,states as the frontline troops to stop the annexation and colonial occupation of the region from the ,pathet ,lao regime and the ,vietcong-,north ,vietnam military in ,laos during the ,vietnam war era1 about #aifj-aige1 where more than #dj1jjj ,hmong lost their lives2 ,whereas when ,thailand and the ,united ,states withdrew their troops1 the ,hmong nation suffered from persecution and racial discrimination and were labeled as the enemy of the ,pathet ,lao or ,lao ,people's ,democratic ,republic 7,,lpdr7 and ,vietnam because of the loss of thousands of lives and countless actions that were perpetrated by ,thailand and the ,united ,states both in ,laos and ,vietnam during the ,vietnam war era1 #aifj-aige2 ,whereas the ,,ldpr has shown a history of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances1 such as-- 7#a7 the imprisonment of ,reverend ,naw ,karl ,mua and two foreign journalists in ,june #bjjc for their documentation of the ,hmong in the ,xaisomboun ,special ,zone2 7#b7 the arrest of activists ,thao ,moua and ,pa ,phue ,khang in ,june #bjjd for orchestrating protests2 7#c7 the arrest of activist ,sompema ,khantisouk in #bjjg for speaking out against ecologically harmful development2 7#d7 the arrest and subsequent disappearance of ,hmong-,americans ,hakit ,yang1 ,cong ,shi ,neng ,yang1 and ,trillion ,yunhaison1 during a #bjjg visit to ,laos2 7#e7 the arrest and subsequent disappearance of ,lao activist ,sombath ,somphone in ,december #bjab1 whose whereabouts are still unknown2 and 7#f7 the disappearance of ,minnesota ,lao-,americans ,souli ,kongmalavong1 ,bounthie ,insixiengmai1 and ,bounma ,phannhotha in ,january #bjac2 ,whereas the repatriation of ,hmong refugees from ,thailand since #aiij1 leading to more than #h1jjj ,hmong forcibly sent back to ,laos to suffer further discrimination1 has resulted in the detention or disappearance of these refugees once in ,laos1 such as-- 7#a7 the deportation of ,zoua ,yang and her #bg children from ,thailand in ,december #bjje after the group was arrested attending a ,christian church in ,ban ,kho ,noi1 ,phetchabun ,province1 ,thailand1 where upon arrival back in ,laos1 ,ms4 ,yang and her children were detained1 after which the whereabouts of much of the family are still yet unknown2 and 7#b7 the case of ,kha ,yang1 arrested after his second forced return from ,thailand in #bjaa1 after which he disappeared and remains missing to this day2 ,whereas the violent military campaign of the ,,ldpr against the ,hmong ,chao,fa1 who refused to flee the country or surrender to the government for fear of arrest or death that began in #aige1 saw about #g1jjj ,hmong indigenous men1 women1 and children out of more than #ajj1jjj ,hmong ,chao,fa forced from their villages to the rainforest in the ,hmong ,chao,fa ,state1 ,xaisomboun ,special ,zone1 ,northern ,laos2 ,whereas this campaign is ongoing and the ,hmong ,chao,fa continue to be hunted by the ,lao military and ,vietnamese mercenaries1 and are now numbering less than #a1jjj1 and are still living on leaves and roots1 unable to farm in their nomadic situation2 ,whereas this campaign continues to be marked by death and violence1 such as-- 7#a7 the murders of ,hmong men ,hue ,xiong1 ,cha ,xiong1 ,ze ,xiong1 and ,bee ,vang1 at the hands of the ,laos ,people's ,army 7,,lpa7 in the ,phou ,bia mountain area on ,february #bb1 #bjac1 and the wounding of ,year ,chang in the same incident1 in which these unarmed ,hmong men1 three of whom were teachers at a nearby school1 were among a group of #aj men who had left their village to search for food when they were fired upon by the military2 7#b7 an attack on a ,hmong village in the ,xaisomboun ,province of ,laos by military forces where a ,hmong woman and a ,hmong man were killed1 ,pa ,moua and ,true ,moua1 where the latter's body was never recovered2 7#c7 the disappearance of ,hmong men ,vajntxiag ,vaj and ,vue ,thao after they were summoned to meet with a ,lao police officer in the village of ,lat ,houang on ,september #ad1 #bjaf1 after which ,mr4 ,vaj's corpse was found on ,september #bj1 #bjaf1 and ,mr4 ,thao's corpse was found on ,september #bc1 #bjaf1 in a local river1 where both corpses had indications of severe beatings as limbs were broken2 7#d7 the death of a #a-month-old baby by violent coughing on ,september #ba1 #bjaf1 and the similar death of a #e-month-old baby on ,october #f1 #bjaf1 believed to be a result of chemical poisoning which the ,hmong community suspects is being used as a tactic by the military as they experience symptoms related to chemical poisoning after military helicopters fly over their camps2 7#e7 the death of ,hmong men ,kim ,vang and ,vangxeng ,vang after an attack on ,october #ag1 #bjaf1 by the ,,lpa near ,muoang ,cha2 7#f7 the deployment of heavy artillery1 including #fjmm1 #hjmm1 and #abjmm rounds that are randomly fired into suspected ,hmong camps during morning1 noon1 and night2 and 7#g7 the ignored ,united ,nations recommendation during the #ffth ,session in ,march #bjje in ,geneva1 where ,article #i of the ,convention 7,c4 #ba7 requested the ,lao ,government should start an initiative to find a peaceful solution between the ,hmong ,chao,fa ,indigenous ,nation and allow humanitarian aid such as food1 medicine1 and clothes to help the ,hmong ,chao,fa ,indigenous ,nation in the rainforest at ,hmong ,chao,fa ,state1 ,xaisomboun ,special ,zone1 ,northern ,laos as soon as possible2 ,whereas the ,,ldpr has continued to defy its commitments to international law and reject the requests of ,state parties and international institutions to visit or provide humanitarian aid2 ,whereas the ,committee on the ,elimination of ,racial ,discrimination 7,,cerd7 has raised serious concerns about the situation of the ,hmong people in ,laos since #bjjc1 invoking its early warning and urgent action procedures1 urging proper and impartial investigation into the areas1 and urging authorities to invite the relevant ,united ,nations mandate holders2 ,whereas eight ,united ,states ,senators sent an urgent letter on ,may #af1 #bjjh1 to urge ,secretary of ,state ,rice to request ,thailand's ,prime ,minister ,samak ,sundaravej's urgent help to stop the forced deportation of ,hmong refugees in ,huay ,nam ,khao and ,nongkhai ,detention ,center1 ,thailand1 back to ,laos because the ,hmong would face persecution by the ,,ldpr2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjaa1 the ,committee on the ,rights of the ,child considered the malnutrition and high incidence of wasting disease in rural areas where ,hmong reside an emergency situation2 ,whereas the ,,cerd continued to voice concerns and recommendations in its review of ,laos in #bjab1 reiterating its previous recommendation that the ,state party should invite ,united ,nations bodies for the protection and promotion of human rights to visit the areas where members of the ,hmong ethnic groups have taken refuge2 ,whereas the ,universal ,periodic ,review of ,laos in #bjad and #bjae contained concerns expressed by several treaty bodies1 especially the ,,cerd ,committee1 particularly the concern of overdue reports from the ,,ldpr2 ,whereas the ,,ldpr refuses to reestablish an in-country presence of independent organizations such as the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees 7,,unhcr71 which has been denied access to refugee camps in ,laos since the expiration of its mandate in #bjja2 ,whereas the growing systematic repression1 arbitrary arrests1 detention1 and imprisonment of ,hmong ,chao,fa ,indigenous ,nation by the total absence of freedom of association1 opinion1 expression and the constant extrajudicial execution of innocent ,hmong in the last #dc years from #aige to the present of #bjah2 and ,whereas by the rapid militarization of the ,xaisomboum ,special ,zone1 which seems to be an indication of a final eradication effort of the ,hmong with the increasing density of military bases in the ,phou ,bia region and the deployment of occupying troops and heavy weapons1 including tanks3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 urges the ,lao ,people's ,democratic ,republic 7,,ldpr7 to-- 7,a7 cease its repeated and ongoing assaults on the ,hmong community living in the jungle and ensure its insertion into society2 7,b7 respect the ,convention on the ,rights of the ,child1 which it signed in #aihi1 and especially-- 7i7 article #c4c1 which states that ,state parties shall insure the care or protection of children2 and 7ii7 article #f1 which states that ,state parties recognize that every child has the right to life1 and that ,state parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child2 7,c7 ensure that its election processes are competitive1 free1 fair1 inclusive1 and participatory by allowing multiple parties to take part2 7,d7 grant the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees and such other international organizations access to the country2 7,e7 abide by international law with regards to the treatment of ,hmong returnees living in refugee camps2 7,f7 demilitarize the ,xaisomboum ,special ,zone2 and 7,g7 uphold its commitments to human rights treaties that it has ratified1 particularly the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 the ,international ,convention on the ,elimination of ,all ,forms of ,racial ,discrimination1 the ,international ,covenant on ,economic1 ,social1 and ,cultural ,rights1 and the ,convention on the ,rights of the ,child2 7#b7 urges the ,united ,nations to-- 7,a7 condemn the actions of the ,,ldpr2 and 7,b7 invoke the ,responsibility to ,protect 7,r#b,p7 mechanisms as soon as possible2 7#c7 urges the ,secretary ,general to consider action on this situation such as encouraging or instigating independent investigation2 7#d7 urges the relevant mandate holders of the ,council1 including those addressing summary execution1 disappearances1 torture1 internally displaced persons1 health1 food1 water and sanitation1 arbitrary detention1 human rights defenders1 truth1 and minority issues to request onsite visits to the ,hmong areas in ,laos1 either alone or in concert2 and 7#e7 urges the ,council to-- 7,a7 consider requesting the ,high ,commissioner to undertake action1 including establishing a team of inquiry as has been established in other situations2 or 7,b7 establish its own committee of inquiry or appoint a special rapporteur or independent expert4