Lost in Laos: Bring our men home

Hakit Yang, 29, Conghineng Yang, 31, and Trillion Yunhaison, 41, all are from St. Paul.

The families of the three St. Paul men, missing in Laos since Aug. 25, gathered outside the state Capitol Thursday to plea for their safe return.

About 60 people carrying signs joined the families as politicians and community leaders called out for the Lao government to disclose the men’s whereabouts.

“We deserve to know where they are and why they are being detained,” said Panyia Ly, Hakit Yang’s sister-in-law in a statement she read on the families’ behalf. “We want to believe that these three U.S. citizens are still alive in the world with us. …We demand answers and will not stop until they have been answered and the men are safely home.”

Hakit Yang, 29, and Cong Shi Neng Yang, 31, are cousins, and Trillion Yunhaison, 41, is their uncle, said Xai Yang, Hankit Yang’s brother.

Laotian military and security forces arrested the men and their interpreter on Aug. 25, said Philip Smith, the Washington director of Laos Veterans of America. He said the reason for the men’s arrest was unknown and they had no known political or family ties to dissident groups.

Laos' government denied the men were detained and hasn't responded to repeated requests for information from the U.S. government. But, the families of the men said Trillion Yunhaison made a phone call home Aug. 26, the last time they heard from him, to say they had been arrested.

U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar sent staffers to the rally. They both said their offices are in "constant contact" with the U.S. embassy in Laos and state department officials in Washington.

State Rep. Cy Thao, DFL-St. Paul, pleaded with the international community, particularly countries who fund the Laotian government, to pressure Laos to be release more information.

“Right now, no one knows whether these men have been charged for anything and, if they have, the Lao government has an obligation to the international community, and our community, and these families to let them know what they’re charged with,” he said. “If … these men have committed some crime, they need to be given a fair trial. I think that’s not a lot to ask.”

Many at the rally stressed the men are U.S. citizens and deserve full protection of the government.

“I am confident that the United States of America, who sees its citizens as very, very precious resources to this country, will work its hardest to bring home these three United States citizens,” said state Sen. Mee Mua, DFL-St. Paul.

Related Links:

• Read the country profile of Laos
• Learn more about Amesty International, a worldwide international human rights organization.
• Read more at the Hmong Times.

---

.