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Three Hmong-American men have been missing in Laos, pictured
above, since Aug. 25. Their families believe the men were arrested
by the Lao government, which has denied detaining the U.S. citizens.
Families rally support for three Hmong-Americans missing in Laos
Protesters, politicians join in call for answers from Lao government
The families of three Hmong-American St. Paul men missing in Laos gathered outside the Minnesota Capitol Thursday to plea for the safe return of their loved ones.
They were joined by about 60 people carrying signs — such as “Justice must be served” and “Where are three missing Hmong-Americans?” — as well as politicians and community leaders calling for the government of Laos to disclose the men’s whereabouts.
Cousins Hakit Yang, 29, and Cong Shi Neng Yang, 31, and their uncle, Trillion Yunhaison, 41, have been missing since Aug. 25.
“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.”
Hmong leaders say their people face persecution in Laos because they served in a CIA-backed guerrilla army that fought Lao communists in the 1960s and ‘70s. Thousands later fled to the U.S.
The missing men, who are Hmong American, were sightseeing in Laos and exploring opportunities for starting small businesses, said Xai Yang, Hakit Yang's brother.
The country’s military and security forces arrested the men and their interpreter on Aug. 25, said Philip Smith, the Washington director of Lao Veterans of America. He has said the reason for the men’s arrest was unknown and they had no known ties to dissident groups.
The government of Laos has denied the men were detained and hasn’t responded to repeated requests for information from the U.S. government. But families of the men said Yunhaison was able to make a phone call home Aug. 26, the last time they heard from him, to say they had been arrested.
Minnesota Rep. Cy Thao, DFL-St. Paul, pleaded with the international community, particularly countries that help fund the government in Laos, to apply pressure for more transparency.
“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.
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., sent staffers to the rally, who said their offices are in “constant contact” with the U.S. embassy in Laos and state department officials in Washington.
Many at the rally stressed that the men are U.S. citizens and deserve the full protection of the government.
- The Associated Press contribted to this report