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DE RUEHVN #1234/01 3630549
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 290549Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0731
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7051
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 001234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, H, DRL, PRM/ANE; BANGKOK FOR USAID; 
PACOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2016 
TAGS: EAID LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG TH
SUBJECT: REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS LAO VICE PRIME 
MINISTER 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Representative Betty McCollum pressed Deputy 
Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad for more cooperation on 
dealing with unexploded ordnance, education, and health care 
and effectively used her attendance at Christmas Mass to 
indicate the importance of freedom of religion to the United 
States.  Somsavat used much of his time to argue that many 
Americans, including Members of Congress, misunderstood the 
GOL,s handling of its Hmong minority and that the 
Department,s Annual Human Rights Report repeated information 
that did not reflect the reality in Laos.  Representative 
McCollum,s suggestion was to allow a neutral third party 
such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 
to become active in Laos to verify the reality.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) The most senior official with whom Representative 
Betty McCollum met during her December 21-29 visit to Laos 
was Somsavat Lengsavad ) Deputy Prime Minister (since 1998) 
and Permanent Government Member (since 2006).  Somsavat, now 
also a member of the Politburo, had been Foreign Minister 
from 1993-2006 and gained much credit for passage of Normal 
Trade Relations in 2004 ) a process in which Representative 
McCollum played a key role in the Congress.  Somsavat began 
their December 27 meeting by thanking her for her support for 
NTR. 
 
Representative McCollum,s Presentation 
-------------------------------------- 
¶3. (C) Representative McCollum told Somsavat she applauded 
the Lao Constitution,s guarantee of freedom of religion 
since this had allowed her to pass a very pleasant Christmas 
Eve by attending Mass at Vientiane,s Catholic Church.  She 
had also met the Bishop and a newly ordqained priest.  She 
commended the Government of Laos (GOL) for allowing the 
Church to select its own leaders. 
 
¶4. (C) Representative McCollum highlighted for Somsavat the 
opportunities for the United States and Laos to work together 
on the long process of removing unexploded ordnance (UXO) 
from the Indochina War period as well as for bilateral 
cooperation in education and health care.  Representative 
McCollum noted that Laos is a becoming a leader in preparing 
to deal with Avian Influenza (AI) and urged the GOL to share 
its growing expertise with other countries.  She called for a 
partnership to deal with maternal and child health ) to 
ensure healthy mothers during childbirth and health children 
after delivery. 
 
Somsavat,s Response 
------------------- 
¶5. (C) Somsavat thanked Representative McCollum for her 
aspirations to help Laos deal with the challenges remaining 
from the war legacy.  He emphasized the goal of the GOL to 
develop the Lao economy and society to end the country,s 
underdeveloped status and improve the living conditions for 
the people.  He stressed the GOL,s intention to continue to 
follow market economy principles.  Somsavat also told 
Representative McCollum that the GOL is doing its utmost to 
unify all ethnic groups in Laos with the goal of maintaining 
political stability and political order.  Somsavat pointed 
out the GOL,s policy of maintaining good relations with all 
countries.  He added that the GOL appreciated the support 
Laos was receiving from other countries to help eradicate 
poverty. 
 
¶6. (C) Looking back on his many years as Foreign Minister, 
Somsavat emphasized that he did his utmost to work for 
relations with the United States to become more normal.  He 
said he had done his best to support cooperation in various 
fields and is now pleased that the bilateral relationship is 
expanding through the concerted efforts of both sides. 
Somsavat mentioned his consistent support for the process of 
searching for the remains of MIAs from the Vietnam War 
period, which he recognized as one of the top priorities of 
the USG.  Somsavat also highlighted bilateral cooperation on 
counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism. 
 
¶7. (C) Somsavat recognized that there have been a number of 
bilateral exchanges among government officials and 
legislators from the two countries but pointed out that these 
are neither regular nor frequent.  He said he hoped that 
Representative McCollum,s visit would spur the National 
Assembly to plan more exchanges with the Congress. 
 
Misunderstanding The Hmong Situation 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (C) Somsavat spent some time complaining about the State 
Department,s Annual Human Rights Report (HRR).  He noted the 
HRR cited the GOL,s problems with the Hmong ethnic group but 
claimed that this does not reflect the reality.  Somsavat 
pointed out he had told the Ambassador that the American 
people misunderstand the situation; more should come to Laos 
to witness the reality.  Somsavat opined that U.S. Congress 
Members and politicians were receiving distorted news from 
groups in the United States which opposed the GOL ) 
including the group led by former Hmong General Vang Pao. 
According to Somsavat, even Professor Yang Dao (a 
Hmong-American author and activist well known for being the 
first Hmong to earn a Ph.D.), &misunderstood at first.8 
However, after visiting Laos, Yang realized that much of the 
information he had been given had been fabricated.  Somsavat 
noted that General Vang Pao had even complained to a court 
about Yang. 
 
¶9. (C) Somsavat complained in essence that USG policies had 
complicated the situation, including the 2004-05 decision by 
the USG to resettle 10,000-15,000 Hmong in the Wat Tham Kabok 
camp in Thailand to the United States.  According to 
Somsavat, &evil-minded8 people used the USG decision to 
instigate more Hmong in Laos to flee to Thailand in the 
expectation of also being resettled in the United States. 
These latter Hmong, according to Somsavat, were not 
discontented or against the GOL; they just wanted an 
opportunity to visit their relatives in the United States. 
This allowed them to be lured by human trafficking 
syndicates.  Somsavat highlighted that some Hmong willing to 
return to Laos told the GOL they had paid the traffickers 
high fees to be resettled in Thailand. 
 
¶10. (C) Somsavat continued to say that now the GOL and the 
Thai had agreed to set up an ad hoc working group to inspect 
how many Hmong in Thailand wanted voluntarily to return to 
Laos or wanted to go abroad.  The GOL is willing to welcome 
those wanting to return.  Somsavat insisted the GOL policy is 
to build solidarity and national concorde: &there is no 
reason whatsoever in nation building to cause unrest or 
ethnic tension; this does not serve any purpose,8 he 
affirmed.  The Vice President of the National Assembly 
(Madame Pany Yathotu) is a Hmong woman; this had not happened 
in China, Thailand, or Vietnam, he pointed out with pride. 
Somsavat urged Representative McCollum to tell the Congress 
and the American people that the GOL followed a policy of 
equality, solidarity, freedom of religion, and the unity of 
all ethnic groups. 
 
Representative McCollum,s Rejoinder 
----------------------------------- 
¶11. (C) Representative McCollum told Somsavat there are many 
challenges in reconciliation.  Even when families try to 
reconcile, they often have to turn to a &trusted elder8 or 
community leader seen as a fair party for assistance.  If 
inaccurate rumors are started, the elder can deal with them. 
Representative McCollum told Somsavat it would help her and 
others who would like a stronger partnership with Laos if the 
GOL would invite an international entity to &stop the 
rumors.8  She encouraged him to consider asking a neutral 
third party such as the International Committee of the Red 
Cross (ICRC) to talk to both sides.  Then the ICRC can turn 
to the world and announce the rumors are false.  She pointed 
out that the State Department, without an independent third 
party to rely on, has to write the HRR based on the 
information available. 
 
¶12. (C) Representative McCollum pointed out to Somsavat that 
having the assistance of the ICRC would create an opportunity 
for the GOL to work with the Thai Government to resolve the 
situation of the many Hmong currently encamped in Thailand. 
If these Hmong are verified to have left for economic reasons 
or because they received false information, the international 
community would be able to stand up with the Lao and say 
&you should go home.8  Through this process, Representative 
McCollum pointed out, the ability of those who create the 
false rumors would be curtailed. 
 
¶13. (C) In her closing, Representative McCollum wished 
Somsavat success in resolving the GOL,s many challenges with 
Thailand, with the return of Hmong from Thailand, and with 
gaining third-party validation of these issues.  She 
pointedly also asked Somsavat to resolve quickly the issue of 
the 26 children detained for more than a year; unfortunately 
Somsavat did not take the opportunity provided by 
Representative McCollum to indicate that a possible 
resolution of the children,s case was close. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶14. (C) The decision by Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat to use 
this meeting with Representative McCollum to push so strongly 
on the &misinformation8 about the Hmong situation is not 
surprising since GOL officials are well aware of both the 
large number of Hmong-Americans and Lao-Americans living in 
Minnesota,s Fourth District as well as Representative 
McCollum,s high profile within the Congress on issues 
dealing with Laos in general and the Hmong in particular.  As 
in previous meetings, we believe Representative McCollum,s 
encouragement of permission for increased ICRC activities 
here was the perfect response.  We were disappointed that 
Somsavat, with the inside information he has access to from 
his Politburo membership, was not willing to respond when 
Representative McCollum raised the ongoing saga of the 26 
detained children. 
 
¶15. (U) Representative McCollum has cleared this cable. 
 
HASLACH