VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVN #0367 1110842
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 210842Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9831
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 6507

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000367 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2016 
TAGS: PINS PHUM PREF PREL LA
SUBJECT: LAO MFA REACTS TO MASSACRE REPORT 
 
REF: VIENTIANE 360 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach, reason 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) This morning PolOff passed on to MFA's Human Rights 
Unit details from unclassified sources of the reported 
massacre of 26 Hmong civilians April 6 in northern Vientiane 
province (reftel). We encouraged the Lao government to take 
the reports seriously, emphasizing that they came from a 
number of credible sources and that the story was already 
circulating widely. We urged the GoL to launch a serious 
investigation of the reported killing and punish anyone found 
culpable. 
 
¶2. (C) After hearing Poloff's brief, MFA Human Rights Unit 
Director Bounpheng Saykanya was visibly agitated as he 
responded he had not heard of the incident.  However, he 
promised to relay the information to his seniors. 
 
¶3. (C) Comment: Given the low level of our initial approach, 
we don't expect the MFA to do anything with the information 
at this point, but at least they are aware of the story.  The 
fact that the information is out there may be enough to lead 
MFA to launch some initial inquiries of MND or Vientiane 
province military contacts.  Meanwhile, evidence of the 
massacre continues to build: since yesterday, we have 
received several new pieces of information from Hmong sources 
substantiating essential details of the killing. End comment. 
HASLACH