The Hmong people live across the mountains of Laos and Vietnam. They are a minority among the Lao and Kinh people. Though traditionally animists, many Hmong converted to Christianity in the 20th Century. As communists seized power in the region, they became victims of violent persecution due to their religion. They continue to face persecution to this day.

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRES

The first Catholic missionaries to set foot in Indochina arrived in the 16th Century. They established small communities of converts, mostly along the Vietnamese coast. However, these converts were viewed with suspicion by the state and locals alike. Pogroms against converts and the execution of priests lead to the death of around 100,000 Catholics in the 19th Century.

In 1858, the French invaded southern Vietnam to protect Catholic missionaries after a spate of state executions. By the end of the century, they had occupied modern-day Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. French Catholics missionaries were joined by American Protestants who began preaching throughout the region. By the early 20th Century, a large number of Hmong and most Montagnards (the French term for ethnic minorities living in the mountains of Vietnam) had become Christians.

The French withdrew from Indochina in 1954 following defeat in the First Indochina War (1945-1954). Cambodia and Laos became independent kingdoms, while Vietnam was partitioned into the communist north and republican south. Within a year, the region devolved into war as North Vietnam sought to conquer the south. Meanwhile communist insurgents attempted to overthrow the new monarchies in Laos and Cambodia.

The Hmong and Montagnards were accused of “collaboration” with the French because of their Christian faith, and were suspected of siding with the United States for the same reason. Hmong were frequently attacked and abducted by communist insurgents in Laos and Vietnam. The Hmong did eventually work with the United States to defend the Lao monarchy during the Laotian Civil War (1959-1975).

TO THE LAST ROOT

After the United States pulled out of Vietnam, communist forces quickly overran South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In Laos, the official newspaper of the new regime announced that the Hmong would be “exterminated to the last root”. The regime began rounding up Hmong and sending them to re-education camps. Around 300,000 fled to neighbouring Thailand where they were placed in squalid detention camps: Thailand is not a party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and so does not recognise the Hmong as refugees. Many were later resettled in the United States, but Thailand has deported many back to Laos (to an uncertain future).

Those unable to escape Laos fled into the jungles. Since 1975, reports of Laotian military attacks on the Hmong have filtered out of the country (here, here, and here). The latest reported attack was in April 2021. There is also evidence of chemical weapons attacks against Hmong civilians. In Vietnam, Hmong and Montagnards persecution is less severe. Nevertheless, Hmong and Montagnards face arbitrary detention, beatings, and evictions. Priests, pastors, and preachers are often targeted.

CONCLUSION

Neither Laos nor Vietnam has faced serious international sanctions because of the persecution of the Hmong and Montagnards. A retired French colonel killed himself in 2011 to protest international indifference. However, little has changed in the decade since his solitary protest. Last year, the European Union signed a free trade agreement with Vietnam while freezing an agreement with China over its treatment of Uyghurs. The EU has also this year pledged 42.9mil euros in aid to Laos. Similarly, the United States has sanctioned China for its treatment of the Uyghurs, but has courted good relations with Vietnam and Laos to counteract Chinese influence.

Sadly this situation is unlikely to change. Geopolitical considerations mean that the persecution of Hmong and Montagnard Christians do not get the governmental or media attention that the Uyghurs or Yazidi do.

Samuel is a trainee solicitor and postgraduate at Cardiff University. He is active in several U.K.-based organisations campaigning on behalf of Hong Kong and BNOs. His research interests include transitional justice and the rule of law.

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