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Grave Desecrations

Thai Government Response

In the early 1990’s when the Thai government began to close Hmong Refugee camps, many Hmong were afraid to return to Laos. Several fled to the grounds of Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist monastery, which had been home to a small number of refugees since the 1970’s. The Hmong were allowed to live peacefully on the grounds of the monastery until 1999 when the Abbot, who gave them refuge, died.

In 2003 the government of Thailand began a registration program aimed at the eventual removal of the Hmong refugees from Wat Tham Krabok to a remote military base in Eastern Thailand. The United States stepped in and agreed to resettle the refugees.

The resettlement began in early 2004 with the majority of the Hmong having reached the United States by late 2005. A few hundred refugees remained in the camp for tuberculosis treatment, under the supervision of the United States State Department and Department of Defense, the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR

In late 2005 the recently arrived refugees started receiving reports that the graves of their dead at Wat Tham Krabok were being desecrated. Contrary to the claims of the government of Thailand, the relatives of the dead were not officially notified; the majority of them found out from video footage that had been taken by those still living in the camp.

This video footage showed the bodies being removed from the graves, dismembered and defleshed. The bones were then taken to an unknown place outside the camp.

When asked why they were doing this, the monastery and the government of Thailand claimed it was for reasons of water sanitation. This claim is contradicted by a number of facts:

  • There were no water contamination issues for the 20 years that over 15,000 people lived in the camp.
  • The flesh and clothing, along with other refuse, was put back in the graves, while only the bones were taken away.
  • The graves of other ethnic groups that lie adjacent to the Hmong graves were left undisturbed.

These actions have caused significant grief to the relatives of the dead buried at Wat Tham Krabok and are a violation of their rights to manifest their beliefs, to participate in cultural life, to be free from discrimination, and their right to family.

The Kingdom of Thailand freely entered into its obligations as a State Party to the treaties that protect the rights of the Hmong. By permitting and providing logistical support for the disinterment of the Hmong graves at Wat Tham Krabok, Thailand is violating the rights of the Hmong people and ignoring its international obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Memoranda from the government of Saraburi, Thailand

English Translation (DOC)

Thai Original (PDF)