The Ho Chi Minh Trail SecOns: the Ho Chi Minh Trail Was the Route from North Vietnam to South

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Ho Chi Minh Trail Sec�Ons: the Ho Chi Minh Trail Was the Route from North Vietnam to South JULY 2019 SUPPLEMENT VOL 82.5 Chapter 16 Newsleer Organizaon and Responsibilies: Editor: Glen Craig The Ho Chi Minh Trail Secons: The Ho Chi Minh Trail was the route from North Vietnam to South Message from the President: Stephen Durfee Vietnam thru Laos and Cambodia that North Vietnam used to Treasurers Report: Willi Lindner supply the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army in South Vietnam with Weapons, Ammuni on and other supplies. Sec. Rpt (Staff Meeng Minutes): Mike Barkstrom Sick Call/Obituary: Chaplain Butch Hall Blast from the Past: Glen Craig Special Recognion: Mike Barkstrom Upcoming Events: Mike Barkstrom Calendar: Stephen Durfee Human Interest Story: Chapter at large SFA Naonal HQ Update: Stephen Durfee Aer Acon Report: Jim Lessler Membership Info: Roy Sayer Adversements: Glen Craig Suspense: Newsleer published (Web): 1st of each odd numbered month Input due to editor: 20th of each even numbered month Dra due to President: 27th of each even numbered month Final Dra due 29th of each even numbered month I thought this was interesng and wanted to share it with everyone. I hope you enjoy it. Legend of the Ho Chi Minh Trail Ho Chi Minh Trail Aug14, 2012 Please ask, about our Ho Chi Minh Trail tours! Page 1 Ho Chi Minh trail, painng by Veteran Larry Chambers The Legend of the Ho Chi Minh trail, there are few brand names to match that of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the secret, shiing, network of deep jungle tracks that led to the Victory for Vietnam war. SA 2 Surface to Air missile, Ho Chi Minh trail Southern Laos, Ho Chi Minh trail Huey helicopter used in the Lamson bale at the Ban Dong war museum Well here I sit in Laos again, I have been pung around the place on and off for 10 years now. Mostly traveling by motorcycle, no surprise there. However I am now into offroading. This lile hobby started around 1999 when I took my first backpacking trip aer 15 years sailing around the globe on my sailboat Espritdemer. This land trip took in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. All countries I was able to rent bikes with the excepon of Laos. And Laos, in those years was just opening up to tourism. Well so off to Singapore and buy a bike. Where I found a trusty ole Xl600 Honda. This good ole bike made many trips up through Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Borneo. To cut a long story short eventually I moved down to a smaller more nimble bike an XR400. In around 2003 I discovered the ancient Kymer Empire known as Ankor Wat. Cambodia at the me was just coming out of the Kymer Rouge era and the country was in a shambles with and dilapidated road network, which had more oxcarts than cars in the country. Well with the combinaon of great offroad riding and the lure of ancient temples in the Jungles. (Indiana Jones). I spent a few seasons with my GPS mapping, discovering many ancient temples and ancient road networks across the land. Wow great fun and memories, unl development caught up with the place and it became a bit ordinary. The fantasc temples, sur- rounded by landmine signs with skull and crossbones that I would camp inside, would now have cket gates guards and tourists!! So my aenon turned northwards towards Laos and in the theme of ancient roads, the Ho Chi Minh trails were the next target. Of course with all the GPS gear from the boat and a few navigaon skills. I used the incredible US Military maps to find the old trails which were intact, lots of war junk along the trails and the main source of income for the locals was selling the metal to the Vietnamese which was then melted down in smelters. So blah blah blah. Aer a few years of this great fun I connued to map the whole of the country and produce the LaosGPSmap which you can see on the web site. However the Ho Chi Minh trail connues to be a passion, In fact I am wring this from Xepon site of one of the biggest bales of war. The Lao and Vietnamese are have a huge celebraon and dedicaon ceremony at the new war museum here at Ban Dong. UXO Laos, Aepue province Page 2 Chinese tank on road 96 Ho Chi Minh trail appears to have toppled down the side of the hill and been buried, This tank lay underground unl the ADB funded road was cut and an excavator uncovered this perfectly intact specimen, although a lile dirty , live arllery shells and equipment were sll inside the cockpit Tank turret Aimed at the Sihanouk trail Southern Laos, Ho Chi Minh trail What a fantasc view from this road looking into the Aepue valley. To me it was a dark, foreboding place where we knew the enemy was creeping up on us and we were shoong at ghosts, just every once in a while happening to hit something important. Not enough to stem the de. Chinese built, T 58 tank with gun and turret, Ho Chi Minh trail Inside the cockpit when this tank was uncovered, the 2 squares in front of the driver, are prisms so the tank can be operated without opening the hatch, Ho Chi Minh trail speedometer and tachometer from Chinese built tank, One can only speculate that this tank fell off the side of the hill then was buried by a landslide? on the Ho Chi Minh trail This secon of “The trail” was “saved” When the Belgian Cooperaon upgraded the road in 2008. This road was heavily used during the war to transport guns and ammo, however the original construcon was during the French era. Aer a very long days exploring, many trees were blocking the road, lucky I had my saw with me. I managed to hack through the jungle and found myself on this perch overlooking Sepon. This was the site of An Aircra gun emplacements, remains of bunkers can be found along this ridge. Ho Chi Minh trail Laos My bike. photo above, is on LZ Sophia overlooking the Xepon valley scene of the Bale of Lamson File Photo, March 1971 Lz Sophia, Excerpt,”I parcipated in two invasions of Cambodia.The first was the U.S. invasion in the Spring of 1970. The second was in early 1971 (a couple of weeks before my tour of duty was over) when the South Vietnamese alone invaded Cambodia but were supported by U.S. gunship and Page 3 medevac aircra. During that second invasion, I never saw Cambodia during the day, as all of my medevac border crossings came at or aer sunset. One night while we were deep in Cambodia (North of Phnom Penh) we were hijacked by some ARVN’s (Army Republic of Vietnam) who were losing a bale. Because of the large number of casuales, the mission called for two Dustoff aircra. I was the first bird in and CW2 was right behind us with his. Our landing site was to the center of a ring of tanks and and APC’s (armored personnel carriers) located on the top of a large bare (defoliated) hill top surrounded by thick jungle. All of the tanks and APC’s were outward and engaging with the enemy. The chaos reminded me of an old Western movie where the encircled wagon train was defending itself from Indian aacks from all sides. When we “touched down” the ARVN’s abandoned their wounded and swarmed my aircra. My medic and crewchief started to throw the unwounded off the aircra when the ARVN’s pointed their weapons at us. I told my crew to get back on board and close the cargo doors when they could. I tried to pick our bird up to a hover, but with all the ARVNs on board, we were well over our Gross Max Weight limits and our rotor (RPM) would keep bleeding off. Since we were sing ducks where we were, I decided to try a running take off and aempt to reach “translaonal li” by running (sliding along on our skids) down the hillside. I was surrounded by armored vehicles, so I looked for an opening between two vehicles that was large enough to fit, but ended up clipping off both of their FM whip antennas. Once outside of the circle of armored vehicles we started our run down the hillside with all lights out except our search light (the scan of which I controlled by my thumb on the cyclic). We slid and bounced toward the tree line, slowly gaining ground speed by nursing the rotor RPM, engine RPM and Torque sengs gingerly to achieve li off. As we cleared the the tree tops, I turned the search light off and began a slow climb and increase in airspeed. I radioed Stan to warn him what he was in for and asked my crew for a head count of ARVN’s on board. My crew chief said it was a “…pile of assholes and elbows and shit eang smiles…” that he esmated the count at 17-18 or more. Then my medic shouted that we had an ARVN hanging from the skids! I immediately reduced airspeed and power to begin a descent. I remember thinking,’”Man oh man, now what are you going to do? You’ve got a guy on the skids and a triple canopy jungle beneath you and it’s pitch black out there and you’re in the middle of bad guy country along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.”.
Recommended publications
  • Operation Lam Son 719 Amid “Vietnamization” Strategy During Vietnam War
    International Journal of Social Science And Human Research ISSN(print): 2644-0679, ISSN(online): 2644-0695 Volume 04 Issue 07 July 2021 DOI: 10.47191/ijsshr/v4-i7-31, Impact factor-5.586 Page No: 1790-1798 Operation Lam Son 719 amid “Vietnamization” Strategy during Vietnam War Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Ngọc Dung1, MA. Nguyen Minh Son2 1University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;International Relations Program, Thu Dau Mot University, Binh Duong, Vietnam, 2Ph.D. student, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam\ ABSTRACT: Fifty years ago, Operation Lam Son 719 was organized by the US Army and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to realize their scheme to cut off the Indochina battlefield separating the Vietnam revolutionary forces from the revolutionary movement of Laos and Cambodia. Based on historical evidence from previous Vietnamese and USA documents, this article aims to prove that Operation Lam Son 719 made many strategic mistakes in assessing the military power of ARVN and the revolutionary alliance of Vietnam - Laos – Cambodia during the Vietnam War, as well as the tactical mistakes on the battlefield of ARVN. The failure of Operation Lam Son 719 dealt a heavy blow to the Vietnamization strategy, showing the passive strategic approach in the Doctrine of Vietnamization. Operation Lam Son 719 played a big role in forcing the U S to agree to negotiate with Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Paris. KEYWORDS: Operation Lam Son 719, Nixon, Vietnamization, People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).
    [Show full text]
  • US Involvement in the Vietnam War, 1954-75 Key Terms/Concepts
    US involvement in the Vietnam War, 1954-75 Key terms/concepts Key Events Colony A place controlled by another country, politically and economically 1954 Defeat at Dien Bien Phu leads to French Communist A communist government owns all the businesses and land in the country it controls. Everyone works withdrawal for the government. In return, the government provides everyone in the country with everything they need. 1956 Ndo Dinh Diem refuses to hold elections Dien Bien Phu A place in North Vietnam where the Vietnminh beat the French in battle 1961 President Kennedy increases US ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam - South Vietnamese army involvement in Vietnam Vietcong/NVA North Vietnamese Army 1963 Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, sets fire to Accord A formal agreement himself in Saigon DMZ (demilitarised An area where all military activity is forbidden 1964 Gulf of Tonkin zone) Domino theory The fear that once one country falls to communism, others will follow 1964 Operation Rolling Thunder launched Limited war A war where a country supports a side in a conflict by, for example, sending them supplies and 1968 Battle for Khe Sanh and Teto Offensive training their troops, but not by sending any of their own troops to fight Referendum A countrywide vote on a single issue 1968 My Lai massacre Ho Chi Minh Trail The trail used by the Vietcong that runs through Laos and Cambodia from North Vietnam to South 1968 President Johnson decides not to run for a Vietnam. It was used to send supplies and support. second term and Nixon becomes President Guerrillas
    [Show full text]
  • Quiet Professionals
    SP S EC ON IA TI L OPERA AS N SOCIATIO TM Pre Reunion Packet Quiet Professionals Col. Sully de Fontaine MG Eldon A. Bargewell 2/27/1927 – 4/22/2019 8/13/1947 – 4/29/2019 SOAR XLIII October 21-25, 2019 The Orleans Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada SCHOLARSHIPS Educational grants to vetted Active Duty, separated, and retired SOF and their families “The Special Operations Association Foundation provides educational grants to vetted Active Duty, separated, and 863 ELIGIBILITY: A high school graduate, or a high school student anticipating graduation during the year of application, unmarried, and under the age of 21 years at the time of application. Must be a son, daughter, or grandchild, natural or adopted, of an individual who served in a Special Operations unit, and is a SOA member in “good standing”. Applications are also accepted from wives and widows of Special Operators who are members of the Special Operations Association or were KIA or MIA while serving with a Special Operations unit in combat. APPLICATIONS: Application packets are available from 15 September of the previous year to 15 February of the year that the grant will be awarded. The deadline for the submission of all formal applications is 15 April of the year the Grant will be awarded. Inquiries should be addressed to the Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, Christopher McClure at [email protected]. More information on the Special Operations Association can be found at http://www.specialoperations.org You can also donate a portion can also donate of purchases to the Amazon You your SOAF through Smile Program the Amazon SOAF https://smile.amazon.com at Special Operations Association Fellow SOA members SP S EC ON IA TI L OPERA AS N SOCIATIO On behalf of the Special Operations Association I would like TM to welcome all members and guests to SOAR XLIII and the Beautiful Orleans Hotel.
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 the Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada 40 Year Pin Ceremony
    Special Operations S PE NS Association C O IA TI L OPERA AS N SOCIATIO After Action Report TM Keynote Speaker CSM Shane Shorter First Special Forces Group (Airborne) SOAR XL October 17-21, 2016 The Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada 40 Year Pin Ceremony The following SOA Members were presented their 40 Year Pins by President Rick Estes and SOA Member MG/R Eldon Bargewell at the SOAR XL Banquet: Robert T. Ashton Jim Kennedy Clifford Newman Jim Butler Larry Kimmel Garrett Robb Merlyn D. Eckles James R. Martin Clyde J. Sincere John Fryer Daniel R. Myers Michael E. Taylor David Gordon Frank B. Moore SPECIAL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATION SPECIAL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATION SOA FACT SHEET The SOA, established in December 1977 is a fraternal veteran’s organization of past and present American and Allied military personnel who have conducted special operations in a combat environment. The group includes veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, in Afghanistan and Iraq. Membership is limited to Free World forces who supported, or personally participated in missions deep inside hostile territory in a combat capacity. For the most part, the SOA is composed of U.S. Army Special Forces personnel but, also includes USAF Air Commandos/FAC’s, Navy Seals, Special Operations Aviators, Marine Raider, and Force Recon personnel and veterans of other elite military organizations who were an integral part of Special Operations. a. To unite fraternally all veterans who have or are now conducting or assigned to military units which conducted such operations; and, - fense of the Free World and to those who served in Special Operations units and are still unaccounted for as POW/MIA through the management of the SOA George C.
    [Show full text]
  • Operation Barrel Roll
    In 1962, the United States began a “secret war” in Laos. The operation wasn’t revealed until 1970, by which time it con- sumed half of all US attack sorties in Southeast Asia. Barrel Roll By John T. Correll n early 1961, the hot spot of lead- ing concern in Southeast Asia was not Vietnam but Laos. The new US President, John IF. Kennedy, rated Laos as “the most im- mediate of the problems that we found upon taking office” in January. On March 23, Kennedy held a news conference, nationally televised, to talk about Laos. He pointed out the communist advance on a large map. The Pathet Lao insur- gents, supported by the Russians and the North Vietnamese, had captured the northeastern part of the country. “Laos is far away from America, but the world is small,” Kennedy said. “The security of all Southeast Asia will be endangered if Laos loses its neutral independence. Its own safety runs with the safety of us all, in real neutrality observed by all.” In itself, Laos had little strategic im- portance. It was remote and landlocked, with a population of only two million. However, it shared borders with six other countries and had traditionally served as a buffer zone between the more powerful neighboring states. Thousands of ancient stone jars dot the plains in the center of Laos. The real concern about Laos was that the insurgency would spread and destabilize the rest of the region. “If the group, about 750 people, left promptly, pilots flying air support for the Laotian communists [are] able to move in and but no more than 40 of the 7,000 North ground forces.
    [Show full text]
  • ISSN 1553-9768 Spring 2005 Volume 5, Edition 2
    ISSN 1553-9768 Spring 2005 Volume 5, Edition 2 A Peer Reviewed Journal for SOF Medical Professionals Dedicated to the Indomitable Spirit & Sacrifices of the SOF Medic A Special Forces doctor treats a patient’s mouth during a sick call for local Afghans in southern Afghanistan. From the Editor The Journal of Special Operations Medicine is an authorized official quarterly publication of the United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is not a product of the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA). Our mission is to promote the professional development of Special Operations medical personnel by providing a forum for the examination of the latest advancements in medicine. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: THE VIEWS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFI- CIAL DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE POSITION. THE UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND AND THE JOURNAL OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS MEDICINE DO NOT HOLD THEMSELVES RESPONSIBLE FOR STATEMENTS OR PRODUCTS DISCUSSED IN THE ARTICLES. UNLESS SO STATED, MATERIAL IN THE JSOM DOES NOT REFLECT THE ENDORSEMENT, OFFICIAL ATTITUDE, OR POSITION OF THE USSOCOM-SG OR OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD. Articles, photos, artwork, and letters are invited, as are comments and criticism, and should be addressed to Editor, Journal of Special Operations Medicine, USSOCOM, SOC-SG, 7701 Tampa Point Blvd., MacDill AFB, FL 33621-5323. Telephone: DSN 299-5442, commercial: (813) 828-5442, fax: -2568; e-mail [email protected]. The JSOM is serial indexed (ISSN) with the Library of Congress and all scientific articles are peer-reviewed prior to pub- lication. The Journal of Special Operations Medicine reserves the right to edit all material.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ho Chi Minh Trail Directions: Read the Paragraphs Below and Study the Map Carefully
    aran-0622-ir 11/15/01 3:05 PM Page 51 Name Date GEOGRAPHY APPLICATION: LOCATION CHAPTER 22 The Ho Chi Minh Trail Directions: Read the paragraphs below and study the map carefully. Then answer Section 4 the questions that follow. he Ho Chi Minh Trail developed from a net- North Vietnam’s Inroads into South Vietnam Twork of existing hidden jungle paths. During the 1960s, it became the main route used by North Vietnam to get troops and supplies into South CHINA Vietnam in support of the Vietcong’s fight against South Vietnamese troops and their U.S. allies. The NORTH trail was named for Ho Chi Minh, the leader of VIETNAM North Vietnam at the time. When North Vietnamese soldiers were wounded, they were transported up the trail for treatment. r e v Gulf of Tonkin U.S. and South Vietnamese troops tried repeat- i R g edly to cut or destroy this lifeline. They drenched n o LAOS k the surrounding jungle with defoliants to kill trees e and other vegetation. This effort failed, and North M Vietnam continued to use the trail. Invasion DEMILITARIZED ZONE (DMZ) The Tet Offensive of early 1968 showed how of Laos determined North Vietnam was. The North Hue Da Nang Vietnamese and the Vietcong launched simultane- Ho Chi Minh Trail ous raids on provincial capitals and major cities THAILAND Quangngai throughout South Vietnam at the beginning of Tet, the lunar new year celebration. The U.S. Embassy Pleiku in Saigon was attacked, as were many other suppos- edly secure sites. The planning and coordination Quinhon r e SOUTH needed to carry out such an action stunned v i VIETNAM Americans in Vietnam and in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Journalism's "Valley of Death" Telling the Truth About Covert Operations
    Vol. 5, No. 6 September-October, 1998 Probe is published by CTKA Citizens for Truth about the Kennedy Assassination Magazine. The truth is in here. 1998 All Rights Reserved $5.00 Journalism's "VallEy of DEath" Telling the truth about covert operations By Lisa Pease by Charles Bowden in the cur- INSIDE THIS ISSUE rent issue of Esquire (9/98), The Big One was the reporter's holy "When the Big Dog gers off the grail—the tip that led you horn the daily porch, watch out." morass of press conferences and cop calls The Big One recently hit April on to the trail of The Biggest Story 1bu'd Oliver and Jack Smith in the form Ever Write. the one that would turn the The Sins of Robert Blakey of the Operation Tailwind epi- rest of your career into an anticlimax. Part I sode. And Big Dog got off the The Big One, I believed. would be like a porch. As with the others, Oliver bullet with your name on it. You'd never and Smith have truth on their hear it coming. Jim DlEugenio begins his side. And as with the others, Gary Webb wrote the above in two-part investigation of the truth is no defense against Big the opening pages of his new book Dog in the short term. Telling the Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, House Select Committee truth about covert operations all and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. His too often proves to be a journal- bullet came in the form of a phone istic "Valley of Death." call that led him to his three part On June 7 of this year, CNN series in the San Jose Mercury News, where he was crazy enough to actually believe in the aired a new show called Newsstand.
    [Show full text]
  • DEC 2018 Part B.Pdf
    Page | 1 C2BRNE DIARY– December 2018 www.cbrne-terrorism-newsletter.com Page | 2 C2BRNE DIARY– December 2018 www.cbrne-terrorism-newsletter.com Page | 3 C2BRNE DIARY– December 2018 Saudi Progress in Nuclear Research Source: http://www.inss.org.il/publication/saudi-progress-nuclear-research/ Nov 29 – In November 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman laid the foundation stone for seven scientific/technological projects in the kingdom, including a nuclear research reactor. Saudi Arabia's interest in nuclear matters is nothing new, nor is the concern that in certain conditions, the kingdom is liable to move toward nuclear weapons. Indeed, even though it does not yet have any capabilities to speak of, anxiety about a Saudi nuclear project was validated last March when for the first time bin Salman said publicly and explicitly that if Iran acquires a military nuclear option, the kingdom will acquire the same capability without delay. While construction of a nuclear research reactor is not a prerequisite for construction of large scale nuclear plants, as has been demonstrated by the United Arab Emirates, from a certain perspective, it is a wise step for a country lacking human and technological infrastructure. Such a measure is liable to prove alarming, however, if it becomes clear that its goal is not merely to train staff for the nuclear reactors, but also to prepare the infrastructure for possible production of plutonium from the irradiated nuclear fuel in the research reactor. This is certainly possible: The Iraqi reactor was originally presented as a nuclear research reactor, and other reactors can, under certain conditions, be used for this plutonium production.
    [Show full text]
  • Communal Land Titling in Practice: Lessons from Khammouane Province, Lao PDR
    Towards equitable and secure access to land and natural resources for family farmers in the Mekong region Capitalization Note June 2017 Communal land titling in practice: Lessons from Khammouane Province, Lao PDR Mr Bounthavy, shown here on the communal land, is the leader of the Talak communal land management committee CIDSE-Laos Mekong Region Land Governance Capitalization Note Written by Stuart Ling and Natalia Scurrah Reviewed by: Christian Castellanet, Mekong Region Land Governance Khankham Douangsila, CIDSE-Laos Country Representative For more information, contact Stuart Ling, Independent Consultant: <[email protected]> Khankham Douangsila, CIDSE-Laos Country Representative: <[email protected]> Natalia Scurrah, MRLG: <[email protected]> Suggested citation: Ling, S. and Scurrah, N. (2017). Communal land titling in practice: Lessons from Khammouane Province, Lao PDR. MRLG Capitalization Note Series #3. Vientiane: Mekong Region Land Governance. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Photo cover credit: Stuart Ling Table of contents Table of contents Executive Summary ii List of acronyms iv 1. Background 1 2. Process description 5 3. Main results 10 4. Lessons learned 14 5. Conditions for replication 18 5.1. Scaling up the innovation successfully 18 5.2. Limits to scaling up 20 6. Conclusion 25 References and suggested readings 27 Annexes 30 Annex 1. Final PLUP Map of Talaknathin village 30 Annex 2. Timeline of the CLT process in Talaknathin village 31 Annex 3. Communal Land Use Regulations, Talaknathin village 32 List of Figures Figure 1. Location map of Talaknathin village 4 Figure 2. The PONRE team with their measuring instruments showing the karsts surrounding the communal land 8 Figure 3.
    [Show full text]
  • A Rapid Participatory Biodiversity Assessment
    A Rapid Participatory Biodiversity Assessment Stora Enso Eucalypt Plantation in Southern Lao PDR Conducted by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in Lao PDR May 19, 2008 The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Authored by: IUCN Lao PDR Copyright: © 2007 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Resources: Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Lao PDR Country Office: 082/01 Fa Ngum Road Ban watt Chan P.O. Box 4340 Vientiane, Lao PDR www. iucn.org Tel: +856 -21 216401 Fax: +856 -21216127 2 Contents Executive Summary................................................................................................... i Recommendations................................................................................................... iii 5.1 Recommendations to strengthen the
    [Show full text]
  • Briefing Paper for the 10Th EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue
    FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights and its member organization Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR) Briefing paper for the 10th EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue 14 June 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 .… Political prisoners remain behind bars 2 .… Failure to cooperate with UN human rights mechanisms 3 .… Third UPR marks a step backward 3 .… Legislative elections fail to meet international standards 5 .… Freedom of expression stifled 6 .… Serious violations of religious freedoms persist 7 .… Negative impact of infrastructure and investment projects 11 .. COVID-19 affects infrastructure projects and their impact 12 .. Dam collapse survivors neglected There has been no improvement in the human rights situation in Laos in 2020-2021. Serious violations of civil and political rights, as well as social, economic, and cultural rights, have continued to occur and have remained unaddressed. This briefing paper provides a summary of key human rights developments during this period. Political prisoners remain behind bars Several individuals who have been imprisoned for the exercise of their right to freedom of opinion and expression remain behind bars. They include: • Ms. Houayheuang Xayabouly, aka Mouay, 32, who has been detained since 12 September 2019, is serving a five-year prison sentence on spurious charges under Article 117 of the Criminal Code (“Propaganda against the Lao People’s Democratic Republic”). Mouay is currently detained in Champasak provincial prison. • Mr. Somphone Phimmasone, 34, Mr. Soukan Chaithad, 37, and Ms. Lodkham Thammavong, approximately 35, who have been detained since March 2016, are serving prison sentences of 20, 16, and 12 years, respectively, on trumped-up charges under Articles 56, 65, and 72 of the Criminal Code.
    [Show full text]