Firefight erupts on Laos-Vietnam border, one Hmong rebel killed
A firefight between Vietnamese security forces and Hmong rebels from Laos broke out along the Laos-Vietnam border, resulting in one guerrilla dead and six others arrested, officials and state-controlled media said Thursday.
Vietnamese border guard officers ambushed a group of rebels on Saturday in Ky Son district of central Nghe An province after receiving a tip that they were planning to cross into Vietnam to buy rice, Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper reported.
The two sides exchanged fire for about 20 minutes. A Hmong rebel, identified as 18-year-old Gia Ba Va, later died from gunshot wounds at a district hospital, the report said.
Border guards also detained six other rebels and confiscated two AK-47 automatic rifles, communication equipment, 176,000 Vietnamese dong (US$11.20; euro 9.22) and 125 kilograms (275 pounds) of rice, the paper said.
Border guard officials confirmed details of the firefight, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Hanoi.
The Hmong rebels, who have been under heavy attack from the Laotian government in recent months, have been living in the jungle and crossing into Vietnam in search of food, said a border guard officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said the rebels, often carrying AK-47s, have forced Vietnamese villagers to sell them food and in some cases robbed them of provisions, he said.
Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper reported Thursday that 15 rebels surrendered to Vietnamese authorities in early September and another 30 turned themselves in between February to August.
The border guard official said rebels who surrendered would be turned over to Laos after an investigation.
About 20 hill tribe communities in Laos have been involved in a low-level insurgency for years against the communist Laotian government, which came to power at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. The Hmong sided with a pro-American regime before the communist takeover, and have since been persecuted by the government.
The Associated Press - September 16, 2004.
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