BANGKOK, Oct 31: Thailand must allow the United Nations access to thousands of ethnic minority Hmong who fled Laos, many of whom are suffering mental problems caused by fear, a leading medical charity said on Wednesday.

About 7,800 Hmong are currently living in an informal refugee camp in Thailand’s northern Phetchabun province.

The Thai government has said it plans to deport them, despite the Hmongs’ claim that they face persecution by the Laos authorities.

Paris-based Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said at least half the Hmong in the camp were probably economic migrants, as the Thai government claims, but said the UN must be allowed to determine who were genuine refugees.

“We are completely convinced that many of these people came to Thailand for good reason and that is because they have been persecuted in Laos for many, many years,” said Gilles Isard, MSF France’s head of mission in Thailand.

“We cannot continue to work in this camp and remain silent,” added Isard, whose organisation provides health care and food to the Hmong.

Daniela Abadi, MSF field coordinator in Thailand, said the threat of being sent back to Laos was affecting the mental health of the detainees.

“It is very difficult for us to give proper relief to people whose main complaint and main symptom is fear,” she said.

“These people are presenting a lot of symptoms that are related to psychological stress,” Abadi added.

In September, the Thai government said it would screen all the Hmong in the camp itself, rather than allow the UN refugee agency to carry out the task, and would repatriate all illegal migrants by 2008.

The Hmong claim the Laos government has targeted them because they worked with the CIA during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago.

Many of them have been chased over the border or into the jungles where they continue to be harassed by authorities, Isard said.—AFP