A Thai policewoman carrying an ethnic Hmong refugee child Monday during an operation to deport thousands of Hmongs to Laos from the ethnic Hmong refugee camp at Huay Nam Khao in northern Phetchabun Province. Photo: AFP

The Thai army began the forced repatriation of thousands of ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers to Laos Monday, amid international pressure that some would be persecuted once back home.

About 5,000 troops armed with batons and shields were dispatched to a mountain camp in Huay Nam Khao, 300 kilometers north of Bangkok, to clear the 4,400 Hmongs, who say they face oppression by the Laotian government if sent back.

Known as America's "forgotten allies," the Hmongs sided with the United States during the Vietnam War and many fled Laos in 1975, when the Pathet Lao took power. Tens of thousands have since been resettled in the US.

The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have expressed concern about the forced repatriation and the fate awaiting some of the Hmongs upon their return to Laos.

The European Union said Monday it was "dismayed" by Thailand's decision, warning that the move could violate refugee laws.

The United States on Sunday called on Thailand to halt the operation, which it said was a "serious violation of the international humanitarian principles that Thailand has long been known to champion."

Thailand regards the Hmongs in Huay Nam Khao as economic migrants with no claim to refugee status.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Laotian government had assured him the Hmongs would be well looked after and the UN refugee agency UNHCR would be allowed to visit them.

Colonel Thana Charuvat, who is in charge of the repatriation, said troops would try to finish the operation in a day "to prevent any attempted resistance."

More than 2,600 had already been taken out of the camp in army trucks on the way to an immigration center in Nong Khai, bordering Laos, Thana said.

Rights groups and the UNHCR say some of the Hmongs could qualify for refugee status and should not be sent back. Thailand has denied UNHCR's requests to visit the camp to assess their status.

Thailand fears that by facilitating their resettlement in a third country, it could encourage more illegal migrants.

Lionel Rosenblatt, president emeritus of Refugees International, said the deportation could hurt Thailand's reputa-tion as a safe haven for people fleeing persecution from other nations.

Reuters