Thailand has agreed to repatriate 5,000 members of the Hmong ethnic minority to Laos from Thai refugee camps, a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP Saturday.
Thousands of Lao Hmong live in the camps in north east Thailand and are seeking political asylum.
They say they fear persecution because many Hmong once fought alongside US forces during the Vietnam war.
"There is coordination between the government and Laos to send Hmong refugees back to Laos according to the minister," foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told AFP.
"The process to return the refugees includes screening them to ensure that those who return will not be in danger," he added.
Thailand Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya made a visit to Laos on Friday but the ministry said the issue had not been discussed during talks.
Thailand claims the Hmong refugees are economic migrants seeking work, and has already been slowly shipping the Hmong back to Laos, to the horror of human rights groups who say that some may genuinely be in danger of persecution.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused Lao security forces of arrests, torture, sexual abuse and extrajudicial killings of Hmong in the past and has demanded both countries allow UN monitoring of any repatriations.
The resettlements have slowed amid Thailand's recent political turmoil but Laos appears eager to wrap up the process before it takes the regional spotlight when it hosts the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.
Thailand has lately been cultivating Laos as a key regional ally, with energy-hungry Thais buying increasing amounts of electricity from their communist neighbour to the north.
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