Country: Laos
Group: Prai
Date: 4/11/2020
Team: Ray Gerard Regorgo (lead), Gabrielle Cardenas, Thomas Chia
The Prai are mainly settled in higher elevated areas of Laos and are counted by the government as an ethnic minority (belonging to the Lao Theung or middle elevation groups). For the sake of promoting Laos, the government refuses to use the term or recognize an indigenous population (Open Development Laos, n.d.). In 1992 a policy called the Resolution of the Party Central Organization Concerning Ethnic Minority Affairs in the New Era tried to improve ethnic group’s lives by increasing access to basic needs and services. However, it also included reeducation and a call to abandon customs that they consider as “backwards” (Open Development Laos, n.d.; Minority Rights, 2012). In addition, during the Laotian Civil War, they were displaced and fled to neighboring countries (United Nations, 2012). The information provided is mainly a generalization of how indigenous Laos are treated by the government, therefore, data quality for the Prai would be a 1. However, the information provided on indigenous people in Laos as a whole would be given a 3 due to the high documentation of government actions. The strongest evidence for ethnocide, the team noted, was the act of reeducation and an abandonment of culture of indigenous groups (Open Development Laos,n.d.).
Sources
- Open Development Laos (n.d.). Ethnic minorities and indigenous people. Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://laos.opendevelopmentmekong.net/topics/ethnic-minorities-and-indigenous-people/
- Minority Rights (n.d.). Lao Theung. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/lao-theung/
- United Nations (2012). Situation of minorities remains dire as Laos goes before the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination. International Federation for Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/laos/Situation-of-minorities-remains