UNPO Documentary Screening: The CIA’s Lost Army
In Brussels, Belgium: 29 March 2017, 19:00-22:00
Food and drinks will be available during a catered reception from 19:00, screening at 19:30
Cinéma Aventure in Galerie du Centre
Rue des Fripiers 57, 1000 Brussels
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), in collaboration with the Congress of World Hmong People (CWHP), will be screening the 93metros production “Clandestino: The CIA’s Lost Army” to audiences on two continents. Both screenings will be followed by a questions and answers session with Mr Gymbay Moua, one of the documentary’s main protagonists. He will be joined by the filmmaker, Mr David Beriain, at the Brussels screening.
This captivating documentary shines a light on the oft-forgotten precarious situation of Hmong communities who have been suffering under a brutal military campaign by the Lao Government, which has forced them to take shelter in remote jungle areas of Laos for the last forty years. Observers and the Hmong themselves are certain that only an third-party international mediation could create an atmosphere in which the Hmong would feel secure enough to have a dialogue with their government, which has continually oppressed them since the 1970s.
2-4,000 persons belonging to the unrecognised Hmong minority group, including children, are currently in hiding from indiscriminate and large scale attacks by Laos’ military and security forces, which have intensified since June 2016. The indigenous communities are being subjected to frequent shelling by the Laotian army and suspect the government of using chemical weapons against the Hmong families who have taken shelter in the jungle. Moreover, the Hmong are suffering from uncompensated land grabbing, religious persecution, and random harassment by state authorities.
The independent media blackout in Laos prevents the world from receiving information about the Hmong’s plight in the jungle. Therefore, David Beriain’s documentary aims to shed light on the appalling situation of these communities. The CWHP, with the help of the documentary production company 93metros and the support of the UNPO, further took on the challenge of exposing this footage to the world through two documentary screenings taking place in the United States and European capitals. The emotionally stunning 1.5-hour investigative documentary captures the team’s perilous journey to the most affected Hmong communities.
With a greater understanding of the Hmong’s cause among international actors, the UNPO hopes to eventually create a safe environment for Hmong representatives to come to a peaceful agreement to halt the ongoing atrocities against their people.
To register for the screening in Brussels, please follow this link.
For further information on the screening in Brussels, please contact Stephan Lampe ([email protected]).
