The Lao government has confirmed that all Lao Hmong held in a Thai detention camp and to be repatriated this week will be safe in Laos .

Chairman of the Lao-Thai General Border Sub-committee, Brigadier General Bouasieng Champaphanh, represented the Lao government in assuring the world of the returnees' safety through local media.

He said all of the returning migrants were people who had entered Thailand illegally and were not political asylum seekers as some western countries have claimed.

“Their concern makes no sense. They know what we have done because in the past we have arranged for journalists and diplomats to visit the resettlement village,” Brigadier General Bouasieng told a press conference yesterday in Vientiane at the Ministry of National Defence.

The illegal migrants were tricked into entering Thailand in hopes of onward travel to the United States .

“We have cooperated with the Thai government to repatriate 20 groups of 649 families comprising 3,173 people. Until now, no one has been jailed, killed or penalised in any way,” Brig Gen Bouasieng said.

Instead, the Lao government has provided all-round assistance packages to enable the returnees to live normally and improve their standard of living.

“Previous returnees have told me their lives here are 10 times better than when they were detained without freedom in the camp in Thailand ,” Brig Gen Bouasieng said.

Once the returnees have been resettled, he assured the international community visits would be possible so foreigners can see for themselves the circumstances of their new lives. Then they would be able to see that the returnees were safe.

The exact date of repatriation of the remaining more than 4,000 illegal migrants currently held in Thailand 's Phetchabun province is not yet known.

But the detainees will be brought back to Laos sometime this week, along with 158 people being held in Thailand 's Nong Khai province migration detention camp.

Brig Gen Bouasieng said the Lao government has resettled previous homeless returnees, while those who have a home can decide if they want to return there or live with relatives.

“They can also choose to live in the government's resettlement village,” he told media.

The government has built houses for the returnees and provided them with rice until they are able to earn a living. They have also been allocated farmland and provided with basic facilities and a means of transport. The government has also given them some funding to assist their transition to life in Laos .

Also, all school-aged children have been enrolled in local schools.

To prove that all of the previous returnees have been well received and are safe, Laos has invited delegations from other countries to visit the resettlement village in Vientiane province's Kasy district to witness the situation first hand.

Brig Gen Bouasieng said delegations from Thailand and the European Union, the United States ambassador to Laos and members of the diplomatic corps from western countries such as France , the UK , Germany and Australia had visited the village.

“They praised the Lao government for its good job in accommodating the returnees,” he said.

“The concerns raised are only those created by subversive elements who seek to tarnish the Lao government's policy and guidance.”

Brig Gen Bouasieng said the Lao government is ready to welcome back all the remaining illegal migrants and everything is in place for their return.

He strongly believes that all of the migrants will be repatriated this week in accordance with the commitment given by the royal Thai government.

“Everything has been perfectly prepared. We have prepared food, accommodation and all of their basic needs. There is nothing to worry about,” he said.

Brig Gen Bouasieng said all those who would be repatriated this week would receive similar assistance package to previous returnees.