Disillusioned in the "promised land"

(Baonghean) - “Before leaving, we had a flock of chickens, buffaloes, cows, a motorbike, and a solid house. Now we return empty-handed!”, the eyes of Mr. Va Ly Cong, Huoi Uc 1 village, Huoi Tu commune, Ky Son highland district, were filled with sorrow and shame for having made a mistake and had his dream shattered in a foreign land…

Night fell early, we strained our eyes to follow the motorbike headlights of Mr. Va Ba Do, a policy officer of the People's Committee of Huoi Tu commune, Ky Son district, crossing the rocky road to Huoi Uc 2 village. The reason for "having to choose the time when the chickens go to the coop" was because at this time, households had returned from the fields. After shaking hands to greet the guests, we had a meal at the house of the village chief Va Xi Mua under an oil lamp. When asked about some Mong households in the village who left for Laos, the village chief Va Xi Mua openly said: "There are! If you want to understand more, we will take you to meet some households that have just returned a few months ago."

Huoi Uc 2 is immersed in mist.

Huoi Uc 2 village is perched precariously on the side of a cliff, immersed in mist. Following the flashlight of Village Chief Mua, we arrived at the thatched house of Ms. Lau Y Ly, who had just returned from Laos at the end of 2014. Lau Y Ly had just returned from the fields and was eating with her child, a meal consisting of only a bowl of water and a bowl of vegetables. At only 33 years old, Ly already has 5 children, the oldest of whom is in 6th grade. Not knowing Kinh language, Lau Y Ly told the story through the interpretation of the village chief Mua: “In 2013, when we heard that Xieng Khouang (Laos) was developing a new economic zone, my husband, Va Lia Xa, took the whole family there. At first, we said we were going to visit relatives, and then we discussed staying and working. When we arrived in Xieng Khouang province, a foreign land, the villages were sparse, and the people also worked on the fields like us, living from hand to mouth. We were immigrants so there was no support policy, and our children could not go to school. Seeing the hardship, my husband and I discussed returning to our hometown, but it was not easy to return, we ran out of rice and money, so we had to stay for a while. When we were about to return, a disaster suddenly struck, my husband went hunting in the forest and went missing. Relatives searched for many days but could not find him, and people said that my husband had been captured by bandits. Returning to Huoi Uc has no place to live because the house with the samu roof has certainly been sold to someone else. Thanks to the Party and the State's rice support, and the villagers' help in building a temporary house, now my children and I have a place to take refuge, and the children have been given the opportunity to go back to school. I really hope my husband will come back!". Ly burst into tears in belated regret.

We went to the house of Mr. Va Ly Cong (54 years old), Huoi Uc 1 village. By the flickering fire, in Mr. Cong's broken Kinh language, we tried to piece together the story: "After dividing the land according to the map between the two communes of Huoi Tu and Na Loi, we lost a lot of land. While I was sad, I heard that it was easy to make money there, so in early 2012, my two younger brothers and I packed up and crossed the border to Laos. But unlike the rumors, going there was only slash-and-burn farming, hunting animals, and a very precarious life. My younger brother and his nephew went hunting in the forest and then went missing. I was hungry, miserable, and sad, so I returned. Before leaving, I had a flock of chickens, buffaloes, cows, a motorbike, and a sturdy wooden house. Now I'm back empty-handed," his eyes still filled with sadness and shame for having foolishly broken his dream in a foreign land.

Mr. Va Ly Cong, Huoi Uc 1 village, and his wife next to the house the whole village helped build.

Turning down to Nga 3 village, Huoi Tu commune, Mr. Pao showed us the house of Mr. Vu Ba Chua who had just returned from Laos 10 days ago. With a gaunt face and pale skin, Mr. Chua was still haunted by the trauma of his trip to find the "promised land" across the border. Chua listened to the invitation from Laos to build a new economic zone. In September 2013, he put his house up for sale, but no one bought it, so he left it abandoned. He and his wife took their children to Bolikhamxay province while his passport had expired. There, he had to do many jobs, from weeding, clearing fields, carrying, sawing wood... and finally joined the Bolikhamxay Province Coal Company. Working hard, covered in coal dust and smoke all day, he was paid a meager 3,000 kip/day/bag (equivalent to about 100,000 VND). It was much harder than in his hometown, so he returned...

Mr. Vu Chong Pao, a policy officer of Huoi Tu commune, said: Huoi Uc 2 village currently has 37 households and 200 people, and there are many others on the long list of people who sold their houses and left the village to go to Laos. Some were lucky enough to return to their hometowns safely, and there were also many cases of grief and loss like the family of Ms. Lau Y Ly... Returning to the village, many households felt inferior and self-conscious. When the households returned, in addition to the support policies of the Party and the State, each household was supported with a breeding cow worth 7 million VND. Each new household was supported with a bag of rice, and the villagers also helped with labor and materials to build houses to help them integrate into the community.

Vu Ba Chua and his wife, Nga 3 village, just returned from Laos.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Ba Ly commune said: Huoi Tu is among the communes with the highest number of illegal migrants in the district. From 2010 to 2014, Huoi Tu commune had 41 households, 217 people crossing the border, in 2013 30 people returned, but in 2014 69 people continued to go to Laos with the dream of "changing their lives".

According to statistics, in 2014, the migration situation in Ky Son increased by 64 households/334 people, mainly Mong people, concentrated in the communes of Dooc May, My Ly, Huoi Tu, Na Ngoi, Nam Can, Nam Can, Muong Tip, Muong Long, Bac Ly, Tay Son. These people migrated mainly to the provinces of Bolykhamxay, Xieng Khouang, Vientiane. In 2015, the number of illegal migration to Laos continued to increase. The reasons for illegal migration are primarily due to the shifting cultivation and nomadic habits of the highland people in general and Mong people in particular; due to kinship and cousin relationships. Some heard that Laos had established new administrative units such as A Ta Pu District and Xay Xom Bun Province with the hope of going there to receive investment and support. In addition, Party committees and authorities at all levels have not paid attention to leadership and management; People's legal awareness is still limited...

To prevent illegal migration, the district has established working groups with the commune to go to the villages to grasp the situation. For households that have illegally migrated back, the district initially supports a portion of food and essential needs for life; promotes the role of village chiefs, elders, and prestigious people in propagating and mobilizing people not to illegally migrate to Laos. Continue to widely propagate Decree No. 34/CP on land border regulations throughout the Party and people; strengthen coordination with the police, military, and border guards, both propagating, mobilizing, and persuading people, and performing well the functions of local management and border management; continue to effectively implement socio-economic development programs in remote and isolated communes, constantly improving people's lives. In particular, the strongest and latest measure of the district People's Committee is to direct people not to buy assets from households that illegally migrate to Laos; Priority is given to those who stay to build their homeland, comply with good policies of the Party and State...

Pham Ngan - Ho Lai