The Army in Thailand has moved more than four thousand Hmong asylum seekers out of a refugee camp in northern Thailand to repatriate them by force to Laos. Coordinator of the operation said, some who initially resisted being moved subsequently agreed to leave the camp. There has been an international expression of concern over their deportation. Thailand regards these asylum seekers as economic and illegal migrants. But, Hmongs say they face persecution in Laos because they fought alongside American forces during the Vietnam war.