Why Lao?

[Gaybutton]

Considering how Lao is closely connected to Thailand for many of us, I think it is appropriate for discussion on the Thailand forum.

Trump's latest travel restrictions to the USA include a "partial restriction" for Lao. I can't find anything that explains why. The only reason I can come up with would be drug trafficking problems, but even if that's the case, I don't recall ever reading any news about any Lao people trying to bring drugs into the USA or any Lao people ever causing any problems whatsoever in the USA or even causing visa overstay problems.

Other than Myanmar, Lao is the only Southeast Asian country to be included in Trump's ban.

And who is the target of the ban? Few Lao people have the means to travel to the USA or anywhere else. If Lao government officials are the target, again why? I've never heard of any of them wanting to travel to the USA in the first place.

I hope Lao won't retaliate by restricting Americans from traveling to Lao. I doubt they will. If it's anything Lao needs, it's money - and that probably supersedes retaliation. I'm not sure why Lao would even give a damn about being placed on Trump's shit list. In any case, so far I have not seen any response from Lao. Not a word about it from the Lao News Agency: https://kpl.gov.la/EN/

So, even a "partial restriction" for Lao makes no sense to me. For now, at least, this is on my "I Don't Get It" list.

If you have any knowledge, ideas, thoughts and opinions about what's going on with this, please post.

[thewayhelooks]

Just about everything Trump does is on my I Don't Get it List.

[Gaybutton]

Just found this article. Is there really that much of a visa overstay problem with Laotians? I've never heard that. Even so, that still seems lame to me.
___________________________________________

Why are some countries on Trump's travel ban list?

From Monday, citizens from 12 countries - Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - will be banned from travelling to the US.

Those from another seven countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela - will be subject to a partial ban.

For most countries included on the list, the White House cites a mixture of visa overstay rates and political instability.

The sole reason mentioned for the bans affecting Congo-Brazzaville, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan, for example, are the percentage of people overstaying their US visa.

Other reasons frequently cited include nations previously not accepting "removable nationals", criticism of the authorities which issue passports in the country, or an inability to access criminal records of migrants.

Security concerns are also cited in the proclamation. The White House accuses Iran and Cuba of being a "state sponsor of terrorism", says there is a "historical terrorist presence" in Libya, and calls Somalia "a terrorist safe haven".

Meanwhile for Haiti, the proclamation says "hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden administration", which it says "harms American communities".

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cvgqwyxxpzgt

[Gaybutton]

Just about everything Trump does is on my I Don't Get it List.

Good point. When you get right down to it, why is Myanmar on the list? I'm sure the reason is because of that junta, but what problems, if any, would Myanmar citizens cause?

[Jun]

NY Times: "When he took office on Jan. 20, Mr. Trump issued an executive order requiring the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

He gave the department 60 days to finish a report for the White House with that list


https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/p ... l-ban.html


I'm all for travel bans for selected countries. I wish the UK would apply them for certain middle Eastern and African countries, rather than allowing a constant stream of scummy fake refugees.

But the Lao people? Well, they seem polite and well behaved in comparison.

[gerefan]

I'm all for travel bans for selected countries. I wish the UK would apply them for certain middle Eastern and African countries, rather than allowing a constant stream of scummy fake refugees.

Agreed ….1195 arrived last Saturday alone…

[Gaybutton]

Laos will be significantly impacted by Trump’s travel ban

By Barry Kenyon

June 6, 2025

Effective June 9, Laos nationals will find it even harder to enter the United States unless they already hold a valid visa. New tourist, student and permanent visas become a no-no, although one or two temporary permits theoretically remain. Any green card holders and competing athletes also escape the tightened net.

Trump’s inclusion of Laos on his “restricted” list has caused raised eyebrows as the Department of Homeland Security’s statistics show that fewer than 1,400 US visas were issued to Laos nationals in most recent years. Moreover, the US has historically concluded a number of memoranda of understanding with the Laos government to improve education, to establish mobile clinics and to remove UXO (unexploded ordinance) left over from the American war in south east Asia which concluded in 1975.

However, Trump issued an executive order on January 20 2025 calling into question all foreign aid in a review by Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency. All US cash support has since disappeared, apart from small funds awarded for the care of impoverished mothers of babies. American support for UXO has also ceased, even though 8 million devices (all dropped from US bombers) still cause multiple deaths in the Laos countryside.

Trump’s latest anti-visa decree does not accuse Laos citizens of terrorism, nor does it suggest the country’s government is “out of control” as claimed for other nations such as Haiti, Myanmar or several in Africa. The accusation is that around 35 percent of Laos nationals in the US have overstayed their welcome and that deporting the offenders has been a real headache.

There are over 200,000 US-Laotian citizens living in America, many domiciled there with green card status protection. Making it virtually impossible for their Asian relatives to visit will result in longterm separations and significant family distress. Thus Trump’s decree can be seen as a justifiable response to visa abuse or a racist policy penalizing foreigners for their ethnicity. His MAGA base will welcome both explanations.

The fact that communist Laos is heavily dependent on Chinese financial assistance for development, creating a debt-trap economy, may also have influenced Trump. Not to mention the recent international publicity about cyber crime gangs and murders-by-poisoning in Vientiane. As the American president concludes, “We don’t want them here”.

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ban-503913

[Gaybutton]

As the American president concludes, “We don’t want them here”.

I can think of one more person "we don't want" - and neither does any other country . . .

By the way - 35% overstays (assuming that number is even accurate) among 1400 visas issued over several years comes to less than 500 overstays.

[Dodger]

Thailand should ban the same countries and toss in Kuwait, China, and India for good measure.

Exceptions could be made for single males from Lao between the ages of 18 - 25...