US nationals deported from Laos

Ed and Georgie Szendrey have both been released

Authorities in Laos have deported three of the four US nationals they detained over the weekend.

The four were arrested for "liaising illegally" with ethnic Hmong people, according to the Lao foreign ministry.

They were in Laos to try and ensure the safety of relatives of Hmong rebels surrendering to the Lao authorities.

On Saturday, 170 women, children and old men surrendered after living in the jungle since the Vietnam War.

Californians Ed and Georgie Szendrey as well as Hmong American Nhia Vang Yang have been released and deported to Thailand, the Lao government said on Tuesday.

A fourth person - Sia Cher Vang, a US businessman based in Laos - is still being questioned by the authorities.

Mr Szendrey told the Associated Press after his release that he was not mistreated in custody, but he described his situation as "very uncomfortable", and said he was concerned for Sia Cher Vang.

All four detainees are members of the Fact Finding Commission (FFC), a US-based organisation which has kept in touch with Hmong rebels still hiding in Laos.

Some members of the Hmong ethnic minority were recruited by the CIA to fight on behalf of the pro-American side during the Vietnam War.

But when the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the country in 1975, the Hmong found themselves virtually abandoned by Washington.

Many have since adapted to life in Communist Laos, while others have fled to Thailand and the US.

But thousands of stayed in the Lao jungle, where they have faced growing hardship and continuing clashes with troops.