170 Fugitive Members of Hmong Tribe Surrender

One hundred seventy members of a Hmong hill tribe surrendered to authorities after decades on the run in Laotian jungles, a U.S. activist said.

Ed Szendrey, a pro-Hmong activist from the United States who met up with the group, said the women, children and old men were received warmly when they arrived at the village of Chong Thuang to turn themselves in and rejoin society.

If all proceeds peacefully, those who surrendered are expected to be followed by several thousand others, he said.

The Hmong were recruited by the CIA to fight on behalf of the pro-U.S. government during the Vietnam War.