Laos must make peace with Hmong...

vilasaeng

sarNie Juvenile
CREDIT TO MLY14

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/06/07...on_30036199.php

EDITORIAL
Laos must make peace with Hmong

Vang Pao's arrest offers Vientiane a chance to peacefully reintegrate the ethnic minority into its society

The interception by United States authorities of a plot by Hmong rebels, including General Vang Pao, to overthrow the Lao government by force probably put the final nail in the coffin of Hmong expatriates' dreams of liberating their people from alleged systematic persecution by the communist regime in Vientiane. Small remnants of anti-communist Hmong guerrilla groups are still believed to be fighting a sporadic jungle war against Vientiane. Laos has alleged that Vang Pao and some Hmong expats in the US had, on several occasions in the past, raised funds to finance raids against Lao government positions from staging areas inside of Thailand, an accusation denied by Bangkok.

The arrest of Vang Pao, a warlord who led a secret army backed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to combat Lao and Vietnamese communist insurgents until the end of the Indochina war in the mid 1970s, and eight other California-based Hmong by US authorities on charges of violating the US Neutrality Act, coincided with an improvement in Lao-US relations in recent years.

The US re-established normal trade relations with Laos in 2004 and has since expanded cooperation in economic and social development, including technical assistance and development grants, as well as engaging in a joint campaign against drug trafficking.

After the fall of Laos to the communists in 1975, the Hmong ethnic minority who fought alongside the US-backed royalist regime of the time was abandoned by retreating US forces in 1975. More than 300,000 Laotian refugees, mostly Hmong, fled into Thailand and most of them have since been resettled in third countries.

As court proceedings get underway in California, the prosecution team will produce further evidence to substantiate the charges against the alleged anti-Vientiane plot by Vang Pao and other defendants, including one former US national guard officer.

While the US action that may have pre-empted an alleged coup attempt against a country with which it has friendly ties is to be commended, the international community should not turn a blind eye to the well-documented plight of ethnic Hmong at the hands of the Lao government.

Thailand, which currently hosts some 7,700 ethnic Hmong who claim to have fled persecution in Laos in recent years, should not use the case against Vang Pao as a pretext to unburden itself of the Hmong refugee situation through the forcible repatriation of those now living in a holding centre. Thailand, which is getting impatient with Hmong asylum seekers, has begun the forcible repatriation of ethnic Hmong to Laos.

By cooperating with Laos and sending Hmong asylum seekers back to a country where many of them will face harsh punishment or persecution, Thailand also benefits by improving its economic and trade ties with Vientiane. But the Thai government must be reminded that it is supposed to live up to its obligation to uphold the human rights of ethnic Hmong who have sought shelter on its soil.

The Lao government - which is getting closer to removing the thorn in its side regarding the Hmong question once and for all thanks to the helpful actions of friendly countries like the US and Thailand - should at least let go of old grudges and show magnanimity toward the Hmong, who make up the biggest ethnic minority group in the country. Every attempt should be made by Vientiane to bring the Hmong back into the fold by adopting more reconciliatory gestures, particularly a willingness to respect these people's basic human rights.

Any repatriation of Hmong asylum seekers must be made on a voluntary basis, and returnees should be accorded proper treatment and their basic human rights must be respected. The international community must make sure that the Lao government's promise to respect the ethnic Hmong minority is verified by impartial observers.

More than three decades have passed since the end of the war and both the Lao government and the Hmong should put the painful chapter behind them. Latter generations of innocent Hmong should not be punished for the actions of their ancestors. Laos should learn to be at peace with itself.
 

KEdoubleNY

sarNie Adult
Good article and response by Dr. Yang Dao. This guy make a good leader than that warlord.

A CALL FOR CALM FROM DR. YANG DAO

Dr. Yang Dao

I am a Hmong educator and scholar from Laos. I received my Ph. D. in social science at the Sorbonne, University of Paris, France, in 1972. During the Provisional Government of Laos (1974-1975), a result of the Vientiane Accords, signed by the Royal Lao Government and the Pathet Lao in February 1973, I was appointed by the King of Laos to the National Political Consultative Council (Laotian Congress). Today I am a U.S. citizen living in Minnesota.

On June 4, 2007, I was traveling abroad when General Vang Pao, a former military officer of the Royal Lao Army, was arrested in California along with a retired U.S. National Guard Lieutenant Colonel and 8 other Hmong local community leaders for "suspected violations of the Neutrality Act, the object of which was to engage in the violent overthrow of the sovereign government of Laos". (See U.S. Federal Court's official press release of June 4, 2007). Upon my return to the United States, I found the Hmong American community in a state of utter confusion.

While I profoundly regret the incident which led to General Vang Pao's being incarcerated in the U.S. federal prison of Sacramento, California (along with his team of the United Front for the National Liberation of Laos - "Neo Hom" in the Lao language), I firmly condemn violence of all forms, wherever it comes from, which threatens the life and security of humanity. However, I hope that the U.S. Federal Court will follow due process and assure that the accused have total access to legal counsel and get a fair trial based on "justice for all" in full respect of the U.S. Constitution.

Today, I make a solemn call for calm to all my Lao-Hmong countrymen living in the United States of America. For all U.S. residents and citizens, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Therefore, I ask each and everyone of you, Lao-Hmong Americans, to act as reasonable and responsible people by respecting our cultural traditions and the U.S. Constitution, which is the foundation of social justice and economic progress for the multi-cultural society of this great nation.

During the Vietnam War (1960-1975), at the request of the Royal Lao Government, the Kennedy Administration could not militarily intervene in Laos, a neutral country, as it did in South Vietnam where hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops were sent to defend the South Vietnamese Government. Instead, Washington sent the C.I.A. to Laos to equip and finance an irregular army, known as Special Guerilla Units (S.G.U.), made up of Lao, Hmong, Khmu, Mien, Lue and other Laotian ethnic groups, which fought a "secret war" under the leadership of the Royal Lao Army. After the Vietnam War ended in catastrophe (in April 1975), the Pathet Lao seized power in Laos (in May 1975). Tens of thousands of Laotians of all ethnic backgrounds began to leave the country to take the road of exile to refugee camps in Thailand. Therefore, the U.S. Government responded
to its moral obligation to offer political asylum in the United States to its former allies, the members of the S.G.U. and their families, along with other refugees from Laos.

In order to show our deep gratitude to the local and federal governments of the United States, we, the Laotians of all ethnic backgrounds, must respect the U.S. constitution and laws. As U.S. citizens, we have the duty and responsibility of serving our host nation with devotion and loyalty. All self-proclaimed "Laotian governments" in exile and resistance organizations based in the United States are illegal and must be disbanded immediately. I urge each and everyone of our multi-ethnic Laotian communities in the U.S. (including Lao, Hmong, Khmu, Mien, Thaidam and Lue Americans) to do their best to become productive U.S. citizens, to build a strong relationship with the local American community, and to work together to make this great nation a better place to live as well as to support our U.S. government foreign policy in promoting peace and international cooperation with all nations of the world, including Laos.

Yang Dao, Ph. D.

U.S. citizen and former member

of the National Political Consultative Council

of the Kingdom of Laos

Email: dr.yangdao@comcast.net

http://hmongtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=3...&TM=8230.33
 

champthong

sarNie Hatchling
Sorry to say, but all of these Vang Pao stuff etc etc are so overrated! But people do have the right to post them...Anyhow, it's funny when this guy say ..."I urge each and everyone of our multi-ethnic Laotian communities in the U.S. (including Lao bla bla bla)..." then he added Lue haha For those who don't get, you probably don't find it funny, but for those who understand you will find it hilarious haha

It's more like Hmong or Meo needs to make peace with Laos...just accept the communist government and stop fighting them...then everyone will be at peace...if they (Hmong or Meo) attack they will attack back...other ethnic hill-tribe groups are at peace and in the past they had bad relations (fighting) with the communist government...gosh so old school...
 

PhoneO_5

sarNie Oldmaid
I personally hate how all this is going on because people are still against communism. On a youtube video I was trying to tell them that there are always two sides to the story, but they just slashed my comment down to pieces. This hatred goes on among the Vietnamese people too. I have a friend who just came from Vietnam 5 years ago and she told me that the Vietnamese people who came here first hates the Communist government and peace is not an option between them because they feel that they are right about Communism being bad. But, my friend doesn't mind communism in Vietnam because she says it isn't as bad as everyone thinks. Plus, I knew people in high school who went back to Vietnam and even confirmed that Communisim is not bad. It just sucks that some people are stuck on one side and seeing violence and hatred as a way to win...what? A monarichy? A dictatorship country?. Even after going to Laos, I personally did not see Communism as bad as some dictoral rule that I've heard about. I think dictatorship is worst than communism. As long as there are no wars, people are happy there. Different forms of government work for different countries. Not everyone can have democracy like the United States. Hmong people aren't made into slaves in Laos and they're at least recognized as a part of Laos. Lao-Hmongs tend to diss Laos a lot, and it just hurts to hear these cruel words. Maybe they need to go to Laos and experience it. Don't believe all the one-sided videos on youtube. One other thing, General Vang Pao came to the U.S., so I don't understand why he had to still keep himself involved in a political system that he escaped from. It's like he just wants to go back and take over now. I'll bet if Laos became a monarch again, he'll still rebel against it.

Okay, sorry about the rant. It just frustrates me that there has to be this whole seperation between Laos and Hmong because of communism. When I was younger I always thought there was peace between us and was always proud to have many etnics in Laos and always showed off to my friends that Laos had Hmong people, chinese, thai, and other neighboring countries living there. Then, three years ago, I actually paid attention to all of this commotion and it's just sad.
 

sofarsogood

sarNie Egg
It don't matter...........forgive make peace sooner or latter start new things..........It never ends............
 
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