Hmong Allies Head for U.S (AP, fwd)
than...@lightspeed.net
Hmong Allies Head for U.S
By JIRAPORN WONGPAITHOON
Associated Press Writer
Sunday, September 15, 1996 11:52 am EDT
NAKHON PHANOM, Thailand (AP) -- Three generations of
Jong Chua Wang's family stand quietly in the airport lounge,
waiting to begin their journey to the United States with two
dozen other Hmong refugees from Laos.
There is Jong, a tough ex-soldier who fought at U.S. behest
in a losing war with communists in his homeland. Then his
eldest son, Tua Wang, who has spent his life in refugee
camps. And Tua's infant daughter, who will be raised an
American and may know her homeland only from
grandfather's tales.
The family is joining in a new flow of Hmong to the United
States that is intended to close out an unfinished chapter
from the war in Indochina -- settling the fate of the primitive
hill tribesmen who fought for the CIA in Laos.
``Why don't we have a country?'' muses Tua Wang, without
rancor. ``It was because America came to make war in our
country. So when America finally takes responsibility by
taking us in, we welcome it.''
About 6,000 Hmong refugees in camps near this town in
eastern Thailand were the last of hundreds of thousands
who fled the fall of Laos to the communists in 1975. Since
July, some 2,500 approved for resettlement in the United
States have been flying to America.
Sometimes termed ``America's forgotten allies,'' the Hmong
have had ties with the United States more than 30 years.
For Jong's family, the latest chapter is a mixture of
poignancy and hope, sprinkled with memories better left
forgotten.
Jong, 56, recalls how U.S. advisers sent him to train at a
Thai army base at Hua Hin, on the Gulf of Thailand, in 1962
-- three years before the first U.S. combat troops landed in
South Vietnam. He also remembers how he lost many
relatives in the war.
``We cried. We were sad to lose them,'' he says. ``As long
as we are still alive, it will be in our memories.''
But he prefers not to talk of past battles, saying it gives him
a headache. ``What was, was,'' he says.
The ``secret war'' run by the Central Intelligence Agency
relied heavily on employing Hmong tribesmen -- then called
the Meo -- as proxy fighters against Laotian communists and
their Vietnamese allies.
In 1975, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos all fell to communist
rule. More than 1 million people eventually fled their homes.
Jong is leading eight members of his family to Wisconsin.
There is no going home again.
``We don't dare to go back,'' he says. ``Laos is now under
control of communism. If we go, we would be communist as
well. I cannot accept that.''
Only 4 years old when his family fled from Laos, Jong's
eldest son understands but does not share his father's bitter
memories. Relatives in America have written him that life
there is ``a lot more convenient.''
Determined not to survive on handouts, as he has been
forced to as a refugee, Tua says he wants to work as soon
as he gets his feet on the ground.
But he remains attached to his people's traditions, wearing
Hmong baggy black pants decorated with colorful moons
and stars.
``If it's not prohibited, I will wear it when I arrive in the
States,'' he says.
Tua cites some of the things admires about American
society -- equal rights for women, general abhorrence of
corporal punishment, the widespread pursuit of higher
education.
He is looking forward to his daughter getting a good
education, making her way in the world and helping support
her parents after they grow old. Traditionally, a Hmong
woman becomes beholden to her in-laws after marriage.
But not everyone feels so optimistic.
Years of living in refugee camps have bred resignation. Aid
workers call it ``dependency syndrome,'' the result of
surviving up to two decades on handouts with little incentive
or opportunity to improve one's lot.
Seng Saetho, 29, says he does not really want to go to the
United States, even though he has 10 relatives in California.
``I have been in Thailand for 20 years,'' he says. ``I know
nothing about America, cannot speak its language, cannot
even imagine what California is.''
They can expect some help. Tens of thousands of Hmong
have settled in the United States since 1975. Some traveled
to Nakhon Phanom to give their countrymen a crash course
in modern life.
Others will take up the task at well-established
Hmong-American communities in California, Minnesota,
Wisconsin and North Carolina, where most of the refugees
are heading.
May Kao Yang, a 24-year-old ethnic Hmong who grew up in
the United States, has given the refugees instruction on
public toilets, hot and cold water faucets, and
motion-sickness tablets before they boarded the airplane.
``I'm here to make sure my people get there OK and to
witness this last, final chapter of their struggle,'' she says.
© Copyright 1996 The Associated Press
Sam
Oh yes.
Though I realize that there are so many different things to do
here in the states, some maybe better and some maybe worse than
these Hmongs have archeived, but one thing for sure is that they
will lose their identity and tradition. For example, here in the
states we don't practice polygamy. On the other hand,in Laos, a
Hmong man has as many wives as he can afford to raise them.
Therefore, would he give up the practice?
Speaking of history, I personally think it's good thing for
Hmongs to have moved here to the states for as long as there is
a country called Laos there wouldn't be any Hmong' State. These
people have dreamed to have a country of their own for years and
that's the reason why they have been willing to be used by the
CIA, who gave them an empty promise. Well, dream on my fellow
Hmongs!
JS
In article <3241E9...@aruba.ccit.arizona.edu>, Sam says...
Speaking of Hmong's state, you must be joking !! Hmong people never
had their own country. Now, if you go back to any of the history books
you would know that Hmong people originated from southern china, that
is the reason why some of them can understand chinese. They migrated to
Laos and Thailand because of war and better opportunity of dreaming to
have their own land. But that was not the case. They were forced to live
far away from the cities ( at mountain tops !! ), and in some areas they
had been discriminated from the low land lao people.
JS
JS
Speaking of Hmong's state, you must be joking !! Hmong people never
Cory Jasperson
On Thu, 19 Sep 1996, Sam <sam...@aruba.ccit.arizona.edu> wrote:
>Though I realize that there are so many different things to do here in
>the states, some maybe better and some maybe worse than these Hmongs have
>archeived, but one thing for sure is that they will lose their identity
>and tradition. For example, here in the states we don't practice
>polygamy. On the other hand, in Laos, a Hmong man has as many wives as he
>can afford to raise them. Therefore, would he give up the practice?
>Speaking of history, I personally think it's good thing for Hmongs to
>have moved here to the states for as long as there is a country called
>Laos there wouldn't be any Hmong' State. These people have dreamed to
>have a country of their own for years and that's the reason why they have
>been willing to be used by the CIA, who gave them an empty promise. Well,
>dream on my fellow Hmongs!
I suppose that the identity of the Hmong has changed and will
continue to change as they assimilate into American society. However, I
do not agree with your statement that they will surely lose their identity
and traditions. Hmong identity and traditions are alive and well here in
the United States. Even polygamy, which is a poor example and is
certainly not indicative of the general Hmong population, is still being
practiced here in the States just as it has been for generations.
I also believe that it is very inaccurate to say that the reason
the Hmong were "willing to be used by the CIA" was because they "dreamed
to have a country of their own." I think that perhaps General Vang Pao
had ambitions to seize a Hmong homeland, but the vast majority of the
Hmong were simply fighting for survival. In regards to VP's ambitions, I
think that his ambitions were and are more of an afterthought. When VP
got involved with the CIA, he was merely a Captain (Infantry) in the Royal
Lao Army. He was in the right place at the right time and the CIA made
use of him. The rest is quite simple - the CIA gave him money and
military power - it could have been anybody, but it happened to be VP. I
am positive that VP's ambitions for a Hmong homeland developed as the
Secret War heated up and he realized the extent of the power that he had
been given. Initially, I do not think that VP was capable of thinking
this far ahead! As for the rest of the Hmong people; their support of the
United States was not just because of being recruited by the CIA. Note,
many Hmong chose not to support the United States and instead sided with
the communist Pathet Lao. Hmong support of the United States was in large
part simply the corollary of a series of historical events. 1) The Hmong
are a proud and determined people. They have a long history of defending
their cultural identity and traditions against outside influences. They
lived in China for thousands of years, and although under constant
pressure to become "civilized" and accept Chinese culture, the Hmong have
maintained the integrity of their rich language and culture. In the 18th
and 19th centuries, the Manchu emporers of the Qing Dynasty prohibited
Hmong traditional celebrations and pressured Hmong fathers to allow
Chinese men to marry their daughters. These conditions were intolerable
and thousands of "free-spirited" Hmong fled south into northern Vietnam,
Laos, Burma, and Thailand. The first Hmong community in Laos was
established in 1820 in Nong Het, Xieng Khouang Province. The Hmong have a
history of FIGHTING to preserve their freedom! 2) The French
colonialization of IndoChina was the next step on the way to siding with
the United States. The Hmong in Laos were despised and looked down upon
by the Lao people. The Hmong were treated unfairly and taxed without
representation. The arrival of the French changed the future of the
Hmong. Hmong villagers noticed that when French soldiers were present,
visiting Lao and Vietnamese officials treated them fairly. The French
also began allowing Hmong to attend schools and to have limited
representation in the government. It did not take the Hmong long to
figure out that it was in their BEST INTEREST to support the French. (I
am not going into great detail here for the sake of brevity.) 3) During
World War II, the Hmong supported and housed French commandos that
parachuted into Laos to disrupt the Japanese occupation of French
IndoChina. At the end of World War II, the Hmong continued to fight
alongside the French against Viet Minh incursion/infiltration. This is
when the Hmong came into contact with the CIA. As early as 1951, Air
America (it wasn't called Air America then, it had another name ???) was
dropping weapons and supplies to the Hmong on top of Phou Pha Thi in
northern Laos near the Vietnam border. This was part of a last-ditch
effort by the United States when it became apparent that the French were
losing control of IndoChina. And finally, many Hmong soldiers died
alongside the French in the failed defense of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
The Hmong were already fight against the Viet Minh, so in the
power struggle created by the French retreat from Laos, it is only obvious
that the Hmong would continue on the course already set by history -- the
United States merely replaced the French. By definition of their
involvement with the French, the Hmong were enemies of the Viet Minh. When
the Pathet Lao joined forces with the Viet Minh, it is no wonder that the
Hmong continued fighting against them -- there was no chance for
reconciliation. The CIA did not recruit the Hmong, nor did VP mastermind
the Hmong opposition to the Pathet Lao; the Hmong were forced by history
to take sides in a war which they did not start or choose.
I do agree with your final point. The CIA most certainly gave the
Hmong an empty promise!!!
On 23 Sep 1996, JS wrote:
>Speaking of Hmong's state, you must be joking !! Hmong people never had
>their own country. Now, if you go back to any of the history books you
>would know that Hmong people originated from southern china, that is the
>reason why some of them can understand chinese. They migrated to Laos and
>Thailand because of war and better opportunity of dreaming to have their
>own land. But that was not the case. They were forced to live far away
>from the cities ( at mountain tops !! ), and in some areas they had been
>discriminated from the low land lao people.
>JS
The Hmong most certainly did have their own state, but it was
taken from them!!! Read your history books -- At one time (A.D. 400 -
900) the Hmong established an independent kingdom that threatened the
Chinese empire. The Hmong Kingdom, at its most powerful point, controlled
much of the provinces (present day China) of Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi.
The Hmong Kingdom was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 - 906) and
many Hmong were forced into slavery. Those Hmong not captured fled into
the mountainous regions of Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan. The Hmong lived
in relative peace until the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1644
- 1911) sought to exterminate or "civilize" the Hmong. Beginning in 1727,
the scattered Hmong clans united to defend against the onslaught of
Chinese troops. Twenty thousand Hmong were killed and another twenty
thousand were captured, and half of them executed. The Chinese soldiers
destroyed twelve thousand villages, drove the Hmong from their land and
confiscated their property. (In all, the Chinese counted fifty thousand
Hmong rifles.) Civil authorities forced Hmong children to attend Chinese
schools and absorb Chinese culture. The Hmong were prohibited from having
traditional celebrations and Hmong fathers were pressured to allow Chinese
men to marry their daughters. These conditions were intolerable and
thousands of Hmong fled south into northern Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and
Thailand. The first Hmong community was established in Nong Het, Xieng
Khouang Province, Laos in the early 1800's (around 1820).
Regards, Cory Jasperson
Cory Jasperson
Houmphanh (Pan) Thongvilu
Sabaydii Cory et all,
I have extracted your insightful reply and archive at Bane_lao/hmong
directory.
I agree with what you are saying; VP, CIA, home land, blank promises
etc...
However it can not be ignored that high, if not equal number of Hmong
people also died on the other side, that is fighting with the Pathet
Lao. It could argued in many different way: infighting between Hmong
groups, fighting for their cause.
The false promise of CIA of a Hmong homeland, I often heard of but
I have not found documented evidence to support it, one can only assumed
that it was 'heavily' hinted by CIA operatives.
Nevertheless, Hmong homeland is Laos, part of Lao communities. Many
Hmong see themselves so as well, when the Hmong feel less accepted
in other part of Asia. The Hmong is a similar issue of Gypsies of
Europe, far from being an Asian's Palestinians issue.
Hmong hOmeland! do exists in Cyberspace; I hope that all will give your
support when voting on soc.culture.hmong comes up... soon!! to preserve
the unique culture and tradition of Hmong global 'nation'.
Hak hpanng,
Pan
than...@lightspeed.net
In article <Pine.GSO.3.95.960925...@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu>, Cory says...
>>
> The Hmong most certainly did have their own state, but it was
>taken from them!!! Read your history books -- At one time (A.D. 400 -
>900) the Hmong established an independent kingdom that threatened the
>Chinese empire. The Hmong Kingdom, at its most powerful point, controlled
>much of the provinces (present day China) of Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi.
>
>
Please give names and authors of your history books which support the
above statements.
Thanks,
than...@lightspeed.net