In response to your recent article "The phantom menace" dated Sept 18th 2003, http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2076531I I wish to add that the current Laos terrorist activity against democracy seeking people, is in fact fueled by western diplomacy!
Illegal immigrants from Laos intercepted (Bangkok Post)...Police yesterday arrested a group of 20 illegal immigrants from Laos who paid about 3,000 baht each to be smuggled into the country via pick-up truck.
164 people killed by the road accidents in Vientiane (LNA)
According the source provided by Vientiane City police, during one year (15 Sept. 2002 - 15 Sept. 2003), Vientiane City had 2,678 road accidents, which claimed 164 lives, left 3,719 injured and caused 3,922 vehicles damaged.

September 18, 2003

Opium-lined coffin [from Laos] seized in St. Paul (ST)
When a package of "garments" flown into Los Angeles International Airport turned out to be a coffin containing opium, a customs and a drug agent were assigned to escort the load on the rest of its journey to St. Paul.
Shooting suspect eludes SWAT hunt (CO) Man accused of firing at police said to be angry at court system
DREXEL - Law officers spent nearly eight hours Wednesday surrounding a mobile home where they thought they had trapped a man who had exchanged fire with two police officers.

September 17, 2003

Hmong rebels' 'revolution' in Laos a desperate last act of the Vietnam War (AP/MSNBC)...When a half-dozen gunmen attacked a Laotian border checkpoint this summer, their supporters declared it the beginning of a new campaign to topple Laos' communist Govt.
Hmong USA: Educator offers new perspective (PC,GBPG)..Pao Lor lived a cruel childhood in war-torn Laos in the 1970s. When he was 3 or 4, his family was uprooted from its village. When he was 5, his father was assassinated by guerrillas.
Laos: More teachers needed in remote & mountainous areas (LaosNA or VT)..The 2003-2004 academic year kicked off on September 1, but some schools in remote and mountainous areas are not able to serve student due to lack of teachers, according to the local news sources.

September 16, 2003

Inside Laos: Rare glimpses of forgotten rebels (NY Times)...Deep in the interior of northern Laos, 3 decades after the civil war that was fought there alongside the conflicts in Vietnam & Cambodia, small bands of Hmong rebels & their families still hold out against the Communist Govt.
Laos rebutts Amnesty International allegations (VOA)...Hiem Phommachanh, Laos' ambassador to Thailand, rejects Amnesty International allegations that pockets of Lao Hmongs are dying of starvation and exhaustion after repeated attacks by government forces.
Two men jailed for life for Laos bombings (ABC) Two men have reportedly been jailed for life in Laos for organising bombings in the capital, Vientiane, in 2000. The VNA reports Bunlot Senkeo and Thao Khonsavane, both Laotians...
The Hmong squirrel hunter (SFC)...Khoua Vang is a member of the ethnic Hmong group, the agrarian hill tribe that aided the CIA during the Vietnam War. After the Communist victory, more than 200,000 Hmong were killed or driven out of Laos and into exile.

September 12, 2003

Laos: Letters to President Bush (U.S. CFL) U.S. Congressman Mark Green (R-WI) transmitted the following Congressional letters to President Bush and the Administration, on behalf of himself and his colleagues, regarding Laos.
Trouble in Laos (Asian Wall Street Journal) The ruling party of Laos, the Lao PRP, has an uncanny knack of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Just when things were going swimmingly for the country...
UN to withdraw workers from Laos over safety fears(RFA) The United Nations has withdrawn two of its foreign workers from an area in the northeast of Laos over concerns for their safety, the AP reports.
Hmong vendors vital to Farmers' Market(Capital Times) Farmers' markets go back hundreds - maybe thousands - of years. The idea is to bring farmers and their products to a central location where buyers can come to look, compare and buy.

September 9, 2003

UN Committee on elimination of racial discrimination takes action on Laos (ULHCD)...The United Lao/Hmong Congress for Democracy is pleased to report that United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has adopted a decision (resolution) on the situation in the Lao PDR on Aug. 21
Prejudice and close mindedness hinders Lao AIDS fight: UN (UNDP Lao or backup)...A lack of open discussion, prejudice and limited financial commitment to fighting it are being blamed for hindering efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS...
FBI, Elgin cops grab 10 gang members (CN)...Those taken into custody during the raids are: Anourack Sundara, 25, Anousack Sundara, 26, Alounnothay Thongsakounh, 26, Khamleing Daranikone, 23, Manithanou Sengpraseuth, 27, Mark Parkdy, 39, and Thavyphon Sanasing, 28, all of Elgin; & Phi H. Ngo, 21,

September 5, 2003

UN takes action on racial discrimination in Laos (VOA)...Mr. Spephen Vang of United Lao/Hmong Congress for Democracy in Wisconsin testified in Geneva last month at the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination...
Hmong Refugees: Protests spur shift in relocation plans - Bid to find new site after Laos complains (Bangkok Post) The military has bowed to protests from residents and Laos, and will scrap its plan to move about 14,000 ethnic Hmong people from Saraburi province to Ban Na Phor centre in Nakhon Phanom.
Anita Creamer: From peace to tragedy in a flash (Bee)It was not the phone call that Sue Lo was expecting. That's how life changes -- in the shrillness of a cell phone ring, in a split second's time.
Laos: More than 20% of Xieng Khuang population will enjoys electricity by the end of this year (Laos NA or VT)..It is projected that 7,400 households with 44,000 inhabitants would have own electric metres. This meant 44,000 people accounting for 20 per cent of Xieng Khouang's population would access the electricity.

September 3, 2003

Hmong rebels in Laos face famine, exhaustion (AFP/Yahoo!)
Several pockets of Hmong ethnic minority rebels hunted by Lao military face starvation and exhaustion following a series of raids on their camps, rights watchdog Amnesty International.
SHARING LESSONS FROM HOME (Pioneer Press) When Vee Thao asked her fifth-graders for alternative endings to a Hmong folk tale Tuesday, several hands went up.
Laos - the long, troubled decade (SCMP)Two news articles
Five people were shot dead when a battered bus trundling through rugged northeastern Laos was ambushed two weekends ago. For once, not all the raiders escaped scot-free: five of them were killed by security forces shortly after.
Woman dead, man hospitalized after St. Paul attack (WCCO-TV)
A woman is dead and her husband is hospitalized after an apparent murder-attempted suicide in St. Paul Tuesday morning. The incident happened at 1794 Bush Avenue with three children nearby.

August 28, 2003

Laos refutes foreign media's distortion of Hmong situation (VNA)...Although Hmong people make up only 6.9% of Laos' population, many of them are holding important posts in the Lao PRP, the Govt and the army at central, provincial and district levels, said Tong Yeurtho, Vice President of the Lao FNC...
U.S. tries to help Laos overcome devpt. challenges, Pt. 3 (Voice of America)...In 1999, USAID launched the Laos Economic Acceleration Program for the Silk Sector (LEAPSS). This program was built on experiences developed under the Lao-American Crop Control Program...
Hmong people bond during annual celebration (LC)...Shona Hang generally doesn't see her nieces, Elen and Mai Hang, except at the annual Hmong Pre-New Year celebration. Elen and Mai Hang drove from Port Huron, Mich., to Manitowoc on Friday for this weekend's celebration at Silver Creek Park.

August 26, 2003

Hmong USA: UW-Stout's Vang testifies before U.N. (DCN)..Stephen Vang, a Multicultural Student Services adviser and Hmong studies lecturer at UW-Stout, recently traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to deliver an urgent message. He testified before the United Nations Committee
Five killed in Laos bus attack, 10 wounded - radio (Reuters)..Unidentified gunmen attacked a bus in northern Laos, killing five passengers and wounding more than 10 others, state-owned radio reported on Tuesday. National Lao Radio said police..
Laos bus attack kills five (BBC News)...Reports say five people have been killed and ten wounded in a bus attack in northern Laos. State-owned radio said police shot dead five gunmen after the weekend assault, as the bus was travelling through a communist stronghold during the Vietnam war.

August 22, 2003

Hmong USA: Cy Thao wants opening meetings on Mekong issue (AAP)District 65A State Rep. Cy Thao is concerned that the fate of the Hmong Solemnization (Mekong) Bill will be decided on whether the two sides of the issue will speak openly together....

August 21, 2003

Laos' Deputy FM says no rebels in Laos (VOA)...Mr. Phongsavath Boupha insists there are no resistance groups in his country & that bandits, not rebels, are responsible for a series of bus attacks in Vientiane. The Deputy also says there are no heroin or methamphetamine labs in Laos.
Travel warnings: Laos (NZoom)...An increase in assaults and theft in the capital, Vientiane, and attacks on buses and bus terminals both in Vientiane and southern Laos....

August 20, 2003

NOT ANOTHER WAR: PART 1 (HmongTimes)...A war is never over. Not for the next generation. Or the next. Not ever. My own grandparents fled pre-Nazi Germany, Poland, Georgia and Romania to find a place to raise their families in peace.
Murder In A Lifetime: FRESNO -- Moments before he was sentenced last week to nearly a half-century in prison, a Fresno street gang member cursed death upon his accusers. And his accusers' children. And his accusers' children's children.
WHO Promotes Condom Use in Laos and Other Asian Nations
"no condom, no sex"
Man dies in Fresno drive-by shooting - Police believe the killing is gang-related (Fresno Bee)...An 18-year-old was shot on a southeast Fresno street and died at the hospital after an apparent gang-related drive-by shooting Monday, police said.

August 19, 2003

In new hills, home: Driven from Laos in the 1970s, thousands of Hmong are now thriving in North Carolina.(SP. Times) MORGANTON, N.C. - It is one of those summer evenings when the roadside greens are made brilliant, the day lily and Queen Anne's lace refreshed by an afternoon shower that swept down from the highlands,...
Immigrants pouring into Minnesota (Star Tribune)...New immigrants continue to pour into Minnesota at increasing rates, despite a slowing economy and tighter security imposed as part of the nation's campaign against terrorism.
Defendant substitutes prayer with threats in sentencing (Fresno Bee)
Moments before he was sentenced today to nearly 50 years in prison on four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a Fresno street gang member issued a deadly threat to his accusers.

August 15, 2003

Translating a Problem Into a Bill (Los Angeles Times to My Yahoo!)..Matha Xiong is just 13. But the Chico, Calif., girl shoulders responsibilities that most children never dream of.
Teacher goes above, beyond for her kids (Pos-Crescent) "Making Hmong part of her life is Sarah Marnocha’s passion" APPLETON — Sarah Marnocha is so at home with the Hmong children she teaches-

August 13, 2003

Laos denies reports of Hmong attacks on army camps (VofA)...The Laos Govt is denying reports that ethnic Hmong rebels have recently attacked two army camps. But diplomats in Laos say a series of bomb blasts and bus attacks in the tiny landlocked nation are linked to anti-govt activity.
U.S.: Sports give Hmong life lessons (Green Bay PG)..She's learning hard work, dedication, teamwork and patience. Yang is one of more than 50 participants in the Summer Outreach Program Through Sports, an effort organized by the Hmong Association of Green Bay.
Hmong art fest set for Saturday (Pioneer Press)...The second annual Hmong Art Festival is expected to attract thousands of people Saturday to the Western Sculpture Park in St. Paul.

August 11, 2003

Minority seminar open for business ... F irst Hmong event plays to small but interested crowd (Post-Crescent)...APPLETON — As the sun shone brightly outside, a small group of people gathered indoors Saturday to spend the day poring over details of insurance, law and business banking.
Hmong find culture difficult to pass on in America. Younger generations lack desire to learn ancient ways of ancestors
(Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers)...There’s a tale that Hmong elders used to tell to their young:
Long ago — beyond the scented guava blossoms, the quivering tamarind trees and far above the rising mists of the dark untamed Laotian jungles, the Hmong once lived in “Suav Teb,” or land of the Chinese.
Hmong-USA:: Refugees from Laos sow seeds of hope among chaff of war, home - Plowing ahead (GoMemphis or pic)
Thunder rumbles in the distance. The western sky darkens. Nao Lor's work pants are cuffed high & his shoes leave muddy impressions between the rows of purple hull peas.
Lao rebels deny hand in Vientiane bomb attack (AFP/KTimes)
Rebels in Laos opposed to the communist regime have denied any involvement in a recent bomb blast at a crowded bus station in Vientiane, a US-based Lao advocacy group said on Sat..

August 07, 2003
U.S. cautions Americans in Laos (AP/Yahoo! or ABJ)...Citing a spate of attacks on civilians in Laos, the State Dept. on Tuesday urged Americans to exercise extra caution in the southeast Asian nation.
Hmong-American: Behind the blossoms (Charlotte Observer)...If you work in uptown Charlotte, you've probably seen members of the Yang family with their buckets of jewel-colored flowers. They are regular vendors at The Square & the 7th Street Market.
Hmong woman's journey is tale of stress and success
Susie Vang, (Star Tribune)...Mo Chang, 37, has been through it all. At 10, she fled her homeland of Laos for the United States, carrying grisly memories of the Vietnam War. After two years in North Carolina, she moved to St. Paul and lived in housing projects.
Laos Public Announcement (U.S. Dept. of State)
This Public Announcement is being issued to update Americans to increased security concerns in Laos. This Public Announcement expires on February 5, 2004. At least three bomb attacks over the past several weeks targeting buses

August 05, 2003

US gov't casts doubt on bomb blast claims in Laos (ABC)...The American government has cast doubt on claims by Laos that a bomb blast at a bus station in the capital Vientiane which injured at least 10 people, was the result of a business dispute.

August 3, 2003

Blast in Laos, 2 killed (AP/Times of India or here)...A bomb exploded at a crowded bus station in Laos's capital on Monday, injuring several people, residents said. One witness, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had been told that two people had died.
Bomb injures 8 in Laos capital (Voice of America)...A bomb has exploded in the capital city of Laos, injuring at least eight people. The bomb, which was hidden in a metal trash bin, exploded near a bus station in the Lao capital Monday. No one has claimed responsibility, and officials are still investigating the motive.
Bomb injures 10 people in Vientiane, official says (Reuters... A suspected time bomb exploded in a busy market in the Lao capital of Vientiane on Mon. & wounded 10 people, including three children, an official said. He told Reuters the bomb, hidden in a bin near an inter-provincial bus station,
Hmong Today TV: Continuing the Hmong oral tradition (NCM)
"No other TV station has done what we have done," says Ben Vue, the creator, host & producer of Hmong Today, a Hmong language news show in California's Central Valley.
Polygamy murder' sentencing emotional (Pioneer Press)...A murder case that put the spotlight on polygamy in the Hmong community unleashed a torrent of raw emotion Friday...
Tee-off in Thailand, walk Laos' greens & putt in Cambodia (AP/Borneo Bulletin)...Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have agreed to push forward a tourism development project that would include a golf course spanning a border between their three countries, the state Thai News Agency reported Sunday.

July 31, 2003

Minority seminar builds bonds (Post-Crescent) APPLETON — Good ideas don’t always lead to successful businesses. Ideas need to be nurtured in an environment in which marketing, financing and other business details are all carefully mapped out within the context of American customs.
Editorial: Don’t forget Hmong vets next July 22 (Herald Times Report)...It’s hard for Americans to imagine being driven from their homes by raiding bandits or military police. Few Americans have been so persecuted, while standing on their native soil, that they have been forced to flee to safety half a world away.
Laotian prince says Laos should have a democratic and multi-party government (Voice of America)..The prince made his comments in an interview granted to VOA, in which he talked about his recent visit to the United States. He also said international pressure has to be put on the communist government in Laos to..
In Brief: Emerald Triangle (Bangkok Post)Last story on that page
Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Vientiane will ratify the Pakse Declaration on tourism cooperation during the first meeting on cooperation in the so-called Emerald Triangle, where the borders of the three countries meet.
Gunmen stage another ambush in Laos - Witnesses told to keep quiet (RFA or here)...Unidentified gunmen have staged another highway ambush in northern Laos, & authorities have told witnesses not to dicuss the incident, Radio Free Asia has learned
Gunmen stage another highway ambush in Laos (AFP/Y!)..Unidentified gunmen have staged another highway ambush on a pick-up truck in northern Laos, but authorities have told witnesses not to dicuss the incident, Radio Free Asia (RFA) said.
UN: The TRP intervenes at the 55th sub-commission on the promotion & protection of human rights denouncing Laos violating fundamental freedoms (TRP)...On behalf of the Transnational Radical Party, Vanida Thephsouvanh urged the Sub-Commission to send urgently a mission to Laos in order to observe & examine the situation in the country and to request the Lao authorities to allow

July 29, 2003

Lao provincial governor sacked (RFA)Lao President Khamtai Siphandone has demoted the popular governor of northern Xieng Khouang Province & replaced him with his deputy, a member of the ethnic Hmong minority, Radio Free Asia reports.
Hmong-American: Pres. of Urban Coalition stepping down (PP)
Lee Pao Xiong, a high-profile Hmong community leader in St. Paul, will leave his post as president of the Urban Coalition at week's end to take a new position in Minneapolis city government.

July 26, 2003

Va Mengn Thoj:U.S. has moral obligation to help Hmong still trapped in Laos (Star Tribune)...How unfortunate that it took the arrest of two white Europeans for the West to finally wake up to the crimes against humanity committed by the Govt of Laos against the Hmong and other minorities.
A call for the release 2 Hmong guides in a Laos prison (ABC)
The two European journalists sentenced to 15 years in jail in Laos and then freed after five weeks in detention last week have called on the government in Vientiane to released their two Hmong guides from prison. Belgian reporter Thierry Falise says the two Hmong men were not present at the time

July 25, 2003

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT: 8,000 Hmong in Saraburi to be given entry into U.S. -- Wat Tham Krabok shelter to close (Bangkok Post)
The U.S. is ready to accept 8,000 Hmong refugees in Saraburi province for resettlement, a senior internal security officer said yesterday.
Freed Westerners plead for jailed Laos helpers (Reuters)
Two Western reporters freed from a Laotian jail urged the international community on Friday to put pressure on the Asian state's Communist leaders to release 2 local men imprisoned for working with the journalists.
Veto of Hmong cultural center a slight, some say: Plan was devised to buy a vote, Doyle says (Press-Gazette Madison bureau)... MADISON — Gov. Jim Doyle may have drawn applause during a budget-signing ceremony Thursday at the Executive Residence in Maple Bluff, but dozens of Hmong protesters stood outside the gates saying he lied to them.

July 24, 2003

Talk swirls of Laos anti-communist uprising (Reuters/AOL)
Is a rebel uprising brewing in communist Laos? A few groups of minority ethnic Hmong, who fought alongside the United States against communist forces in Vietnam and Laos in the 1960s and 70s, appear desperate to fight their way out of jungle hideaways.
ST. PAUL: Charter school is adding on (Pioneer Press)...With more students enrolling at Achieve Language Academy each year, the East Side charter school is moving ahead with plans to add classroom space and a gym.
Sheboygan War Memorial (CBS-58)...A war memorial honoring the Hmong is planned for Sheboygan. It would be the first of its kind in the United States.

July 23, 2003

U.S. Census 2000: Hmong rooted in Minnesota (St.PPress)...The Hmong population grew by 143% from 1990 to 2000, a rate roughly 12 times faster than the general population, and more than any other group except Hispanics. There were more than 43,000 Hmong in the state by 2000.
Hispanics, Hmong on the rise (St. Paul Press)...CENSUS: The number of Hispanics in Minnesota nearly tripled during the 1990s, making it likely that they are the state's largest minority group, while the Hmong population grew almost as fast.
‘Secret’ soldiers honored: Area veteran to join in Lao-Hmong observance (Herald Times)...MANITOWOC — The second annual Lao-Hmong Veterans Day wasn’t honored in Manitowoc on Tuesday, but veteran Victor Hang and other Hmong people will travel to Milwaukee this weekend and observe the long-overdue holiday.

July 22, 2003
U.S. still undecided on Hmong (The Nation)..The American Embassy in Bangkok said there had been discussions among relevant agencies about the possibility of permitting more Hmong refugees living in Thailand to relocate to the United States.
Hmong change land that's changing them: To succeed here, they count on education, each other (Journal Sentinel)...Wausau - This was the whitest city in America when Shu Blong Her arrived here in 1979.

July 21, 2003

Thailand says US to take Laos refugees (Reuters or here)...The United States will accept 8,000 people from an ethnic Hmong group who fled Laos to Thailand after a communist takeover in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War, a Thai official said on Monday.
Pro-democracy fighters in Laos claim to have killed 30 in road ambush (AFP/Yahoo!)...Rebels seeking to topple the communist regime in Laos claim to have killed at least 30 people in an ambush on a government vehicle...
The question is: Who polices the police in Laos? (VTimes)...Some readers may wonder why this story about a common Vientiane scenario has been raised. It is simply to alert the public to be aware that despite encouraging others to pay their road fees, police do not always pay the fee themselves.
Hmong rituals dying out in America but some still keep tradition going (Star Tribune)...Cheu Tong Yang's voice rose above the squeals of the pigs and the mooing of the cows. He chanted in an old Hmong language, asking a cow to protect his grandson.

July 18, 2003

Nixon Documents Show Vietnam War Concerns (AP/Yahoo! Asia) Henry Kissinger and other top Nixon administration officials worried about how they would explain to a skeptical American public their plan to expand the Vietnam War to Cambodia and Laos, according to newly declassified documents.

July 17, 2003

Hmong 'insurgency' actually a humanitarian crisis (IPS)
The month-long detention of two European journalists in Laos, the ensuing global outcry and their sudden release is emerging as a classic case study of how media, diplomacy and so-called 'dissidence' work in contemporary times.
Pro-democracy fighters claim to kill 3 Lao soldiers (AFP/BD)...Pro-democracy fighters seeking to topple the communist regime in Laos claimed Tuesday they had killed three soldiers in clashes with the military in the northwestern province of Sainyabuli.
As always, Vietnam denies presence of its "military advisers" in Laos (ITAR-TASS)...Hanoi categorically denied on Tuesday the western media reports on the presence of Viet "military advisers" in Laos, who are to restore law and order in that country,
Life returning to normal for freed St. Paul pastor (AP/WCCO)...After spending a month imprisoned in Laos, life is starting to return to normal for the Rev. Naw-Karl Mua. Since returning to Minnesota last week,

July 15, 2003

It pays to avoid a ticket -- or fight one (MSN) The best advice is simply not to speed, at least not brazenly. But if you get nailed, fight it -- because a $50 ticket can cost you thousands once your insurer gets wind of it.

July 14, 2003
Cambodia to become first of world's poorest countries to enter WTO: minister....PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia has completed the hard work and will become the first of the world's poorest countries to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO),
Opinion - Laos: An egregious regime (Washington Times)
Ever wonder what happened to Laos, that little country sandwiched between Vietnam and Thailand where the U.S. waged a "secret war" against Hanoi interdicting North Vietnamese troops infiltrating into South Vietnam?
Law urges teaching role of Hmong (SacBee)...Top-ranking CIA officials have credited the Hmong and Iu Mien, working with the U.S., for prolonging the Vietnam War and saving hundreds of American lives, but there is no mention of their contribution, or the CIA's Secret War in Laos, in California's history books.

July 13, 2003

Communist Laos denies anti-govt rebellion (Reuters/MSNBC)... Communist Laos denied on Sunday a report issued by U.S.-based Laotian exiles that anti-government groups had launched an armed uprising in 11 provinces across the Southeast Asian country.
Small-scale fighting taking place in Laos: Thai, Vietnamese sources (AFP/Yahoo! or ABC)...Small-scale fighting is taking place in Laos, Vietnamese military sources said, a day after a US-based Lao exile group claimed that pro-democracy forces had begun a "revolution" to overthrow the communist regime.
Hmong guerrillas in Laos: Facing death for a pathetic dream (Bangkok Post)...Americans supporting anti-communist Hmong guerrillas in Laos should realise they lost the US Central Intelligence Agency's support in 1975, and the abandoned stragglers
Revolution begins in Laos (FFC)...Fighting began Saturday morning throughout Laos between pro-democracy forces, which call themselves the Lao Citizen Movement for Democracy (LCMD), and LPDR military forces.
Lao immigration post attackedn (Herald Sun or DT or TA)...AN armed Laotian group fired on a Lao immigration post in Sainyabuli province, injuring one girl, while Thai forces exchanged fire with a second group inside Thailand, police said today.

July 11, 2003

Laotian fighters get due [in the U.S.] (Modesto Bee)...During the Cold War, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy justified U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia with the "domino theory" -- if one country fell to the Communists, the rest would topple.
Laos -- Never say die: Hmong rebels... (FEER)...The arrest of two Western journalists and their Lao-American guide in early June focused the world's attention on the story they were covering: the plight of the Hmong hill tribe.
Laos: Failed resistance just a bad dream (Asia Times)...Americans supporting anti-communist Hmong guerrillas in Laos should realize they lost the US CIA's support in 1975 and that the abandoned stragglers must be rescued because they cannot fight, say two European journalists who were jailed and deported after meeting the rebels.
St. Paul: Pastor welcomed home (Pioneer Press)...The Rev. Naw-Karl Mua quietly returned to St. Paul on Thursday, rejoining family members a day after diplomatic negotiations secured his release from more than a month in custody in communist Laos.

July 10, 2003
CPJ says press conditions in Laos are among the worst in the world
HANOI, July 10 (AFP) - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Thursday welcomed the release of two European journalists and their American translator but said press conditions in Laos are among the worst in the world.
Doyle To Restore $23M Tax Credit, Protect Family Farms
...Gary George, D-Milwaukee, including $3 million for a Hmong cultural center in Milwaukee....
Laos rebels starving, says freed reporter.. BANGKOK, July 10 (Reuters) - Tribal rebels in northern Laos are starving and ill-equipped to fight the communist government, a journalist who was arrested in the region and sentenced to 15 years in jail before being freed said on Thursday.
Laos Frees American Pastor Amid Trade Debate.. Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Rights campaigners have welcomed a decision by the government of Laos to free an American pastor and two European journalists.
Released journalists slam "farcial" Laos trial (Australia BC)
Two European journalists sentenced to 15 years' jail in Laos last month have flown to Thailand after being released on Wednesday.

July 09, 2003

Relief at release of journalists from Laos accompanied by concern (AP/Star Tribune)...Friends & family of two European journalists & an American interpreter expressed relief after they were freed Wednesday from more than a month of detention in Laos, but concerns are rising for the fate of some Laotians
Laos frees European reporters, American (AP/Yahoo!, NYT)..After international pressure, Laos on Wednesday freed two European journalists and an American interpreter sentenced to prison for the death of a rural guard.
Laos frees jailed reporters (BBC News)...Two European journalists and their American interpreter have been freed by the Laos government less than two weeks after being sentenced to 15 years in jail. Arriving at Bangkok airport, Belgian photojournalist Thierry Falise described his ordeal as "tiring", and said the two-hour trial in which he was "a mockery of justice".
The United States welcome the release of the three Western journalists VIENTIANE (AFP) - The American embassy in Vientiane welcomed the decision of the Lao government to release two European journalists and a US citizen sentenced to 15 years in prison in Laos.

July 08, 2003

Laos: Lieutenant Kham's forgotten war (Asia Times)...Lieutenant Kong Kham walked out of the Laotian jungle last week where he has spent the past 28 years fighting a US-backed war that officially ended in 1975.
Laos is getting a bad rap from the world's media (BPost)...Laos has been described in recent weeks as a "rogue state'', as a "Taliban regime'' in a US senate inquiry, as a state engaged in "ethnic cleansing'' against its Hmong minority, and, not surprisingly
Laos wants St. Paul pastor to admit to killing (StarTribune)...A St. Paul family of the Rev. Naw-Karl Mua, imprisoned in Laos, is keeping mum about reports published Monday that the government wants him to admit guilt in the death of a security guard before he is released.

July 07, 2003

Official: Laos to free journalists, American if they won't appeal (AP/WCCO or backup)Bangkok, Thailand (AP)...Communist Laos on Monday said two European journalists and an American interpreter jailed in the death of a village official will be granted amnesty if they accept their guilt and drop their right to appeal
Death of a dirty fighter (Asia Times)...Anthony A "Tony Poe" Poshepny, a decorated former official of the U.S. CIA who collected enemy ears, dropped decapitated human heads from the air on to communists and stuck heads on spikes, was buried on the weekend in California.
French visit of Laotian information minister denounced(RSF)...Reporters Without Borders today denounced as "shameful and disgraceful" the current visit to France of Laotian info...

July 06, 2003
Hmong: CIA's secret war is revealed as Laos jails European journalists (Independent)...International diplomatic efforts are under way to secure the release of two respected European journalists who were this week given 15-year prison sentences
Hmong pay respects to elder in 4-day ceremony (GBPG)...One by one, tearful family members approached the tuxedo-clad body of 88-year-old Nhia Pao Vue. They knelt beside him,...
Laos trial of three Westerners flouted international standards (AFP/Yahoo! or backup)...Three Westerners sentenced to 15 years in jail in Laos last week are expected to be freed within days thanks to diplomatic intervention, but only after enduring a judicial process that fell short of world standards.

July 02, 2003
Laos reporters 'could be free in days' (BBC News)...Two reporters and a pastor, jailed in Laos for 15 years each earlier this week, "could be free in days", according to the Laotian ambassador to France. "This morning we talked with the ambassadors of France, Belgium & the United States... ",
Amnesty calls for release of journalists, minorities held in Laos HANOI (AFP) - Rights group Amnesty International expressed its concern at the fate of two European journalists and their American translator, as well as four Hmong sentenced to lengthy prison terms by a Lao court.

July 01, 2003
Hmong: Harsh prison sentences put Hmong rebellion back in the spotlight (AFP/Yahoo! or backup)..The harsh prison sentences handed down in Laos to two European journalists and their American translator have focused attention on a shadowy legacy of the Vietnam War
Laos denies access to jailed journalists -diplomat (BANGKOK, July 1 Reuters) - Communist Laos denied foreign diplomats access to two journalists and an American citizen on Tuesday, a day after a court handed them 15-year prison
Hmong USA: St. Paul pastor sentenced to 15 years in Laos (AP/ST)...A St. Paul pastor who was arrested in Laos with two European journalists in early June received a 15-year prison sentence Monday in the killing of a security official.
Hmong Laos: Amnesty identifies three Laotians arrested in Western journalists case (AFP/Yahoo!)...."Information received by Amnesty International named the ethnic Hmongs as 27-year-old Thao Moua and Char Yang who are believed to have acted as guides for the journalists, & Pa Fue Khang, reportedly the driver of the group.
June 30, 2003
Journalists held in Laos could face death penalty (ABC, GA)..Two foreign journalists arrested in Laos risk at least 10 years in prison and could even be sentenced to death, the mother of one of them says, accusing French authorities of failing to do enough to help them.
European journalists, Hmong Minnesota pastor sentenced to 15 years (AP/Duluth News Tribune or backup)...Two Europeans & a Minnesotan held in Laos in connection with the slaying of a security guard will face a charge of illegal firearms possession when they go on trial today, a court official said.
Journalists, Pastor to Be Jailed in Laos: 1 hour, 9 minutes ago (Associated Press) BANGKOK, Thailand - A Laotian court sentenced two European journalists and an American pastor to 15 years in prison Monday for the death of a village security guard.

June 27, 2003
Furor over arrest of journalists, pastor in Laos (Asia Times)
International protests are being leveled at the Laotian government..
In parts of Laos, the Vietnam War is still being fought(CSM)...The arrest of two foreign journalists and a US citizen in Laos earlier this month has thrown a spotlight...
Hmong USA: Lee becomes St. Paul's first Hmong principal (PP)...Choua Lee will become the St. Paul school district’s first Hmong principal, taking the top position at Homecroft Elementary.
Hmong USA: Pastor's arrest fuels anti-Laos rally (Pioneer Planet)... Current events are breathing new life into long-standing complaints many Hmong in the Twin Cities have against the communist government in Laos.
Her gets 4 years in prison for robbery (Green Bay Press-Gazette)
A man convicted of a Thanksgiving Day gas station robbery will serve four years in prison. Chor Her, 25, held up Glen's Oil, 1006 Velp Ave.,...
Hmong: Licensed to Kill; While Burma's junta is justly reviled, Laos' brutal leaders get away with murder (Time)...We were almost home free when the shooting began. After 9 days trekking through thick jungle in mountainous northern Laos, we had finally reached the river we needed to cross to safety. Then the sound of a bullet split the still air.
Hmong: American, 2 others held in Laos on murder (AP/Yahoo!, backup, 2nd backup or here)...Two European journalists and an American were arrested in Laos on murder charges, the government said Wednesday. A press freedom group called the accusations "grotesque and absurd."
Court turns down extradition request (Bangkok Post)...The Criminal Court has declined to extradite 16 Lao dissidents wanted in Vientiane for a bloody raid at a checkpoint on the Thai border three years ago.
Rights groups fear for safety of detained journalists, locals in Laos (AFP/Yahoo! or backup)...Human rights groups voiced concern over the safety of two European journalists, their American guide and four Lao nationals detained in Laos over the alleged murder of a villager.
The great betrayal Laos' Hmong tribe faces death in forced repatriation(Part I) ...NAKHON PHANOM, Thailand -- An old Hmong woman sobbed hysterically, burying her face in the hands of her young granddaughter. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees had made its final decision: The woman and her entire extended family would be forcibly repatriated to Communist-ruled Laos -- at gunpoint if necessary...
'Killing fields,' mines and martyrs Part 2 of WND's investigative report on betrayal of Hmong tribe...VIENTIANE, Laos People's Democratic Republic -- The group of 50 men, women and children huddled together in the basement of a spooky, abandoned French colonial mansion smiled brightly at the arrival of the Western missionary.
Fear and loathing in Vietnam Part 3 of WND's investigative report on betrayal of Hmong tribe...During the past year, WorldNetDaily's roving international reporter has traveled extensively throughout Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to document the fate of the Hmong, who served in the CIA Special Forces during the Vietnam war, when around 20,000 Hmong men, women and children were killed. After the war, more than 100,000 Hmong....
Hmong USA: Liver, stomach cancer high among Minnesota Hmong (AP/Duluth News Tribune)...Hmong who live in Minnesota have higher rates than the rest of the population for some forms of cancer, a study found. A University of Minnesota report said Hmong have higher rates for nose, stomach, cervix and liver cancers.
Hmong USA: Beware of college-aid schemes that promise much, do little (Star Tribune)...In this season of high school graduations, families that don't want the pomp to end in dire circumstance could take a lesson from Bao Yang. Yang, a Hmong widow in Minneapolis with seven children, was talked into a $900 contract
Hmong USA: Student Web site teaches Hmong culture (LCTribune) Seventh-grader Sandy Xiong grew up in the Hmong culture and thought she knew a lot about it. But even Sandy, who was born in the U.S., learned things she didn't know while...
Hmong Women USA: Woman pleads guilty to killing husband (PP)..A St. Paul woman whose murder case highlighted polygamy in the Hmong community pleaded guilty Thursday to stabbing her husband to death after learning of his plans to take a second wife. Youa Lee, 44, pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree...
Hmong USA: Green Bay City Council cuts Community Development Block Grants (Green Bay Press-Gazette)...The United Hmong Community Center Inc. uses its grant money for general operating expenses from paying bills to helping the Hmong youth understand the Hmong culture, said Nhiacha Yang, president of the center.
Feature: Asia, new commercial frontier (UPI)...The Greater Mekong Subregion -- Cambodia, China's Yunnan Province, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam -- is fast becoming the new commercial frontier for investors. Over the next 10 years...
SARS outbreak deepens economic decline in South East Asia (World SWS)...WHO figures show that, as of May 24, Singapore has been the worst hit, with 206 reported cases & 31 deaths. Indonesia has reported two cases & no deaths; Malaysia eight cases & two deaths; the Philippines 12 cases & two deaths; Thailand eight cases & two deaths & Vietnam 63 cases & five deaths.
Foreign inmates: Call for deal on prisoner transfers (BPost)...It is time for Thailand to enter into such agreements with Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Statistics showed that there were about 8,000 foreign inmates in Thai prisons...
Hmong USA: Bao Xiong - From refugee to social entrepreneur (Jade Magazine)...A petite Asian woman with tears in her eyes stood before a crowd at glitzy Times Square Studios. She held a handmade quilt that told of how she fled war torn Laos, went to Thailand, and came to the American Midwest.
Hmong agency hands out awards (LC Tribune)...The La Crosse Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association recently presented several awards to agencies and individuals for their contributions to refugee resettlement programs over the past 20 years.
Hmong USA: Theft informant gets 10 years for crimes - He pointed officers to gang members who stole guns (MJS)...A Milwaukee man whose cooperation was deemed crucial in solving a string of gang-related burglaries that terrorized dozens of rural southeastern Wisconsin homeowners was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for his role in the crime spree.
Hmong USA: Diversity unifies schools: Teens in Neenah, Menasha honor different cultures (Post-Crescent)...Pheng Lee has no illusions about the challenges facing the Unity Through Diversity organization at Menasha High School.
SARS From Space? British Scientists Offer Alternative Origins of SARS ... May 23, 2003 -- Could SARS be from space? A group of British scientists is making that case by proposing that the SARS virus may have originated in outer space, fell down to earth, and landed in China where the outbreak began.
Amnesty accuses Laos of ill-treating detainees(Australia BC)..Amnesty International says it is concerned about the use of torture, arbitrary detention, and religious and political repression in Laos. In its report on 2002, the London-based rights watchdog says...
Hmong give full heart to: St. Paul priest to Hmong dies (Pioneer Press)...Some St. Vincent de Paul parishioners would drive 100 miles round-trip Sunday mornings to hear the Rev. Robert Wellisch celebrate Mass in Hmong.
Hmong USA: Festivals' downside: parking (Pioneer Press)...Warm weather always brings mega-festivals to St. Paul, and the community fests almost invariably produce some level of neighborhood problems — trash, noise and, usually the biggest headache of them all, parking.
Hmong fair showcases Asian flair (News-Chronicle)...The Brown County Fairgrounds were transformed into an Asian marketplace Saturday, as exotic scents of garlic and curry mingled with the sounds of Thai music and people speaking in Hmong.
Laos Thai border: Nan crossing set for upgrade to permanent checkpoint (Bangkok Post)...A border crossing between Nan and Laos' Sayaboury will be upgraded to a permanent checkpoint after the signing of a Thai-Lao border demarcation agreement.

May 2003

Festival celebrates Hmong war history (PPress)...This is the month when, in 1975, communist forces took control in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. During this fateful month 28 years ago, American pilots airlifted the first Hmong refugees — including General Vang Pao
Man and Gods in Laos - 'Villa Incognito' by Tom Robbins (WPost)..In the latter days of the Vietnam War, three U.S. servicemen (known to their compatriots collectively as "Smarty Pants"), are taken prisoner and moved into the highlands of Laos.
Opium wars (The Nation)...The Lao government's crackdown on poppy growing has devastated hilltribes in the country's far northern mountains. There wasn't much Ah Sho could do except stand there & cry as government officials trampled all over his opium field, slashing the plants one by one.
Deadline nears on Hmong citizenship law - Vet's chance to take exam orally ends on Monday (WDH)...A special law that allows Hmong veterans to apply for citizenship expires Monday, but only a small portion of those eligible have taken advantage of the opportunity.
Mien USA: Refugee family's flight documented (Appeal-Democrat)
They came for the same reasons so many families immigrate to the U.S.: opportunity, a better life, pursuit of the American dream.
HMONG WOMEN AS PRISONERS?(Hmongtimes)...My mother and I sat down on our tan couch next to the living room window watching the video memories she had brought back from her vacation in Laos, and she explained to me her relief at being an American, but her concerns for young Hmong Americans.
Top UN adviser says Laos must act now to prevent AIDS epidemic (AFP/Yahoo!)...Prejudice, a lack of open discussion and limited financial commitment are hindering efforts to prevent the rapidly growing risk of an AIDS epidemic in Laos, the UN said.
Hmong Wolrd-Wide: Thai military drops plan to move Hmong to Tak (Bangkok Post)...Strong local opposition has forced the military to drop its plan to resettle about 1,200 ethnic Hmong people in Tak province. Instead, the Hmong will be moved from Wat Tham Krabok, in Saraburi province...
Hmong USA: Law for Hmong Veterans' Citizenship Ends Soon(Action 2 News)...Time is running out for Hmong veterans to apply for citizenship under a special law. The Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act allows the Vietnam vets and their families to take their citizenship tests orally...
Hmong Facing Black: Laos: Hotbed of unrest (Asia Times)...Two deadly bus attacks; remnants of a CIA-backed army fighting in the jungles; claims of two divisions of a neighboring army entering the country - all with the same dateline: Laos. The reports keep trickling in.
Hmong USA: Wausau: The model for change? The city has created a program determined to bring Hmongs into their city govt (GBNC)
If Brown County minority groups want to become better organized politically and better represented in local government, Wausau's Hmong community may have the blueprint to success.
Hmong USA: Minorities make the case for representation (Green Bay News-Chronicle)...May Xiong thinks it's past time she saw a Hmong in local government.
Green seeks to prevent trade realtions with Laos (GBNC)...Reps. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, & Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, are waging an ongoing battle to prevent the normalization of trade relations with the Lao PDR. Wisconsin has about 33,791 Laotians, including Hmong & other groups.
Hmong youths urged to be healthy (Marshfield NH)...A new community project aimed at Hmong youths is giving students a reason to stay away from tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, teens say.
Wells Fargo ATMs offer Hmong language (BJ)...Wells Fargo customers can conduct their ATM transactions in the Hmong language at any of the banks 400 special ATM machines in Minnesota, the company announced Friday. "The 80,000 Hmong residents in Minnesota are vital to the growth and success of our communities,..
Hmong: Coleman trying to keep St. Paul student from being deported (ST)...U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman will introduce legislation aimed at halting the deportation of a St. Paul high school senior ordered to leave the country three weeks before graduation.
Hmong: St. Paul student to be deported 22 days before graduation (Star Tribune)...A senior at Como Park High School in St. Paul is being deported three weeks before he would have become the first member of his family to wear a cap & gown.
Hmong USA: New year, old advice on fish advisories (GBPG)...Fish in the Fox River are no more dangerous to eat than they were last year. But they’re no less dangerous either. That’s the latest from the state Department of Natural Resources’ updated fish consumption advisories.
Hmong USA: Yellow card may bridge gap between Hmong, police(ST)...For several Hmong leaders in the Twin Cities, a yellow laminated card helps bridge the language gap between non-English-speaking community members and police, hospitals and other public institutions.
Small mind or Big?:Free trade deal for Laos splits Hmong community (AP/KC)...A proposal from the Bush administration to normalize trade relations with the Communist nation of Laos has split Laotian Americans and their allies on Capitol Hill.
5 keys to starting a business in uncertain times (bcentral)...If you're thinking of starting a business, know that the deck is stacked against you.
Hmong ads reach out to overlooked consumers (WDH)...Wausau-area businesses are finding it easy to speak Hmong. They're not speaking it themselves, but through their advertisements in Hmong-language newspaper and Hmong-language radio and television programs.
Hmong USA: UW Extension study identifies Hmong challenges (La Crosse Tribune)...A 2002 statewide assessment of the educational needs of Hmong people living in Wisconsin already has borne fruit in the La Crosse area.
Hmong USA: Lor builds understanding by bridging cultures (Green Bay Press-Gazette)..May Lee Lor has witnessed a great deal of progress for Green Bay's Hmong residents over the past 20 years. Lor, a family advocate at the Fort Howard-Jefferson NFRC, emigrated from Laos
Hmong USA: Sewing SEEDS of tolerance (LC Tribune)...Fifteen-year-old Kenny Moua has felt the sting of racial bias, but he also has discovered what a lot of other local Hmong kids his age have learned: It pays to educate others about your culture. "It helps you to realize that if you educate them, they'll be less disrespecting,"
Hmong USA: La Crosse County's Hmong are refugees no more (La Crosse Tribune)...The La Crosse Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. To mark the event, Tribune reporter Gayda Hollnagel takes a look at the association & ...
Hmong USA: A growing trend - (St. Paul Pioneer Press) The number of farms in Minnesota has risen after years of decline, partly because of recent immigrants who want to own the soil they tend
At 58 acres, it's just a sixth the size of the average Minnesota farm. But to Vang N. Yang and his wife, Va Vang, the patch of land they're buying in southern Dakota County and plan to fill with three dozen different fruit
Hmong USA: Words apart - Editor bridging gap between Hmong mother and herself, ancient oral tradition and writing (MJS)...Like dreams quickly forgotten upon waking, memories emerge and recede for Yer Moua. She remembers puffs of blown-up garbage bags bobbing in the muddy waters of the Mekong River,
Journalists risk lives in search of truth about Pha Sie (FFC)...In January 2003 Time Magazine journalist Andrew Perrin and international photographer Philip Blenkinsop put their lives on the line as they hiked into the jungles of northern Laos
Laos-2--3 Annual Report (Reporters Without Borders or PDI)..The communist regime allowed no political opening in 2002 and all media remained in the hands of the sole political party.
Embassy Row: Laotian trade war (Washington Times)... Laotian trade officials are in Washington to lobby for better economic relations with the United States, and Philip Smith is determined to stop them.
Hmong USA: Four will be honored with Leadership Award (Star Tribune)...As state Sen. Mee Moua's campaign manager, PaKou Hang helped identify more than 600 new Hmong voters, increasing voting in the Hmong community by more than 200 percent.
Hmong Facing White:Laos ambush not the work of bandits (Australian BC)...A U.S. report has contradicted a Laos Govt version of an ambush that killed 11 people. The Laos govt says no anti-govt rebels were involved in an attack on a bus in the northern province of Phongsaly.
Hmong World: Welcome to the jungle [of Laos] - Recruited by the CIA to be a secret army during the Vietnam War, the Hmong rebels of Laos fought communism. Now they desperately battle for their own survival (Time Magazine)...There were hundreds of them, perhaps a thousand. They wept & knelt before me on the ground, crying, "Please help us, the communists are coming." I had hiked four days to reach this forsaken place deep in the jungles
Laos evicts 3 families for not renouncing Christianity (AFP/Y!) Authorities in southern Laos have evicted three Christian families from their homes for refusing to renounce their religious beliefs, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA), in a move condemned by the US government.
Hmong USA: Shooting of 3 Minneapolis teens prompts rally, hard look at gangs (Star Tribune)...The Friday breakfast meeting about gangs held by Minneapolis Council Member Gary Schiff had been planned months before the drive-by shooting of three teenage girls on Thursday afternoon.
Hmong USA: Volunteer tutor group filling a need (MSS)...Pos Moua knows there’s more to learning than opening a book. He also knows that most kids who need some extra help aren’t getting it - which is why he’s stepping in to make a difference
Lao USA: Arrest made in car theft (Register Citizen)...According to police records, Bounnha "Ning" Xaysithideth, 26, used a stolen car to drive around Torrington where he smashed out car windows & grabbed...
Lao, Viet defence officials hold talks (Australian BC or here)...A top Lao official has held talks with senior Viet defence officials in Hanoi, days after a deadly ambush in Laos
Hmong USA: Man charged in drive-by shooting is suspect in teen's death (Star Tribune)..A man charged in a drive-by shooting is considered a strong suspect in the killing of 17-year-old Xai Vang, who was shot April 15 in north Minneapolis as he waited for a bus to go to school, sources said.
Top questions, answers about SARS pandemic (MSNBC)... April 23 — While much is still not known about SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, scientists have been able to provide answers to questions many people are asking about the deadly illness.
Hmong USA: Lao-Hmong veterans to join Loyalty parade - Up to 5,000 expected to view annual event Saturday in Hartford (MJS)...About two dozen Lao-Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War will march side by side with former U.S. military members that fought in Vietnam in Saturday's Loyalty Day Parade in Hartford, said Robert B.
Hmong USA: Parent trap - In Ramsey County, the highest teen birth rate is found in the Hmong community (Pioneer Press)...Adie Lee, 17, wakes up at 6 a.m. on a recent Thurs. to prepare for another busy school day. Unlike most of her high school contemporaries, Lee also has to rouse her two children, Savannah Vang, 2, and Symon Vang
Hmong Facing White today: Laos says deadly bus attack not work of rebels (SABC)...A bus attack that killed 10 people and injured 31 in northern Laos, was the work of bandits, not rebels, a Laotian official said today. "It was a robbery, not a campaign by rebels,"
Hmong Facing White today in Laos: Officials downplay latest Laos attacks (Voice of America)...Armed attacks against civilians in northern Laos are raising international concern and may affect tourism, an important source of revenue for the small communist nation.
Hmong Facing Black in Laos: Fresh bus attack in Laos (BBC News)...Reports from Laos say at least 10 people were killed after gunmen opened fire on a bus travelling between the tourist resort of Luang Prabang and the capital Vientiane.
Hmong Facing Black in Laos: Gunmen kill 12 in Laos rebel region (AP/Yahoo! or here)...Gunmen opened fire at a bus in northern Laos, killing at least 12 people and injuring 30 others in an attack officials with the communist government blamed on Hmong rebels, officials said Monday.
Hmong spellers gather for a day of friendly competition (La Crosse Tribune)...Wa Neng Vang of La Crosse stood at a microphone Sunday morning with his hands behind his back while other competitors sat behind him, nervously bouncing their legs. His first word to spell was ground, as in "put it over there on the ground."
Hmong USA: Long journey ends suddenly for drive-by shooting victim (Star Tribune)...Two weeks ago Sunday, Xai Vang walked into the maternity ward at Hennepin County Medical Center with an armload of food and his mother at his side.
Hmong USA: Minneapolis killing another sign of evolving Hmong gangs (Star Tribune)...Bill Snyder, a Twin Cities expert on Asian gangs, has witnessed the evolution in Hmong gang activity: While the gangs started for protection and ethnic pride...
Hmong push for military honors (Northwestern)...MADISON -- Their concentration was focused on General Vang Pao’s every word. The aging Hmong soldier commanded as much respect Friday as he did 30 years ago in the midst of a deadly war a world away.
Hmong UAS: Wausau 'hero' gets spotlight on national stage (Wausau Daily Herald)...She didn't win the top prize in a national search for hometown heroes, but Bao Xiong of Wausau stole the show Wednesday in New York City.
Hmong USA: Police on alert for gang activity (St. Paul Pioneer Press)...A spate of shootings in the Twin Cities over the past week has police paying closer attention to gang activity and on alert for what could potentially be a violent summer.
Hmong UAS: A Titan of a coach - Burbank's Robbie Her brings an excited attitude to coaching -- especially toward his rookies (Sacramento Bee)...It's time for the Burbank High School girls soccer team to begin practice, and Robbie Her is a full-fledged participant
Hmonf USA: St. Paul woman judged competent to stand trial in husband's death (Star Tribune)...A judge in St. Paul ruled Wed. that Youa Lee is mentally competent to stand trial in the stabbing death of her husband in February 2002.

April 2003

Hmong USA: Let's fix this injustice to Hmong allies (Northwestern--Oshkosh)..It showed fortitude that state gubernatorial candidate Ed Thompson called "unquestionably" wrong the recently-revealed infraction that deceased Hmong Vietnam War veterans are denied official U.S. military burials.
Hmong UAS: Assembly military committee chairman says Hmong vets deserve funeral honors (Northwestern-Oshkosh)...The chairman of the state Assembly’s veterans and military affairs committee said Hmong veterans who fought alongside Americans in Vietnam and sought refuge in the United States deserve funeral honors no different than those granted to U.S. veterans.
Hmong USA: Cultural differences can silence Hmong voices (Sheboygan Press) Phoua Vang believes the Sheboygan Area School District’s English Language Learner program has its strengths and weaknesses, but the biggest problems Hmong families face are cultural.
SARS virus identity confirmed....LONDON, April 16 — Scientists have confirmed the identity of the virus that causes the lethal new disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday. The discovery is an important first step toward eventually developing a vaccine or cure for the disease.
More than 2,500 Hmong & Lao American people signed petitions to urge the U.S. Congress to stop & oppose NTR to Laos (Lao Human Rights Council)...From April 14 to April 18, 2003, Dr. Vang Pobzeb, Executive Director of the Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. in the United States and other delegates will submit more than 2,500
Community looks to help family of girl who died (Post-Crescent)...Staff members and school service groups in the Little Chute Area School District have established a memorial fund for Mai Vang, a 7th-grader who died last week of natural causes.
Illegal Job Interview Question (MSN)...The female candidate was asked, "Do you plan to have children?" She was taken aback by the question and wasn't sure how to answer.
Hmong USA: Losts In American (Fresnobee)...Since late 1998, eight Hmong teens have killed themselves, devastating Fresno's Hmong community. The string of suicides accounted for nearly half of Fresno County's teen suicides in the last four years, though the Hmong are just 3% of the region's population. Four Hmong students killed themselves in the first six months of last year.
Laos: Open dissent stirs against Laos' regime (Washington Times)...While the communist regime here tries to maintain its tight leash on the Laotian people, cracks have begun to develop of late in the government's near-total control of the country.
Hmong USA: TV news show designed for Hmong (WDH or ST)..Wausau-area community leaders want to make it easier for Southeast Asians to understand what's going on in their neighborhoods, the state and the world.
New cultures, new people, new traditions (Northwestern). Oshkosh diversifying with Hmong, Latino communities. It’s hard to imagine something rivaling the area’s Friday fish fry – a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
Hmong woman takes to stage to tell tale of survival, success (Seattle Ttimes)...Mary Yang stands on a stage dressed in traditional Hmong garments to weave her dramatic tale. Her tsho (a fitted blouse) and tiab (a colorful pleated skirt) are embellished with ornate trim crafted of bright-hued threads.
Continuing to beat the odds: Yer Chang thrives on (Star Tribune)
They're called "Beat the Odds" scholarship winners. But for Yer Chang, it has been more a case of out-hustling the odds.
Hmong parolee kept in immigration limbo (RecordNet)...Chu Ly, the Hmong man paroled by Gov. Gray Davis only to be picked up by federal immigration officials, is in a sort of institutional limbo, according to experts on immigration law
Hmong parents want 'whatever is best' for their children (La Crosse Tribune)...Chia Lee Yang is familiar with the long-standing debate in La Crosse over whether children from poor families do better in neighborhood schools or schools that are balanced with a mix of poor and middle-class students.
Laos: U .S. Congressional Forum on Laos (CPPA)..A special session of the CF on Laos will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on Tuesday, April 15, 2003, in the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C., in response to rapidly changing events in Southeast Asia & three significant developments in Washington, D.C. regarding Laos.
Hmong USA: City's first Hmong family finds life good here (WDH) When the plane touched down at Central Wisconsin Airport on Good Friday nearly three decades ago, the Thao family had come thousands of miles from the home of their memories to begin new lives as Americans
Hmong parents receive help with grant (Advance Titan)...The community will benefit from a federal grant recently given to the UW-Oshkosh College of Education that will allow parents with limited English skills to become better supporters of their children’s education.
FEDERAL FOOD STAMP BENEFITS RESTORED FOR QUALIFIED LEGAL IMMIGRANTS... Washington, DC - On April 1, 2003, qualified legal immigrants regained the opportunity to access federal Food Stamp Program benefits.
Hmong USA: Wausau woman a national finalist (Wausau DH)... Here's someone you might want to keep an eye on: Bao Xiong, 36, of Wausau, who has been called the unofficial social worker for Wausau's Hmong community, has been chosen as a finalist in a program that recognizes and awards people who have made significant contributions to their communities
Hmong USA: Jury convicts teen of gang shooting...OROVILLE - A Butte County jury Friday convicted a Marysville teen of a gang-related shooting in Chico that left a 16-year-old boy seriously wounded.
Hmong take fledgling political influence to D.C. (Modesto Bee)
WASHINGTON -- Merced attorney Paul Lo is one of the few Hmong-Americans to hold elected office. But in a national convention this weekend, Lo and about 500 other Hmong-Americans hope to promote more robust political involvement by an ethnic group rising from its refugee roots.
Lao PDR & Vietnamese troops renew attacks against beleaguered freedom fighters (FFC)...Sources in Laos report heavy assaults by LPDR and Vietnamese military forces began Tuesday, April 01, 2003, against the group of Freedom Fighters in Xaysomboune Special Zone led by Moua Toua Ter.