WISCONSIN: WE'RE HMONG FRIENDS

 THAILAND SENDS 4,000 HMONGS BACK TO LAOS

SENATORS, STATE DEPARTMENT CONCERNED

By Michael Horne

In Wisconsin, we welcomed them as heroes.
In Thailand they are illegal immigrants.

Yesterday, Monday December 28th, 2009, 4,000 Hmongs were forcibly repatriated to Laos by the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vajjajiv and his American-born King of Thailand, the Maharaja Phrabat Somdej Phrachaoyuhua Bhumibol Anulyadej, who is revered among his pitiful subjects.
The action was condemned in a joint statement by the senators of Wisconsin and Minnesota, where thousands of Hmongs settled in the mid-1970s and after.

Senators Al Franken, Russ Feingold, Herb Kohl and Amy Klochubar say the action:

"violates humanitarian and refugee principles and could have serious repercussions." 

According to an account of 20th Century immigration from the Wisconsin Historical Society:

When the United States withdrew from Vietnam in 1975, the Hmong who had aided the U.S. were left in the hands of the communists they had fought against. Thousands fled to refugee camps in Thailand where resettlement organizations, such as the U.S. Catholic Conference and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, helped to sponsor Hmong immigration to the United States beginning in 1975.

Wisconsin has the third largest Hmong population in the nation, after California and Minnesota, and the 40,000 Hmongs, although recently arrived here, have made a tremendous impact on rural and metropolitan life in the Badger State, particularly in La Crosse, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Wausau, and Milwaukee, where their numbers are most concentrated.

There is not a single farmer's market in Milwaukee that does not include a significant Hmong presence, and they have introduced a number of oriental vegetables into our cuisine. Their bouquets of old staples like sunflowers and zinnias interspersed with exotic amaranth let us know we're not in Kansas anymore.

Hmong restaurants have exploded in number, and the Hmongs have established numerous civic and social organizations, including the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. We've got Hmong school principals, Hmong doctors and Hmong politicians. (Well, they can't all turn out good!)

Many of the Hmong farmers are purchasing their own lands, in such places as Plymouth, Wisconsin, where the soil is as fertile as any on the planet.
We can also thank the Hmongs for stabilizing and revitalizing old immigrant neighborhoods to the west and south of downtown in Milwaukeeworld.

As we enter 2010, it is safe to say that in Wisconsin, we're Hmong friends.

Not so in Thailand, where troops using batons forced 4,000 refugees onto buses and into Laos, where they may be marked for punishment due to their pro-American and anti-Communist actions of the 1960's and 1970's -- before many of those repatriated (as well as their parents) were born. [See U. S. Department of State article.]

It just goes to show you the power of ethnic rivalries in human affairs and the significance of political boundaries in people's lives. There may also be parallels in the treatment received by those our nation considers "economic migrants," as the Thais so delicately call the Hmongs.

The Joint Statement of Sens. Feingold, Franken, Kohl and Klobuchar:

“We strongly condemn the decision by the Royal Thai Government to forcibly repatriate over 4,000 Hmong back to Laos.  This was done over the objections of the United Nations, the U.S. Government, and international human rights groups.  This action violates humanitarian and refugee principles and could have serious repercussions.  We share the concern of many of our Hmong-American constituents whose loved ones have been forced to return, and we will be paying close attention as the Hmong are resettled in Laos. We urge the Government of Laos to ensure the safety and well being of these individuals and to allow immediate and ongoing monitoring by international observers at all stages of the resettlement and reintegration process.”  

State Department Statement:

27 December 2009

State Department on Forced Return of Lao Hmong Asylum Seekers

Operation is “serious violation” of international humanitarian principles

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release
December 27, 2009
STATEMENT BY IAN KELLY, SPOKESMAN
Forced Return of Lao Hmong Asylum Seekers
We understand that the Royal Thai Government is now in the midst of an operation to forcibly return Lao Hmong asylum-seekers to Laos.  Both the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Royal Thai Government have deemed many of them in need of protection because of the threats they might face in Laos.  We deeply regret this serious violation of the international humanitarian principles that Thailand has long been known for championing.
The United States strongly urges Thai authorities to suspend this operation.  We also urge the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to treat humanely any Lao Hmong who are involuntarily returned, to provide access for international monitors, and facilitate resettlement opportunities for any eligible returnee.  We will remain engaged in this important humanitarian issue.

Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/December/20091228115049bpuh0.173031.html#ixzz0b6cIaIDF