Alleged Coup Plot Leaves Hmong Americans in Limbo
New America Media, Commentary 
, Pha Lo, Posted: Jun 08, 2007
Editor’s Note: The arrest of Hmong leader General Vang Pao and nine others on charges of plotting to buy weapons to overthrow the government in their old homeland of Laos has many Hmong Americans reflecting on how tenuous the notion of home remains for hundreds of thousands of Hmong living in America. Pha Lo is a Hmong American writer living in San Francisco.
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SAN FRANCISCO – Last Christmas, I met General Vang Pao at the Fresno International Hmong New Year’s celebration and asked him about the future of leadership in the Hmong community. Vang stressed the importance of unity, of not creating factions and fictitious leaders. Now he stands, along with nine others, accused of planning a coup against the government of Laos.
I believe Vang's intentions come from a tremendous sense of obligation to our people. Vang once led thousands of young Hmong men as part of the CIA's secret army in the war against communism in Laos. He made a promise then to defend Hmong homes. But three decades later, the notion of "home" remains elusive for hundreds of thousands of Hmong dispersed across America.
In the early years in the United States, many Hmong were sure that they would eventually go back "home." When Laos fell to communism 30 years ago, Hmong came to the United States as refugees to escape an ethnic cleansing campaign against them. America had pulled out of the wars in Southeast Asia, leaving a cease-fire agreement in Laos, but that did not guarantee peace for Hmong.
Still, many hoped that it would just be a matter of time until things went back to normal. The houses, the farms, the families – even the pets they'd left so abruptly would be waiting for them.
The hope of returning home diminished over the years as the United States moved to normalize trade relations with Laos and establish neutrality with the communist government they once so vehemently opposed – a move that many Hmong who fought the secret war see as an added betrayal.
I was born in Utah in the 1980s, part of the first American-born generation who lived under the radar of mainstream attention. We didn't try to integrate into American life. We kept to ourselves and clustered together, buffering each other from the shocks of America's alien culture. The Hmong community in America lived for a long time in a state of limbo, waiting to "go home."
Soon, a year of waiting turned into 10, then 20 and 30. Many people, like my parents, let go of this idea. They bought houses, learned new skills and celebrated the births of their American-born grandchildren. They decided to make the most of this new world.
Integration into American life fell on the shoulders of my generation.
My sisters and I taught our grandmothers how to use the telephone. We encouraged nervous elders to trust western medicine and resolved cultural misunderstandings with American authorities. As their historians, we wrote down the tales of a secret war our elders feared would be forgotten. We learned English to translate the new world for our parents and worked hard in school to become something worthy to make up for their sacrifice of "home."
But there was a portion of the Hmong community whose nostalgia and homesickness were too strong to be cured in this life. Some committed suicide, believing that at least their souls would go home. Others just bought a one-way ticket and moved back to Laos, despite fears of political persecution.
All this time, it was our generation the elders worried about. They assumed it would be one of us – the uncultured and Americanized youth, who would do something so public, so shocking that it would tarnish the history and reputation of the entire Hmong people.
And now, after years of trying to preserve traditions, being told time and again by my elders that I must be a good example for my community, a good ambassador to outsiders, it is members of that older generation who are leaving us, once again, in a state of limbo.
In plotting a coup in Laos, no matter how noble the intentions, they are asking another generation of Hmong children to shoulder yet another civil war, pitting brother against brother.
I have always guarded my Hmong name – careful about the things I say and do on behalf of those who could not speak English. This tremendous sense of responsibility comes from knowing that many people who lost everything in the secret war want only to keep their history.
This week, I am holding my name with uncertainty, wondering where we go from here. The one thing I know for certain is that my generation is exhausted.
We have been carrying the remnants of this war, feeling restless, our whole lives. Now I want to call America "home." Instead of hearing about alleged coups in the old homeland, I want our leaders to help us build new lives in new homes.
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Hmong Community Debates ‘Dowry’ Cap
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User Comments
Sibpab Ncaj on Jun 19, 2007 at 23:17:49 said:
I am sadden by what our own young Hmong who believed that they are smarter than their own ancestors. Try as you might but you will not be transformed into any other races. Have compassion for the plighted Hmong around the world. Only you, our young Hmong, can preserve our race. The choice is yours.
moob vaj on Jun 10, 2007 at 01:41:25 said:
ua cas yuav tu siab ua luaj mekas siab phem tseem ntes nai phoo vaj pov lawm thiab..mekas tsis hlub moob kiag li twb tau 30 xyoo no los mekas tseem muab moob npog cia thiab..cov CIA ntxeev siab tuam ntuj rau moob lawm....do u guys even no how to read mong?
yog kuv yog nai phoo ntshe kuv yeej mus tua kom cov communist tuag kiag li lawm os...yog peb ntseeg li cov middle eastern people ntshe lawv yuav pay attention rau peb heev li cov palestinian suicide bombers...bush tsis tsuag tsuag mus pab cov moob tom hav zoov...tu siab ua luaj ntshe tsis ntev lawv yuav tsaug tua tuag tag lawm lo...
lwm tiam yuav tsis yug los ua moob ntxiv lawm os..
Khammanh on Jun 09, 2007 at 17:52:08 said:
Vang Pao did the right thing. He cannot be blamed. He's been doing this for 30 years, anyway. Why is it a problem now? Only because of George W. Bush.
Xai Xiong on Jun 08, 2007 at 19:08:38 said:
Joolai Moi: I guess I'm just curious how much credit one person deserves for bringing Hmong people to this country? I hear your argument a lot and it makes very little sense. GVP was leader, but thousands of Hmong men, women and children died in the effort. They paid the ultimate sacrifice, don't they deserve any credit for our being granted asylum?
Today, we grieve for the terrible conditions suffered by the Hmong still in Laos. I ask you, who left them there when practically everyone had the opportunity to resettle after the war? Who, through planting this ridiculous hope of returning "home," encouraged thousands to remain behind in the refugee camps and jungles, enduring unspeakable hardship, so GVP and Neo Hom can have a base of operations/support? It wasn't this "dumb ass" or Hmongdude or other overachievers born in this country. This entire predicament can be traced to the same "great" people individuals like you don't want criticized.
Thanks.
Xai Xiong on Jun 08, 2007 at 18:38:29 said:
Pha Lo is right -- America is home now for the majority, if not all, of the younger Hmong generation. Our parents' generation need to recognize this and forsake this dream of a violent -- is there any other way? -- overthrow of the Laotian government. In the impossible scenario that Gen. Vang Pao's dream becomes reality, who is returning to Laos, one of the poorest countries in the world, with him? Deep roots have developed here over the past three decades. Let's be realistic and foster the growth and advancement of Hmong people in this country. There is much to think about, even more to worry about, relating to the Hmong community than a coup in Laos. How do we save the language, the culture, the traditions, the history? How do we increase the Hmong college student pool so we can legitimately join the overachieving, "model immigrant" Asian class? Hmong parents need to devote their time and energy into raising educated, productive children instead of hoping, wishing, fund-raising for a pipe dream. Do this now or the next generation of Hmong in America is lost.
Millions around the world would die to have their children grow up in America. We Hmong must rethink our place in this world and appreciate the opportunities presented to us. In no other time in our history have there been so many educated, successful Hmong individuals. All of this is due to our arrival on these shores. Do you think we would have any of this if we all were still farming in Laos, relegated to the mountain tops?
It's enormously tragic that thousands of Hmong suffer and die under the communist regime in Laos. We should work towards their salvation, not stir national and international condemnation for wanting to bring Sept. 11-like murder upon Lao government buildings.
Thanks.
hmongdude on Jun 08, 2007 at 17:46:27 said:
To: Joolai Moi
First of all, if it wasn't for the Hmong man's greed for power and riches we would still be in China. We would never of stab each in the back and have to migrate to South East Asia.
Second, if we had stay united in China we would be in fact the majority and would have our own country.
Third, it was the lies of the U.S. government and goodness of the great American people that we are here in the U.S.
And lastly, to seek greatness for our people and overcome what our ancestors have done we have to look forward and not to the past.
n v on Jun 08, 2007 at 17:35:36 said:
I can feel the pain an suffering of the Karan people and the hmong. Now make sure you remember in the future if anybody intentionally break your bones at least you cannot say anything about it because now you have no leader. And they eventually will break your bone I tell you.
Joolai Moi on Jun 08, 2007 at 16:59:51 said:
This article and the forum it generates may be a little lopsided, due to the inaccessibility and inability to participate in it by the "OGs".
First of all, I am a Laotian-born Hmong who came over with my parents when I was 5 years of age (in 1979). I can relate somewhat to the "homesickness" of Hmong elders and their longing to return "home".
True to what Pha Lo said, gradually, those same elders have slowly accepted America and their new surroundings as home. However, those feelings of the "old days" for some elders may never go away. Asking these younger American-born Hmong to empathize with their foreign-born older generation is like asking pigs to fly. Try as they may, it ain't gonna happen. These days, kids are so spoiled, they'll turn a deaf ear to stories of hard work and even harder living. Heck, we can't even discipline these kids anymore, due to the "Law".
I truly feel for my people being annihilated by the Laotian government. But then again, what's the difference between Hmong youth getting slaughtered by Laotian soldiers over there and Hmong youth in gangs shooting each other over stupid things, like who's car is faster and who looks cooler than who, over here? Very little. The Hmong man, according to Hmongdude, is very flawed and thus must be eradicated to make way for the "new American Hmong men"? Hah! Without the old fashioned discipline and work ethics of the older generation, this new American Hmong generation will ultimately be undone by infighting and jealousy, due to the arrogance and cynical nature of the Hmong. There may be a few overachievers amongst us, education-wise, but that's the only thing they are, overachievers. All you spoiled Hmong brats and overachievers, don't criticize the great General Vang Pao for his actions. If it wasn't for him who enlisted our services and struck a deal with the double-crossing CIA in the Secret War, your dumb asses would be farming on the mountains of Laos for the communists, or getting wiped out by them.
Yeah, this is the pure ramblin' truth. PEACE. OUT.
Hmongdude on Jun 08, 2007 at 13:52:13 said:
As, a Hmong American man born in the U.S., I am sadden by the killings, torturing and persecution of our brothers and sisters in Communist Laos. However, I feel that the real cause of the General to go back to Laos is little about helping to stop the killings but about the Hmong man seeking control over the individual that was lost when we left Laos.
Let us ask why do the Hmong man long to go back to Laos? It is because he longs for the power to rule over another. His greed and ambition for power is so great that he lacks leadership.
The Hmong man desires self satisfaction with no quench. He hungers for this and has caused brothers against brothers as in ancient China and in modern time such as the Vietnam War. . I have seen first hand of brothers from father or grandfather criticizing and condemning against his brother instead of encouraging the other to better himself.
The Hmong man lacks respect for women’s rights and rejects the knowledge of a non-married man. The Hmong man will eat and drink first before the woman and will try to have as many wives as possible for his own satisfaction. The Hmong man’s sexual appetite for young girls is disgusting and dirty. Have you not seen all those men who go over? He has great desire for control and his greed intensifies.
The Hmong man will follow these actions and say it is our culture that causes us to do this. He says we cannot and must not change it to preserve the past. The Hmong man will never get over this mentality and we will never unless our culture dies and is buried. I call on us (the new generation of Hmong men in American) to let go of our past and create one of righteousness and good.
Xai Xiong on Jun 08, 2007 at 11:29:37 said:
Pha Lo is right -- America is home now for the majority, if not all, of the younger Hmong generation. Our parents' generation need to recognize this and forsake this dream of a violent -- is there any other way? -- overthrow of the Laotian government. In the impossible scenario that Gen. Vang Pao's dream becomes reality, who is returning to Laos, one of the poorest countries in the world, with him? Deep roots have developed here over the past three decades. Let's be realistic and foster the growth and advancement of Hmong people in this country. There is much to think about, even more to worry about, relating to the Hmong community than a coup in Laos. How do we save the language, the culture, the traditions, the history? How do we increase the Hmong college student pool so we can legitimately join the overachieving, "model immigrant" Asian class? Hmong parents need to devote their time and energy into raising educated, productive children instead of hoping, wishing, fund-raising for a pipe dream. Do this now or the next generation of Hmong in America is lost.
Millions around the world would die to have their children grow up in America. We Hmong must rethink our place in this world and appreciate the opportunities presented to us. In no other time in our history have there been so many educated, successful Hmong individuals. All of this is due to our arrival on these shores. Do you think we would have any of this if we all were still farming in Laos, relegated to the mountain tops?
It's enormously tragic that thousands of Hmong suffer and die under the communist regime in Laos. We should work towards their salvation, not stir national and international condemnation for wanting to bring Sept. 11-like murder upon Lao government buildings.
Thanks.
jimmymac on Jun 08, 2007 at 10:04:18 said:
My heart is broken.
First we abandon the Hmong after assuring them we would never do that. They were slaughtered like the South Vietnamese who helped us there.
I am amazed that it took this long to try and put something together.
Free all involved. They are guilty of nothing except trying to finish what we started and quit.
Ka Wah Chan on Jun 08, 2007 at 09:34:18 said:
TO THE STATES' ALL VIETNAM-WAR VETERANS - Actually we think the arrests of Laotian General Vang Pao, a prominent member of the ethnic Hmong; US Veteran Jack Harrison, a West Point graduate and the others of 9s are Republican President George W. Bush and the U.S. State Department under poorest, lousy black leadership of Condoleezza Rice are slapping in American Vietnam-War Veterans' face. Actually the ethnic Hmong people and the Burmese people have been being persecuted by the communist Laos government and the Myanmar military government for long long time now; the refugees cannot take the pains anymore; those American human rights organizations have been urge the U.S. government to give a hand to help those Pro-American Hmong guerrilla and the Pro-American Burmese KNLA to help themselves on liberation without U.S. armed forces; but (D) Sen. Barbara Boxer and (D) Dianne Feinstein BOTH are acting dumb to the California Laos-Hmong community, doing nothing to ignore the Hmong affairs and Burmese (Aung San Suu Kyi) affairs for so many years since Boxer and Feinstein are in senate office. (No more re-elected Boxer and Feinstein next time.) No wonder CIA is so much failure in combat oversea without the will of the foreigners these days. US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are turning American Veterans up-side-down, Bush & Rice are betraying our Pro-American old friends of Vietnam War to the Southeast Asian communist dictatorship. We urge the United States' Veterans don't be so silly, standing tall upon the righteousness, endorse your brother Sen. JOHN F. KERRY to run for 2008 U.S. President, ALL American veterans & U.S. military cast your vote to elect Sen. JOHN F. KERRY to be our US President in 2009 White House. After Bush administration leave White House, U.S. need to have a new policy and commitment between CIA and the Hmong guerrilla and Burmese KNLA to balance the Southeast Asian communist powers linked with the Russia; also the Strait of Malacca is very important to U.S. as well. Otherwise the U.S. Vietnam-War Veterans led Hmong guerrilla and the Burmese KNLA have to buy arms supplies legally from Canada or Ukraine to defend against the communist Laos government and the communist Myanmar military. PLEAD NOT GUILTY -- The U.S. Congress & Senate Should urge President George W. Bush to pardon Gen. Vang Pao and Jack Harrison and the other of 9s who're without the CIA coordination.
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