DC Conference: The Hmong’s Struggle to Shed the Legacy of the Vietnam War
On 14 March 2018, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) together with the Congress of World Hmong People (CWHP) will organize a conference titled “Overcoming the Past: the Hmong’s Struggle to Shed the Legacy of the Vietnam War”. The event will bring together academics, authors, and members of the Hmong diaspora to discuss the history of the CIA's Secret War, human rights violations being committed against Hmong civilians in Laos today and the situation of the Hmong diaspora in the United States. A Hmong representative from CWHP will also give testimony at the conference.
14 March 2018, 1:30 – 2:30 pm | American Immigration Lawyers Association | Washington, DC
-- To register for the event, click here! --
The Hmong people in Laos still suffer from the legacy left by the Vietnam War. Recruited as part of a “secret war” effort by the CIA to fight communism in the country, the Hmong were left helpless after the withdrawal of the United States and since have suffered from persecution and violence at the hands of the communist government. Much of the Hmong population in the country has fled to the highlands of northern Laos where they are united under the ChaoFa political party. Currently this population is subject to various human rights violations by the government including land-grabbing, forced relocation, arbitrary arrest, and discrimination. Hmong people in the Phou Bia region have endured persistent violence by the Laotian military since February 2017 including artillery shelling and suspected chemical attacks in a renewed campaign that seems like a final push for the full eradication of the Hmong.
Confirmed Speakers (list will be updated):
- James Her (Congress of World Hmong People)
- Kia Lor (Fries Center for Global Studies)
- Dr. John Prados (National Security Archive)
For more information on the conference, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
-- To register for the event, click here! --
