Thousands of Hmong-Americans from California and across the United States will gather in Fresno for special ceremonies on December 27 at the Hmong and Lao veterans monument at Fresno County Courthouse Park and the Hmong New Year at Fresno Fairgrounds. The ceremonies will honor author and human rights activist Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt and commemorate the 15th anniversary of the publication of her book Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, the Americans and the Secret Wars for Laos (Indiana University Press).
"We will recognize our fallen soldiers, their families, and honor Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt," said Lt. Colonel Wangyee Vang, President of the LVAI. "Dr. Hamilton-Merritt was a Nobel Prize nominee ... the 15th anniversary of her book 'Tragic Mountains' which details the Lao-Hmong contribution during the Vietnam War, will be acknowledged and honored."
A Lao Hmong veterans ceremony will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M., at the Hmong and Lao Veterans Monument at the Fresno County Courthouse Park. A special evening commemoration ceremony will be held from 7:00 P.M. to 11:30 P.M., at the Fresno County Fairgrounds.
The Lao Veterans of America (LVA), Lao Veterans of America Institute (LVAI), the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) will cosponsor and participate in the ceremonies.
"Many Hmong and Lao-Americans will be gathering in Fresno to celebrate the Hmong New Year and commemorate and honor the 15th anniversary of the publication of 'Tragic Mountains' as well as Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt's crucial humanitarian work," stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the CPPA in Washington, D.C. "Dr. Jane Hamilton Merritt's pioneering book and critical humanitarian and human rights work have helped to save the lives of many thousands of suffering Hmong and Laotian refugees over the years."
"In celebration of the 15th anniversary of its publication, a revisit to Tragic Mountains is a must," stated Indiana University Press. "Tragic Mountains is her account of the historic struggle of the Hmong and of their betrayal by the United States." http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=21032
Currently, some 7,000 Hmong political refugees are in danger of forced repatriation from Thailand back to the one-party authoritarian regime in Laos which they fled. The refugees are being detained at Nong Khai and Ban Huay Nam Khao, Petchabun Province, Thailand. http://www.tragicmountains.org
www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
SOURCE Center for Public Policy Analysis
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