Re: Former Hmong Allies for the United States: Are They Now Terrorists?

On Jan 28, 1:17 pm, "ລາວພວນ ລາວຮັກຊາດ" <phet...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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1/16/2007
Former Hmong Allies for the United States: Are They Now Terrorists?
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You zee  when the CIA built Hmong to be the killing machine in Laos
back
there, they forget the turn-off switch, now nothing can stop them.

Laphua

By Jenny Yang

The issue of the Hmong who remain in the jungle of Laos is a real
problem, however, there are domestic federal policies that require our
immediate attention, and the issue I am writing about is called,
"material support." The U.S. refugee resettlement program has
historically been the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. Our country
has always opened our doors to refugees and has been the largest
resettlement country in the world. Minnesota is the number one state
that resettles the most refugees and we should be proud of this fact.
But what does it mean for refugees to be resettled in the U.S. now
that the Democrats regained control of Congress, both the U.S. House
of Representatives and the U.S. Senate?

Democrats and Republicans supported the USA Patriot Act in 2001 in the
aftermath of September 11, and also the controversial REAL ID Act in
2005. Both legislations passed overwhelmingly because it would crack
down on terrorist activities in order to protect our country's
homeland security. However, due to unforeseen consequences, refugees
overseas and newly resettled refugees are now categorized as
"terrorists" under the new broadened definition of "terrorist
activities."

Under this new definition, a "terrorist" is any individual or group of
two or more who engaged in "terrorist activities" by attempting to
raise arms against an official government entity or to cause damage to
any property, and provided "material support" in the forms of any
physical or monetary support to a "terrorist organization" is now
deemed as a "terrorist," whether it was under "duress," by threatening
or forcing an individual to provide material support.

Well, how does this affect the Hmong community overseas and here in
the United States? Actually, it is quite simple. Historically, the
Hmong were the allies of the Americans during the war in Vietnam and
Laos, and subsequently many were resettled in the U.S. based on this
close association to the United States. Now, the law interprets that
any Lao Hmong person remaining overseas in Laos and/or who has
recently fled to Thailand seeking refuge, and who was a former
combatant with the CIA or whose father or grandfather worked for the
CIA, has provided "material support" to fight against a government
entity - Laos. Thus, making these refugees excludable for resettlement
in the U.S. It gets even more ridiculous, because the former
combatant's family has now provided "material support" to the
combatant, in the form of food and shelter to that person and are now
considered "terrorists." For example, the Hmong Freedom Fighters (Cob
Fab) remaining in the jungles of Laos may never get the chance to be
resettled in the U.S. even though they fought with the CIA during the
Secret War, unless Congress and the Bush Administration take action to
support a legislative resolution. Under this new definition, the Cob
Fab have engaged in "terrorist activities" by fighting against the Lao
government and because those around them have provided "material
support" to these former combatants.

More importantly, this "material support" issue affects the newly
arrived Hmong refugees who are now in the process of obtaining their
citizenship as well as those refugees who want to file for family
reunification. Material support is not only a Hmong refugee issue.
This has impacted refugees from all over the world, for example,
ethnic Burmese refugees, Cubans, ethnic Montagnards, and African
refugees. National advocates such as the Southeast Asia Resource
Action Center (SEARAC) and the Refugee Council USA have learned that
more than 1,400 cases have been put on hold by the U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS) due to "material support."

Democrats and Republicans failed to support a bi-partisan amendment
introduced earlier this year by U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) and
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on the Senate floor. In the House,
Congressman Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA) introduced legislation, H.R. 5918
on July 27, 2006 that would provide a legislative fix to prevent
refugees from being deemed as a "terrorist." If Democrats and
Republicans do not accomplish anything in the new 110th Session
starting in January 2007, let's hope that "material support" will be
the issue that they can agree to work together on for the most
vulnerable population, refugees.

As members of the Hmong community, we need to be more active in the
federal legislative process and be educated on the national issues
that affect us and our community. We cannot continue to remain silent
and allow others to make and decide national policies and then
complain about the effects afterwards. There needs to be a durable and
long-term legislative solution, and as community members, we need to
pressure Members of Congress and the Bush Administration to support a
legislative fix for all refugees.

Jenny Yang is an advocate for refugee rights. She recently worked for
the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) as the Advocacy
Initiative Director in Washington, DC and served as a staff with U.S.
Congressman Michael M. Honda (CA-15).

Yes we are soon to join the Chavez for few drops of oil and what about
you? Busy fucking viet dicks?

.