Country: Laos

Group: Hmong

Date: 4/12/2020

Team: Thomas Chia (lead), Gabriel Cardenas, Ray Gerard Regorgo

In 1975, following the Vietnam War, America pulled their support from Vietnam. This left many Hmong, the third largest ethnic group in Laos, in danger as many had to flee the country or be prosecuted by the communist Pathet Lao (Dao, 1982; Michaud and Culas, 2000; “Insurgency in Laos,” 2020).  Many of the Hmong who remained in Laos after the Vietnam war were sent to “re-education camps” where many served life sentences.  Many of the Hmong in these camps died to due horrendous conditions and physical labor (Jacobs, 1996).  In more recent times, many Hmong still remain internally displaced, in more remote parts of Laos, still in fear of the government (Lee 1982; Amnesty International 2007).  Permanent settlement remains impossible for many of the Hmong people as they often live in the fear of being raped, killed, or tortured still.  It is also worth mentioning that cases of ethnocide against the Hmong also exist in the neighboring Vietnam as freedom of religion seems to linger as a problem in the country (Malado, 2018).  With 40% of the Hmong people being Christian, many are forced to renounce their faith or they are often hurt with violence and perhaps kicked out of their village (Malado, 2018). 

            The Hmong belong to the Lao governmental classification of Lao Sung (e.g., highland groups).  Beginning in 1975, Lao Sung groups were often forced to relocate to consolidated villages in lower altitude regions to engage in farming or wage labor.  These programmes often alienated Hmong from their land and traditional livelihoods.  In addition, ethnic minority boarding schools focused on Lao urban culture and language.  Recent anti-drug campaigns have also forced Hmong farmers to shift from opium production without provision of alternative livelihoods (Minority Rights, n.d.).

We rate data quality as a 3.   

Sources:

  1. Amnesty International (2007). Lao People’s Democratic Republic Hiding in the jungle – Hmong under threat. https://web.archive.org/web/20070410212624/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA260032007
  2. Dao, Y. (1982). Why did the Hmong leave Laos. The Hmong in the west, 3-18.
  3. Jacobs, B. W. (1996). No-Win Situation: The Plight of the Hmong–America’s Former Ally. BC Third World LJ, 16, 139.
  4. Lee, G. Y. (1982). Minority policies and the Hmong in Laos. Stuart-Fox, M. ed. Contemporary Laos: Studies in the Politics and Society of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. St.Lucia: Queensland University Press,
  5. Malado, J. (2018). Mob attacks 4 Christian families in Vietnam for refusing to renounce their faith. https://www.christiantoday.com/article/mob-attacks-4-christian-families-in-vietnam-for-refusing-to-renounce-their-faith/127538.htm
  6. Michaud, J., & Culas, C. (2000). The Hmong of the Southeast Asia Massif: Their Recent History of Migration. In Where China Meets Southeast Asia (pp. 98-121). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.