Note: The Sacramento area is home to many Hmong. What most Americans do not know is that the Hmong fought valiantly for the US side during the Viet Nam war, and saved many many American soldier's lives, only to be abandoned to the Hmong's deaths in Laos.
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The hopes, dreams, achievements and fears of America's Hmong surfaced at a Sacramento banquet Thursday night -- along with a sense that the U.S. government, their greatest benefactor, had betrayed them again.
The man who guided the Hmong journey from the mountains and jungles of Laos to a new life of opportunity in America, Gen. Vang Pao, sits in the Sacramento County jail on charges of plotting a violent overthrow of communist Laos.
Vang, 77, is one of 10 men arrested and charged in Sacramento federal court last week with plotting a full-scale coup against Laos that would have included AK-47 assault rifles, ground-to-air Stinger missiles, anti-tank weapons and a mercenary army. The older members of the alleged conspiracy include Hmong men -- Laotian mountain tribesmen -- who followed Vang Pao as he waged war under the CIA's direction against Southeast Asian communists between 1961 and 1975...
In America, Vang became the champion of Hmong worldwide, helping tens of thousands emigrate to the United States, France and Australia, while fueling hopes that one day the Hmong would be able to safely return to their mountain villages. May Ying Ly, whose father fought with Vang's army, is now executive director of Sacramento's Hmong Women's Heritage Association. Ly said Hmong -- particularly those born in Laos and the Thai camps -- "see VP as a savior, representing our dreams."
"Whatever trouble he's in," she said, "he's still our leader ... I have to admire.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/214467.html