For Many Hmong in Laos, the Fight Goes On

Amid the wilderness in the jungles of Laos, a place we might call America’s heart of darkness, lay the mutilated bodies of four Hmong girls and a Hmong boy. Lao soldiers had raped, shot and stabbed the young girls, while the boy had been beaten and shot. One of the girls had been disemboweled, her intestines dangling from her lifeless body.

Amnesty International, undercover journalists and human rights groups report that hundreds of Hmong in the Lao jungles, maybe even a few thousand, live on the run in constant fear for their lives. They are hunted by the communist Laotian army simply because they were once the United States’ allies.

These men had the chance to flee, and many criticize them for staying. But they made the difficult and courageous decision to remain in the jungles so they could fight for the honor of their land. They remained loyal to their cause, making a decision that many, especially younger Hmong Americans like myself, are lucky to have escaped.

In December, the New York Times published a cover story about the declining situation with these Hmong. It quoted former CIA officer Colin Thompson, who lauded the Hmong recruits for their loyalty and bravery, but noted that the U.S. government need not feel responsible to help those in the jungle: “It wasn’t as if we dragooned them into anything...Their choice was to defend themselves...We provided the weapons and the courage.”

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