PRESS RELEASE: May 20, 2002
CONTACTS: Sary Tatpaporn, (202) 667-0300 (eves from 5/21)     or Andrew Wells-Dang (202) 547-6000, ext.109

From May 22-24, the first "National Laotian-American Symposium on US-Lao Relations" will convene in Washington, DC. Participants will join a Congressional briefing, from 10 AM-12 PM on Thursday, May 23, in the House Rayburn Building Gold Room. The briefing is sponsored by Reps. George Miller (CA) and Betty McCollum (MN) and is open to the press and general public. US Ambassador to Laos Douglas Hartwick will also speak.

According to Symposium coordinator Sary Tatpaporn, "As Laotian-Americans, we still have relatives, friends, and memories that link us to the Lao people and to Laos as a nation. We are gathering in Washington so that we can contribute our love, energy, knowledge, and involvement to better US-Laos relations."

Presenters from the Laotian-American community will include, among others: Seng Fo Chao (Portland, OR), Nikki Sonekeo (Bradenton, FL), Kue Seang Doua (Fresno, CA), Phaeng Toommaly Andersen, (Richmond, CA), and Soulivanh Khamvongsay (Hartford, CT). Participants come from ethnic Lao, Khmu, Hmong, and Iu-Mien origins.

Following the Congressional briefing, the Symposium will hold a series of open panel discussions on trade, development, and war legacy issues in Laos. Symposium participants support passage of normal trading relations with Laos, increased humanitarian assistance, and greater involvement of Laotian-Americans in healing the wounds of war.

The US fought a "secret war" in Laos from 1964-73, the extent of which is still relatively unknown. The legacy of the war includes "bombies" and landmines as well as herbicides such as Agent Orange. These effects are concentrated in the poorest and most remote areas of the country.

Symposium participant Kue Chaw (North Carolina), a veteran of the Royal Lao Army and advisor to the US during the war, notes that "the long war not only brought huge economic costs to Laos, but also destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives and ruined the environment… Through my present work as a mental health counselor, I realize that veterans on both sides still deal with severe post-war trauma."

The US has had diplomatic relations with the current government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic since 1975. Relations have improved gradually since the early 1990’s, when Laos began a program of economic and social reforms. While human rights issues remain in Laos, as in many other Asian countries, Symposium participants believe that more engagement from the US, not isolation, is the answer.

According to the State Department and international donors and NGOs, the Lao government is cooperating fully on the search for MIA remains from the Vietnam War and a campaign to eradicate narcotics production and trade in northern Laos. Since September 11, Laos has also aided the US in counterterrorism efforts.

The US currently funds approximately $10 million per year in MIA recovery, clearance of and education about unexploded ordnance (UXO), and counter-narcotics programs in Laos. The Lao government has also expressed willingness to cooperate on HIV-AIDS and trafficking of women and children from Laos to neighboring countries. In FY 2002 Congress appropriated $2 million for health and economic assistance to Laos.

A US-Lao bilateral trade agreement was initialed in 1998 but never signed by the Administration nor ratified by Congress. President Bush has not yet submitted the agreement to Congress for ratification, although it is included in the President’s 2001 trade agenda. Laos is the only country in Southeast Asia without normal trade relations with the US.

Coordinator Tatpaporn calls on all Laotian-Americans and friends to join the Symposium’s effort to promote positive understanding between the American and Laotian people. "I strongly believe that the United States of America has a role to play in assisting the Laotian people to meet the many challenges of the 21^st century," he said.

Approximately 500,000 people of Lao and Hmong descent live in the US, compared with 5 million in Laos. The Laotian-American community includes a range of views on trade and engagement with Laos. An increasing number of Laotian-Americans are visiting their country of origin (26,000 in 2001, according to the Lao Embassy in Washington).

The May 22-24 symposium is being co-sponsored by five additional non-profit organizations: American Friends Service Committee (Philadelphia), Fund for Reconciliation and Development (New York), Jhai Foundation (San Francisco), Lao-American Exchange Institute (Hartford, CT) and Mennonite Central Committee (Akron, PA). Each of these organizations is currently carrying out development and/or advocacy projects in Laos. More than 80 international development organizations have a presence in Laos, work with all ethnic groups and have access to all parts of the country.