Assembly Joint Resolution
No. 36
CHAPTER 145
Relative to reported human rights abuses of the Hmong in Laos and Thailand.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 19, 2008.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 36, Jones.
Human rights: Hmong population in Laos and Thailand.
This measure would call upon the President and the Congress to take appropriate measures to ensure that the Hmong living in Laos, Thailand, and other countries are treated and respected as human beings.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, Beginning in 1960, Hmong from Laos were recruited by the United States to fight the Lao communist faction, the Pathet Lao, during the Vietnam War, and approximately 40,000 Hmong served as allies to the United States in the war in Laos; and
WHEREAS, On December 2, 1975, the Pathet Lao gained control of the Kingdom of Laos and proclaimed the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, causing one-third of the Hmong population to leave the country in fear of retribution by the new government; and
WHEREAS, Immediately following the events of December 1975, thousands of Hmong fled into isolated, remote jungles to avoid persecution and potential placement in punishment camps; and
WHEREAS, There are numerous confirmed reports by the United States Department of State and by various human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, asserting serious and repeated human rights violations in Laos against members of the Hmong minority, including arbitrary arrests and detainments, abuse, torture, rape, summary executions, and killings; and
WHEREAS, Today, thousands of Hmong, including those who fought in the war and their descendants, continue to live in hiding in the jungles of Laos under disastrous circumstances, facing frequent military attacks, starvation, and disease, as cited by a 2007 Amnesty International report and as reported to the United Nations Human Rights Council in March of 2007; and
WHEREAS, Repeated offers to provide humanitarian assistance to those Hmong who have taken refuge in the jungles are continually disregarded by the government of Laos, according to a 2007 Amnesty International report; and
WHEREAS, The government of Laos continues to deflect criticism of its human rights record and to dismiss these reports as a political strategy to discredit the country’s image, as stated during sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in January 2004 and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in May 2006; and
WHEREAS, Between 1975 and 1988, nearly 130,000 Hmong refugees were admitted to the United States; and
WHEREAS, The 2000 United States Census counted over 180,000 persons with Hmong ancestry living in the United States. Today, the number of ethnic Hmong living in the United States is likely between 200,000 and 250,000; and
WHEREAS, According to the 2000 United States Census, there are roughly 65,000 people in California who self-identify as Hmong in origin, and California is one of the states with the largest Hmong population; and
WHEREAS, Laotian immigrants and refugees had to overcome tremendous odds and cultural barriers to establish a better life for their families in California; and
WHEREAS, The Hmong community deserves to be recognized for its valuable contributions to the cultural, civic, and economic well-being of California and the United States; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 7,500 Hmong who have fled Laos are now seeking asylum in Thailand; and
WHEREAS, Hmong refugees in Thailand live in fear of having to return to Laos; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature calls on the Congress and the President of the United States to take appropriate measures to ensure that the Hmong living in Laos, Thailand, and other countries are treated and respected as human beings; and be it further
Resolved, That measures to ensure that the Hmong living in Laos, Thailand, and other countries are treated and respected as human beings includes humanitarian aid to those who may lack access to food and medical care, organizational assistance with the resettlement process of the Hmong, and efforts to ensure that each country’s obligation to respect human rights is upheld; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.