Published: December 27, 2008
Hmong, Laos Community Honors Tragic Mountains, Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt
FRESNO, Calif. andWASHINGTON, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Thousands of Hmong-Americans fromCalifornia and acrossthe United States will
gather inFresno for special ceremonies on December 27 at the Hmong and Lao
veterans monument atFresno County Courthouse Park and the Hmong New Year at
Fresno Fairgrounds. The ceremonies will honor author and human rights
activist Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt and commemorate the 15th anniversary of the
publication of her book Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, the Americans and the
Secret Wars forLaos (Indiana University Press).
"We will recognize our fallen soldiers, their families, and honor Dr. Jane
Hamilton-Merritt," said Lt. Colonel Wangyee Vang, President of the LVAI. "Dr.
Hamilton-Merritt was a Nobel Prize nominee ... the 15th anniversary of her
book 'Tragic Mountains' which details the Lao-Hmong contribution during the
Vietnam War, will be acknowledged and honored."
A Lao Hmong veterans ceremony will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.,
at the Hmong and Lao Veterans Monument at theFresno County Courthouse Park.
A special evening commemoration ceremony will be held from 7:00 P.M. to 11:30
P.M., at the Fresno County Fairgrounds.
The Lao Veterans of America (LVA), Lao Veterans of America Institute
(LVAI), the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) will cosponsor and
participate in the ceremonies.
"Many Hmong and Lao-Americans will be gathering inFresno to celebrate the
Hmong New Year and commemorate and honor the 15th anniversary of the
publication of 'Tragic Mountains' as well as Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt's
crucial humanitarian work," stated Philip Smith, Executive Director of the
CPPA inWashington, D.C. "Dr. Jane Hamilton Merritt's pioneering book and
critical humanitarian and human rights work have helped to save the lives of
many thousands of suffering Hmong and Laotian refugees over the years."
"In celebration of the 15th anniversary of its publication, a revisit to
Tragic Mountains is a must," stated Indiana University Press. "Tragic
Mountains is her account of the historic struggle of the Hmong and of their
betrayal bythe United States."
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=21032
Currently, some 7,000 Hmong political refugees are in danger of forced
repatriation fromThailand back to the one-party authoritarian regime inLaos
which they fled. The refugees are being detained at Nong Khai and Ban Huay Nam
Khao, Petchabun Province,Thailand. http://www.tragicmountains.org
www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
SOURCE Center for Public Policy Analysis
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