Will Hmong in Laos really get a new beginning with this Laotian's visit?

[theking]

Laotian Ambassador's Visit to Fresno Hmong New Year Brings Promise of New Beginnings


The largest annual Hmong New Year celebration in the country continues in Fresno through the weekend, but this year is different.

It's different because of the presence of a special visitor and what his visit could mean for the Hmong and Lao communities in Fresno County and across the U.S.

It was a day full of colorful costumes and cultural tradtions at the Fresno County fairgrounds Thursday, marking the start of the Hmong new year, but amid all the festivities, something historic took place.

For the first time, the Laotian ambassador to the United States was in attendance as an invited guest.

It's historical because we never had a Lao ambassador visit at the Hmong New Year," said Fresno Center Ceo and President Pao Yang
That's important because Thursday's visit may signal the start of a new relationship between former enemies.

Seventy years ago the Laotian civil war pitted Lao and Hmong against other Lao, and sometimes even against their own families.

The bitter fighting tore the country apart for 22 years until King Savang Vatthana abdicated and the Lao People's Democratic Republic was established in 1975.

Many of the Lao and Hmong who fought in that war sought refuge in the United States.

Today they are thriving, with more Americans of Hmong heritage living in California than any other state in the country, and more than 35 thousand in the Fresno region alone, according to the Pew Research Center.

Forty-three years later the scars are still there, but many on both sides now share the sentiment that it's time to turn the page.

"History is history," said Laotian Ambassador Sisavath Inphachanh. "It cannot change history, but we can move forward."

"We are friends with the country," added Dr. Toulu Thao. "Laos is our homeland. We are American but we still have relatives there. I think this is a way to start a brand new relationship."

And finally, heal old wounds.

"Absolutely. healing is the key to everything," Yang asserted. "We have folks who were part of the war here. They're still living here. They're my family members and they're still trying to heal, and how do you heal? To heal is to come together."

Ambassador Inphachanh responded to that hope saying, "we welcome all! We welcome all, not just Hmong but all Lao community, Lao-american community."

If that "welcome" does mark the start of the new relationship many are hoping for, it will be a very happy new year indeed for the Hmong and Lao communities both here in the United States and across the seas, in Laos.