I'm guessing it is "Laos" where this "SEAsia self-determination" is being touted?
Fact of the matter is, Laos itself and it's citizens -- specifically Laotians -- cannot even "self-determine" its own state of affairs; therefore it is ludicrous and delusional to assume or believe a minority group such as the Hmong-Lao can or will have any "self-determination" in SEAsia - Laos, with or without the aid of foreign resources -- US-Hmong specifically.
Speak with and ask any highly or semi-educated Hmong-Lao and they, he and/or she, will tell you "self-determination" in SEAsia is null and void. As a matter of fact, that applies to the neighboring countries as well such as Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand.
I still do not quite understand why Hmong in general have such a huge affinity for Laos. True, our grandparents and parents are Lao-refugees, but beyond that I really see no logic, rationale, or meaningful purpose to have anything to do with Laos -- self-determination or not.
And I'll quote a Hmong leader, not his exact words but close enough, "Until the communist regime acknowledges the importance of humanitarian rights and equality and work towards that effort, then we -- Hmong, Lao, and SEA-US citizens, are not ready to sit down at the table and shake hands with them." There's the answer to "self-determination" within the 21st century.
Ua tsaug ...