Vang Pobzeb (July 12, 1957 – August 23, 2005) was a
Hmong American dedicated to
Lao and
Hmong human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
. For over 25 years, he was an outspoken critic of the
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
governments of the
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
in Laos and the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and their human rights violations,
religious freedom
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
violations, and persecution of the Lao and Hmong people.
Early life
Vang was born in
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
on July 12, 1957. He later moved to the United States and received his PhD in international relations from the
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a Public university, public research university in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system.
History University of Colorado System Anschutz Medical Campus
The University ...
with a focus on world politics and Asian security, refugee and human rights issues. Vang was fluent in the languages of Hmong Daw (White Hmong), Mong Njua (Green Hmong), Laotian, English and was able to speak and read some French.
Career
Vang was responsible for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
's recognition of the word
Hmong as the proper term for the Hmong people. Additionally, he testified in the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, and at the United Nations in New York City and Geneva]l on numerous occasions on the Hmong
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
in Laos.
Vang founded and served as the first president and executive director of the
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
Lao Human Rights Council
The Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. (LHRC) is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental (NGO) refugee and human rights organization. It is based nationally, and internationally, with chapters in Colorado, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Lao Human Ri ...
. Vang also founded the Hmong American United Students Association in
Eau Claire, Wisconsin in April 1981. In September 1986, he was appointed to form and chair the Hmong Council Education Committee.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Vang worked with Philip Smith and
The Center for Public Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C., to research and obtain additional evidence of human rights violations in Laos as well as the forced repatriation of Laotian and Hmong refugees from Thailand back to the communist regime in Laos they fled. Vang frequently traveled to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, and Washington, D.C., to conduct research and public policy advocacy—and to meet with policymakers and Members of the U.S. Congress. This information was often shared with key members of the U.S. Congress and policymakers in Washington, D.C. who eventually worked to try and halted, and reverse, the forced repatriation of Lao and Hmong refugees from Thailand back to Laos, including the thousands of Hmong refugees who fled to the Buddhist Temple of
Wat Tham Krabok Wat Tham Krabok ( th, วัดถ้ำกระบอก, literally 'Temple of the Bamboo Cave') is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in the Phra Phutthabat District of Saraburi Province, Thailand.
The temple was first established as a monastery in 1 ...
. Many of these Southeast Asian refugees, and asylum seekers, were eventually resettled in the United States as a result of the work of Vang, Philip Smith,
The Centre for Public Policy Analysis
The Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), or Centre for Public Policy Analysis, was established in Washington, D.C., in 1988 and describes itself as a non-profit, non-partisan, think tank and research organization. The CPPA is a non-governm ...
, the
Lao Veterans of America
The Lao Veterans of America, Inc., describes itself as a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental, veterans organization that represents Lao- and Hmong-American veterans who served in the U.S. clandestine war in the Kingdom of Laos during the Vie ...
, the
United League for Democracy in Laos
The United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. (ULDL) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the Washington, D.C.-area with chapters and members in the United States, Thailand, and Laos. The ULDL has worked to provide informa ...
and others, to reverse the forced repatriation policy directed against Laotian and Hmong
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. who had fled political persecution from communist Laos to Thailand. In a paper published in 1990, Vang wrote that Laos was colonial territory of Vietnam since 2 December 1975 and was directed by Vietnam in its internal and external affairs.
According to Smith and The Centre for Public Policy Analysis, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Vang and the Lao Human Rights Council helped to raise awareness and provide research and information about military attacks and human rights violations in Laos by
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
forces, the
Lao People's Army
The Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF; lo, ກອງທັບປະຊາຊົນລາວ), is the armed forces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the institution of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, who are charged with protectin ...
and the
Vietnam People's Army
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. Much of this information was confirmed by
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
and other human rights organizations as well as independent journalists.
Death and recognition
Vang died in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...
on August 23, 2005. He was recognized posthumously on September 22, 2005 by the
Wisconsin Senate for his work assisting the Hmong and Laotian community.
2005 Senate Joint Resolution 37
September 22, 2005.
References
External links
Center for Public Policy Analysis, Washington, D.C.
Lao Veterans of America, Inc.
Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. (LHRC)
Amnesty International, human rights reports on Laos and Hmong
*.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vang, Pobzeb
1957 births
2005 deaths
American people of Hmong descent
Laotian exiles
Laotian emigrants to the United States
People from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Laotian anti-communists
Hmong-American culture and history