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Fighters, Refugees, Immigrants: A Story of the Hmong
Fighters Refugees Immigrants A Story of the Hmong Author:Mace Goldfarb One of the most dramatic refugee stories of recent years has been that of the Hmong. Until the early 1960's, the Hmong had been farmers who raised livestock high in the Laotian mountains. But when the United States became involved in the Vietnam Waar, the U.S. government enlisted the Hmong as guerrilla fighters. When the war ended and U.S. t... more »roops left the area, the Hmong found themselves without allies in the midst of their enemies. Having fought against them for so many years, the Hmong were now hated by the Communists, who proceeded to bomb and gas Hmong villages, seemingly determined to wipe them out. The Hmong had no choice but to flee.
As of December 1981, about 80,000 Hmong people had immigrated to the United States and many more were attempting o do so. But before they could come here, they had first to escape from Laos. The place that many of them escaped to was a refugee camp in northeastern Thailand called Ban Vinai.
Mace Goldfarb, a Minneapolis pediatrician, volunteered his services to the refugee camp. In this beautiful and moving photo essay he shares with readers some of his experiences at Ban Vinai.« less