President Obama’s historic visit to Laos comes at the perfect time
When he touches down in Laos on Tuesday, President Barack Obama will become the first U.S. president to visit this landlocked Asian nation. The president is expected to offer a few aid packages, including funds to clear unexploded ordnance in Laos.
His visit will permanently close a chapter of the U.S.-led secret war in Laos during the 1960s and 1970s and help open a new chapter in U.S.-Laos relations in years to come. It also gives hope and more opportunity to the more than 300,000 Hmong and 270,000 Laotian Americans to reconnect with their former homeland.
California is home to the largest Hmong American population (97,000), followed by Minnesota (67,000) and Wisconsin (45,000). The St. Paul-Minneapolis area has the largest metropolitan Hmong population, followed by Fresno and Sacramento. Though Hmong and Laotian Americans are diverse in their political views, many have helped Laos to gain normal trade relations and it is likely the majority will support this historic visit.
The U.S. and Laos have had unbroken diplomatic relations since 1955. When the communists took over Laos in 1975, diplomatic relations were downgraded to charge d’affaires level, and stayed that way until 1992 when full diplomatic relations were restored at the ambassador level.
The U.S. granted normal trade relations status to Laos in December 2004, strengthening the ties between the countries. In spite of progress on diplomatic fronts, human rights issues and legacies of war continue to dominate U.S.-Laos engagements. Though Laos is badly tainted by the image of widespread corruption, and lack of transparency and accountability, its new government appears to recognize that it must deal with this serious problem.
Since normalizing trade relations, Laos’ gross national product has grown about 7 percent. The people enjoy a much better life than in the 1980s and ’90s. The Laotian government has initiated incentives for Hmong and Laotian Americans to visit, waiving or reducing visa requirements for many. The Lao National Assembly passed a law that allows former citizens to return and apply for permanent residence. These encouraging developments will help bring tourism to Laos, which is critical to boosting its economy.
Even more encouraging, the newly appointed Laotian government is pivoting toward the U.S. and away from China. Unlike Cambodia, when it hosted the last East Asia Summit, Laos issued a joint communiqué calling for all parties involved in the South China Sea to “pursue peaceful resolution of disputes ... in accordance with international law … (and) the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” This is a bold step for tiny Laos, aligning it with the International Court of Tribunal, the Philippines and other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations against China and its efforts to militarize tiny Spratly Island in the South China Sea.
In looking beyond the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, landlocked and impoverished Laos needs to develop responsibly, sustainably and in ways that are environmentally sound. The country needs to develop its high-tech and scientific sectors.
That’s why Laos needs the U.S. and Hmong and Laotian Americans to help bring tourism dollars and small-business investments. After all, the Hmong and Lao expatriates bring millions of dollars to Laos’ economy through remittance and tourism each year. Moreover, many young Hmong and Laotian Americans who have been educated here might be able to assist in developing the technical know-how that the Lao government really needs.
More and more highly educated, young Hmong and Laotian Americans have entered highly skilled professions, working for NASA, Intel, Facebook and other high-tech industries. There are many Hmong Americans holding tenured and tenure-track teaching jobs at U.S. universities. Some are doing research and teaching in science and high-tech fields.
In K-12 and higher education, hundreds of Hmong and Laotian Americans serve as teachers, school principals and assistant superintendents. All parties will gain if Laos can tap into the skills, expertise and resources of the Hmong and Laotian Americans.
Kou Yang is professor emeritus at California State University, Stanislaus. He is author of “Laos and Its Expatriates in the United States” (2013), and co-editor of “Diversity in Diaspora: The Hmong in the 21st Century” (2013). He wrote this for The Modesto Bee.
This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 9:39 AM with the headline "President Obama’s historic visit to Laos comes at the perfect time."