(Pictured above, Hmong Chao Fa men circa 1970s)
Following the establishment of the Lao PDR in 1975, close to 200,000 Hmong fled to refugee camps in Thailand and were later resettled in various countries in the West.
Those who stayed on in Laos after 1975 consisted of three groups. The first were known as “thirty-years Hmong”, supporters of the 30-year revolutionary struggle of the Pathet Lao. The second group comprised of former soldiers or refugees on the side of the Royal Lao Government and who were unable to leave Laos or who decided not to. This group is sometimes referred to as “Vang Pao Hmong” or former supporters of General Vang Pao. The third smaller component of the current Hmong population in Laos consists of small resistance groups, known as “Chao Fa” (or followers of the Lord of the Sky). They are commonly labelled “bandits”, and are found in inaccessible and rugged mountain areas, numbering probably no more than 500 to 1000 today.
The majority of Hmong in Laos appear to accept adaption and peace in Laos though most Hmong families remain in Hmong villages in the highlands. The most troublesome issue facing the Hmong in Laos today is their overall political integration. Transnationality, the ability to belong to more than one nationality or ethnic identity, has always been difficult - even back in China where many fled Chinese domination in search of independence and cultural survival. Unlike the other tribal minorities who easily adopt Lao names and can pass off as lowland Lao, the Hmong seem to stand out with their Hmong names, their lighter physical appearance, their language and their pride in their own ethnicity, their desire for self-government, and the group image given to them by other people. The persistence of the “Chao Fa” Hmong does not help much either, making life rather difficult for the larger Hmong population in Laos.
Many “Chao Fa” Hmong have rallied to the new regime over the years, but many leaders who surrendered themselves have met with imprisonment and even death. The “Chao Fa” Hmong, despite being few in number, have continued their armed skirmishes, and are creating problems for the majority of peace-loving Hmong in the country. The resistance movement has made the lowland Lao and the national leaders deeply distrustful of the general Hmong population, thereby making it difficult for the Hmong to gain offices beyond middle management level in whatever areas of government services. The Hmong, no matter what nomenclatures we give them, need to be given the chance to find peace, to stop killing each other and to find their trustworthy place in the Lao nation. The hope for harmonious co-existence with other people within the Lao nation will only come true if full and voluntary integration can be achieved.
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