Refugee & Immigration Services:  Homelands of Refugees
   

During the Vietnam War in the 1960's, many Hmong fought in the secret army on the American side against the communists.  It is estimated that 30,000 Hmong people (10 percent of the Hmong population in Laos) were killed.  During the two decades following the communist take over of Laos in 1975, several hundred thousand Hmong people took a dangerous journey to Thailand across the mountains and crossing the Mekong River.  By 1987, about 54,000 hill tribe people of Laos, which were mostly Hmong, crossed the boarder to Thailand.

The U.S. was willing to resettle more than 90 percent of the Hmong refugees in Thailand.  Nevertheless, many of them hoped to stay in the refugee camps in hopes of safely going back to Laos in the future.  Some of them also heard from relatives and friends about the difficulties of U.S. resettlement and decided to stay in the camps.

Although the Thai government had allowed temporary asylum for up to 200,000 Hmong, it was never willing to resettle them permanently in the community.  Worried about the growing Hmong population, the Thai government has tightened the boarder control as well as the control over the refugee camps.  In 1992, the Thai government made a decision to close the largest refugee camp, Ban Vinai.

While some Hmong from Ban Vinai camp fled to the countryside in Thailand, others went to Tham Krabok Monastery where a charismatic abbot, Phra Chamroon Parnchand, welcomed Hmong refugees.  Wat Tham Krabok became a non-official refugee camp for Hmong refugees.  Even though the Thai officials tolerated the situation in the monastery for years, they decided to close the monastery following the abbot's death.

A typical Hmong village in a mountainside consists of about 20 to 40 households.  "It is small enough to be in harmony with its environment and large enough to take care of all of its own needs and to maintain the Hmong way of life."

For Hmong, the interest of a group comes before the interest of any individual.  The family is the basic social unit in Hmong society.  While a Hmong household may vary in size from a married couple to more than 20 people, a typical household consists of an extended family made up of many generations.  The oldest male in the family heads the household.

The traditional Hmong belief system is based on animism and ancestral worship.  Animism is the belief that spirits and forces inhabit the natural universe.  Animism encourages the Hmong to respect animals and nature and to be in harmony with their environment.

The New year celebration is the major Hmong event of the year.  It is held at the end of the 12th lunar calendar month and the beginning of the first lunar calendar month.  The Hmong serve their favorite foods during the first three days of the New Year.  People dress in their best clothes and refrain from speaking critically of others.  They take a break from work and business, and animals also are given a respite from labor.

A typical dinner includes rice, meat (boiled, fire roasted, or fried), boiled or stir-fried vegetables, vegetable soup, and sauce (chili or tomato sauce).  Chicken and pork are common meats.
 
 

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