Senator Norm Coleman hosted a meeting in his Senate office between Hmong leader General Vang Pao and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Matt Daley.

The group, which also included Chao Ophat Nachampassak, a member of the Lao royal family, discussed General Vang Pao's effort to bring peace to Laos, the refugee resettlement program for Hmong in Thailand, and the humanitarian crisis facing many Hmong living in Laos.

Amnesty International and the magazine Time Asia have reported that the Laotian Army is encircling groups of Hmong, making them unable to receive humanitarian aid. State Department officials agreed that the U.S. has an obligation to help the Hmong people, who have sacrificed so much to help it during the Vietnam War. But the Department views this as humanitarian issue and does not support armed resistance against the LPDR and discourages such activity.

In the meeting, General Vang Pao presented to State Deparment officials his vision for a lasting peace in Laos, as publicly articulated on November 26.

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