Let me just say briefly the Hmongs were some of the most loyal fighters that the United States had in the war in Vietnam. If any one group went out on a limb. so to speak. and stood with the United States cause. how ill defined it may have been in Vietnam. it was the Hmongs. The Hmongs are now refugees because they had taken that political stance so clearly. risking their lives and giving their lives. They came to this country as part of the resettled refugees. and one of the first things we discovered was the Hmongs did not have a written language. I am proud to say that Portland State University and others joined together in a coalition to develop a written language out of the phonetics of the Hmongs language. And I can also say that as one State with one of the highest refugee populations per capita of any State certainly. there were some problems initially with not only the Hmongs but with many other groups as well. I see no reason for singling the Hmongs out at this time as it has been done in this letter because I think again the Senator from Minnesota will testify to the fact that Minnesota. with one of the largest Hmong populations. has seen a tremendous improvement within the Hmong group. as well as I can testify from the Hmong experience in Oregon. Mr. President. I will not go into the Sureck case. I have alluded to it. and the Senator from Wyoming has outlined a procedure that. somehow. a letter from the appropriations chairman that I confess to having written to the Presdient of the United States and to the Secretary of State. outlining the case as I saw the problems of the refugees in Southeast Asia. somehow defeated Mr. Sureck and brought a change in assignment. I would say regarding the President of the United States I have recommended many things to him. and he has taken very few of my recommendations.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees