Note: this is a sample letter. After Resolution 6 was passed by the Assembly, your congregation received an action packet with a copy of this letter for your members to sign if they wish.
May 28, 2008 George W. Bush President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N W Washington, D. C. 20502 Dear Mr. President, We citizens of the United States of America are extremely concerned about the Hmong Vietnam veterans and their families who live in the Huay Nam Khao camp in Phetchabun, Thailand and those Hmong who are held hostage and trapped in the jungles of Laos. We extend this concern to the Hmong who are seeking asylum because of genocide, or religious and political persecution. The Hmong were very faithful allies who fought for the United States from 1961 to 1975. Since 1975, the military of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) has continuously used chemical, air and ground attacks, and starvation tactics to exterminate the Hmong who have been in hiding for the past 33 years, causing the deaths of an additional 65,000 Hmong. In addition, those Hmong who surrendered to the LPDR have never been seen again. This number will continue to rise if we do not stop the LPDR government from killing the Hmong people. Approximately 15,000 Hmong are still surrounded by the military and trapped in the jungles of Laos today. These are mostly women and children of the second and third generations of the Hmong Veterans of the Vietnam War. On March 23, 2008, the current government of Laos (LPDR), in cooperation with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), issued a new order and drafted a comprehensive strategy to mount a major military offensive to exterminate thousands of Hmong who are hiding in the jungles and mountains of Laos, including thousands of unarmed women and children. Soldiers (LPDR) who kill a Hmong person who is hiding receive an increase in rank and a $600 reward. Of the 8,000 Hmong in Thailand, many of them are Vietnam veteran’s families who recently escaped from the jungles of Laos. According to the Thai government, “they are illegal immigrants” and will be repatriated back to Laos. They risk being tortured, jailed and even killed if sent back. Many Hmong whether they fought in the Vietnam War or not, have had to flee from Laos to seek asylum in Thailand due to genocide, or religious and political persecution. We ask that a delegation immediately go to Thailand and Laos to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International to rescue the Hmong people as soon as possible by doing the following:
George W. Bush May 28, 2008 Page 2 1. For the Hmong Vietnam veterans and families who are hiding in the jungles of Laos: We ask the U. S. Government (a) to send a delegation to work closely with the Lao government to grant permission for the Hmong Vietnam veterans and their families to leave the jungles of Laos, (b) to arrange for their placement in a safe zone outside of Laos, (c) to grant them refugee status, and (d) to allow them entry into the United States and/or other countries. 2. For the Hmong Vietnam veterans and families currently in Phetchabun, Thailand: We ask the U. S. Government (a) to send a delegation to work closely with the Thai government to allow the Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to screen the Hmong Vietnam veterans and their families, (b) to grant them refugee status, and (c) allow them entry into the United States and/or other countries. 3. For all Hmong who are seeking asylum because of genocide, or religious and political persecution: We ask the U. S. Government (a) to send a delegation to put pressure on the Thai and Lao governments to follow the International Human Rights Law and (b) to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Amnesty International to monitor the living conditions and safety of these Hmong, including those who have returned to Laos, and those who remain in Thailand. We are thankful that our government did the right thing by helping the many Hmong who are now safely in the United States today. Please have mercy on the remaining Hmong and fulfill the promise of support that we made some 47 years ago. The Hmong died for us in the hopes of securing their freedom and because of this, their lives are in danger. We have abandoned them to genocidal tyrants. Please rescue the Hmong before it is too late. Sincerely,
La Crosse Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
cc: Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House Representative Ron Kind Representative Tim Walz Representative Frank R. Wolf Representative Tammy Baldwin Representative Wally Herger Representative Duncan Hunter Representative Patrick J. Kennedy Representative Jim McDermott Representative Ed Perlmutter Representative Thomas E. Petri Representative Dana Rohrabacher Representative Christopher Shays Representative Mark Udall Representative Steve Kagen Senator Herb Kohl Senator Russell D. Feingold Senator Norm Coleman Senator Amy Klobuchar Senator Patrick Leahy Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Senator Barbara Boxer Senator Dianne Feinstein