Sacramento, CA - Thousands of Hmong Americans and US Veterans will join
other concerned California citizens in a Rally to protest human rights
violations taking place in Laos as well as the plans by Thailand to return
8,000 Hmong refugees back to Laos. The Rally, which will be held At 11:30 am
on Monday, March 24, 2008 at the North Steps of the California State Capitol
Building is being sponsored and hosted by California State Assemblyman Dave
Jones and Vaming Xiong, Director of the Hmong American Ad Hoc Committee of
Sacramento.

Also, expected are members of California's Veteran's Commander's Council
which is made up of the leadership of all of California's Veterans
(representing 2.3 million Vets in CA), including Dr. Charles Waters of
Fresno (former Marine) who has been an outspoken advocate of the Hmong
soldiers who fought for the US in the secret war in Laos from early 1960's
(involvment can actually can be traced back to 1955) and ended 1975
(officially, 1974). Dr. Waters (who is a Korean War Veteran and serves on CA
Governor's Veterans Committee and has been asked to be a part of Senator
McCain's Veterans Committee) points out the fact that he considers all the
Hmong who fought in the secret war to be his "Brothers-in-Arms" and just as
much a US Veteran as he is. He refers to them as "US Secret War Veterans of
Laos."

"Did you know, says Dr. Waters, that their Army, which was only about
30-40,000 strong at it strongest point, suffered about 30,000 KIA, which was
10% of the Hmong population. Toward the end of the war, their ranks were
filled with teens and even younger. If the US had suffered the same ratio of
KIA...America would have suffered 17.5 million deaths in Vietnam!. I tell
you, these guys are truly our Brothers-in-Arms and I am proud to salute them
and call them my fellow Veterans. They are as much a US Veteran as I am."
Dr. Waters who will be speaking at the Rally, Monday, will be riding up on
one of the many buses of carrying hundreds of participants that will be
arriving early from all around the State of CA.

"There are two significant differences between this rally and others that
have previously been held," says Vaming Xiong, Director of the Hmong
American Ad Hoc Committee of Sacramento. "The first difference is that Hmong
American citizens have now joined hands with US Veterans from all over the
world to protest the wholesale killing of Hmong people in the jungles of
Laos by the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). Since the end of the
war, about 33 years ago, hundreds of thousands of Hmong have died. We will
also be protesting that the government of Thailand has begun returning the
nearly 8,000 Hmong back into the hands of the government of Laos which will
open the door to many more deaths and persecution. The second difference is
that we, the people, will now change tactics. We have pleaded for the US and
other Governments to take actions to stop the killing in Laos and for 33
years. But there has been no solution...so we now are taking our protest to
the world and asking others to stop economic support, investment, and
tourism with the country of Laos. We are also asking the world community to
block Laos from becoming a member of the World Trade Organization
(WTO)...until the Human Rights Violations stop."

Last Thursday, at a meeting in Milwaukee, the US Ambassador to Laos, Mr.
Ravic Huso was personally given several documents by Mark Xiong,
representing the organization; Concerned Hmong and Laos Americans, and US
Citizens of Wisconsin. The documents laid out all the plans to block
economic and financial support as well as blocking WTO membership for Laos.
Mark's organization had also conducted a very successful Rally in Wisconsin
with 3,000 participants that was held in Wisconsin on the 13th of March.

Part of the information given to Ambassador Huso was a "Global Petition for
Hmong Human Rights" that is being circulated world wide via the internet.
The petition states: "We demand that President Bush, Secretary of State
Rice, and all members of Congress (regardless of party affiliation)
immediately 1) Stop using US Tax Dollars to fund projects in Laos and
Thailand through the Asia Development Bank and 2) Block Laos' entrance into
the World Trade Organization until the following actions are accomplished:
1. Stop the killing of Hmong and others in Laos, 2. Stop Thailand from
repatriating 8,000 Hmong and other refugees to Laos 3. Laos returns 3 Hmong
Americans missing since August 2007 (Hakit Yang, Congshineng Yang, and
Trillion Yunhaison [aka Neng Yang]) and 4. The Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is allowed to interview and screen Hmong
and other refugees for possible relocation to neutral 3rd country.

There has not yet been a response from Secretary of State Rice, the US State
Department, nor Ambassador Huso regarding the actions listed on the
documents - which are intended to block economic and financial activities in
Laos as well as blocking Laos' membership in the WTO until the four actions
listed are accomplished.

Finally, it has been announced that Clint Eastwood's next film, "Grand
Tarino" which is planned for a December release will star Eastwood as a
bigoted retiree whose life is changed when a Hmong family moves in next door
and the their teenage son befriends Eastwood. As a result many of the issues
dealing with the plight of the Hmong will be presented around the world via
a major feature film. "This is very exciting for Hmong people around the
world. We have waited for so long for q way to be able to share the story
about the struggles and sacrifices of the Hmong people in their search for
freedom and a chance to live in a safe environment. For Clint Eastwood to
direct and star in a major motion picture which shares the Hmong story as a
part of his film is more than anyone could ask for. God Bless Clint
Eastwood!" said Vaming Xiong of the Hmong American Ad Hoc Committee of
Sacramento.

Assemblyman Dave Jones added a quote from President John F. Kennedy that he
said is very appropriate for these new actions being taken by the Hmong, the
US Veterans, and others who will be participating in the Rally on Monday.

"There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less
than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." John F.
Kennedy, 1917-1963