Podcasts about Laos

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A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. On tonight's episode, we're focusing on a particular segment of our immigrant and refugee community, Hmong and Bhutanese refugees. Both of these targeted communities are stateless with no land to call their own, and their deportation carries the very real danger of disappearance and death. Robin Gurung from Asian Refugees United and Kao Ye Thao from Hmong innovating Politics, discuss their community and personal refugee stories, and talk about the intersection of the US' deeply broken immigration and criminal legal systems, otherwise known as crimmigration. We also get to hear from the wives of two detained refugees, one Bhutanese and one Hmong, who are currently fighting to keep their families together and to protect their loved ones from the dangers of deportation as stateless people.   Important Links: Hmong Innovating Politics: Website | Instagram Asian Refugees United: Website | Instagram Bhutanese American Refugee Rights website Transcript Swati Rayasam: You are tuned in to Apex Express on KPFA. My name is Swati Rayasam. Since the onset of the Trump administration, immigrant and refugee communities have been under increased attack, being kidnapped in broad daylight, detained in unsanitary and unsafe conditions, and deported to countries many of them barely know. All without due process or communication to their loved ones and communities. On tonight's episode, we're focusing on a particular segment of our immigrant and refugee community, Hmong and Bhutanese refugees. Both of these targeted communities are stateless with no land to call their own, and their deportation carries the very real danger of disappearance and death. Robin Gurung from Asian Refugees United and Kao Ye Thao from Hmong innovating Politics, discuss their community and personal refugee stories, and talk about the intersection of the US' deeply broken immigration and criminal legal systems, otherwise known as crimmigration. We also get to hear from the wives of two detained refugees, one Bhutanese and one Hmong, who are currently fighting to keep their families together and to protect their loved ones from the dangers of deportation as stateless people. I also want to note because this is a rapidly developing situation, that this episode was recorded on August 13th, 2025, and is being released on August 28th, 2025. For the most recent updates, please go to bhutaneserefugeerights.org or check out the Pardon Refugees campaign. Now, here's Miko. Miko: Welcome to Apex Express. Thank you so much for being here today. I'm so glad to bring you all together in this time. I'm wondering if I could ask you each to introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the community your organization serves and what you do, and let's start with Kao Ye. Kao Ye: Hello everyone, and thank you for making space- my name is Kao Ye Tao. I use she her pronouns, and I work as the director of policy and partnerships with an organization called Hmong Innovating Politics. We are an organization that serves Hmong youth and families in Sacramento and Fresno, which holds two of our largest Hmong American communities in California. And our work with Hmong youth and families is really about developing their leadership to organize towards social justice and to get the resources that their communities deserve. Miko: Thank you, Kao Ye and Robin, could you please introduce yourself? Robin: Sure. My name is Robin Gurung. I use he, him, his, I'm from the Nepali speaking Bhutanese community. I live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. my role at Asian Refugees United is the co-founder and the co-executive director. We have our program in California and Pennsylvania. California programs are, are serving Asian diaspora and then, Pennsylvania programs are focused serving the Nepal speaking Bhutanese community. We work in the intersection of arts and healing, storytelling, civic engagement, leadership development. Thank you. Miko: Thanks Robin and I am your host Miko Lee, lead producer at Apex Express. And all of us are part of a network called AACRE Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, which is a network of progressive Asian American groups. So you all work with refugee populations. I'm wondering if you could tell a little bit more about the backstory of your community, and also if you feel comfortable about how you personally came to be a refugee in the United States. And, Robin, I'd love to start with you on that one. Robin: Sure. My community is Nepali speaking, Bhutanese refugee community. And we are ethnically Nepali, which means culture wise and language wise we speak Nepali and follow the Nepali culture tradition. Our ancestors like maybe in 18 hundreds, 19 hundreds migrated from Nepal to Bhutan and became the citizen of that country. And most people don't know about Bhutan, it's a very tiny country between China and India. And, if people know about Bhutan, then people know it through the cross national happiness concept, Bhutan is considered the happiest country in the world. So our ancestors were in mostly in the southern area of Bhutan for generations, they became the citizen. They had their own home, their own land. And then later, 1980s, early nineties, there was a policy by the government of Bhutan, which is the monarchy government system- king rules the country. They brought a policy called One Nation, One People Policy. Which means all different groups of people would have to follow the same culture, same religion, kind of follow the same dress code and because of that policy all people were forced to stay away from following our own culture or our own religion, which, most of our folks were Hindu. Our people protested against it and because of that, the government expelled over a hundred thousand of our community members. And, they expelled to India and then from like India wouldn't allow us to stay and we had to resettle in Nepal in seven different refugee camps under different international agencies like U-N-H-C-R and other agencies. Miko: And then Robin, can you tell a little bit about your personal story and how you came here? Robin: Yeah. Yeah. So 1992 is when my family had to leave Bhutan. And at that time I was three years old. I remember growing up in a refugee camp in Nepal, from three years until I was 23 years. So 20 years of my life I was in a refugee camp in Nepal. And in 2012, I came to US through the refugee resettlement program introduced to our camps in 2008, and through it US agreed to resettle 60,000 of our committee members. By 2017, I think US has resettled about 70 to 80,000 of our Bhutanese community members.   Miko: Thank you so much for sharing. Kao Ye I wonder if you could talk about your community and the refugee resettlement program that your community was a part of. Kao Ye: The Hmong American community, or just the Hmong community overall, is a group that's indigenous to East and Southeast Asia. And through our ancient history, we've always been a stateless, people fighting for our autonomy to live to practice our customs and our culture. And particularly where we come into this history of refugee is during the Vietnam War where many Hmong people, alongside other ethnic groups in Laos, were caught in the crossfire of the United States conflict in Southeast Asia. And so with the Vietnam War. The Hmong as well as many other ethnic communities that lived, in the hills and the mountains were recruited in covert operations by the CIA to fight back against the Vietnamese, the Northern Vietnamese communist forces, as well as the Putet Lao. And so once the US withdrew from Southeast Asia, it created a vacuum of conflict and violence that our people had to escape from in order to survive. And so after the Vietnam War in 1975, we saw the mass displacement of many Southeast Asian ethnic communities, including Hmong families. And that is where my history starts because my parents were born in Laos and because of this war, they fled to Thailand refugee camps and lived there for a few years until they were able to come to the United States in 1992. And I'm actually I'm a child of refugees and so what I know about this part of my history comes from the stories of my grandparents who raised me as well as what little I could learn in the textbooks of public education. And so it wasn't actually until going to college and. Being able to access more of this literature, this history that I really learned about what the United States had done in Southeast Asia and the ramifications of that for myself and my family and so many others, refugees that. Have to have had to resettle in the United States. And so it's definitely a history that runs very close, because we have relatives that live through that refugee experience. And so it is very well and alive. And so as we now approach this conversation around ICE and deportations, it really is a reminder of the trauma that our people face, but are still facing as a people that have been seen as disposable to the United States government. Miko: Thanks, Kao Ye. Let's talk a little bit more about that. But first I wanna say, did either of you ever hear about refugees in your textbooks? I never did. So I'm wondering if, you said you learned a little bit about that from textbooks. Was that something you learned in public education. Kao Ye: I did not learn about refugees or refugees experience. I learned about the war and as a Hmong kid it brought me so much delight to try to scroll through the history books just to see if Hmong people were mentioned. And even then the refugee experience was not ever something that we talked about. I felt like definitely not in, in high school. I think it was college really, that then started to articulate those terms and that Southeast Asian identity, that is really where I think I also became politicized in that. Miko: Yeah, because I think in textbooks there might be a little section on the Vietnam War, but it does not talk about the, all the Southeast Asian ethnic peoples that actually fought in the war. We have to dig that information out on our own, but I wanna move us to what is happening right now. So the Trump administration has created. Culture of fear among immigrants and refugees, these ICE raids and disappearances. It is so intense and using immigrants as a fear tool to prop up white supremacy is so blatant right now. I'm wondering if you can each talk about, how this administration's policies are impacting your communities. And, Robin, let's start with you. What is happening right now? I know since the end of March, can you share a little bit about what's been happening with Bhutanese Americans? Robin: Sure. Sure. So our people were settled to this country with the hope that this is going to be our home. But starting March of this year, with the new policies of this current administration, we started seeing abrupt, ICE arrest in our communities. People were picked up from home, their workplaces, and from their ICE, check-ins. And, since March, within I would say two to three months, more than 72 of our community members were picked up, mostly from Pennsylvania and then Ohio, and also from other states like New York, Georgia, North Dakota. So until now, we have, the records of at least 50 people who have been deported to Bhutan and at least 72 who are detained. So more than 30 people are [at risk] of getting detained. The nature of the ICE arrests that we have seen is we don't know whether the due processes were followed. They made it so hard for the families to look for attorneys, and also to track their family members. Within days family members would find their loved ones disappeared, and then they wouldn't be able to talk to them they wouldn't be able to track them and provide the support that they needed. So for us as a community organization we did not anticipate this and we were not prepared for this. And, and we didn't have the infrastructure to really address this, right? So it became such challenging work for us. Like within days we had to mobilize our people. We had to mobilize our teams to help family members with legal support, emotional support, mobilize our community members to update what's happening with this situation. The rapid response work, know your rights clinics that we had to set up. So on one hand it's the detention and deportation in the US and on the other hand, when our people were deported to Bhutan, what we're seeing is within 24 hours, they are being expelled from Bhutan to India, and then from India because India wouldn't accept them as well, they had to enter Nepal because for most of these Deportee, they're very young, they were born in refugee camps, and for most of them, the only known land is Nepal. Right. And they had to enter Nepal without documentation. And then some of them were found in refugee camps. And most of them are unknown. Like they're, they have disappeared. Miko: So that is so much over the last few months that ARU has had to step in and take a leading, role in this situation that has impacted the Bhutanese community from focusing on wellness and youth development to suddenly translating materials into Nepali, translating, know Your Rights materials into Nepali, hosting all these different events, the work that you have been doing is really powerful. I wonder if you could share with us the story of Mohan Karki, who is a community member that's currently detained in Michigan. Robin: Sure. So, Mohan Karki is now in detention in Michigan and he's a community member member who lived in Ohio. So he was detained by ICE during his regular ICE check-in , I believe in April, they detained him and then he was taken for deportation. And last minute, the families and the community had to come together and then appeal the deportation. Right now he's in Michgan detention center and his wife, who was pregnant and had due date, when Mohan was being deported on June 10, is now fighting day and night to stop the deportation and also to bring Mohan home. Right now, Asian Refugees United and other community partners, like AWPAL, Asian Law Caucus are working together to support Mohan's family, to bring Mohan home and also running a, GoFund me fundraiser, to help the family pay the legal fees. Miko: Thanks Robin. And we're gonna listen to Tikas story right now. Tika Basnet: Hi, my name is Tika Basnet I'm from Ohio and I'm fighting my husband deportation case. So on April seven, a lot of people told us not to go to the ICE office, but my husband wanna follow the rules, he wanna go there. We went to the Westerville office inside And we sit down, we talk to each other. Nothing will go wrong. And suddenly ICE told us to come inside and they told us that my husband got travel documents from Bhutan. I told them like it is not safe for my husband to get deport in Bhutan, all the Bhutanese people run away in 1990s due to the ethnic cleansing and if my husband get deported in Bhutan, he will either gonna get killed, tortured, disappeared, imprisoned, I don't know what will happen, but they did not listen to me. So they detained my husband and I came at the parking lot and his mom saw me coming alone. So they start crying and I told them like, Mohan is gone and this is the last time I think I'm gonna see my husband. the time that my husband was taken away from Butler County on June 10 I was 41 weeks pregnant. I was supposed to deliver on, June 10. But no, I told the doctor I change my delivery time. I am not gonna go now like I need to fight for my husband. Like, When Bhutanese people started coming here in 2007. Third party promise us that in here in United States, we will get our identity. That identity will never taken away. They promise us that the way Bhutan take our identity, they will not gonna do that. we thought that this is our home. We thought that having a green card, having a citizenship, it is permanently, but no, we are, we all are wrong. And that identity is taken away within a second. And we became stateless again. So, my husband, Mohan Karki he just arrived in the United States he been here less than two years when the incident happened. He did not understand the law. He did not understand the culture. He did not know anything. My husband he was only 17 years old, high school student coming from school to home. On the way to reach their apartment, there is one private house. They are just trying to go to the shortcut from the backyard. So some neighbor call 9 1 1. And that only one mistake lead to deportation. The place that we come from, there is no boundaries. In Nepal, we are allowed to go anybody property We are allowed to walk somebody else house and because of the cultural difference, he's paying price right now. At that time, nobody can speak English. They cannot understand what police were saying and Nepali interpreter told my husband that if you say I'm guilty, you'll out of prison soon. But if you did not say I'm guilty, you'll end up in prison for 20 to 25 years. High school student he's scared he just say, I'm guilty, and he did not know what is deportation mean. He did not know what he was signing. Nobody informed him what he was signing. That signing was deportation. What happened in 2013 is impacting us in 2025 and still he wish he did not cross somebody else backyard at that time. He wish he knew that he wasn't allowed to cross somebody else's backyard. I don't know what will our future is gonna be, but I hope that he gets second chance. His community love him. He love people. He was working as a truck driver. He paid taxes. He was supporting his parent. He was supporting me. My daughter deserve to have a father. You know, she's just one month. But now the dream that I was hoping one day I'm gonna build with my husband that is taken away and I'm left alone with this child. I already went through a lot without him, i'm the only one that fighting for my husband case. The deportation is not only breaking one family, but it is breaking everybody, the community and the family. And I hope that people can support me so I can fight for my husband case. Like I really need so many attorney. I need criminal attorney to open up his 2013 case. And I have wonderful, wonderful attorney, my husband get stay off removal, but that is not guarantee my husband can get deport anytime. The attorney fee are really expensive and he still needs support. The US made bhutanese people a promise of home. We belong here. Stop the detention and deportation. Stop deporting Bhutanese people. We are stateless. We don't have country, don't have a home. This is our home. US is our home. We belong here. Miko: Of the 72 people, Mohan is the first Bhutanese refugee that we actually have a stay of release on, as Robin was saying earlier, most of the folks were moved from state to state, so you can't really get a lawyer in that time. And as we all know, nonprofit immigration lawyers are under a lot of stress because of the attack of this administration. So it makes it incredibly complicated, let alone the legal fees that it costs to help support people going through this. And right now, Mohan has a stay on his, deportation and the lawyer that they do have is drafting up a letter to be able to release him into the community and also overturn his original case that happened as a minor in Georgia, which was a ridiculous case where he was leaving school, early high school, first year in the country, leaving high school early, and walked with his friends across a backyard. And the neighbor that they walked through their yard called the police, and they arrested him along with his friends for trespassing, they gave him paperwork that he didn't even understand. He signed it along with a interpreter they gave him false information to say he'd be locked up for 25 years, or if he signed this papers, that would be fine. He could go and what the papers said was it changed his charge into a felony and had him sign a letter of deportation. So this is part of the failure of our American legal system that we're not providing adequate information. It is a lack of due process. Thankfully, the work that Asian Law Caucus and United States of Stateless and other community activists are doing to call this out and help work with us is really critical. I wanna turn now to Kao Ye how this administrations is impacting Hmong refugees, and how is it similar or different to the experiences that Robin is describing for the Nepali speaking Bhutanese community? Kao Ye: I echoed many of the sentiments and the challenges that Robin shared around what we as nonprofit, grassroots organizations are having to build and grapple with just the limited infrastructure that we have to deal with the current ICE disappearances and deportation and all the support that's needed for the families. And so thank you Robin, for sharing that. I wanted to start broad a little bit because I think that this Trump administration is happening in the backdrop of the 50th year commemoration of the end of the wars in Southeast Asia and the refugee resettlement. We had over 1.1 million Southeast Asians resettle to the United States, the largest immigration resettlement, in American history. And so this year brings so many complexities, I think as a Southeast Asian community where there is a level of looking back at policies that have impacted us and have failed, but also looking forward what is the community that we are building together to move and progress together. And so there are those complexities, I think as the fact that it's the 50th year and like, this is what we're dealing with. This is the trauma that we are grappling with. And so I wanted to put that out front and center because even I think within our communities , there is no necessarily enlightenment in terms of how we talk about what is happening to our people and how they're getting deported unjustly. So that is why it is so important to have this dialogue within our communities as well as the solidarity that we also share with the Bhutanese community and other immigrant groups too. I think that in many of our Southeast Asian communities, their reasons for deportations is very tied to past convictions, and so this is the intersection between criminal law and immigration law. And it makes it complex because our people are now having to consult not just an immigration lawyer, but like criminal attorney so that they could really assess like what kind of relief they can get in order to mitigate, impending deportations. And then also miko you had shared about the lack of adequate legal service or representation because many of these folks, right, that have had these convictions that have now served their time and are simply members of our community that make our community rich. They are now having to revisit removal orders that they signed, thinking that, oh, nothing necessarily was gonna happen because they don't have a repatriation agreement. So, in our community, there was never a thought that we were going to be deported back to our home country because of that policy. And so that is a big contributing factor as to why the Hmong community, we don't have that infrastructure to really support our members who have gone through the criminal justice system and now have those removal orders. And so HIP, as well as many other grassroots. Sadly we did have to scramble to put this know your rights information together because again, I don't think that there was visibility in the need for us in this conversation around immigration Southeast Asians are a segment of our API community and so it just, I think, multiplied the invisibility that we already faced as a group of Southeast Asians. And so the support was definitely not there. And, to Robin's point, we did our best to try to put this information together to our community, starting with the Know Your Rights. And then we also realized like it was more complex than that, and that the legal supports were so necessary because everyone's case was different. I think what we're still dealing with now is that there's always been a lack of trust between our community members and government entities and nonprofit organizations. And so, if someone is dealing with the situation, they wanna go to, a partner that they trust to help them, even if they're not necessarily equipped to do that work, is that they're going to only the people that they trust because there is such a big mistrust. And so I think that, there is still the level of trust building that is needed to be done within our community so that folks feel comfortable to come to us or come to other people for support. And I think what makes me feel emotional is just when I hear about community members feeling hopeless and just feeling like there's nothing that they can do and that level of disempowerment to me, I think is something that is real. And I can't say that we can't combat it, but I think that it is about being able to find different outlets of support for them. Miko: Thank you for lifting that up. And just , in terms of the numbers, over three months, March, April and May, there were about 72 Bhutanese Americans that have been detained. And this is just kind of starting up with the Hmong community. So we had 15 that were detained from Minnesota and another 10 right now are being held in Michigan. And we also see this happening with Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodians, and Myan folks. All of these folks as Kao Ye you're pointing out, have had common threads, which is connections with the system, with the criminal legal/ justice system and crimmigration is something that in the AACRE network we've been talking about and working on, which is really about the education to prison, to deportation pipeline. And one of the things that this administration had talked about is, let's get rid of all the murderers and the rapists. You know, this like scare language about people that are convicted criminals, let's get rid of them all. But the fact of the matter. The vast majority of all of these people are people like Mohan Karki, a cultural misunderstanding that happened when he was a child. Like Lou Yang, who is Hmong refugee detained in Michigan right now. Somebody who was involved in something as a kid, but has since then become a leader in the community. So let's take a moment and listen to the spouse of Lou Yang, a Hmong refugee detained in Michigan in July. Anne Vu: My name is Anne Vu and I come before you today with a heart full of hope. Sorrow and a plea for justice. I am a proud American, a mother of six, the daughter of Hmong refugees who would gain their citizenship, and the wife of a man called Lou Yang, who is now detained and faced with potential deportation from the only country that he's ever known. Lou has lived in Michigan since October, 1979. He was born stateless in a refugee camp in Nongkai Thailand and his family fled Laos due to persecution. His father and like many others, served with the United States force during the Vietnam War as part of the Secret War, recruited by CIA in Laos, a conflict that most Americans do not know has happened. The Hmong were recruited by the CIA as part of the Secret War to help America during the Vietnam War. But when the war ended and the US withdrew, we were as the Hmongs declared enemy of the state. What followed was genocide, polarization and persecution by the state, and it was because of our alliance, the promise made by the US government that the Hmong refugees were legally settled here under certain migration of refugee laws and acts. And Lou arrived here as a young, toddler in infancy. In 1997, he was arrested on an alleged accomplice in an attempt home invasion, second degree. He was in the vehicle at the time. He never entered the home. He literally was still a juvenile at that time. He had a court appointed attorney and was advised to take a plea without being told it would affect his immigration status for the rest of his life. This is the reality of our immigration system – long, complex, confusing and devastating, unforgiving. It is not built for people like us, people like Lou, people who have served their time, rebuilt their lives and have nowhere else to go. We've walked this legal path, we've stayed together in the lines, and yet we are here punished today. Lou has no other charges, no current legal issues, no history of violence. He is not a flight risk. He is not a danger to our public safety. He is a father, my husband, a son, a son-in-law, a grandson and a brother to many, and our leader and a provider to our community, and to my family. He renews his work authorization and follows every rule asked of him no matter how uncertain the future felt. Together, we've raised six beautiful children. They're all proud Americans. Lou has contributed to Michigan's economy for decades working in our automotive industry and now he is gone and all that he is built is unraveling and the community is heartbroken. We didn't come from wealth. We didn't have every opportunity handed to us because we didn't come seeking a land of opportunity. We came here because of survival. We had to build from the ground up. But the most important thing was Lou and I, we had each other. We had our families, our friends, and our neighbors. We had a shared commitment to build a better life, grounded in love, respect, and purpose. And somehow that's still not enough. For years, we were told like other Hmong families that Laos in Thailand would never take us back. And that has changed. In June, 2025 the US imposed a partial travel ban on Laos, citing visa overstays, and lack of deportation cooperation. And in response, Laos began issuing these documents under pressure. Today over 4,800, including Hmong, Myan, and the other ethnic minorities are facing removal to Laos and to many other countries, many have never stepped foot in a country that they are now being sent to. Lou is Stateless like many others that is detained with him. None of these countries recognize him. He was born in the Thailand refugee camp, it does not recognize him nor qualify him for any sort of Thai citizenship and I'll tell you guys right now if forced to return, he will face danger because of his family's deep ties to the CIA and United States military. Deporting him turns him, a civil servant and respected community leader, into a political casualty, it would be a grave and irreversible injustice. To deport him now is to punish him to death. Once again, 50 years later, as we celebrate resilience this year across the nation, we are now celebrating a fight within our own grounds, right here in United States, right here in Michigan. We're now fighting the same fight within our own country. Thousands of Southeast Asian Americans, many that entered legally admitted as refugees are being deported for decade old offenses they've longed paid for. America is our country. All we ask is the right to stay in the home that we've helped to build and work hard to protect. We are not seeking special treatment. We are asking for justice, compassion, and a second chance in this country to claim what we believe in. To Governor Whitmer and members of Congress and all elected officials, please help bring Lou and the many others home. Urge ICE and DHS to release him on humanitarian grounds. Help his case. Help us preserve the integrity of our laws and the dignity of our families. And to the public allies and the media. Please call our elected officials. Please call these offices. Please share Lou's story. We need voices. Voices louder than ours alone. It is hard times you guys. It is real. And I speak to you from the bottom of my heart. Please help me and our families in the many that are suffering. This is our home. These are our children. This is my husband and this is our fight. Let him come home. Let our families be whole again, and let America keep its promise. Thank you guys for hearing me. Miko: Lou Young is a community leader. Michigan, who actually runs a nonprofit in support of Hmong folks in that community, and is targeted and also has a stay of removal. So we're doing a targeted campaign for both of these folks, Lou Yang and Mohan Karki, to be able to get them released to overturn their original convictions and they also have spouses that are telling their stories and telling the impact these detentions have had. Because while this current administration talks about getting rid of criminals, what they are actually doing is breaking apart families and community. Swati Rayasam: You are tuned in to Apex Express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and online@kpfa.org. Coming up is Deporting the Pilgrim from the Anakbayan Long Beach Mayday Mix tape.   Swati Rayasam: That was please be strong, featuring Hushed, loudmouth and Joe handsome. And before that was deporting the pilgrim from the Unec Bayan Long Beach Mayday Mixtape. Now back to the show. Miko: I wanna shift us a little bit to talking about Asian american representation in the larger fabric of immigration justice in the United States. Mostly many of our Asian communities have been like isolated, not really involved in the broader immigration movement. And I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit about the difficulty and nuance of bringing your community struggle to the forefront because many of us heard about the Venezuelans and the Mexicans that have been deported and what was going on, but we don't hear as much about these stories of our Asian sisters and brothers. I wonder if one of you could give voice to that. Robin: Before going there can I add something to Miko: of course. Robin: crimmigration conversation? So when you all are sharing about that, I was thinking about, the justice system in this country and what we are seeing right now is a broken justice system. Like you said, Miko, where families are separated where families are broken, and what I don't understand is, when, let's say your loved one gets into trouble, makes a mistake, and gets into a trouble, then, as a human being, like, don't you want your loved ones to rebuild their lives? Like Yes, of course there is a system that you have to follow, the laws that you have to follow, but at the end, I think we all want our loved ones to come back, rebuild their lives, right? And what we're seeing in this country is they're constantly breaking the families. And I don't see how we are going to build a better future when we are constantly, hurting the families. And in the cases of detention and deportation, what we're seeing is the double punishment. Like the mistakes that they had made, but then throughout their life, they have to go through that, a continuous cycle of being punished. And not just the individuals, but their family members have also go through the challenges, the suffering, right? And in the case of Bhutanese from double punishment to double expulsion to this, the state of being statelessness. Right? So what kind of future we are imagining when an individual has to go through that continuous cycle of being punished and not having the opportunity to rebuild their lives. So that's a big question mark that I think, we all need to think about. To your later question around my community and the larger Asian American context or the national context. My community is relatively new to this country. We lived, almost two decades in a refugee camp, which was a enclosed camp. And our lives were dependent on foreign aids like UNHCR or ILWF. Pretty much I would say we had our own world over there. And for us to work outside the refugee camp was illegal. There was no laws that gave us the permission to work outside. So we were not pretty much exposed to the outer world. So for us to come to US was a big step. Which means pretty much from basic every day stuffs like, you know, using a bathroom, using a kitchen, taking a bus. All of those were foreign for us. So for our community to really tap into the education system, the political landscape of this country. And also like the experience of being expelled for voicing our, our opinions, for fighting for our rights. Right? So for us, for our community to kind of step in into the politics, it's like re-traumatizing ourselves. I would say there are a lot of barriers, multi-layered barriers for our community members to really tap into the larger political, like socio political landscape, from language barriers to culture barriers to education, to pretty much everything. So right now, the way our committee has been being attacked. It's a surprise to the community. And also it is like kind of traumatizing the community and taking us back to the same place of feeling, insecure, feeling like we don't have a home. And we did hope that this is legally, this is going to be a home. Because after coming to the US most of us became the legal citizens of this country and we started rebuilding our lives. Now it's kind of like going back to the same circle of statelessness. Miko: Thank you for sharing about that. Kao Ye, would you like to add to that? Kao Ye: When I think of the Hmong American community and even the Southeast Asian community and why the narratives of what is happening still feels very invisible. I think of how our community, we were assimilating for survival. And I speak on that as a child of my refugee parents and siblings where growing up we were taught to, listen, not speak out, not cause trouble. Go through the system, listen to authority, listen to law enforcement. And because of that, I feel it's shaped a culture of fear. Fear to dissent and fear to speak out because we care so much about the stability of our families. And we wanted to protect ourselves, because of everything we've gone through with the war. And we are finding that it's been challenging for our community members to come forward with their stories. Honestly, we're still sitting on that and we're still kind of sitting through like, why is there that tension? You know, I feel like folks are going through a lot and even folks have, our impacted loved ones, but they're afraid to tell their story because of fear of of retaliation. And so I think that there is a level of, I think that lack of even psychological safety, but real, physical, real financial safety that people have. And I think that being a factor to the assimilation, but also this facade of like the American dream and like if we don't just disrupt, if we don't speak out, we will be protected. And, white supremacy, right? Like we will be okay. And it's a facade because we know that because our communities are the ones getting kidnapped and getting deported. Right. And so I think there is that fear, but there's also recognition of this now, this facade that the silence doesn't protect us and that there is a real need for us to really, be strong in speaking out, not just for our SEA siblings that are impacted, but for all of our immigrant groups, even the Bhutanese community, right. That's been impacted during this time. And so I, yeah, I think it is that multi-layered experience of being a Southeast Asian refugee community on top of, being part of this AAPI umbrella. AAPI we are not homogenous. We all have very unique histories as to how we have dealt with the systems in this country and how we came into this country. And so I think it's been challenging to make space for those nuances. And at the end of the day, I still see the interconnections that we all have together too. And so, I think it's the willingness to make space for those different stories. And I am finding that more of our ethnic media, our smaller news outlets are more willing to cover those stories as opposed to, these larger mainstream outlets. Like they're not covering those stories, but we are. Miko: Thank you. Oh, both of you have brought up so much today about our failed criminal justice system, about us punishing people as opposed to rehabilitating people and punishing them more than once. We brought up questions around statelessness and the impact that it has, and I just recently learned that the United States does not have any policy on Statelessness. So one of the things that this coalition of folks is trying to do is to get a congressional hearing to help the United States develop policy around statelessness, because it is actually our responsibility and our duty to do that. The other thing I hear you both talking about is this good immigrant, bad immigrant trope, which we've heard of a lot, but I think that's also very much connected to why so many members of our communities don't wanna speak out because this connection with, you know, quote unquote criminal history might be something that's shameful. And I'm wondering if you both see that as a divide mostly between elders in the community and younger folks. Robin, do you wanna talk about that? Robin: Yeah. I mean, initially when we were mobilizing our community members to fight against the the unjust and unfair detention and deportation, this issue around the perception around good immigrants and bad immigrants became one of the main topic of discussion. We had to deal with people, and mostly elders, but I would say some young folks as well, who would pull themselves back on speaking against this issue because for them people who are being deported or detained are criminals and they deserve this kind of mindset. And not being able to see the larger picture of how the administration is targeting the immigrant and the refugee population of this country and really trying to dismantle community power, right? So, yes, it is a challenge that we are, we're going through and I think it's going to be quite a bit of work, to really build solidarity within our own communities. Kao Ye: I feel that the divide in the Hmong community is stemming from class and education. I feel as though when folks are articulating, regurgitating these justifications of the bad immigrant as to why folks should be deported it's folks that maybe kind of made it in their lives and now they're comparing themselves to folks that were not in that situation. And there is this growing within our community as well, where some folks are getting that education, getting, good jobs. But so much of our community, we still suffer from poverty, right? And so, I think that has been really interesting to witness the level of division because of class, because of income and also the education piece. Because oftentimes when folks are feeling this, it comes from a place of ignorance as well. And so that's why I think the education piece is so important. I actually feel though our elders are more understanding because these are their children that are being separated from them. And Robin's point is that when we have loved ones that go through the system, we just want them to rebuild their lives and be self-sufficient. And I feel like those are the values that I grew up in my community where our parents were always about keeping the family together to a fault, you know? And so they don't want separation. They just want us to be well and to do well, and to turn our lives around. And so, I feel strongly that our elders, they do understand that the importance of giving this opportunity for us to, to stay together and turn our lives around. Miko: Thank you so much, both of you for joining me here today to talk about this important conversation. I'm wondering if you could provide our audience with how they could find out more about what is going on and what are next steps for our audience members. Robin, let's start with you. Robin: Yeah. I just wanted to add what, Kao Ye talked about. I do agree the patterns around the divide is based on class. And I do see that in the community, and not just the class, but in our community class and caste, I would say. And in terms of the class, there were some instances where we had to deal with even the highly educated like PhD holders kind of, questioning us like, you know, what we are advocating for, and, I couldn't understand like, I couldn't relate the education, the title, the degree that he holds and the perception around this issue. Right. So, I just wanted to echo that. So, in terms of our work and Asian Refugees United, our website is www.asianrefugees.org And you can find us in our Instagram, Facebook, Asian Refugees United. Miko: And you can also get latest news about what's happening at bhutaneserefugeerights.com. Yeah. And Kao Ye how can folks find out more about your work? Kao Ye: Right now HIP is part of a statewide network in California called the Pardon Refugees Campaign, where we are really pushing Governor Newsom to pardon all refugees, not just Southeast Asians because of everything that we talked about, about how our families, they deserve to stay together. And so, I don't think we have a website up yet, but you can follow this campaign with us. We will be having a rally and press conference, coming up soon, in the next few weeks. And so, I would say that please follow us in that work where we are really moving in coalition with all of our uh, grassroots partners to advocate for our loved ones that are currently being impacted. Miko: Thank you so much, Robin Gurung, Asian Refugees United and Kao Ye Thao from Hmong Innovating Politics. Thank you so much for being with us here today, and I hope you listeners out there take action to keep our families together, to keep our people in the communities as loved ones where they belong. Thank you all. Have a great night. Swati Rayasam: I'm so grateful that Miko was able to talk to Robin and Kao Ye. And for those who missed it, visit bhutanese refugee rights.org for the most recent updates on the Bhutanese refugees. The press conference in rally Kao Ye mentioned took place last week on August 21st, 2025, but check out the Pardon Refugees Campaign for updates from the coalition supporting Hmong, Cambodian Laotian, Myan, and other refugees facing deportation. Thanks so much for tuning in to Apex Express. Please check out our website at kpfa.org/program/apexexpress to find out more about the show tonight and to find out how you can take direct action. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by  Miko Lee, along with Jalena Keene-Lee, Ayame Keene-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar,  Anuj Vaida, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Ravi Grover, and me Swati Rayasam. Thank you so much to the team at KPFA for their support and have a good night. The post APEX Express – 10.23.25 -And We Become Stateless Again appeared first on KPFA.

 In this episode of Asia Inside Out, Rorry Daniels, Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University's Asia Center and leading expert on transnational cybercrime in Southeast Asia. Together, they unpack the $64 billion a year scam industry run by criminal syndicates operating out of Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, as well as the human trafficking networks that sustain these operations. Daniels and Sims explore what China and the United States have done to confront this rapidly evolving transnational threat and provide further recommendations for how countries and multilateral bodies like ASEAN can strengthen their collective response.Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider's view on regional and global affairs. Each month we'll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our experts and contributors into recommendations for policy makers to put these plans into practice.

(00:00-35:32) Not sure Doug's gonna be much good to us today after that game last night. Fun on the jumbo tron. Fluctuating cameras. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. That time Daddy Padre duped us as Alec Ogletree. Sassy Batman. Into the cheese, indifferent on the goalie. Chairman Steve is on the lines with the kind of enthusiasm we need. St. Elmo's. Steve and Doug debating ball. Steve's selling his Tiger stock. Colonel Sanders is on the line and wants to talk wagering. Wants some advice for a rookie who wants to start gambling. Bofa Deez is up next and he's down in the dumps because she left him. A mail order bride from Laos. Advice for marriage number 6.(35:40-59:43) Jackson didn't read JR's article in The Athletic this morning but he did get up. Audio of Jim Montgomery on what he wants to see more of out of the Blues in order to improve. That Nonling is a real puck knower. Gabe doing some quote tweeting this morning. When Nakos has it, you know it's true. Engagement farming. Does Jackson speak in riddles? Boogie boarding.(59:53-1:19:05) Childish Gambino. You ever been to 30 Rock? Spicy Tso and Legend of Columbia's YouTube battle. Audio of Rece Davis talking about people sleeping on Mizzou this weekend in the matchup against Vandy. Audio of Drink talking about not being affected by Gameday. More guest picker speculation. Famous roommates. A Doug guessing game. Data from Bill.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the show we're heading off to Southeast Asia - not Vietnam, not Thailand, but the quieter, lesser-known neighbour. Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, home to the Mekong River, French-style baguettes, and some of the most laid-back people you'll meet. Travel writer Jane Daniell has written a four-part series about travelling there on her website My Travel Room.

After a long hiatus, AES is back — and we're kicking things off with the return of a favorite guest: Holly High! In this episode, we dive into Holly's latest project, her substack Laos: Revolutions in Reproduction, exploring how socialist ideals shape everyday life. We discuss: socialist housing and urban planning in Laos, property ownership under socialism, the evolving role of the socialist state  and much more! Join us for a thoughtful conversation on how revolutions live on in the structures and systems of everyday life. https://substack.com/@revolutionsinreproduction hollyhigh.net patreon.com/aesthepodcast  

This archaeological dig in Phonsovan, Laos is one of the most important and dangerous prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/plain-of-jars Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“África-Europa: Acabar com a Dependência Estrutural: o Momento da Verdade face à Auto-ilusão” é o novo livro do economista guineense Carlos Lopes, que ocupou o cargo de Alto Representante da União Africana para as Parcerias com a Europa. A obra aborda a dependência estrutural nas relações entre África e Europa, propondo uma reflexão sobre a auto-ilusão e a necessidade de mudanças nas abordagens de ajuda e desenvolvimento. No livro, fala sobre a dependência estrutural nas relações entre África e Europa. De que forma se pode acabar com essa dependência? Essa dependência não pode ser explicada apenas com factos políticos ou com teoria económica. Necessita de mais profundidade para se poder entender que as narrativas foram construídas através de uma história muito complexa, dos dois lados, e que leva a que haja um determinado número de condicionalismos que fazem crescer uma mentalidade difícil de mudar. Tive de recorrer à psicologia para poder explicar alguns destes fenómenos. É por isso que o título do livro inclui a expressão "auto-ilusão", um fenómeno estudado na psicologia: quando as pessoas enfeitam a realidade e utilizam técnicas manipuladoras para que essa "verdade" construída seja a que prevalece. Infelizmente, encontrei esse defeito, se assim lhe podemos chamar, dos dois lados da equação: tanto do lado dos europeus, como do lado dos africanos. Por razões diferentes, evidentemente, mas ambos confortáveis com esta forma de interpretação das relações, o que impede a tal transformação estrutural. Fala na fragmentação das abordagens africanas, que têm sido estrategicamente exploradas pela Europa nas negociações. Como se pode ultrapassar essa divisão interna e criar uma posição mais forte entre os países africanos? Essa divisão dos africanos já é uma consequência. O principal problema é a ideia de que se pode, com altruísmo e uma certa forma de compensação pelos erros do passado, tirar os países africanos da sua condição de menos desenvolvidos. É essa a justificação ideológica da ajuda ao desenvolvimento. Pensa-se que, através dessa ajuda, se podem operar grandes modificações. Na realidade, essa ajuda insere-se num sistema que não permite mudanças estruturais, a não ser em casos muito excepcionais. Defende uma diplomacia africana mais proactiva. O que tem impedido os países africanos de adoptarem essa postura mais assertiva nas negociações com a União Europeia? O que impede é o facto de, devido às características que mencionei, a União Europeia conseguir escolher facilmente os interlocutores que falarão como gostaria de ouvir. Portanto, há auto-ilusão. Escolhem-se os países para determinados tipos de reuniões, conferências, eventos, dando-se atenção àqueles que se comportam "bem", para usar uma linguagem simples. As pessoas pensam que, ao fazerem aquilo que lhes pedem, vão receber compensações: mais ajuda, mais acesso, mais visibilidade, mais protagonismo. Este jogo faz com que África apareça sempre dividida. É evidente que os africanos poderiam ter o à-vontade político para superar isto, mas é preciso ver que estas divisões têm raízes históricas muito profundas, que descrevo em detalhe no livro, e que são difíceis de mudar. O conceito de “auto-ilusão” é central no livro. Pode explicar o impacto dessa “auto-ilusão” nas decisões políticas no continente africano e como se reflecte nas relações com a Europa? Esse conceito faz com que os europeus não mudem a sua postura em relação a África, e, portanto, estejam a perder terreno. Outros parceiros do continente, que não têm esse tipo de dificuldade nem esse “pedigree” histórico, abordam as coisas de forma diferente. No lado africano, como a Europa continua a ser o principal doador, o bloco com mais comércio e onde existe mais investimento (em termos de stock, não necessariamente em novos investimentos), a falta de uma relação clara e transparente com a Europa afecta também as relações com os outros parceiros. Essa é, digamos, a perenidade do problema. Temos de o superar através de várias formas de negociação, que tentei introduzir enquanto Alto Representante da União Africana, mas falhei. Por isso, senti a obrigação de explicar as razões mais profundas. Daí a ideia do livro. Estas razões passam também pelo legado colonial, tema presente no livro. De que forma as narrativas colonialistas moldam ainda hoje as relações entre os dois blocos, sobretudo em matéria económica? Sobretudo em matéria económica. Por exemplo, temos a teoria das vantagens comparativas, que é conhecida dos economistas, mas que no caso africano é usada para perpetuar a ideia de que as vantagens comparativas africanas são a exportação de matérias-primas, exactamente o modelo colonial. Mantém-se uma estrutura económica colonial que se traduz em várias práticas: em matéria de transportes, os investimentos mais importantes continuam a ser os que facilitam a exportação de matérias-primas para os portos, e não para servir a economia doméstica; as políticas macroeconómicas visam sobretudo garantir o cumprimento das obrigações internacionais e não necessariamente reduzir a pobreza da população. Acabamos por ser reféns de uma ideia colonial, apenas com uma nova roupagem. Critica a ajuda internacional e sugere que ela perpetua o subdesenvolvimento. Quais seriam, na sua opinião, os mecanismos mais eficazes para que a ajuda se torne uma força real para o desenvolvimento sustentável? Para mim, é relativamente fácil dizer onde a ajuda poderia ser importante, transformadora e significativa: na regulação internacional. Por exemplo, em matéria de comércio: os países africanos são penalizados de várias formas. A “Rodada de Doha”, aprovada há 17 anos na OMC, visava fazer do comércio um instrumento de desenvolvimento, mas nunca foi implementada, em parte por oposição de países europeus. Outro exemplo: a regulação financeira. Os países africanos enfrentam avaliações de risco que não condizem com a realidade. Comparando os dados macroeconómicos de África com os da América Latina ou da Ásia, vemos que as taxas de juro para os empréstimos africanos são muito mais elevadas, apesar de os indicadores africanos, por vezes, serem melhores. Também em matéria de investimento: o retorno sobre o investimento em África é dos melhores, segundo a Organização do Comércio das Nações Unidas. Mas isso não se traduz em mais investimento. Este ano, por exemplo, as projecções do Banco Mundial e do FMI indicam que África será o continente que mais crescerá, pela primeira vez, ultrapassando a Ásia. Mas esta não é a percepção generalizada. A França tem tido influência sobre muitos países africanos e é muitas vezes acusada de manter dinâmicas neocoloniais. Como vê actualmente a posição da França em relação a África? Vejo uma posição de perda de influência. Numa altura em que a França se dá conta de que deveria mudar a sua postura ,por ser considerada excessivamente marcada por uma visão neocolonial, fá-lo de forma atabalhoada, o que provoca o efeito contrário: um afastamento ainda maior. É um lugar-comum, mas os jovens africanos vêem a atitude francesa como demasiado intrusiva nos processos políticos dos seus países. Lamentavelmente, a França está em perda. E nos sistemas políticos não existe vácuo, esse espaço é rapidamente ocupado por outros. Mas existe espaço para uma mudança genuína na abordagem da França? Existe. Claro que sim. Bastava, por exemplo, que os bancos franceses mais importantes vissem em África como os turcos, chineses, vietnamitas ou indianos estão a ver: uma oportunidade de expansão. Mas, em vez disso, os bancos franceses estão a retirar-se. Isso revela uma percepção de risco contrária à tendência mundial. Sugere que África deveria explorar o seu potencial em comércio, tecnologia e ambiente. Quais são os obstáculos actuais para o continente afirmar-se internacionalmente? Antes de mais, é preciso reconhecer que, em qualquer das megatendências mundiais, demográfica, climática ou tecnológica, o mundo precisa de África. Demografia: o envelhecimento da população mundial favorece o crescimento do consumo em África, onde a população continua a crescer. O Clima: em energias renováveis e minerais críticos, África é essencial para a transição ecológica; Tecnologia: apesar da inovação não estar centrada em África, a complexidade crescente das tecnologias torna-as mais difíceis de absorver por populações envelhecidas. Ora, os nativos digitais do futuro estão em África. Em 2050, um em cada dois jovens no mundo será africano. Temos de repensar o conceito de risco. Este ainda é avaliado com base em parâmetros ultrapassados pelas megatendências actuais. Enquanto isso não mudar, continuaremos a negligenciar o papel central que África terá no futuro. Qual seria, a seu ver, o maior passo a ser dado pelos líderes africanos e europeus para garantir que as futuras gerações não herdem estas dinâmicas de poder desigual que ainda dominam estas relações? Acabar com a auto-ilusão. E isso começa por ter a noção de que a maioria dos conceitos que utilizamos hoje para interpretar o processo de desenvolvimento está errada. São conceitos que devem ser cada vez mais ancorados nas experiências recentes, nomeadamente nas transições bem-sucedidas dos países da Ásia, do Sudeste Asiático e, mais recentemente, da Índia. Temos, portanto, um corpo de conhecimento que nos permite sair da auto-ilusão com factos reais. Como foi possível, por exemplo, que um país como o Vietname se transforme num colosso exportador, como é hoje? Como foi possível que um país com índices de pobreza muito elevados, como o Laos, consiga alcançar, digamos, patamares aceitáveis de desenvolvimento? Como é que um país como Bangladesh, que era um dos países com maior densidade populacional entre os menos desenvolvidos, seja hoje uma potência industrial? Portanto, temos exemplos concretos. E esses exemplos, infelizmente, não são frequentemente encontrados em África.

Listen to news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Church leaders and rights activists have condemned a surge in violence against media workers in Pakistan's southern Sindh province. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. TAKE ACTION Rising Voices campaign for Lue Yang Mohan Karki's GoFundMe   And please help support these organizations working to support detained and deported folx: Asian Law Caucus Asian Refugees United Ba Lo Project in Vietnam Collective Freedom in Vietnam & Laos Asian Prisoner Support Committee & New Light Wellness in Cambodia November 1–2, people nationwide are joining the Disappeared In America Weekend of Action to stand up for immigrant families and defend due process. Actions include protests at Home Depots, candlelight Freedom Vigils, and Day of the Dead events honoring lives lost to detention.   The following day, November 3, 4pm Pacific time, 7pm Eastern Time, Join us for “We Belong Here, Bhutanese & Hmong Americans in the Struggle Against Statelessness” a live virtual event featuring my three guests tonight, along with performances and conversations. bit.ly/WBH-2025   We Belong Here! Show Transcript Miko Lee: Welcome to Apex Express. This is your host, Miko Lee. Today we're talking about detentions and potential deportations and the atrocities that the Trump administration is creating in our communities. And today I am so honored to have three guests with me, Tika Basnet, and Ann Vu, and Aisa Villarosa. Tika and Ann they're part of a horrible club, which is both of their spouses are currently in detention from our immigration system. But I just wanna start on a real personal note in a way that I often do with my guests. Anne, I'm gonna start with you. I just would love to hear from you, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Ann Vue: Thank you again, Miko and Isa, you guys for having me on. So we are Hmong. And we helped Americans during the Vietnam War. And so, during the Vietnam War in Laos, a lot of our pilots needed a communication. And because we're indigenous and we are in the mountains, they were able to speak with us and use us. And so a lot of our Hmong, what they did or what they contributed helped a lot of the pilots rescued a lot, like thousands and thousands of Americans, really, so that that way they can make it back home, right? And so that is our contribution to the American people. And so when we were brought to America, was to resettle because of humanitarian purpose. Really because of our legacy of helping Americans with the war, right? So that is who we are and what we bring to America. And that's who I am. I'm, and I'm actually the first generation Hmong American too. So I was born right here in the capital of Lansing, Michigan. Miko Lee: Thanks so much ann. And Tika, can you share who are your people and what legacy you carry with you? Tika Basnet: Yes. Hi, my name is Tika Basnet. So I am Bhutanese Nepali community. My parents and all the Bhutanese, they ran away from Bhutan in 1990 due to the ethnic cleansing. And they came to Nepal, seeking for asylum, and that is where we born. I was born in Nepal, in refugee camp. Even though I was born in Nepal, Nepal never gave us identity. They never give us citizenship, so we were known as Bhutanese Nepali, but as known as Stateless. And yeah, my husband also born in Nepal in a refugee camp. Miko Lee: Thank you, Tika. And Aisa, I'm gonna ask the same question for you Aisa, my friend that works at Asian Law Caucus. Who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Aisa Villarosa: So much love to you, Miko and to you Ann and Tika for being here today. I just am, I'm so honored.My name is Aisa and I carry the love and, Maki Baka spirit of Filipino Americans both in my family across the diaspora. A little bit about the Filipino American story. We came to the United States as part of the colonial machine. The first Filipinos were brought as part of the Spanish Gallian trade. We made California home, parts of Louisiana home, and it's quite a contrast to a lot of the sort of model minority seduction that many of my people, and myself as a younger person tended to fall into that if we kept our heads down, if we were quiet, we would be left alone. I'm struck because at this moment of just unprecedented government attacks, so many of our communities have this story where someone somewhere said to us, yeah, just keep your head down and it'll be fine. And we're seeing the exact opposite, that this is the time to really use our voices, both individually and as one. And I'm also an artist and try to infuse that into my work in fighting government systems. Miko Lee: Thank you Aisa. And in the interest of fairness, I will say I'm Miko. I am fifth generation Chinese American. I grew up knowing that my family was full of fighters that built the railroads, worked in the gold mines in laundromats and restaurants, and my parents walked with Dr. King and Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, and I was raised in a family of social justice activists. So I feel like our legacy is to continue that work and to fight for the rights of our peoples. That being said, I'm so honored to have both of all three of you powerful women join me today. And as I was saying in the beginning, Tika and Anne are sadly a part of this club. Nobody wants to be a part of this club with the sudden, unexpected, harmful detentions of both of your husbands. I wonder if you can each just share the story about what happened and how you first found out about your husband being detained. And let's start with you Tika. Tika Basnet: So, my husband got his removal in 2014 when he was like minor. Just 17 years old, high school student going from school to home and, he's a teenager and with his friend, like they were playing around and they wanna go home really fast. So they just cross from private property. And I think that is where someone saw and call 911. So we came from the culture that we love to go people home , walking around, playing around. So my husband came here in 2011. The incident happened on 2013. So he was just, came here without knowing culture, without knowing languages, So he has no idea. So when somebody called 911, he could not explain what happened. First of all, English is his second language, he was barely here without knowing rules and regulation, without knowing culture. The police get them and then they took him to jail I think police gave a lot of charges. And even until now, my husband doesn't know what are those charges? At that time, nobody explained, this is the three charges you got, and this could lead to deportation. And he feel guilty without knowing those charges. And just because he trusts Nepali translate guy, and he told my husband, like, if you don't say I'm guilty, you will end up in prison for 20 to 25 years, but if you say I'm guilty, you'll go home. And my husband said, guilty. And at that time, neither criminal lawyer told my husband, like, if you say I'm guilty, you'll end up getting deport. Deport to the contrary that you are you never born. Deport To the contrary, you doesn't even speak their language. And even the lawyer did not explain my husband like, you will not gonna get your green card. You cannot apply your citizenship in your life. If all of, if those things like the lawyer told my husband at that time, he will never gonna say, I am guilty to the crime that he did not even commit. And so when they tried to deport my husband back then, Bhutan say, he's not my citizenship, he's not from my country, We don't know this guy. He's not belongs to here. And when US Embassy reach out to, Nepal, do you know this guy? They told, ICE no, we don't know this guy, like he's not belongs here. And then the ICE officer, they told my husband, like, we can let you go, you need to come here, like order of supervision every years, every three months, every six months, whenever we call you. And it been 11 years. My husband is following rules and regulation. After that incident, never police arrest him. He did not even get criminal record. He did not even get misdemeanor record. So basically he never did any violation after that. So he was following, he got married, he has a life, he pay taxes. He was taking care of his family and in 11 years he was doing everything. And in 2025 for the first time they target Bhutanese Nepali community. And at that time I knew that this is the last time I'm gonna see my husband. And that is a time I think I broke down. Like, when they detained my husband in April 8, I was eight months pregnant. And um, like we dream a lot of things like, you know, we are gonna take care of our daughter. We are gonna buy home, we are gonna work, we are gonna give her the life that we, I'm sorry. Miko Lee: Totally. Okay. Tika Basnet: So, yeah. Um, like I never thought like Bhutanese community can, like deport. Like my parent already , go through this trauma, you know, when Bhutan throw them away due to ethnic cleansing and same thing happening to us. It is unbelievable. I cannot believe that, we're going through this again and I don't know when this gonna be stopped. I don't know whether like my husband gonna come home. I dunno. Like I'm fighting and it is been five month and I really want my husband back. Like my daughter today is, she's three month old. She need her dad in life. 'cause I cannot provide everything by myself. My husband is the main provider for her aging parent. 'cause even now they cannot pay bills. Like they have really hard time paying bills. And this is the reason, like I'm fighting for my husband case and I want my husband back. And I think he deserve second chance because if you see his record is clean, like for one incident that happened like 12 years ago, that cannot define my husband. Like who he is right now, you know? So yeah, this is what happened. Like I cannot believe that my husband is able to get deport to the country that doesn't even accept. And I don't know whether he gonna get killed. I dunno what, whether he gonna disappear, I don't know what will happen to him. I don't know if it is last time I'm gonna see him. Miko Lee: Tika, thank you so much for sharing your story. And just to recap really briefly, your husband, Mohan Karki when he was a teenager, newly arrived in the country, was leaving high school, walked with his friends through a backyard and was suddenly racially profiled. And the neighbor called police because he was trespassing on property.He was born at a refugee camp. Is that right? Tika Basnet: Yes. Miko Lee: And so there was not property that was like person's property on that refugee camp. So that whole concept of walking across somebody's land was something he was not aware of. He had an interpreter that did not give correct or full information. And so he signed something, including a deportation order, that he wasn't actually, wasn't even aware of until recently when he was put into detention. Is that right? Tika Basnet: Yes. Yes. Miko Lee: And right now he's in detention. You're, you live in Ohio, but he's in detention in Michigan, right? Tika Basnet: Yes. Miko Lee: Okay, Tika, let's talk about Mohans case and what's happening. He's held in detention right now in a detention facility in Michigan. And what is going on with his case? Tika Basnet: Yeah, I don't wanna say a lot of things about his case, but our attorney, his criminal attorney does file, a Motion to Redeem asking BIA to send that, case back to Georgia and we recently hired, criminal attorney to fight for his case, that happened in 2013. And our attorney just submit documentation where he's asking to release my husband because it'd been five month. And he's not risk to the community. He's not risk to the flight. 'cause he doesn't have no one in Bhutan. He doesn't have no one in Nepal. He's all family is in here. So his community love him ,he has family that loves him. And, we also get lot of documentations as a proof telling ICE officer that my husband is not risk to the community or, to the flight. Miko Lee: Thank you. And he has a new baby, a four month old baby that he has yet to meet. So that is a powerful reason to stay. And as Tikas pointing out, the lawyer just submitted documentation along with 50 letters of support from the community , from employers, from family members, all saying why he should stay in this country. Thank you so much for sharing. And Anne, i'm wondering if you could share about what happened to your husband. He was also born in a refugee camp, right? Ann Vue: So, Lou was born in Nangkai, Thailand refugee camp. In 1978 and in 1979 his parents and him and his older brother received parole for legal entry. I think the exact word was, they were paroled pursuant under section 212D5 of the I and N Act, which means that they are granted urgent humanitarian reasons for or for public benefit. Right. Because my father-in-law had helped and during the war. And so he received his visa in September. I just lookeded back at all of his history there and then they made it to America right before Halloween 'cause my father-in-law was like, I always remembered it because in the country of Asia, they're scared of halloween, scary Halloween stuff. And so when they came, they were like, oh my gosh. There were, Jesus says, I remember there were just a lot of zombies, right? And we were so scared because we were like, and so I always remember that about, you know, I'll fast forward it to 1997, right when he just turned, I believe 18 and very similar to Tika, you know, her husband too. And a lot of times, in the early nineties, me even being the first generation American here, racism played a lot. And we all went through that piece and our parents not speaking English at the same time, they were going to school themselves so that they can learn our English language, right. And they weren't able to teach us growing up. So we had to kind of fend for ourselves. And I would say my husband he went out with some friends. He did not commit the crime. But of course now that is brought back to him, he understood about his particular case is second attempt, home invasion. Nobody was harmed. He was in the vehicle, in the backseat when he was caught. And he didn't wanna partake, but he didn't wanna stop them either, you know? 'cause to him it was like, if I don't partake, then I have nothing to do with it. Right. Because if I do, then they might not be my friends anymore. I mean, it's just a part of growing up as a youth. But because he was there, and then would receive a court appointed attorney, and then provide it very similar to Tika's too. Had an interpreter, that was explaining to them, was provided bad legal advice. He had nothing, no knowledge about how this would impact his immigration status. He would take a plea, and it was advised by their attorney, take the plea it's easier, you know, and you probably serve less than a year. You'll be out, you'll only be in the county jail anyways 'cause you didn't really commit the crime and technically it should have been a misdemeanor. But because you're an accomplice , that kind of falls under this category. So he took the plea, he served 10 months in a county jail. He actually was released for good behavior. He even finished his probation soon because he paid all of his stuff off. And he even finished a youth advocate program, a youth training program for anybody that committed crimes between the age of 18 to 21. I actually just saw this form the other day and I was reading it and it talks about, you know, the one thing about our parents, experiencing the war and coming to America, they don't talk about it. And a lot of us are from communist countries . We're, we are very afraid to voice our voices, because someone can take action. And our parents never talked about it. And I read what he wrote to his, youth coordinator, and he wrote, he felt so bad about what he did. He created disappointment for his parents and he understands now after his parents told him, there are sacrifices that got us here to America. And he literally wrote all of this down, he's going to be a better person, is what he wrote. I'm going to be a better person. I'm going to make my parents proud now that I understand their sacrifices. And, they asked him, well what was your upbringing like? And in one sentence, he wrote, poor, right? So he wrote, poor and the coordinator wrote on the bottom of his comments said, Lou is remorseful for what has happened or for what ha what has happened, and very remorseful and he wants to be a better person. I have no other questions. The training is complete. He doesn't need any further, support and believes that he will move forward to be a better person. That's what literally what they wrote on the document. Then fast forwarding to 1999 , after everything was done and he served, that's when, immigration showed up at his house. And from there moved forward to explain to him what had happened. And once that happened, of course him and I would meet in 2000, and then we'd be married in 2001. Right? So we'd celebrate. Almost 24 and a half years of marriage. Right? So we did appeal his case in the humanitarian piece of what this meant for Lou during the time where we all fled the country. Once we were, once the monks were declared enemy of the state by the LDR in Laos, we fled. And once we fled, it's well documented that there was a little bit over 400,000 of us there right after all the genocide and the killings of the Hmong there was probably less than 45,000 of us left, right? And so once we understood a lot of that, we wanted to do better. We wanted to really service our community, right? So. Fast forwarding it. We appealed the case. The case was then denied I believe in 2002. And even in his letters, in his appeal letters, general Vink Powell, which led the, Hmongs during, in the war, even had a letter in there where he, to also pled why Hmongs need to stay here in America, right. And why we need to bring the rest of our people to this country. The reality is our whole family, Lou's whole family was wiped out. We don't have anybody, Lou doesn't have anyone, right? And so you know, that goes to Tikas thing too. There's nobody there. And, going back to the case once it was denied in 2002, of course he then. Was forced to reach out to the embassy and reached out to the embassy and was denied, entry into Thailand 'cause that's where he was born. We're stateless too, just like Tikas husband. We were denied by Thailand. We were also denied by Laos stating that we are not a citizen of theirs. They do not allow or welcome any sort of entry. And then in 2006, that's when they actually took his green card was in 2006 and then we prompt again we were denied. And then in 2008 we were denied a third time and that's when his immigration officer was like, just move on and start your life. Laos and Thailand, will never sign a repatriation act with America because of you guys, because of the Hmong people, what you guys have done to their country, making it the most bombed country during the war without even being a part of the war. So therefore, they will never allow you guys or accept you guys back. And so we were like, okay. So we moved forward and then in 2014, this immigration officer, which we was doing yearly checkups at this time, was like, Hey go get your citizenship, get your green card. They're like you're doing so good. You know, you probably could have a chance to get it. That's when we moved forward to apply for citizenship and for all we did for the green card and then for citizenship. And of course we were denied in 2015 and we know how expensive this is. You pay $10,000 outright, you don't get that money back. You just have to go at it again, right? And so, uh, we decided that, you know what, we're gonna get his case expunged, and so. We got his case expunged in 2018, no questions asked. It was very straightforward. Once it was expunged, we continued, with our lives. Very involved in the community. And we had all of our children by that time already, so we had six kids already. So fast forwarding to that, and then leading up to his detainment, which this year we even called his immigration officer and he was like, Hey, don't worry about it, Lou, we're moving you over to Grand Rapids and you should be fine. Just make sure that you stay outta trouble, continue to follow your stock and I think what triggered it was when we applied for his work permit in April. Because he was supposed to, he always meets his immigration officer at the end of the year, and we renewed his work permit is what triggered it. And so of course, the money was cashed out, everything the checks went through while we were receiving that, he was gonna be here, everything was gonna be fine. And then leading up to July 15th where he was detained at work, early morning of six 30 in the morning, the detained officer they they told him that they know who he is to the community, so they have to do it this way because they don't want any problems. They don't want media, they don't want reporters. He did play with them. He did ask them because he rode his motorcycle for some weird reason. He has not taken his bike out, his motorcycle out in the last three years. But for some reason that night he was like, I just wanna take my bike. So he took his bike that night and when ICE told him, do you have somebody come get your bike? You need to call somebody to come get your bike. And he was like, nobody in my family rides motorcycles. Like we don't, I don't have anyone to come get my bike. And I think there was some empathy and compassion for him. He was like, okay, let me check on something. Because my husband was like, can I just take my bike back? I've got six kids. I've got my grandma at home and my parents are also at my house right now. I just wanna see them and I just wanna take my bike back. So they asked him, if we let you go, we asked will you like please don't run. Right? And so they followed my husband home and my husband literally called me at 6 37 in the morning and he was like, Hey, ICE is, here they got me. So I'm like, what? What's going on? So it was just so surreal. I was so shocked. And so it's about a 30 minute drive from his workplace back to our house. And um, when he got there, um, they, there were already officers, like there were, it was packed tight in our driveway. So our driveway's pretty far up because we live in the country. And so, there were like five or six cop cars there too. So we had to walk about half a mile down to go see him. They wouldn't allow him to enter where our home was. And the officer told, my husband, told him that they're so sorry. They have to do it this way. They know who he is. They don't want any problems, they don't want any reports in media out here. And I will say my experience was a little bit different from others. They did take their mask off when they took him in, they were respectful so that part is that much. They even, you know, talk to my two older boys like, “Hey, you guys have money. I could put the money in your dad's account.” We're, take him into Grand Rapids, we're gonna process him, and then we're gonna take him to the detention center, which is gonna be involved in Michigan. So they were very open about these steps, what they were doing with him, at least that much. But I will say that it was my grandma, of course she has chronic pulmonary disease stage four. So at that point we, we couldn't haul her fast enough because we only saw him for like maybe a quick minute, and that was it. And so they did ask us to turn around because they had to take him back and they didn't want my, our little ones to see them cuffing him. Miko Lee: They actually said, Anne, we don't want any media to be watching this? Ann Vue: I don't want any problems. Miko Lee: Mm. And and your husband is also quite well known in the Hmong community, right? Ann Vue: He is Miko Lee: and so probably, they were worried about folks coming out and protesting. Is that, do you think that was the case? Ann Vue: That's what I'm assuming, because I don't remember their exact words saying media, but I do remember they were saying that they didn't want people around, they didn't want to create issues for the community.I am assuming that correct, because if he would've gotten the letter just like everybody did, which everybody then would receive the letter on Friday, and because my husband is a community leader, he is the Hmong Family Association's president, we restart receiving. Many, many calls where everybody just wanted to talk to Lou 'cause they needed to know what's going on, how to handle, what to do. And so at that moment I realized, oh my gosh, they detained my husband first this way. And then everybody else got a letter. Miko Lee: And the ICE officer that he had been checking in with routinely has, have you all been in touch with that same ICE officer? Ann Vue: He has been, I think in the last seven or eight years.Yeah. It's been the same guy. Miko Lee: But has he been in touch with him since he was detained? Ann Vue: He hasn't. Miko Lee: Has not, no. So they had different people come in even, 'cause he was the person that said everything's okay, keep going with your life. Ann Vue: Oh yeah. Miko Lee: And so no contact with him whatsoever since the detention? Ann Vue: No. Miko Lee: Can you give a little bit of an update of Lou's case and what's going on with him right now? Ann Vue: I don't know as much. Maybe I may have to have Aisa respond to the legality piece around it. 'cause I know we're, they've been doing, working around the clock and working hard on strategy. Miko Lee: Okay. Thank you so much, Aisa. Before we move into that, I just wanna point out, for all of our listeners, how many similarities there are in these two cases. And in both of these, you know, these amazing women are here supporting their spouses, both, spouses born in refugee camps. Dealing with intergenerational trauma from families that had to escape ethnic cleansing or involved in a war, came into the United States under, legal properties through refugee resettlement acts, made mistakes as young people, partially due to culture and wanting to fit in. They served their time, they paid their dues. They were racially profiled to be able to actually be in those positions that they were in. They suffered from incredible immigration policy failure with bad advice, with a system that's broken. And now both of them are detained. Not yet deported, but detained. Many of the community members have already been deported and they're facing statelessness. And we're seeing this not just with Bhutanese and Hmong folks, but with Mien and Lao and Haitian and El Salvadorian. And we could fill in the blank of how many other peoples in other communities are facing this. So, we also know that these private detention centers where people are being held, are making millions and millions of dollars, and it's connected into our corrupt political system that's in place right now. We also know and Aisa, I'm wondering if you could, talk about the case, but also about some of the deals that we think have had to be made with Laos and Bhutan in order for these deportations to even take place. So Aisa from Asian Law Caucus, I'm gonna pass it to you to go over some of the legal ramifications. Aisa Villarosa: Of course, Miko, and thank you for it for the context. And there are so many parallels that we as advocates must uplift because this is not the time to be divided. This is really the time to build solidarity that we've long known needs to happen. And, and this is really the moment. What Miko is referring to is, uh, largely, um, something that we've observed around the travel bans. So. Earlier this year, right around the time that the Trump administration took hold, there was a draft travel ban list that leaked across a number of media outlets, the Times, et cetera, and the same countries we're talking about today, Bhutan, Laos. These were historically not countries that were subject to sanctions, like the travel ban, and yet here they were. And so a lot of us were scratching our heads and asking, you know, what, why is this happening? Our theory, and this is a theory that is now also manifesting in a number of FOIA requests or Freedom of Information Act requests that are submitted from Asian Law Caucus to departments like the State Department ice, the Department of Homeland Security. Asking the same question that Tika and Anne are asking, which is, how are these deportations even happening? Because they were not happening until this year. And what very likely happened was a bit of a quid pro quo. So in removing Bhutan, removing Laos from this list where they could be sanctioned as a country, there was likely some backdoor deal that took place between the US State Department and Bhutanese officials and the US officials, where essentially there was some form of an agreement that there would be an acceptance or a supposed acceptance of a certain number of folks from these communities. That is why around March, around April for the Bhutanese refugee community, for example, we started seeing pickups very similar to Mohans case, where, many people who had perhaps made some mistakes in their youth or had really old criminal convictions were swept off the streets and thrust into these really rapid deportation proceedings. I don't even know if proceedings is the right word, because there essentially was no proceeding. You know, the Immigration Court is very much a cloaked process. The immigration judge is kind of judge and jury wrapped up together, which is very different than many of us might turn on the TV and see something like Law and order. An immigration court works a very different way where this piece of paper, this final removal order, basically gives ICE a lot of bandwidth to make these deportations happen. However, that doesn't mean we should just accept that this is happening. We know that just basic procedures of fairness are not being met. We know, too that in the case of, for example, the Bhutanese community ICE officers have come to the wrong house. And put a lot of people in fear. So racial profiling was happening even before this recent Supreme Court decision, which essentially now condones racial profiling, right? As criteria that the ICE can use. I also just wanted to talk about this trend too, that we're seeing with so many cases. It happened to Lou, it happened to Mohan, where in someone's underlying criminal court case, maybe they were given a court appointed attorney. In many cases, they were not told of the immigration impacts of, say, taking a plea. There is a Supreme Court case called Padilla versus Kentucky and basically the law shifted such that in many cases there now is a duty for a court appointed public defender to actually talk to folks like Mohan and Lou about the immigration consequences of their plea. So when Tika mentioned that there's something called a post-conviction relief effort for Mohan. That's happening in Georgia. This is very much what that legal defense looks like, where, an expert attorney will look at that very old court record, see if those rights were violated, and also talk to Mohan and make sure did that violation happen and is that grounds for reopening an immigration case. For Lou, there is a really mighty pardoning campaign that's brewing in the state of Michigan. So in Michigan, governor Gretchen Whitmer does have the authority to in some cases expedite a pardon in process. We're hoping that this public swelling of support from Mohan will result in a pardon, because importantly, even if Mohans conviction was expunged, which can be very helpful in, for example, state court, arenas, things like, applying for certain jobs. Unfortunately, in the immigration arena the expungement does not have that same weight as say a vacating, or a motion to vacate that criminal record. So it's super frustrating because, so much of this turns ethically, morally on- do we, as people believe in second chances, and I know most people do, and [00:35:00] yet here we are really. Based on a technicality. I also just want to name too that Lou as a person is both a natural organizer and he is a spiritual guide of his community. So something that many folks don't know is because of so much of the trauma that Anne talked about, both from, supporting the Americans during the Secret War, many Hmong folks who came to the States, they actually in some cases died in their sleep because of this, almost unexplained weight of the trauma, right? And so it almost underscores. The importance of Lou, not just to his family, but this family is a collective family, right? He's both a mentor for so many, he's a spiritual guide for so many. And so you know, him being away from his family, away from community, it's like a double, triple wound. And then for Mohan, I'd love to uplift this memory I have of , a moment in June when Tika gave us a call, and at that point, Mohan had called Tika and said, they're taking me, I'm being deported. And at that point, they were removing Mohan from the ICE facility in Butler, Ohio and transporting him to. At first we had no idea. Then we learned it was, toward the Detroit airport or that deportation to Bhutan and Tika was forced to essentially delay her childbirth. It was very much in the range of when she was due to give birth to their daughter. But because the clock was ticking, Tika drove to Butler, literally begged for Mohan's life as our organizing and advocacy and legal team was trying to get together this emergency stay of deportation. That fortunately came through at the 11th hour. But the fact that Mohan remains in this facility in St. Clair, Michigan, that he's never held his daughter is unacceptable, is ridiculous. And I think so much of these two cases almost, this invisible brotherhood of pain that I know Ann has talked to me about that. Because Lou right now has been in a couple facilities. He is organizing, he's doing his thing and actually supporting folks while also just trying to keep himself well, which is no easy feat to do in so many of these facilities. Especially because, in Alexandria, for example, which is a facility in Louisiana. We know that folks are sleeping on cement floors. We know that folks are not being fed, that there's a lot of human rights violations going on. And here is Lou still continuing to use his voice and try to advocate for the folks around him. Miko Lee: Aisa thank you so much for putting that into context, and we'll put links in the show notes for how folks can get involved in both of these cases. One is, Rising Voices has a call to action to reach out to Governor Whitmer for that. Pardon in Campaign for Lou. So we encourage folks to do that. And in terms of Mohan, there's a GoFundMe to help support Tika and the immense lawyer fees, which we discussed that are needed. And also a letter writing campaign to the ICE director Kevin Roff, to try and release Mohan and also Lou. These are really important things that are happening in our community, and thank you for being out there. Thank you for talking and sharing your stories. We really appreciate you. And also, just briefly, I'd love us for us to talk for a minute about how many folks in our Asian American communities, we don't wanna talk about mistakes that we have made in the past because we might consider that shameful. And therefore, in both of these communities, when we started organizing, it was really hard at first to find people to come forth and share their stories. So I wonder if both of you can give voice to a little about that, the power you found in yourself to be able to come forward and speak about this, even though some other folks in the community might not feel comfortable or strong enough to be able to talk. Tika, can you speak to that? Tika Basnet: Yeah. So what makes me really strong, and I wanna see that my husband case is because he was 17, people can make mistake and from those mistake, if people are learning. Then I think Americans should consider, 'cause my husband did make mistake and I wish that time he knew the rules and regulation. I wish like somebody taught him that he's not supposed to go somebody else property, like around in backyard. And I wish he was been in the United States like more than one and a half year. I wish, if he was like more than two years, three years. And I think that time he, from high school, he could learn. You know, he's not supposed to go there. He was just been in the United States like one and a half year just going to high school. Nobody taught him. His parent doesn't even speak English. Until now, he doesn't even, they doesn't even speak, like nobody in our community knew rules and regulation. So no, basically that he doesn't have guide, like mentor to taught him like, and even though he did make mistake and he's really sorry, and from those mistake learning a lot, and he never get into trouble, like after 11 years, he was clean, he work, he pay taxes. And I think, that is the reason that I really wanna come forward. You know, people can make mistake, but learning from those mistake that changed people life. And, and I think, the reason that I'm coming forward is because organization like Asian Law Caucus, ARU, and, Miko, a lot of people helped me. You know, they taught me like people can make mistake and, I think we shouldn't be same. And I really wanna give example to my daughter, you know, that, you are fighting for justice and you shouldn't fear. I think, what is right is right. What is wrong is wrong. But if somebody's make mistake and they are not, doing that mistake again, I think the people can get a second chance. And I think my husband deserves second chance and he's 30 years old. He has a family, he has a wife, children and he deserved to be here. We came here legally, my husband came here. Legally, we, promise that we'll get home and this is our home. We wanna stay here and I really want my husband be home soon so he can play with her daughter to play with his daughter. Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Tika. Ann I wonder if you could talk to the strength that it takes for you to come forward and speak about your husband and your family. Ann Vue: I'm a community leader with my husband too, right? I would say that there was a moment when he was first detained where I was in complete silence. I was so shocked. It took my attorney, Nancy, just talking to me about it. Of course, back to what Aisa said earlier in our communities, we're afraid. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. It took me visiting my husband in Baldwin and letting him know that, hey, a bunch of community members are now reaching out and I think it's hit our community. And that's that. At that moment, he was like, you have to say something. You have to say something you have to make noise because you have a, 50% chance, right? We have a 50 50 chance. 50%. They're gonna send me 50%. You're gonna feel bad if you don't say anything, right? 50 here, 50 there. It doesn't matter. But a hundred percent regret if you don't say something. I thought about it and he was like, well, go out there, be my voice. He's like, you've always been my voice. You got this right. And so when, I didn't say no to Nancy. 'cause she really wanted to talk to our rep Mai you know about this. And , Mai and I are pretty close too. And, I just knew if I said anything, Maya's gonna be like mm-hmm. All the way. Right? So I just let Nancy help me, and my most vulnerable time. And I'm glad that she did. And I'm glad that we did get this out. It is the most important thing for us, and I've been, I will say what keeps me going is all of those that have been impacted by this, from people like Tika. I have many, I call 'em sisters. We're all in a lot of these group chats together. They've been also keeping me going. Our amazing team of attorneys and everybody just strategizing through this unprecedented time. It's really everyone's voices. I get to talk to Lou daily. It's definitely not cheap, but he gets to share each story of each person. I believe that everybody has a story and they might not be as lucky as maybe Tika or my husband, but at least now I have their story. I will be their voice. I will tell each person's story, each name, each alien number that I track down, my husband's even literally learned how to count in Spanish, just so he can give them like my phone number in Spanish in case they need to call an emergency. Oh, I'm be getting a lot of calls. Right. I would say that that is what keeps me going because I think that Tika and I and many others are, hoping that there is going to be a better day, a brighter day. I hope that everyone can see that, our children are American, right? Our children, they deserve to have their fathers and their mothers. They deserve to grow with these parents. And with that being said, the most important thing to me is they're not just bystanders. They're literally the future of America. I don't want them growing up with trauma, with trying to ask me questions like, well mom, if we're refugees and we helped, Americans as allies, and we come to this country, why is this payback like this? There's a moral obligation that has to be there and they're gonna grow up and they're gonna be trauma by this. I've got children right now that's been talking about joining the National Guard. It speaks volume about what happens to my husband. He's championed the Hmong, Michigan Special Gorilla unit, the Hmong veterans here in the last two years, really with helping them through resolutions, tributes, making sure that they have things, that they are out there, that people now know them, they are finally recognized. This puts my husband at great danger by sending him back, because now he's championed the veterans here. He celebrates our veterans here. So it's a moral obligation. And I hope Tika, I hope that, and this is to every child, I hope that every child, they deserve their father's presence. There are many people who don't even have their father's presence and they wish their fathers were around. And our fathers wanna be around. And I hope that our daughter, I only have one daughter too, that someday they can, their fathers can be a part of their, the American culture. So I, I hope that. We get that opportunity and I hope that somebody stop being scared, but turn around and help us. Help us. We came here legally, minor stuff, long decade old. Even lose share with me. This detainment has been worse than when he was, when he did time back in 1997. And I just hope that somebody hears our podcast, Miko. Thank you. And, Aisa and Tika. And they turn and they have some compassion and help us because this is the tone that we're setting for the future of our American children. Miko Lee: Thank you so much for sharing. Tika, you wanna add? Tika Basnet: Yes, I really wanna talk about what kind of husband Mohan is. Even though like he detained for five month and I cannot. I put lot of money in his account and there was one guy, I think his family cannot support him. And for me, like it is really hard. I'm not working. But even my husband called me like, you don't need to put like money in my account, but can you please can you please put money in his account? He did not eat food. His family did not have money. I can survive without eating food. But, I think his story is really touching me. And that time, like my husband was crying listening to that guy story in detention center and then I did put like $50 in his account. And my husband is giving person like, he love to give even though, he struggle a lot, even though, he doesn't know what will happen when he get deport. But, him saying other guy story. Does make him cry. I think this is the reason that I really wanna come forward. My husband is giving person, he's lovely person, he's caring person. And that is the reason I wanna come forward. I want people to hear our voice, rather than silent. Because right now people know our story. But if I was silent back , then I don't know whether my husband was already disappear. I don't know whether he gonna die torture or maybe he will expel within 24 hours. I have no idea. So I think, my husband is number one support system for me, and I think because of him that I'm here sharing his story and yeah, like for years I had wonderful time with him. We build our dream and until 2025, our dream is destroy. I'm trying to build again. I'm hoping, like my husband is coming home soon and I'm hoping that this will be the last time that he will get detained. I hope that this will be the end. I don't want him to get detained or deported again. I'm really tired. I don't know what to do. I'm hopeless. I hope listening to my story and Anna's story that separating family is not good. Like it is affecting not only one person but his whole community, whole family. We deserve to get our husband back. Because it is not only about the wife that is fighting for husband, it is the children. , They're so small, they born here and we cannot raise alone, we cannot work. We have things to pay. And paying those bills and taking care of child alone is really difficult. It is giving depression like it's been five month, like I went through postpartum depression, I went through trauma and I don't wanna deal anymore. Like I don't have courage to do this anymore. We need our husband back. Miko Lee: Thank you. And I think both of your husbands are also main caregivers for parents that are ailing in both cases. It's a really important thing that we are intergenerational communities and as you both said, it's not just about the children, but it's also about parents and brothers and sisters and community members as well. Thank you so much for lifting up your stories. I just wanna go back for one more thing. We talked briefly about the crazy expensive lawyer fees that have come up for families that they've been dealing with this, and then also Tika was just bringing up about detention and commissary fees. Can you talk a little bit about the prison industrial complex and the fees that are associated? As Anne was saying, just calling Lou every day the costs that are associated with those things. Many people that don't have a family member that's incarcerated don't know about that. Can you share a little bit about what that system is? Aisa Villarosa: Yeah, absolutely Miko. And, just to underscore, a big theme from this conversation, it is that the US made commitments and they have broken them, both with, as Anne talked about, the refugee experience is one that is made possible through US commitment of acknowledging what, people have survived, what they have given to the country. And to look at this moment where folks are being removed to countries where not only do they have zero ties to, don't speak the language, but, especially in the case of the Bhutanese refugee community, as Tika mentioned, it is [00:52:00] truly a double expulsion. So the fact that we have well-documented testimonials of folks really deported from Bhutan after they're removed there into these life-threatening conditions that in some cases have actually resulted in a community member passing away. A community member passed away in large part because of the failure of the US to both care for them while in detention. So going back to that prison complex, but also just putting them in such a harrowing situation. In another instance, a community member was found after wandering for over a hundred miles on foot. So this is not, deportation and the story ends. This is deportation. And, there is a family that is grieving and thinking through next steps, there is, this call to not have borders, break us the way that this country is trying to do. And to say a little bit about the fees, USCIS, there, there has not been a point yet in history where so many changes and charges hurting families have been ushered in, But for this year, and so to give a couple examples of that – asylum cases for one, these often take many, many years through this administration. Now, families have to pay a cost yearly for each year that your asylum application, languishes because we're also seeing that those same folks who are supposed to process these applications are either being laid off or they're being militarized. So something like USCIS where this was where one would go to apply for a passport. Now the same department is literally being handed guns and they're now taking folks during naturalization interviews. Other avenues to challenge your removal. Like I mentioned a motion to reopen. All these things used to be fairly affordable. Now they can cost many thousands of dollars on top of the attorney fees. So something that's been quite challenging for groups like Asian Law Caucus where we do have attorneys representing folks in removal proceedings, there's often this misperception that oh it's costing so much money. Attorneys are pocketing cash. And unfortunately there are some situations where some attorneys have been known to take advantage of families in this desperate moment. But for many, many attorneys who are in this mix, they're experts at this work. They're trying to do the right thing. They're both overwhelmed and they're seeing these new charges, which make the battle really even more difficult. So to turn it back to the listeners, I would say that as powerless as this moment can make us feel everyone is bearing witness. Hopefully the listeners today can take in Anne's story, can take in Tikas story and whatever power one has in their corner of the world, this is the moment to use that. Whether it's your voice, whether it's learning more about a community, maybe you're learning about for the first time. This is really the moment to take action. Miko Lee: Thank you Aisa. I really wanna thank you all for being here with me today, for sharing your personal stories, your personal pain, and for recognizing that this is happening. We deeply believe that we need to keep our families together. That is really important. It is written into the very basis of this American country about redemption and forgiveness. And this is what we're talking about for incidents that happened, misunderstandings that happened when these folks were young men, that they have paid for their, they have paid for their time, and yet they're being punished again, these promises that were broken by this American government, and we need to find [00:56:00] ways to address that. I really wanna deeply thank each of you for continuing to be there for sharing your voice, for protecting one another, for being there and standing up for your family and for our community. Thank you for joining me today. Check out our Apex Express Show notes to find out about how you can get involved. Learn about the Rising Voices campaign for Lou Young and Mohan Khaki's GoFundMe and please help to support these organizations working every day to support detained and deported people. Asian Law Caucus, Asian Refugees, United Balo Project in Vietnam. Collective Freedom in Vietnam and Laos Asian Prisoner Support Committee and new light Wellness in Cambodia. November 1st and second people nationwide are joining the Disappeared in America Weekend of Action to Stand Up for Immigrant Families and Defend Due Process. Actions include protests at Home [00:57:00] Depots, candlelight, freedom Vigils, and Day of the Dead events, honoring lives lost to detention. The following day on November 3rd, 4:00 PM Pacific Time, 7:00 PM Eastern Time. Join us for We Belong here, Bhutanese and Hmong Americans in the Struggle Against Statelessness, a live virtual event featuring my three guests tonight, along with performances and conversations. Find out more in our show notes. Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program, apex Express to find out more about our show. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important. APEX Express is a collective of activists that includes Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Have a great night. The post APEX Express – 10.16.25 – We Belong Here appeared first on KPFA.

durée : 02:00:12 - Le 5/7 - À 5h45 dans Déjà Debout : Marc-Antoine Colleu, en voyage à vélo au Laos. À 6H20 : Jean-Pierre Riso, président de la FNADEPA. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:05:20 - Déjà debout - par : Mathilde MUNOS - Marc-Antoine Colleu, en voyage à vélo au Laos Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:05:20 - Déjà debout - par : Mathilde MUNOS - Marc-Antoine Colleu, en voyage à vélo au Laos Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:05:20 - Déjà debout - par : Mathilde MUNOS - Marc-Antoine Colleu, en voyage à vélo au Laos Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

Xin chào and welcome to What About Vietnam.As 2025 draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to pause — to thank you, to reflect on this journey that began back in 2020, and to share a few lasting lessons for travellers heading to Vietnam.What started during lockdown as a way to “travel through stories” has grown into more than 100 episodes shared across 70 countries. Together we've explored Vietnam's hidden gems, met local legends, and uncovered stories far beyond the guidebooks and Instagram.To my guests — you give this show its heartbeat.  Thank you.To my listeners — your messages, feedback and travel plan requests continue to keep me inspired every step of the way. I couldn't do this without you.Now, after three incredible years, it feels right to take a short pause — to breathe, to rediscover Vietnam with fresh eyes, and to think about what What About Vietnam might become in 2026.While the podcast takes a short rest, I will continue to create privately guided journeys throughout Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Check out some of the testimonials and request your trip plan including all services as in domestic trains, flights, accommodation and experiences fully tailor made to you and your budget.;- https://www.whataboutvietnam.com/request-formIn this final episode, I share five key lessons drawn from my real life experiences— and lived truths about travelling well in Vietnam:Stay curious – Vietnam will surprise you every time.Travel slow – the magic happens in the quiet moments.Connect deeply – even a simple Xin chào can open unexpected doors.Support local – your choices help communities thrive.Keep dreaming – Vietnam's story, like life, is always unfolding.So whether you're planning your first trip or returning for more, I hope these insights help you experience Vietnam with a little more heart and a lot more wonder.What About Vietnam – where stories live on.Merry Christmas and Happy New years everyone. Follow on your favourite pod channel, email directly to whataboutvietnam@gmail.com Keep abreast of news on our social pages on FB, IG,LinkedIn and TikTokLet me design your #customised #private tour of Vietnam - See our Travel ServicesDo you need a #Dental Procedure? Why not find out what's possible through our Dental and #Cosmetic Medical partner Worldwide Beauty Hospital. Mention #whataboutvietnam to receive 5% discount at Worldwide Beauty Hospital

Many PEM physicians I meet have some rules of their own or interesting interpretations of my PEM Rules. Here are some of Carla Laos's (a PEM Physician and medical director in Las Vegas) rules she uses in her practice.

00:10:00 – The 10th Amendment CrisisKnight explains how Trump's use of the Insurrection Act violates state sovereignty and sets a precedent for federal militarization. Republican senators like Murkowski and Tillis express concern but remain too afraid to confront Trump directly. 00:21:13 – ICE Snipers and the War on ProtestVideo evidence shows ICE agents firing pepper balls at peaceful protesters and clergy. Knight argues this militarized policing proves Trump's contempt for civil liberties and the Bill of Rights. 00:30:44 – Artificial Integrity: Pam Bondi & Cash PatelKnight coins the term “artificial integrity” to describe Trump's loyalists like Pam Bondi and Cash Patel, accusing them of evasion, dishonesty, and political theater during congressional hearings about Comey and Epstein. 00:37:36 – Marjorie Taylor Greene Breaks with TrumpKnight highlights Greene's public statement rejecting blind loyalty to Trump and defending her independence. He praises her rare courage, contrasting it with the cowardice of most GOP officials. 00:41:00 – FBI Spies on Republican SenatorsRevelation that the FBI secretly accessed phone records of eight Republican senators triggers outrage. Knight mocks their hypocrisy for ignoring mass surveillance until it targeted them personally. 00:44:24 – Trump Jr.'s Pharma GriftTrump Jr. joins the board of a prescription delivery company set to profit from a Trump administration drug summit. Knight calls it blatant graft disguised as “health reform.” 00:52:21 – Gold Surges Past $4,000Knight reports that gold has shattered the $4,000 mark, framing it as a collapse of faith in fiat currencies rather than a rise in gold's intrinsic value. He warns of a global debt time bomb and urges listeners to hold physical metals, not paper ETFs. 01:21:21 – EU Approves Mass Chat SurveillanceKnight exposes the EU's “Chat Control 2.0,” a regulation scanning all private messages under the pretext of child safety. He compares it to FDR's telegram surveillance and calls it the death of digital privacy in Europe. 01:36:33 – Lagarde Pushes Digital EuroChristine Lagarde complains democracy is too slow for the rollout of a CBDC. Knight calls her “Christine the God,” saying she and von der Leyen are accelerating Europe's technocratic takeover under the guise of efficiency. 01:37:52 – California's Pre-Hate Crime BillKnight highlights California's new hate speech law as the U.S. version of European censorship. He warns it criminalizes “potential hate” and mirrors Soviet-style repression disguised as tolerance. 01:53:08 – Outlawing Hate & Christian PersecutionKnight and callers discuss how outlawing hate only drives resentment underground. They argue Christians and white males have become the primary targets of Western censorship and discrimination campaigns. 01:57:00 – Biden's CIA Cover-Up in UkraineSegment details Biden's effort to suppress intelligence on his family's Ukrainian corruption ties while pressuring prosecutors to halt investigations—evidence of long-standing collusion between the CIA and political elites. 02:03:22 – “Precious Freedom” and the Lies of VietnamAuthor James Bradley joins to discuss his book Precious Freedom, which reexamines the Vietnam War through the eyes of both Americans and Vietnamese. He describes unraveling decades of U.S. propaganda and explains how Vietnamese victory stemmed from defending their homeland—not ideology. 02:17:03 – The Fake North–South Vietnam NarrativeBradley reveals that the U.S. and CIA fabricated the idea of “two Vietnams,” turning a temporary French withdrawal line into a false border to justify intervention. Knight compares it to modern media deception surrounding COVID and other political lies. 02:28:14 – Mothers, Media, and Awakening to WarThe character Betty, a patriotic mother, mirrors America's awakening as she discovers suppressed speeches by Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. condemning the war. Knight and Bradley discuss how media censorship concealed moral opposition. 02:37:42 – CIA, Opium, and the War MachineKnight and Bradley expose General Westmoreland's alleged role in global opium trafficking and how CIA operations in Vietnam, Laos, and Italy funded covert wars. They argue mainstream media knowingly concealed this vast corruption network. 02:40:49 – The Night War Vietnam StoryBradley explains that America never “won a single 24-hour period” in Vietnam. The Vietcong fought exclusively at night while U.S. troops retreated daily, contradicting the myth that the U.S. “won every battle.” 02:43:55 – Lessons for America's Future WarsBradley likens Ho Chi Minh to George Washington, saying defenders always win when fighting for home. Knight connects these lessons to modern U.S. interventions in Iran and Venezuela, warning that America's leaders keep repeating Vietnam's mistakes. 02:55:49 – The Real Domino TheoryKnight concludes that while America fought communism abroad, Marxism quietly conquered its schools, bureaucracy, and culture—turning the “domino theory” inward. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHTFind out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.

00:10:00 – The 10th Amendment CrisisKnight explains how Trump's use of the Insurrection Act violates state sovereignty and sets a precedent for federal militarization. Republican senators like Murkowski and Tillis express concern but remain too afraid to confront Trump directly. 00:21:13 – ICE Snipers and the War on ProtestVideo evidence shows ICE agents firing pepper balls at peaceful protesters and clergy. Knight argues this militarized policing proves Trump's contempt for civil liberties and the Bill of Rights. 00:30:44 – Artificial Integrity: Pam Bondi & Cash PatelKnight coins the term “artificial integrity” to describe Trump's loyalists like Pam Bondi and Cash Patel, accusing them of evasion, dishonesty, and political theater during congressional hearings about Comey and Epstein. 00:37:36 – Marjorie Taylor Greene Breaks with TrumpKnight highlights Greene's public statement rejecting blind loyalty to Trump and defending her independence. He praises her rare courage, contrasting it with the cowardice of most GOP officials. 00:41:00 – FBI Spies on Republican SenatorsRevelation that the FBI secretly accessed phone records of eight Republican senators triggers outrage. Knight mocks their hypocrisy for ignoring mass surveillance until it targeted them personally. 00:44:24 – Trump Jr.'s Pharma GriftTrump Jr. joins the board of a prescription delivery company set to profit from a Trump administration drug summit. Knight calls it blatant graft disguised as “health reform.” 00:52:21 – Gold Surges Past $4,000Knight reports that gold has shattered the $4,000 mark, framing it as a collapse of faith in fiat currencies rather than a rise in gold's intrinsic value. He warns of a global debt time bomb and urges listeners to hold physical metals, not paper ETFs. 01:21:21 – EU Approves Mass Chat SurveillanceKnight exposes the EU's “Chat Control 2.0,” a regulation scanning all private messages under the pretext of child safety. He compares it to FDR's telegram surveillance and calls it the death of digital privacy in Europe. 01:36:33 – Lagarde Pushes Digital EuroChristine Lagarde complains democracy is too slow for the rollout of a CBDC. Knight calls her “Christine the God,” saying she and von der Leyen are accelerating Europe's technocratic takeover under the guise of efficiency. 01:37:52 – California's Pre-Hate Crime BillKnight highlights California's new hate speech law as the U.S. version of European censorship. He warns it criminalizes “potential hate” and mirrors Soviet-style repression disguised as tolerance. 01:53:08 – Outlawing Hate & Christian PersecutionKnight and callers discuss how outlawing hate only drives resentment underground. They argue Christians and white males have become the primary targets of Western censorship and discrimination campaigns. 01:57:00 – Biden's CIA Cover-Up in UkraineSegment details Biden's effort to suppress intelligence on his family's Ukrainian corruption ties while pressuring prosecutors to halt investigations—evidence of long-standing collusion between the CIA and political elites. 02:03:22 – “Precious Freedom” and the Lies of VietnamAuthor James Bradley joins to discuss his book Precious Freedom, which reexamines the Vietnam War through the eyes of both Americans and Vietnamese. He describes unraveling decades of U.S. propaganda and explains how Vietnamese victory stemmed from defending their homeland—not ideology. 02:17:03 – The Fake North–South Vietnam NarrativeBradley reveals that the U.S. and CIA fabricated the idea of “two Vietnams,” turning a temporary French withdrawal line into a false border to justify intervention. Knight compares it to modern media deception surrounding COVID and other political lies. 02:28:14 – Mothers, Media, and Awakening to WarThe character Betty, a patriotic mother, mirrors America's awakening as she discovers suppressed speeches by Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. condemning the war. Knight and Bradley discuss how media censorship concealed moral opposition. 02:37:42 – CIA, Opium, and the War MachineKnight and Bradley expose General Westmoreland's alleged role in global opium trafficking and how CIA operations in Vietnam, Laos, and Italy funded covert wars. They argue mainstream media knowingly concealed this vast corruption network. 02:40:49 – The Night War Vietnam StoryBradley explains that America never “won a single 24-hour period” in Vietnam. The Vietcong fought exclusively at night while U.S. troops retreated daily, contradicting the myth that the U.S. “won every battle.” 02:43:55 – Lessons for America's Future WarsBradley likens Ho Chi Minh to George Washington, saying defenders always win when fighting for home. Knight connects these lessons to modern U.S. interventions in Iran and Venezuela, warning that America's leaders keep repeating Vietnam's mistakes. 02:55:49 – The Real Domino TheoryKnight concludes that while America fought communism abroad, Marxism quietly conquered its schools, bureaucracy, and culture—turning the “domino theory” inward. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHTFind out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-david-knight-show--5282736/support.

Em novembro de 2024, o paraíso dos mochileiros se transformou em manchete internacional. Seis turistas morreram após uma noite de festa — e um mistério surgiu: como o álcool virou veneno em um dos destinos mais populares da Ásia?Produção: Crimes e Mistérios BrasilNarração: Tatiana DaignaultEdição: Tatiana DaignaultPesquisa e Roteiro: Tatiana Daignault Fotos e fontes sobre o caso você encontra aquiO Café Crime e Chocolate é um podcast brasileiro que conta casos de crimes reais acontecidos no mundo inteiro com pesquisas detalhadas, narrado com respeito e foco nas vítimas.Não esqueça de se inscrever no podcast pela sua plataforma preferida, assim você não perde nenhum episódio. Siga-nos também em nossas redes sociais:Instagram Facebook X AVISO: A escolha dos casos a serem contados não refletem preferência ou crítica por qualquer posição política, religião, grupo étnico, clube, organização, empresa ou indivíduo. _______________________________________________________________

Henry (Dick) L. Thompson is back to share more adventures from his latest book SOG Code Name Dynamite 2 about his time in Vietnam as part of MACV-SOG.From 1964-1972 America engaged in a Top Secret war in Southeast Asia to support our efforts in Vietnam, with an elite group of warriors who were sworn to secrecy for decades. If caught, the US government would deny any involvement.Missioned primarily to do recon on North Vietnamese forces massing across the border in Laos and Cambodia, the small teams were comprised of US soldiers and local fighters, and were dropped near the enemy. They almost always encountered much larger forces, posted a casualty rate of over 100%, and relied on helicopter pilots like recent guest Roger Lockshire to ferry them to safety once the bullets started flying.We're delighted to have Dick back in this two part episode.Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Aquesta setmana abordem la Guerra del Vietnam (1964–1975), des dels incidents del Golf de Tonquín fins a la caiguda de Saigon. Ens centrarem en la figura de Pol Pot i el règim dels Khmers Rojos. Per acabar amb la sèrie de cinc programes, analitzem les tensions i guerres entre Vietnam, Cambodja i la Xina en el marc de la Guerra Freda, així com el paper de Laos i abordem les conseqüències regionals i l'herència de rivalitats ancestrals fins a l'actualitat. Amb en Jordi Sellarès.

As President Trump intensifies his sweeping crackdown on immigration, more longtime residents, people who have lived in this country for years, are being caught up in the effort. Deportation flights to Laos have resumed for the first time in years. Stephanie Sy spoke with Alan Petsadakian. He arrived in the United States as a toddler and now he faces the threat of deportation. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Henry (Dick) L. Thompson is back to share more adventures from his latest book SOG Code Name Dynamite 2 about his time in Vietnam as part of MACV-SOG.From 1964-1972 America engaged in a Top Secret war in Southeast Asia to support our efforts in Vietnam, with an elite group of warriors who were sworn to secrecy for decades. If caught, the US government would deny any involvement.Missioned primarily to do recon on North Vietnamese forces massing across the border in Laos and Cambodia, the small teams were comprised of US soldiers and local fighters, and were dropped near the enemy. They almost always encountered much larger forces, posted a casualty rate of over 100%, and relied on helicopter pilots like recent guest Roger Lockshire to ferry them to safety once the bullets started flying.We're delighted to have Dick back in this two part episode.Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Coming from a family of suicide (her father), incest, schizophrenia (her sister Kathy), manic depression and alcoholism (both parents) and how that has shaped her life Her move to Paris after college, living a glamorous life and marrying a blacklisted film director Her love of travel -- becoming a travel writer and visiting 150 countries on seven continents, including Uganda, The Marquesas, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Oman, Cuba, Tibet, Nepal, Borneo, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Easter Island, Croatia, Namibia, the Arctic and AntarcticaShe attended Donald Trump's wedding to Marla Maples, was invited to The White House and met Bill and Hillary Clinton and sat next to Michael Jordan over dinner at an event Becoming addicted to cocaine and alcohol and how she overcame those addictions How the Outward Bound program changed her life Physical activity is her passion -- Goldsmith has completed marathons and Olympic distance triathlons, summited Mount Rainier, and climbed to Advanced Base Camp on the north face of Mount Everest Learning to play the harmonica and recorded two albums with America's most award-winning blues bandSurviving stage four pancreatic cancer and later, lung cancer Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Lionel does a deep dive into cultural clashes and assimilation. Lionel and his callers debate whether certain foreign cultural practices are "wholesale reshaping" American neighborhoods. Topics include complaints about loud calls to prayer, the lack of assimilation, and reports of separate patrols or the enactment of religious laws including discussions on Sharia and Orthodox law. Lionel also explores the history and rich culture of the Hmong people—US allies during the secret war in Laos. Plus, a Vietnam veteran shares candid and powerful memories concerning the war's hidden legacies, including the heroin epidemic and the ongoing impact of the "black rifle" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming from a family of suicide (her father), incest, schizophrenia (her sister Kathy), manic depression and alcoholism (both parents) and how that has shaped her life Her move to Paris after college, living a glamorous life and marrying a blacklisted film director Her love of travel -- becoming a travel writer and visiting 150 countries on seven continents, including Uganda, The Marquesas, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Oman, Cuba, Tibet, Nepal, Borneo, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Easter Island, Croatia, Namibia, the Arctic and AntarcticaShe attended Donald Trump's wedding to Marla Maples, was invited to The White House and met Bill and Hillary Clinton and sat next to Michael Jordan over dinner at an event Becoming addicted to cocaine and alcohol and how she overcame those addictions How the Outward Bound program changed her life Physical activity is her passion -- Goldsmith has completed marathons and Olympic distance triathlons, summited Mount Rainier, and climbed to Advanced Base Camp on the north face of Mount Everest Learning to play the harmonica and recorded two albums with America's most award-winning blues bandSurviving stage four pancreatic cancer and later, lung cancer Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Mariclare Carey-Jones is a radio presenter for the BBC. She is also an independent film-maker with her own production company. In this episode we discuss the unethical breeding practises that lead to dog breeds such as French Bulldogs having severe illness such as BOAS and spinal problems as her own pup Pierre did plus she spills the behind-the-scenes details on making her other films relating to elephants in Laos and a vegetarian shepherd who breeds sheep for conservation and not the food chain. You can watch ‘Pierre's Tale', ‘Saving Gentle Giants' and ‘The Veggie Shepherd' between September 19 – 26 via sofafilmfestival.com

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the air war over Vietnam and Laos from 1964-1973, including an overview of the major US aircraft used in the war, the major bombing campaigns over North Vietnam, Close Air Support over South Vietnam, Search and Rescue missions, and the key role of helicopters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 37! Today we continue with the second part of The History of The Secret War in Laos. We highly recommend going back to listen to Part 1. That's where you'll hear about the Cold War motivations behind U.S. involvement in Laos, the rise of General Vang Pao and the Hmong Secret Army, and the massive bombing campaign that made Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. In this episode, we'll talk about the aftermath once the war ended… from re-education camps for the Lao and Hmong soldiers who fought on the side of the Americans, to the massive amount of UXO clean-up, to the refugee crisis. We also share some of the challenges with the current administrations policy of revoking temporary refugee status for many in the community. To learn more about some of the organizations helping with clean-up and education, checkout Legacies of War, Mines Advisory Group, or the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. You can learn about all three and support them through donations. For our recurring segment, we talk about Netflix's most popular show ever… Kpop Demon Hunters. Kpop now goes beyond Korea, and with several prominent Korean American voice actors, this show definitely resonated with people who find relevance with the “third culture” experience. Whether you watch it for the story, action, music, or Kpop scenes, it's a show that is resonating with a lot of people! If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro and Catching Up 06:36 The History of The Secret War in Laos Part 2 15:14 What Are We Watching? Kpop Demon Hunters!!!

Separated by decades, the U.S. war in Vietnam and the Israeli war in Gaza are very different. Vietnam had support from China and the Soviet Union. The Palestinians have no allies. The sheer scale of the U.S. assault on not only Vietnam but Cambodia and Laos as well immeasurably dwarfs the death toll Israel is exacting in Gaza. In both wars, there was massive use of airpower. It didn't work in Vietnam, and it's not working in Gaza. On the home front, it took years for people to protest the U.S. war. In the case of Gaza, it was almost immediate, and it continues. Media coverage was also different. Vietnam was famously called “the living room war.” Israel has banned journalists from reporting in Gaza but most of our stalwarts of the Fourth Estate have remained silent.

Luke managed to find his way onto the main show! He joins us from a pub in Laos. The rest of us are at home watching stuff.Dean Cain out of ICE on short-term injury leave - https://x.com/RealDeanCain/status/1961528729999712312Woman freaked out by beautician wearing smart glasses during brazilian - https://petapixel.com/2025/09/03/woman-freaked-out-by-beautician-wearing-meta-video-glasses/The 100x zoom on the new Pixel's is a terrifying vision of the future - https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/google-pixel-phones/i-captured-these-100x-pro-res-zoom-photos-with-the-pixel-10-pro-xl-and-the-results-blew-me-away

The wait is almost over. On October 7, 2025, Jack Carr unleashes his most visceral novel yet—CRY HAVOC.What began as a traditional prologue evolved into a brutal, unflinching descent into the jungles of Laos in 1968. It's the longest and most immersive opening Jack has ever written—part history lesson, part battlefield baptism. This prologue doesn't just set the stage for CRY HAVOC—it drags you headlong into the chaos, sacrifice, and brotherhood that forged Tom Reece.Jack invites you to experience the opening moments of CRY HAVOC, brought to life by the legendary voice of Ray Porter.“Cry ‘Havoc!,' and let slip the frogs of war”Buy the audiobook, https://bit.ly/CryHavocAudioOrder your copy of CRY HAVOC, HERE.Copyright: Audio excerpt courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio from CRY HAVOC by Jack Carr, read by Ray Porter. Copyright © 2025 by Tomahawk Creative, Inc. Used with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.FOLLOW SIMON & SCHUSTER AUDIOInstagram:@simon.audioTikTok: @simon.audioThreads: @simon.audioX: @SimonAudioFacebook: @SimonAudioFOLLOW RAY PORTERInstagram:@the.ray.porterFacebook: @NarratorRayPorterFOLLOW JACK CARRInstagram: @JackCarrUSA X:  @JackCarrUSAFacebook:  @JackCarr YouTube:  @JackCarrUSASPONSORSCRY HAVOC – A Tom Reece Thriller https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/cry-havoc/Bravo Company Manufacturing - https://bravocompanyusa.com/ and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSATHE SIGs of Jack Carr:Visit https://www.sigsauer.com/ and on Instagram @sigsauerinc Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here https://jackcarr.co/gear 

Originally from Belgium, Catherine Wycoff is a physical therapist for humans and for horses, with an undergraduate degree from Liege University (Belgium) and a doctorate from Des Moines University (US). Kinetic Balance, her private practice, is situated in Lovettsville, with a satellite office in Middleburg, Virginia. She is a certified Feldenkrais, Anat Baniel Method for Children and kinesiotaping practitioner as well as a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist and a Certified Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner. She is training to become a paradressage classifier for the USEF. Catherine is a lifelong horse lover and rider and has been learning from Wendy Murdoch since 2007. She has volunteered and setup private practices in Laos, Taiwan, China, Burma and Austria in addition to the US.

In today's episode, Hame is joined by Bethany Clarke, who shares her personal and devastating story to raise global awareness about the dangers of methanol poisoning. In November 2024, Bethany and her best friend, Simone White, were traveling in Laos when they were unknowingly served a deadly substance in free shots at their hostel. Simone, along with six other tourists, tragically lost their lives.This powerful conversation explores the deceitful and deadly nature of methanol poisoning, which is being regularly used as a cheap alternative to alcohol worldwide. Bethany explains how methanol can mimic a severe hangover, making it incredibly difficult to detect in time. She also discusses the journey of grief and her tireless campaign to prevent such a tragedy from happening to others.Bethany is determined to see a change. She details the progress of her campaign, which has already garnered significant media attention and political support, and outlines what's next, including a push for new travel warnings and school curriculum changes. This is a story of profound loss, but also of incredible resilience and a commitment to creating a legacy of awareness for her best friend.

The wait is almost over. On October 7, 2025, Jack Carr unleashes his most visceral novel yet—CRY HAVOC.What began as a traditional prologue evolved into a brutal, unflinching descent into the jungles of Laos in 1968. It's the longest and most immersive opening Jack has ever written—part history lesson, part battlefield baptism. This prologue doesn't just set the stage for CRY HAVOC—it drags you headlong into the chaos, sacrifice, and brotherhood that forged Tom Reece.Jack invites you to experience the opening moments of CRY HAVOC, brought to life by the legendary voice of Ray Porter.“Cry ‘Havoc!,' and let slip the frogs of war”Buy the audiobook, https://bit.ly/CryHavocAudioOrder your copy of CRY HAVOC, HERE.Copyright: Audio excerpt courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio from CRY HAVOC by Jack Carr, read by Ray Porter. Copyright © 2025 by Tomahawk Creative, Inc. Used with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.FOLLOW SIMON & SCHUSTER AUDIOInstagram:@simon.audioTikTok: @simon.audioThreads: @simon.audioX: @SimonAudioFacebook: @SimonAudioFOLLOW RAY PORTERInstagram:@the.ray.porterFacebook: @NarratorRayPorterFOLLOW JACK CARRInstagram: @JackCarrUSA X:  @JackCarrUSAFacebook:  @JackCarr YouTube:  @JackCarrUSASPONSORSCRY HAVOC – A Tom Reece Thriller https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/cry-havoc/Bravo Company Manufacturing - https://bravocompanyusa.com/ and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSATHE SIGs of Jack Carr:Visit https://www.sigsauer.com/ and on Instagram @sigsauerinc Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here https://jackcarr.co/gear 

In this episode, James interviews Fred Apgar, who served as a pilot during the Vietnam War and participated in several missions over Laos. Fred discusses his book Return to the War, in which he narrates his war service and his decision to return to Laos decades later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part two of this terrific interview:One of HBH's favorite guests is back, sharing more stories from his time on a Huey gunship helicopter as a Crew Chief and Door Gunner. As part of the 101st Airborne and a Black Angel, Roger Lockshier and his crew were routinely tasked with extracting MACV-SOG Green Berets during hairy combat in the jungles of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.In this episode and his latest book, “Saving Infantry and SOG Souls,” Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, (and many other awards) Roger shares his adventures stateside in training; supporting Airborne infantry, LRRPs, MACV-SOG; and his combat experiences – including when the six-week Tet offensive caught US forces unawares. He describes how they sat on an armor backplate to protect them from gunfire coming from below, and how they carried their guns freehand, riding on the skids to get the best view possible of the battlefield below. Roger also details his equipment, (including the wider-blade C model helo, his ‘chicken vest,' etc.) his teammates, and taking on wounded even though their Huey wasn't designed or intended for that.(This is part one of two episodes airing back-to-back.)Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

One of HBH's favorite guests is back, sharing more stories from his time on a Huey gunship helicopter as a Crew Chief and Door Gunner. As part of the 101st Airborne and a Black Angel, Roger Lockshier and his crew were routinely tasked with extracting MACV-SOG Green Berets during hairy combat in the jungles of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.In this episode and his latest book, “Saving Infantry and SOG Souls,” Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, (and many other awards) Roger shares his adventures stateside in training; supporting Airborne infantry, LRRPs, MACV-SOG; and his combat experiences – including when the six-week Tet offensive caught US forces unawares. He describes how they sat on an armor backplate to protect them from gunfire coming from below, and how they carried their guns freehand, riding on the skids to get the best view possible of the battlefield below. Roger also details his equipment, (including the wider-blade C model helo, his ‘chicken vest,' etc.) his teammates, and taking on wounded even though their Huey wasn't designed or intended for that.(This is part one of two episodes airing back-to-back.)Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWERED:   1/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) 1920 SAIGON https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWERED:   2/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWRED:   3/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWERED:   4/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWRED:   5/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWERED:   6/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWERED:   7/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME REMAINS UNANSWERED:   8/8: The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam –by  George Black  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Long-Reckoning-Story-Redemption-Vietnam/dp/0593534107 The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides. In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the inspirational story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies, in the endless shape-shifting of geopolitics, have been transformed into close allies and partners.

Author and historian Geoffrey Wawro, "The Vietnam War: A Military," comments on the revisionist opinion that invading Cambodia and Laos earlier in the war would have led to victory. More later and tomorrow. 1971

In 1971 and 1972, American troop withdrawals accelerated under President Nixon’s Vietnamization policy. The South Vietnamese Army faced its first major test during Operation Lam Son 719 in Laos, which ended in a costly failure and revealed the ARVN’s limitations. Domestically, antiwar sentiment intensified, fueled by the Winter Soldier Investigation, rising drug use and fragging within the military, and the explosive release of the Pentagon Papers. In 1972, North Vietnam launched the massive Nguyen Hue (Easter) Offensive, aiming to decisively defeat the South. Despite initial successes, the offensive was repelled with significant help from U.S. air power, including Operation Linebacker and the mining of Haiphong Harbor. While the ARVN held its ground, the costly battle highlighted the fragility of Vietnamization and set the stage for the war’s final phase. Join Sean and James as they discuss the autumn of the Vietnam War.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is one drive thru you want to avoid at all costs! Become an Eeriecast PLUS Member! https://eeriecast.com/plus Background from this music comes from: Myuu https://www.youtube.com/@Myuu CO.AG Darkness Prevails Epidemic Sound LXZURAY GIMU SCARY STORIES TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 INTRO 0:52 McDonald's Files from Keeten 14:04 When I Was A JC Penney Person from Anonymous 27:45 A Story from my Dad in Laos from TZ13 41:31 The Stuff I Don't Show from Rick Get CRYPTID: The Creepy Card Battling Game https://cryptidcardgame.com/ Get our merch http://eeriecast.store/ Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/3YVN4twrD8 Follow the Unexplained Encounters podcast! https://pod.link/1152248491 Follow and review Tales from the Break Room on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! https://pod.link/1621075170 Submit Your Story Here: https://www.darkstories.org/ Subscribe on YouTube for More Stories! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh_VbMnoL4nuxX_3HYanJbA?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry L. (Dick) Thompson, Ph.D., is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and legendary MACV-SOG operator known by the codename "Dynamite." Serving as a recon team leader from 1968 to 1970, he led over 20 high-risk black operations deep into enemy territory in Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam during the Vietnam War's secret campaigns, earning a reputation for bravery in brutal firefights and hand-to-hand combat.  After 21 years of military service, including roles in Special Forces, Airborne, and Ranger units, Thompson founded High Performing Systems, Inc. in 1984, where he serves as President and CEO, providing leadership solutions, training, and assessments for corporate, military, law enforcement, and firefighters in high-stress decision-making. A psychologist, Mensa member, and Ironman triathlete, he authored, among other books, the bestselling "SOG Codename Dynamite" series, including "A MACV-SOG 1-0's Personal Journal" (2023), sharing firsthand accounts of combat psychology and spiritual warfare.  Thompson advocates for mental resilience, veteran support, and applying combat lessons to everyday leadership. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. https://bruntworkwear.com – USE CODE SRS https://bubsnaturals.com – USE CODE SHAWN https://bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS Go to https://bunkr.life/SRS and use code “SRS” to get your 25% off your family plan https://shawnlikesgold.com https://helixsleep.com/srs https://moinkbox.com/srs https://mypatriotsupply.com/srs https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://rocketmoney.com/srs https://shopify.com/srs https://simplisafe.com/srs Henry Dick Thompson Links: Website - http://www.hpsys.com IG - https://www.instagram.com/hps_ceo X - https://x.com/HPSys SOG Codename Dynamite: A MACV-SOG 1-0's Personal Journal - https://www.amazon.com/SOG-Codename-Dynamite-MACV-SOG-Personal/dp/B0C9SB8JGP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices