Still a Secret War

November 12, 2007

The Hmong people have hidden in the remote mountains of Laos for more than 30 years. At least 12,000 are said to exist, with little food, scavenging in the jungle. Most have not seen the modern world. The CIA trained and funded many Hmong hill tribes in Laos from 1961 to 1973 to fight communism. When America withdrew from the conflict most Hmong were left alone to face the might of the North Vietnamese Army. The Royal Lao Government fell to the communists and the Hmong became outcasts in the country they fought to defend. Roger Arnold/WPN