Breaking News:
Fresno Hmong International New Year split up
By Bethany Clough
Fresno Bee
A bitter community split has led to competing Hmong New Year celebrations, putting a cloud over a Fresno event that draws huge crowds and participants from around the world. One will be held as usual from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 at the Fresno Fairground. The other is scheduled at the same time -- but about six miles across town.
The reason: A breakaway group has accused organizers of misspending money raised from the event, using funds meant for scholarships to travel abroad.
The Hmong International New Year Foundation Inc. -- a nonprofit group that has organized the event for 12 years -- denies the accusations.
But the split marks an end to years of cooperation and a return to conflict that was common in the 1990s.
Many in Fresno's Hmong community fear the split will hurt the event, said Bee Lee, host of the Hmong American Business Radio show on KBIF (AM 900).
Some have called his show to complain, he said.
"Right now they're very upset," Lee said. "They say we have to solve this problem."
A big occasion
The Fresno-based celebration is widely regarded as the largest of its kind in the country. Last year, about 120,000 attended, organizers said.
The central San Joaquin Valley has one of the largest Hmong populations in the country. Many Hmong settled here after fleeing Laos during the Vietnam War. The Hmong had fought alongside American soldiers.
Pao Fang, executive director of Lao Family Community of Fresno, said his group organized the first Hmong New Year celebration in Fresno in 1980. It became a national event in the mid-1980s.
By the mid-1990s, some members of the Hmong community were raising concerns about how money raised from the event was being spent.
In late 1995 and early 1996, the celebration was no longer unified. One event was held in Fresno, and another in Hanford.
The following two years, dueling Hmong New Year celebrations were held in Fresno -- one at the fairgrounds, another at the Sunnyside Swap Meet.
The divisions appeared to be resolved in late 1998, when the groups joined under the auspices of the Hmong International New Year Foundation. Both sides signed an agreement saying there would be no competition for 10 years, said Charlie Vang, the foundation's executive director.
Fang, of the private social-service organization Lao Family Community, said he is sorry to see the cooperation end.
"There's no need to ... divide the community," Fang said. "It's sad. It's just sad."
Organizers of the breakaway event announced their plans last week on KBIF.
Members of the 18 Clan Council -- an informal group with representatives from each of the 18 Hmong family clans -- confirmed that the second event is proposed for the same seven days at the city's Regional Sports Complex in southwest Fresno.
They referred questions about why a second event is planned to Cheng Lee, who did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
But Hmong community activist Mai Summer Vue said the rival event emerged from frustrations over how the foundation had spent funds.
A question of money
Last year, the Hmong International New Year celebration charged admission of up to $4 per person. In 2008, the most recent year for which IRS records are available, the nonprofit group took in $843,831 and had a $126,777 surplus after expenses.
But "so far ... we have not seen much contribution to the community as far as scholarships to students, significant contributions back to the community," said Vue, president of the Hmong Justice USA, a Fresno group that advocates for the rights of people in the Hmong community and is seeking nonprofit status.
Source: fresnobee.com
Fresno Bee
A bitter community split has led to competing Hmong New Year celebrations, putting a cloud over a Fresno event that draws huge crowds and participants from around the world. One will be held as usual from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 at the Fresno Fairground. The other is scheduled at the same time -- but about six miles across town.
The reason: A breakaway group has accused organizers of misspending money raised from the event, using funds meant for scholarships to travel abroad.
The Hmong International New Year Foundation Inc. -- a nonprofit group that has organized the event for 12 years -- denies the accusations.
But the split marks an end to years of cooperation and a return to conflict that was common in the 1990s.
Many in Fresno's Hmong community fear the split will hurt the event, said Bee Lee, host of the Hmong American Business Radio show on KBIF (AM 900).
Some have called his show to complain, he said.
"Right now they're very upset," Lee said. "They say we have to solve this problem."
A big occasion
The Fresno-based celebration is widely regarded as the largest of its kind in the country. Last year, about 120,000 attended, organizers said.
The central San Joaquin Valley has one of the largest Hmong populations in the country. Many Hmong settled here after fleeing Laos during the Vietnam War. The Hmong had fought alongside American soldiers.
Pao Fang, executive director of Lao Family Community of Fresno, said his group organized the first Hmong New Year celebration in Fresno in 1980. It became a national event in the mid-1980s.
By the mid-1990s, some members of the Hmong community were raising concerns about how money raised from the event was being spent.
In late 1995 and early 1996, the celebration was no longer unified. One event was held in Fresno, and another in Hanford.
The following two years, dueling Hmong New Year celebrations were held in Fresno -- one at the fairgrounds, another at the Sunnyside Swap Meet.
The divisions appeared to be resolved in late 1998, when the groups joined under the auspices of the Hmong International New Year Foundation. Both sides signed an agreement saying there would be no competition for 10 years, said Charlie Vang, the foundation's executive director.
Fang, of the private social-service organization Lao Family Community, said he is sorry to see the cooperation end.
"There's no need to ... divide the community," Fang said. "It's sad. It's just sad."
Organizers of the breakaway event announced their plans last week on KBIF.
Members of the 18 Clan Council -- an informal group with representatives from each of the 18 Hmong family clans -- confirmed that the second event is proposed for the same seven days at the city's Regional Sports Complex in southwest Fresno.
They referred questions about why a second event is planned to Cheng Lee, who did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
But Hmong community activist Mai Summer Vue said the rival event emerged from frustrations over how the foundation had spent funds.
A question of money
Last year, the Hmong International New Year celebration charged admission of up to $4 per person. In 2008, the most recent year for which IRS records are available, the nonprofit group took in $843,831 and had a $126,777 surplus after expenses.
But "so far ... we have not seen much contribution to the community as far as scholarships to students, significant contributions back to the community," said Vue, president of the Hmong Justice USA, a Fresno group that advocates for the rights of people in the Hmong community and is seeking nonprofit status.
Source: fresnobee.com
Supporters of Koua Fong Lee celebrates his release
They had been among a groundswell of people who believed in a cause — and did something about it. On Sunday, some of the backers of Koua Fong Lee met him for the first time since they rallied to support his release from prison.
'I am so happy you're free!' said Carol Ward, 59, of Woodbury, as she embraced Lee. 'You have been in my thoughts and prayers.'
'That means a lot,' Lee, 32, responded, tearing up. 'That means a lot.'
His wife, Panghoua Moua, chimed in.
'We are here today because we want to say 'thanks' from the bottom of our hearts,' she said. But you know, you've already said thanks,' Ward said. 'So now we rejoice.'
Lee, his wife, their four children, many relatives and their newfound friends gathered Sunday afternoon for a picnic at Hazelwood Park in Maplewood. Lee's sister-in-law, Kong Chee Vang, brought loads of a Hmong noodle dish she had made and egg rolls from a store in the International Market.
Lee was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide in 2007 after his 1996 Toyota Camry crashed into the back of another car in St. Paul, killing a man and two children. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.
He insisted at the time that he could not stop the car; his lawyers petitioned the court this spring for a new trial. A judge granted the request Aug. 5.
Lee was released from prison, and prosecutors announced they would not retry him.
"It is a great gift from God that I could come back home and take care of my children," Lee said. "I feel very good." He and Moua said they have spent the past 10 days reconnecting as a family. Their second-youngest, Yengzong, was too young when he went to prison to have spent much time with him; their youngest, Angel, was born after he went in.
They've hosted visits from relatives, made a trip to Como Zoo — as he promised the children during his prison stay — and gone to the grocery store, where he's been recognized by strangers who congratulate him.
One of Lee's attorneys, Brent Schafer, brought his wife and daughter to the picnic, shaking hands with the Los Angeles man who started the "Free Koua Fong Lee" Facebook page that attracted more than 6,200 fans.
Andrew Gwynn, 30, said it felt "surreal" to be a part of something so momentous.
"The Internet is such a weird place, and to build a following and have it (help) transform a whole family's life forever is the best thing I've ever done," Gwynn said. "Best thing by far."
Gwynn, a Rochester native, was in Minnesota to visit relatives and said he was elated that his visit coincided with the picnic.
Tad Wagner, 44, of Minneapolis said that Lee's imprisonment "went against my sense of justice." He had the summer off, so he spent hours upon hours on the Internet, posting to the Facebook page and trying to generate interest among his friends and associates.
"I wanted to do what I could to help," to fire people up, Wagner said. "Because if you're fired up emotionally, it incites action."
Seeing Lee released, he said, was "one of the top five events of my life."
Lee, an emigrant from Laos, said he plans to finish his GED and then go to college to become a social worker. That was his dream before the accident, he said, but his time in prison helped galvanize his resolve.
"I always wanted to help people, but when I was in prison, some people I didn't know supported me, helped me, and that made me feel very good," he said.
Emily Gurnon can be reached at 651-228-5522.
source: http://www.twincities.com
Victim's daughter disputes defense'breakup claim
By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B Last Modified: Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010 - 8:10 am
Slain correctional officer Steve Lo's daughter challenged a key story line in the defense of former sheriff's deputy Chu Vue when she testified Thursday that her dad's mistress gave her gifts and wanted to be her friend.
Vue's lawyer told the Sacramento Superior Court jury earlier in the week that his client had nothing to do with Lo's shooting death and that it was Vue's two younger brothers who carried out the hit on their own.
The attorney, Donald Masuda, said in his opening statement that the brothers killed Lo because the officer was breaking up with his girlfriend – Chu Vue's wife, Chia. The brothers, both of whom were wanted for murder in Minnesota, feared that Lo knew too much about their circumstances through his mistress and that they "would get ratted out" by him, Masuda said, in explaining his theory of the murder.
But in her testimony Thursday, Lo's daughter Brenda painted a verbal picture of a couple who exchanged sweet talk and showed no signs to her of a split.
Brenda Lo, now 16, said her father brought "his so-called friend" to her middle school graduation on June 3, 2008.
"He said her name was Cynthia," Brenda Lo testified. "She asked me, could she take me out to lunch as a graduation gift," Brenda Lo said, for some "girl talk."
The girl said "Cynthia" gave her a $60 gift card and the watch off her arm.
"She took it off and said, 'It's a gift, you can keep it,' " Brenda Lo testified.
Chia Vue also slipped Brenda Lo her phone number on a Post-it note and told her she would be "available" for advice. "She said she knew me and my biological mother were having problems," Brenda Lo said.
Steve Lo was still married to his second wife, Sia Vang. Brenda Lo is the daughter of Steve Lo's first wife.
After her father was gunned down in the garage of his Tambor Way home in south Sacramento, Brenda Lo said she and Chia Vue spoke on the phone and that the woman met up with her, her mother and brother to go visit Steve Lo's grave in Stockton.
Brenda Lo said Chia Vue "sounded very depressed" in visiting the grave and that "she was apologizing."
"She was crying," Brenda Lo said. "She didn't talk much. She was just really crying."
Masuda claimed in his opening remarks that Steve Lo and Chia Vue broke up about a week before the officer's death, which would have been just a few days after their final Oct. 5, 2008, tryst at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento.
In his cross-examination, Masuda confronted Brenda Lo with a police report in which the girl was quoted as saying her father told her "that's not my girlfriend," in reference to Chia Vue.
Brenda Lo denied making the statement.
Lo, 39, was killed on Oct. 15, 2008. Chu Vue, 45, is on trial for murder on charges that he planned out the killing because of the affair.
Vue's co-defendant and cousin, Lang Vue, 27, is accused of aiding and abetting the killing by procuring rental cars and motel rooms, and then buying a sport-utility vehicle so the purported gunmen could flee. Authorities say the shooters were Chu Vue's younger brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31. They are scheduled to be tried separately later this month.
At the time of Steve Lo's death, the brothers were wanted for murder in a 2001 gang-related drive-by shooting death in Minnesota. Both have since been convicted in that case.
Several co-workers of Chu Vue at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center also testified Thursday that he told them about learning of the affair and then making inquiries about running names through the agency's website to track people down.
Deputy Khu Xiong said that Vue at first appeared to be upset, but that he became "acceptive" of his wife's affair.
"He was like, 'Everything's cool. We've moved on. I don't want to go back to that life,' " Xiong testified.
The testimony seemed to support Masuda's statement to the jury that his client didn't have a motive to kill Lo because he wasn't interested in keeping his marriage intact.
Xiong testified that Vue spoke about his pursuit of new women as if it were "like finding a new car."
He said he found Vue's reaction to the affair to be contrary to their Hmong culture, that as a respected member of his clan, he should have taken it to the elders to work out.
Vue, however, invoked the eastern belief in the law of karma and suggested that Lo's action would reap a whirlwind, according to Xiong.
"People who do bad things, something bad will happen to them," Xiong quoted Vue as saying.
afurillo@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B Last Modified: Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010 - 8:10 am
Slain correctional officer Steve Lo's daughter challenged a key story line in the defense of former sheriff's deputy Chu Vue when she testified Thursday that her dad's mistress gave her gifts and wanted to be her friend.
Vue's lawyer told the Sacramento Superior Court jury earlier in the week that his client had nothing to do with Lo's shooting death and that it was Vue's two younger brothers who carried out the hit on their own.
The attorney, Donald Masuda, said in his opening statement that the brothers killed Lo because the officer was breaking up with his girlfriend – Chu Vue's wife, Chia. The brothers, both of whom were wanted for murder in Minnesota, feared that Lo knew too much about their circumstances through his mistress and that they "would get ratted out" by him, Masuda said, in explaining his theory of the murder.
But in her testimony Thursday, Lo's daughter Brenda painted a verbal picture of a couple who exchanged sweet talk and showed no signs to her of a split.
Brenda Lo, now 16, said her father brought "his so-called friend" to her middle school graduation on June 3, 2008.
"He said her name was Cynthia," Brenda Lo testified. "She asked me, could she take me out to lunch as a graduation gift," Brenda Lo said, for some "girl talk."
The girl said "Cynthia" gave her a $60 gift card and the watch off her arm.
"She took it off and said, 'It's a gift, you can keep it,' " Brenda Lo testified.
Chia Vue also slipped Brenda Lo her phone number on a Post-it note and told her she would be "available" for advice. "She said she knew me and my biological mother were having problems," Brenda Lo said.
Steve Lo was still married to his second wife, Sia Vang. Brenda Lo is the daughter of Steve Lo's first wife.
After her father was gunned down in the garage of his Tambor Way home in south Sacramento, Brenda Lo said she and Chia Vue spoke on the phone and that the woman met up with her, her mother and brother to go visit Steve Lo's grave in Stockton.
Brenda Lo said Chia Vue "sounded very depressed" in visiting the grave and that "she was apologizing."
"She was crying," Brenda Lo said. "She didn't talk much. She was just really crying."
Masuda claimed in his opening remarks that Steve Lo and Chia Vue broke up about a week before the officer's death, which would have been just a few days after their final Oct. 5, 2008, tryst at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento.
In his cross-examination, Masuda confronted Brenda Lo with a police report in which the girl was quoted as saying her father told her "that's not my girlfriend," in reference to Chia Vue.
Brenda Lo denied making the statement.
Lo, 39, was killed on Oct. 15, 2008. Chu Vue, 45, is on trial for murder on charges that he planned out the killing because of the affair.
Vue's co-defendant and cousin, Lang Vue, 27, is accused of aiding and abetting the killing by procuring rental cars and motel rooms, and then buying a sport-utility vehicle so the purported gunmen could flee. Authorities say the shooters were Chu Vue's younger brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31. They are scheduled to be tried separately later this month.
At the time of Steve Lo's death, the brothers were wanted for murder in a 2001 gang-related drive-by shooting death in Minnesota. Both have since been convicted in that case.
Several co-workers of Chu Vue at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center also testified Thursday that he told them about learning of the affair and then making inquiries about running names through the agency's website to track people down.
Deputy Khu Xiong said that Vue at first appeared to be upset, but that he became "acceptive" of his wife's affair.
"He was like, 'Everything's cool. We've moved on. I don't want to go back to that life,' " Xiong testified.
The testimony seemed to support Masuda's statement to the jury that his client didn't have a motive to kill Lo because he wasn't interested in keeping his marriage intact.
Xiong testified that Vue spoke about his pursuit of new women as if it were "like finding a new car."
He said he found Vue's reaction to the affair to be contrary to their Hmong culture, that as a respected member of his clan, he should have taken it to the elders to work out.
Vue, however, invoked the eastern belief in the law of karma and suggested that Lo's action would reap a whirlwind, according to Xiong.
"People who do bad things, something bad will happen to them," Xiong quoted Vue as saying.
Senator Franken continues update on Hmong returnees in Laos
By Tom Laventure.
U.S. Senator Al Franken (DFL-MN) last Sunday invited press to his Drake Bank Building office to continue updating the progress on the approximately 4,500 forcibly repatriated Hmong in Laos. It was a timely meeting now that President Barack Obama has nominated Karen Brevard Stewart as the next United States Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Franken noted that he had submitted an Ambassador nomination request for State Senator Mee Moua, who has taken an active role in several efforts related to the Hmong in Laos and Thailand - from the returnees, the oppressed and the grave desecration issue at the Wat Tham Krabok Buddhist monastery in Saraburi, Thailand.
He said the State Department replied that the process to consider Brevard Stewart, a career member of the Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, was too far along to consider other applicants.
Franken added that Brevard Stewart, like her predecessor Ravic R. Huso, speaks fluent Lao and has considerable previous experience in Laos and Southeast Asia. He said Huso has done a wonderful job on the returnees issue and has high regards for Brevard Stewart.
Sen. Franken and his spouse, Franny, traveled to the Lao People's Democratic Republic in early July 2010, as part of a Congressional delegation to discuss environmental remediation of dioxin, the funding of medical disabilities services, education initiatives, labor issues, and trade relations in Vietnam.
The two departed from the delegation for two days to investigate the treatment of more than 4,500 Hmong who were forcibly returned to Laos from Thailand last December. They traveled to the village of PhonKham in Borikhamxay province in central Laos to meet with a group of 150 returnees - and expressed disappointment at only meeting with selected returnees and for denied access to parts of the camp.
Franken said that he brought his concerns back to the Laos Capitol of Vientiane, where he said the younger Lao officials were more responsive than the old-guard military and civilian leaders that were likely in power since the War in Southeast Asia.
The Lao Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, who is also the Laos Foreign Minister, was in Washington this July meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sisoulith reportedly invited Secretary Clinton on an official visit to the Lao PDR.
Franken said he briefed the State Department on his observations and concerns for the Hmong, and requested that it be brought up in addition to the discussion on bilateral cooperation and common interests in Southeast Asia.
The approximately 4,500 repatriated Hmong, were living in Thai refugee camps until forcefully returned by the Thai government. Some are relatives of Hmong in Minnesota, and are considered to be at risk for their association with the Hmong CIA Army and the Royal Lao government prior to 1975. Approximately 158 of the reurnees were identified as "persons of interest" - and reportedly fled Laos for fear of the government - and are eligible for refugee status. Around 70 of the special group were referred to the U.S. State Department for resettlement. The remaining 88 individuals were referred for resettlement in Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.
Franken said that reports indicated that some of the repatriated Hmong have fled the camps and their whereabouts are as yet unknown.
Franken also said that he was provided with information that he is not at yet at liberty to share with public.
The Lao government has placed the returnees in two settlements: the village of Ban Pha Lak in southwest Kasi district in Vientiane province; and the village of Phonkham in Borikhamxay province.
Both sites are said to have permanent dwellings, farmland and irrigation systems for farming rice. There is running water, electricity, and even cell phone coverage. There is some concern for more adequate health facilities and schools - and documents that would allow the Hmong the same mobility as other Lao citizens.
Franken said that in addition to the Hmong issue in Laos, his visit was also to work on other priority concerns over the search for missing Americans from the Indochina War, the clearance of unexploded ordnance from the war, drug and human trafficking, and pandemic disease prevention.
source: tcdailyplanet.net
U.S. Senator Al Franken (DFL-MN) last Sunday invited press to his Drake Bank Building office to continue updating the progress on the approximately 4,500 forcibly repatriated Hmong in Laos. It was a timely meeting now that President Barack Obama has nominated Karen Brevard Stewart as the next United States Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Franken noted that he had submitted an Ambassador nomination request for State Senator Mee Moua, who has taken an active role in several efforts related to the Hmong in Laos and Thailand - from the returnees, the oppressed and the grave desecration issue at the Wat Tham Krabok Buddhist monastery in Saraburi, Thailand.
He said the State Department replied that the process to consider Brevard Stewart, a career member of the Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, was too far along to consider other applicants.
Franken added that Brevard Stewart, like her predecessor Ravic R. Huso, speaks fluent Lao and has considerable previous experience in Laos and Southeast Asia. He said Huso has done a wonderful job on the returnees issue and has high regards for Brevard Stewart.
Sen. Franken and his spouse, Franny, traveled to the Lao People's Democratic Republic in early July 2010, as part of a Congressional delegation to discuss environmental remediation of dioxin, the funding of medical disabilities services, education initiatives, labor issues, and trade relations in Vietnam.
The two departed from the delegation for two days to investigate the treatment of more than 4,500 Hmong who were forcibly returned to Laos from Thailand last December. They traveled to the village of PhonKham in Borikhamxay province in central Laos to meet with a group of 150 returnees - and expressed disappointment at only meeting with selected returnees and for denied access to parts of the camp.
Franken said that he brought his concerns back to the Laos Capitol of Vientiane, where he said the younger Lao officials were more responsive than the old-guard military and civilian leaders that were likely in power since the War in Southeast Asia.
The Lao Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, who is also the Laos Foreign Minister, was in Washington this July meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sisoulith reportedly invited Secretary Clinton on an official visit to the Lao PDR.
Franken said he briefed the State Department on his observations and concerns for the Hmong, and requested that it be brought up in addition to the discussion on bilateral cooperation and common interests in Southeast Asia.
The approximately 4,500 repatriated Hmong, were living in Thai refugee camps until forcefully returned by the Thai government. Some are relatives of Hmong in Minnesota, and are considered to be at risk for their association with the Hmong CIA Army and the Royal Lao government prior to 1975. Approximately 158 of the reurnees were identified as "persons of interest" - and reportedly fled Laos for fear of the government - and are eligible for refugee status. Around 70 of the special group were referred to the U.S. State Department for resettlement. The remaining 88 individuals were referred for resettlement in Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.
Franken said that reports indicated that some of the repatriated Hmong have fled the camps and their whereabouts are as yet unknown.
Franken also said that he was provided with information that he is not at yet at liberty to share with public.
The Lao government has placed the returnees in two settlements: the village of Ban Pha Lak in southwest Kasi district in Vientiane province; and the village of Phonkham in Borikhamxay province.
Both sites are said to have permanent dwellings, farmland and irrigation systems for farming rice. There is running water, electricity, and even cell phone coverage. There is some concern for more adequate health facilities and schools - and documents that would allow the Hmong the same mobility as other Lao citizens.
Franken said that in addition to the Hmong issue in Laos, his visit was also to work on other priority concerns over the search for missing Americans from the Indochina War, the clearance of unexploded ordnance from the war, drug and human trafficking, and pandemic disease prevention.
source: tcdailyplanet.net
Koua Fong Lee is a FREE man; prosecutor won't retry him
Shortly after a Ramsey County judge vacated Lee's conviction, the Ramsey County attorney said she would not retry Lee for a crash in which his speeding Toyota Camry crashed into another car, killing three people.
Click here to see photos
"I believe it is time to bring this very tragic situation to a close," County Attorney Susan Gaertner said today.
The judge ruled this afternoon that imprisoned St. Paul man Koua Fong Lee should get a new trial.
Lee will be freed from the Ramsey County jail tonight and go home, under the ruling from Ramsey County District Judge Joanne Smith. Smith cited new evidence that Lee's original jury did not hear, and said his first lawyer did a poor job at trial.
"The ineffective assistance of counsel issue, standing on its own, merits a new trial," Smith said.
Lee, 32, was convicted of vehicular homicide after his 1996 Toyota Camry rear-ended an Oldsmobile Ciera in St. Paul in 2006, killing three people. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. His attorneys argued this week that his car experienced sudden unintended acceleration and that his trial attorney botched the case.
When Smith announced her ruling vacating Lee's convictions, Lee turned to defense attorney Bob Hilliard and hugged him.
"He held me tighter than I had been held for a long time, and he was crying," Hilliard said.
Lee's wife, Panghoua Moua, turned to Lee's sister-in-law and cried in her arms.
His sister-in-law said the family had already ordered some Hmong food for him from a local Hmong store, including a favorite dish, bitter melon.
The county attorney's office said it would soon make a statement in a news conference about how it intends to proceed with the case.
Smith's decision capped a dramatic day in court. This morning, the prosecution offered Lee a deal, saying that they would recommend that Lee's sentences for criminal vehicular homicide be vacated but that the convictions would remain on his record - a deal that Lee rejected.
Prosecutor Mark Lystig said that the Ramsey County attorney's office was not conceding defects in the prosecution but that they were making their offer in exchange for Lee withdrawing his petition for post-conviction relief and not pursuing any pending claims.
Had Lee accepted the offer, he would have been released from prison.
In questioning by his attorney, Brent Schafer, Lee said he understood that the deal would give him at least temporary freedom, but that the felonies would remain on his record, he would have had no driving privileges for 10 years and he would have remained on probation for 15 years.
Lee's wife said she supported his decision to reject the offer.
Lee said in court through an interpreter that he rejected the offer because he was innocent.
"Because during that time, I took my foot off the accelerator and put it on the brake, and I did not lie about it," Lee said. "I am not guilty."
His wife said he had always told her that. "I believed him," she said. "I was in the car with him."
If Smith had denied Lee's petition for a new trial, he would have stayed in prison and gained nothing.
Since she granted his petition, the county said it will amend the criminal complaint to include three counts of criminal vehicular homicide instead of two, Lystig said. (The third victim, 7-year-old Devyn Bolton, died within a month after the 2007 trial ended.) A second trial could result in a second conviction.
Defense attorneys Schafer and Bob Hilliard filed a petition in March for post-conviction relief in the wake of Toyota's recalls of millions of newer Toyotas for the potential acceleration problem.
The Ramsey County attorney's office fought the petition, arguing again today in court that Lee was grossly negligent and that his conviction was just.
Hilliard said after the morning hearing that Wednesday's evidence that the original trial attorney for Lee had poorly handled the case was "very, very compelling."
Source: twincities.com
Click here to see photos
"I believe it is time to bring this very tragic situation to a close," County Attorney Susan Gaertner said today.
The judge ruled this afternoon that imprisoned St. Paul man Koua Fong Lee should get a new trial.
Lee will be freed from the Ramsey County jail tonight and go home, under the ruling from Ramsey County District Judge Joanne Smith. Smith cited new evidence that Lee's original jury did not hear, and said his first lawyer did a poor job at trial.
"The ineffective assistance of counsel issue, standing on its own, merits a new trial," Smith said.
Lee, 32, was convicted of vehicular homicide after his 1996 Toyota Camry rear-ended an Oldsmobile Ciera in St. Paul in 2006, killing three people. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. His attorneys argued this week that his car experienced sudden unintended acceleration and that his trial attorney botched the case.
When Smith announced her ruling vacating Lee's convictions, Lee turned to defense attorney Bob Hilliard and hugged him.
"He held me tighter than I had been held for a long time, and he was crying," Hilliard said.
Lee's wife, Panghoua Moua, turned to Lee's sister-in-law and cried in her arms.
His sister-in-law said the family had already ordered some Hmong food for him from a local Hmong store, including a favorite dish, bitter melon.
The county attorney's office said it would soon make a statement in a news conference about how it intends to proceed with the case.
Smith's decision capped a dramatic day in court. This morning, the prosecution offered Lee a deal, saying that they would recommend that Lee's sentences for criminal vehicular homicide be vacated but that the convictions would remain on his record - a deal that Lee rejected.
Prosecutor Mark Lystig said that the Ramsey County attorney's office was not conceding defects in the prosecution but that they were making their offer in exchange for Lee withdrawing his petition for post-conviction relief and not pursuing any pending claims.
Had Lee accepted the offer, he would have been released from prison.
In questioning by his attorney, Brent Schafer, Lee said he understood that the deal would give him at least temporary freedom, but that the felonies would remain on his record, he would have had no driving privileges for 10 years and he would have remained on probation for 15 years.
Lee's wife said she supported his decision to reject the offer.
Lee said in court through an interpreter that he rejected the offer because he was innocent.
"Because during that time, I took my foot off the accelerator and put it on the brake, and I did not lie about it," Lee said. "I am not guilty."
His wife said he had always told her that. "I believed him," she said. "I was in the car with him."
If Smith had denied Lee's petition for a new trial, he would have stayed in prison and gained nothing.
Since she granted his petition, the county said it will amend the criminal complaint to include three counts of criminal vehicular homicide instead of two, Lystig said. (The third victim, 7-year-old Devyn Bolton, died within a month after the 2007 trial ended.) A second trial could result in a second conviction.
Defense attorneys Schafer and Bob Hilliard filed a petition in March for post-conviction relief in the wake of Toyota's recalls of millions of newer Toyotas for the potential acceleration problem.
The Ramsey County attorney's office fought the petition, arguing again today in court that Lee was grossly negligent and that his conviction was just.
Hilliard said after the morning hearing that Wednesday's evidence that the original trial attorney for Lee had poorly handled the case was "very, very compelling."
Source: twincities.com
John Vang and Thong accused of chaining their 13 year old son
A father and stepmother in Sacramento are accused of chaining their son to a kitchen table for two days, releasing him only to sleep, eat and use the restroom. Sacramento police said they learned of the abuse when the boy escaped the home Friday night and was seen walking down a street chained at his wrists, ankles and neck. He was asking for help.
Police said the father, John Vang, 40, chained his son as punishment for misbehaving and the stepmother, Thong Vue, 34, did nothing to stop the abuse. They are facing charges of false imprisonment and cruelty to a child.
Neighbors said the family is a member of the Hmong community. One neighbor explained that this type of punishment, while illegal in the U.S., is more common in that community.
“We want to change that, but we can’t. It’s embedded into people’s mind," neighbor Gee Vue said. “The ... laws are different and you discipline your kids differently. That would make other people look at him like he can’t be the father of the house. He can’t tell his own son to behave so that makes him look bad. So he probably did that just to cover his dignity.”
Sacramento police said there is no excuse for what happened to the 13-year-old.
“It’s hard to imagine the terror that must have been going through this young boy’s mind when he was being chained to a table and physically abused by his own father, and it’s also hard to imagine what kind of father would do this to his own son,” police Officer Konrad von Schoech said. “This is one of those cases that shocks the conscience.”
Sacramento court records indicate Vang has a criminal record for domestic violence and weapons violations dating back to the early 1990s. Police are investigating if similar abuses were ongoing.
“I’m surprised. I’m shocked,” said Bernadette Burgess, a neighbor.
“Kind of shocking to know it’s happening right under your nose, and you don’t see it,” neighbor William Johns said.
“Surprising, yeah, very surprising,” neighbor Seng Vang said.
The teen is staying with his biological mother. Police said he is fine.
Police said they are not aware of any other children living in the home. Both Vang and Vue were released on bail from Sacramento County Jail on Saturday.
Source:ksbw.com
Police said the father, John Vang, 40, chained his son as punishment for misbehaving and the stepmother, Thong Vue, 34, did nothing to stop the abuse. They are facing charges of false imprisonment and cruelty to a child.
Neighbors said the family is a member of the Hmong community. One neighbor explained that this type of punishment, while illegal in the U.S., is more common in that community.
“We want to change that, but we can’t. It’s embedded into people’s mind," neighbor Gee Vue said. “The ... laws are different and you discipline your kids differently. That would make other people look at him like he can’t be the father of the house. He can’t tell his own son to behave so that makes him look bad. So he probably did that just to cover his dignity.”
Sacramento police said there is no excuse for what happened to the 13-year-old.
“It’s hard to imagine the terror that must have been going through this young boy’s mind when he was being chained to a table and physically abused by his own father, and it’s also hard to imagine what kind of father would do this to his own son,” police Officer Konrad von Schoech said. “This is one of those cases that shocks the conscience.”
Sacramento court records indicate Vang has a criminal record for domestic violence and weapons violations dating back to the early 1990s. Police are investigating if similar abuses were ongoing.
“I’m surprised. I’m shocked,” said Bernadette Burgess, a neighbor.
“Kind of shocking to know it’s happening right under your nose, and you don’t see it,” neighbor William Johns said.
“Surprising, yeah, very surprising,” neighbor Seng Vang said.
The teen is staying with his biological mother. Police said he is fine.
Police said they are not aware of any other children living in the home. Both Vang and Vue were released on bail from Sacramento County Jail on Saturday.
Source:ksbw.com
Koua Fong Lee, wife hanging on to hope, wearily
Lee, wife hanging on to hope, wearily Koua Fong Lee and his wife struggle, he in prison and she raising their 4 kids alone, as he fights for new trial in 2006 fatal St. Paul crash.
By PAT PHEIFER and CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: July 15, 2010 - 10:15 PM
When Panghoua Moua loads her four children into the car to visit their father, Koua Fong Lee, she tells them they're visiting him at a school.
"I don't want my kids to be sad," Moua said this week.
The children, ages 8, 5, 3 and 2, are too young to know that Lee is serving an eight-year sentence at Lino Lakes prison for criminal vehicular homicide. Or that he's at the center of a drawn-out court battle that has captured headlines across the country and may get him a chance at a new trial.
Lee, 32, doesn't look much older than a teenager. Dressed in a prison-issued white T-shirt and blue jeans, he granted an interview Tuesday in a prison conference room. Interpreter Long Yang, hired by the Star Tribune, translated.
There's no question that Lee, who was convicted in 2007, was driving the 1996 Toyota Camry while going home with his family from church in June 2006, when the car accelerated up the Snelling Avenue exit off eastbound Interstate 94, sideswiped two cars and then crashed into another. Javis Adams, 33, and his son, Javis Jr., died at the scene. Devyn Bolton, then 6, was left a quadriplegic and died in 2007.
Given the evidence at the time, jurors found Lee guilty of the charges even though he insisted -- and still insists -- that he did not mistake the gas pedal for the brakes.
"I saw the red light [at the intersection]," he said this week. "I saw many cars. I tried to brake my car, trying to stop, but I was not able to, so I swerve my car to the middle lane, then I continue applying on the brake but the car kept going."
Last fall, after news of a massive Toyota recall because of sudden unintended acceleration, Lee's story was given more credence. His attorney, Brent Schafer, filed a motion for post-conviction relief, citing newly discovered evidence and ineffective assistance of trial counsel.
Lee now has new hope, he said, that an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Aug. 2 in Ramsey County District Court will result in a ruling that he is entitled to a new trial. If that's the case, he could be free within days, or perhaps even hours after the order is handed down by District Judge Joanne Smith.
Since word of Toyota's mechanical problems and subsequent recall, Lee has received many letters of support. They mean the world to him and his wife.
"I want them to know that that is one of the greatest gifts that is given to me," he said. "I like for you to express to my supporters, tell them I want to thank them very much."
But Lee's criminal case and appeals process have worn down both Lee and Moua. This is not the life they imagined when they prepared to immigrate to America in 2004.
Lee is sad, he said, that his 3-year-old son, Yengzong, and 2-year-old daughter, Angel, shy away and refuse to climb into his lap on their infrequent visits.
"The most difficult for me is that my children don't know who I am," he said.
"They see him as a stranger," Moua said. "They're scared. I tell them, 'Don't be scared. It's just Daddy.'
"You're the mother, you want your kids to have a mother and a father," she said, her voice weary and thin. "You want them to be happy, but ... I don't know."
Lee worries, too, that by his anticipated release date in February 2013, even his oldest daughter and son, Jemee, 8, and Yupheng, 5, won't remember him. But at least for now, they clamor to talk to him when he calls.
When he gets out, "The Number 1 thing is to get to know my children and help them get to know me," he said.
"They told me that when I go home, they want me to take them biking," Lee said through tears.
Lee was born in Laos, where his family lived in the mountains with no running water, no electricity and no bathroom, he said. He was 6 or 7 years old when his father, a teacher, took the family to a Thai refugee camp.
By PAT PHEIFER and CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: July 15, 2010 - 10:15 PM
When Panghoua Moua loads her four children into the car to visit their father, Koua Fong Lee, she tells them they're visiting him at a school.
"I don't want my kids to be sad," Moua said this week.
The children, ages 8, 5, 3 and 2, are too young to know that Lee is serving an eight-year sentence at Lino Lakes prison for criminal vehicular homicide. Or that he's at the center of a drawn-out court battle that has captured headlines across the country and may get him a chance at a new trial.
Lee, 32, doesn't look much older than a teenager. Dressed in a prison-issued white T-shirt and blue jeans, he granted an interview Tuesday in a prison conference room. Interpreter Long Yang, hired by the Star Tribune, translated.
There's no question that Lee, who was convicted in 2007, was driving the 1996 Toyota Camry while going home with his family from church in June 2006, when the car accelerated up the Snelling Avenue exit off eastbound Interstate 94, sideswiped two cars and then crashed into another. Javis Adams, 33, and his son, Javis Jr., died at the scene. Devyn Bolton, then 6, was left a quadriplegic and died in 2007.
Given the evidence at the time, jurors found Lee guilty of the charges even though he insisted -- and still insists -- that he did not mistake the gas pedal for the brakes.
"I saw the red light [at the intersection]," he said this week. "I saw many cars. I tried to brake my car, trying to stop, but I was not able to, so I swerve my car to the middle lane, then I continue applying on the brake but the car kept going."
Last fall, after news of a massive Toyota recall because of sudden unintended acceleration, Lee's story was given more credence. His attorney, Brent Schafer, filed a motion for post-conviction relief, citing newly discovered evidence and ineffective assistance of trial counsel.
Lee now has new hope, he said, that an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Aug. 2 in Ramsey County District Court will result in a ruling that he is entitled to a new trial. If that's the case, he could be free within days, or perhaps even hours after the order is handed down by District Judge Joanne Smith.
Since word of Toyota's mechanical problems and subsequent recall, Lee has received many letters of support. They mean the world to him and his wife.
"I want them to know that that is one of the greatest gifts that is given to me," he said. "I like for you to express to my supporters, tell them I want to thank them very much."
But Lee's criminal case and appeals process have worn down both Lee and Moua. This is not the life they imagined when they prepared to immigrate to America in 2004.
Lee is sad, he said, that his 3-year-old son, Yengzong, and 2-year-old daughter, Angel, shy away and refuse to climb into his lap on their infrequent visits.
"The most difficult for me is that my children don't know who I am," he said.
"They see him as a stranger," Moua said. "They're scared. I tell them, 'Don't be scared. It's just Daddy.'
"You're the mother, you want your kids to have a mother and a father," she said, her voice weary and thin. "You want them to be happy, but ... I don't know."
Lee worries, too, that by his anticipated release date in February 2013, even his oldest daughter and son, Jemee, 8, and Yupheng, 5, won't remember him. But at least for now, they clamor to talk to him when he calls.
When he gets out, "The Number 1 thing is to get to know my children and help them get to know me," he said.
"They told me that when I go home, they want me to take them biking," Lee said through tears.
Lee was born in Laos, where his family lived in the mountains with no running water, no electricity and no bathroom, he said. He was 6 or 7 years old when his father, a teacher, took the family to a Thai refugee camp.
Hmong returnees forewarned how to "act" foreign delegation
PRESS RELEASE – June 15, 2010
Lao authorities have informed Hmong returnees living in Phonkham settlement, Borikhamsai province that there will be a foreign diplomatic delegation visiting the site on Wednesday, June 16. In preparation for the upcoming visit, authorities have informed the returnees that only one man and woman will be allowed to speak to the visiting officials. The returnees believe this is so that the Lao government has total control over the situation and that a happy picture of the returnees is presented to inquisitive diplomats and news media.
During the last visit by foreign diplomats on March 26, the tour was cut short by Lao officials after some women began speaking out to visiting news media about not feeling comfortable living in Laos and wanting to resettle in a third country. They were part of a group of 158 UNHCR-recognized refugees held in Nong Khai jail for three years, which Thailand forcibly repatriated last December. The United States, Australia, Netherlands and Canada had all volunteered to resettle the group and received assurances from the Thai government that Laos would allow them to resettle in third countries after they returned.
After being forced back to the country they fled political persecution from, it is no surprise that the Lao government is not allowing this group to leave the country. Instead, they have been trying to silence them through intimidation saying that no one wants to resettle them and that they should be happy where they are. The extent and lengths by which the Lao government has been trying to silence this group and not let them speak freely reveals much about the Lao government’s double-talk of how free these returnees really are.
Just recently, possibly due to the upcoming visit by foreign diplomats, local Lao authorities have received orders from the central government to get all the returnees to register their mobile phone numbers with the government. The explanation given to the returnees was so that the government could track down those providing misleading information to the outside world. Returnees see this as just another measure to keep them in check to intimidate them from speaking openly about their situation.
Last week, the news agency AFP had reported that Eric P. Schwartz, US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, would be visiting Laos soon to discuss the rights of these returnees to leave. If he is part of this delegation it doesn’t look like the returnees will be free to speak to him but I’m sure the Lao government will put on a good show of how “transparent” they are.
Joe Davy
Hmong Advocate
Chicago
Lao authorities have informed Hmong returnees living in Phonkham settlement, Borikhamsai province that there will be a foreign diplomatic delegation visiting the site on Wednesday, June 16. In preparation for the upcoming visit, authorities have informed the returnees that only one man and woman will be allowed to speak to the visiting officials. The returnees believe this is so that the Lao government has total control over the situation and that a happy picture of the returnees is presented to inquisitive diplomats and news media.
During the last visit by foreign diplomats on March 26, the tour was cut short by Lao officials after some women began speaking out to visiting news media about not feeling comfortable living in Laos and wanting to resettle in a third country. They were part of a group of 158 UNHCR-recognized refugees held in Nong Khai jail for three years, which Thailand forcibly repatriated last December. The United States, Australia, Netherlands and Canada had all volunteered to resettle the group and received assurances from the Thai government that Laos would allow them to resettle in third countries after they returned.
After being forced back to the country they fled political persecution from, it is no surprise that the Lao government is not allowing this group to leave the country. Instead, they have been trying to silence them through intimidation saying that no one wants to resettle them and that they should be happy where they are. The extent and lengths by which the Lao government has been trying to silence this group and not let them speak freely reveals much about the Lao government’s double-talk of how free these returnees really are.
Just recently, possibly due to the upcoming visit by foreign diplomats, local Lao authorities have received orders from the central government to get all the returnees to register their mobile phone numbers with the government. The explanation given to the returnees was so that the government could track down those providing misleading information to the outside world. Returnees see this as just another measure to keep them in check to intimidate them from speaking openly about their situation.
Last week, the news agency AFP had reported that Eric P. Schwartz, US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, would be visiting Laos soon to discuss the rights of these returnees to leave. If he is part of this delegation it doesn’t look like the returnees will be free to speak to him but I’m sure the Lao government will put on a good show of how “transparent” they are.
Joe Davy
Hmong Advocate
Chicago
US puts Singapore, Thailand on human trafficking watch list
WASHINGTON — The United States on Monday put allies Singapore and Thailand as well as Vietnam on a human trafficking watch list, accusing them of failing to prevent women from being forced into prostitution. The move opens the way for the United States to cut off some civilian assistance, although it usually functions as a symbolic means to pressure countries to take action.
In an annual report, the State Department added a growing number of Asian nations to its watch list -- Afghanistan, Brunei, Laos, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Bangladesh, China, India, Micronesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka remained on the list, unchanged from a year earlier.
The State Department recognized improvements in Malaysia and Fiji, keeping them on the list but removing them from the lowest category of countries that do not even meet the minimum standards on human trafficking.
North Korea, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea remained at that bottom level.
Taiwan was upgraded and listed as fully compliant in efforts against human trafficking. Australia, New Zealand and South Korea were also listed as fully compliant.
Explaining the downgrade for Singapore, the report said that some women from China, the Philippines and Thailand are tricked into coming to the city-state with promises of legitimate employment and coerced into the sex trade.
The report said that while Singapore launched "some significant new steps" to fight forced labor, there were no "quantifiable indicators" that the government was identifying more victims or prosecuting more culprits.
The State Department said that Thailand was a source, destination and transit point for trafficking, with ethnic minorities and citizens of neighboring countries at particular risk of sexual abuse or forced labor.
US senator Jim Webb, who heads the Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, had made an unusually open appeal not to place Thailand on the black list.
Webb visited Thailand this month and said US embassy staff disagreed with the intended downgrade as it could curb assistance for democracy and human rights programs.
The downgrade occurs "at a time when this type of aide is desperately needed to bolster political reforms in Thailand and to promote political stability," Webb said last week.
Source: http://www.google.com
In an annual report, the State Department added a growing number of Asian nations to its watch list -- Afghanistan, Brunei, Laos, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Bangladesh, China, India, Micronesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka remained on the list, unchanged from a year earlier.
The State Department recognized improvements in Malaysia and Fiji, keeping them on the list but removing them from the lowest category of countries that do not even meet the minimum standards on human trafficking.
North Korea, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea remained at that bottom level.
Taiwan was upgraded and listed as fully compliant in efforts against human trafficking. Australia, New Zealand and South Korea were also listed as fully compliant.
Explaining the downgrade for Singapore, the report said that some women from China, the Philippines and Thailand are tricked into coming to the city-state with promises of legitimate employment and coerced into the sex trade.
The report said that while Singapore launched "some significant new steps" to fight forced labor, there were no "quantifiable indicators" that the government was identifying more victims or prosecuting more culprits.
The State Department said that Thailand was a source, destination and transit point for trafficking, with ethnic minorities and citizens of neighboring countries at particular risk of sexual abuse or forced labor.
US senator Jim Webb, who heads the Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, had made an unusually open appeal not to place Thailand on the black list.
Webb visited Thailand this month and said US embassy staff disagreed with the intended downgrade as it could curb assistance for democracy and human rights programs.
The downgrade occurs "at a time when this type of aide is desperately needed to bolster political reforms in Thailand and to promote political stability," Webb said last week.
Source: http://www.google.com
Koua Fong Lee's Toyota Camry Inspected
Inspection could free prisoner, expand recalls
By My Fox9.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Experts began a two-day inspection Tuesday on the wreckage of Koua Fong Lee's 1996 Toyota Camry, involved in a 2006 crash that killed three people in St. Paul.
Inspectors are looking for any evidence to explain why Lee was unable to stop his car. What they discover could not only help get the husband and father of three out of jail, but expand Toyota's liability for millions of other vehicles.
After spending more than three years behind bars, Lee is hoping forensic science can backup his claim a design flaw caused the sudden acceleration that caused the fatal crash.
"On that day I did everything I could to stop that vehicle," Lee said. And that vehicle didn't stop. And everyday I do wonder why I'm here."
In a dingy garage of St. Paul's lower east side, the wrecked car could be his ticket to freedom.
"It's clear to me that Mr. Lee was being honest and factually accurate when he said he was breaking the entire time," Bob Hilliard, Lee's civil attorney, said.
A two-day inspection is the first step. The findings will be the key evidence if ee is to be released from jail or granted a retrial.
"The experts are taking a strong look at the cruise control as well as the brake filaments to confirm that a breaking event was occurring at the time of the collision," Hilliard said.
Only three experts, including mechanical and electrical engineers, are beign allowed to inspect the Camry. One of those experts was hired by Lee's defense attorney and two have been retained by the Ramsey County attorney's office.
"We believe we will find engineering evidence to support that fact that despite pushing the brakes the Toyota would not stop," Hilliard said.
While the methodical process of inspecting the vehicle takes place, it is being done under the watchful eye of more tan a dozen spectators, including teams of lawyers and technical consultants representing all interested parties, from Toyota to the victims' family.
"I think he was telling the truth. I do" says Quincy Adams, who was a passenger in the car that was hit by Lee’s Toyota. Adams lost a son and two grand children to the crash, and suffered a serious head injury himself. "If something was wrong with the car, I don't think he should be in jail, because he got a family just like I did."
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she will wait for experts to deliver a report on the inspection before taking a position on whether or not Lee deserves a new trial. That report could take days or weeks to reach her desk
SPECIAL NOTE:
FOR MORE INFO. AND HOW TO HELP FREE MR. KOUA FONG LEE, PLEASE GO TO OUR COMMUNITY EVENT PAGE AND SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. THE LEE FAMILY WISH TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND ATTENTION ON THIS MATTER. HCR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THE PRESS RELEASE BY THE LEE FAMILY.
By My Fox9.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Experts began a two-day inspection Tuesday on the wreckage of Koua Fong Lee's 1996 Toyota Camry, involved in a 2006 crash that killed three people in St. Paul.
Inspectors are looking for any evidence to explain why Lee was unable to stop his car. What they discover could not only help get the husband and father of three out of jail, but expand Toyota's liability for millions of other vehicles.
After spending more than three years behind bars, Lee is hoping forensic science can backup his claim a design flaw caused the sudden acceleration that caused the fatal crash.
"On that day I did everything I could to stop that vehicle," Lee said. And that vehicle didn't stop. And everyday I do wonder why I'm here."
In a dingy garage of St. Paul's lower east side, the wrecked car could be his ticket to freedom.
"It's clear to me that Mr. Lee was being honest and factually accurate when he said he was breaking the entire time," Bob Hilliard, Lee's civil attorney, said.
A two-day inspection is the first step. The findings will be the key evidence if ee is to be released from jail or granted a retrial.
"The experts are taking a strong look at the cruise control as well as the brake filaments to confirm that a breaking event was occurring at the time of the collision," Hilliard said.
Only three experts, including mechanical and electrical engineers, are beign allowed to inspect the Camry. One of those experts was hired by Lee's defense attorney and two have been retained by the Ramsey County attorney's office.
"We believe we will find engineering evidence to support that fact that despite pushing the brakes the Toyota would not stop," Hilliard said.
While the methodical process of inspecting the vehicle takes place, it is being done under the watchful eye of more tan a dozen spectators, including teams of lawyers and technical consultants representing all interested parties, from Toyota to the victims' family.
"I think he was telling the truth. I do" says Quincy Adams, who was a passenger in the car that was hit by Lee’s Toyota. Adams lost a son and two grand children to the crash, and suffered a serious head injury himself. "If something was wrong with the car, I don't think he should be in jail, because he got a family just like I did."
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she will wait for experts to deliver a report on the inspection before taking a position on whether or not Lee deserves a new trial. That report could take days or weeks to reach her desk
SPECIAL NOTE:
FOR MORE INFO. AND HOW TO HELP FREE MR. KOUA FONG LEE, PLEASE GO TO OUR COMMUNITY EVENT PAGE AND SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. THE LEE FAMILY WISH TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND ATTENTION ON THIS MATTER. HCR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THE PRESS RELEASE BY THE LEE FAMILY.
Act of going oversees for young brides create issues for Hmong marriage
By Richard Wanglue
Suab Hmong Radio
The topic on the Suab Hmong Radio LIVE Talkshow on March 18, 2010 was "Abusive International marriages (act of going overseas for young brides) and how it is affecting Hmong families”. The show included Kab Zuag Vaj, Project Director for Freedom, Inc., and Pa Vang works for the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Click here to listen to Suab Hmong Radio LIVE Talkshow on March 18, 2010.
One of the major issue that is destroying Hmong marriage in the United States right now is the act of Hmong married men and women to go overseas and married young bride(s)/young groom(s). The majority of this act is among Hmong married men age between 40 and 65. Hmong married women are on the rising to pursue this path. This is a major issue right now in the Hmong community in the United States because almost every one is doing it. Some of them are over 60 years of age. We really need to talk about this to find ways and solutions to help Hmong to get back to the way it use to be” said Kab Zuag.
“In the past, Hmong men who went to Laos and married their young brides, majority of them took their young brides to the U.S.A. but now a day, the trend is that Hmong men are more to pay money to marry their young brides for a short time, they slept with them, make babies, and left them with no attention to return or take them to the United States. This is the current trend and it destroys Hmong young girl’s life” said Kab Zuag Vaj.
Pa Vang said one of the ways to prevent Hmong married men to go oversea and marry Hmong young girls while keeping their marriage in the United States is to stop admire them. “When others see a Hmong man married a young Hmong girl, every one admires him and says how pretty his young wife is. How about every one stop doing that and courage those that are being looking for their young wives in Laos to maintain their lives with their wives and children in the United States” said Pa.
“Seeking helps in the Hmong community is very tough at this time because almost everyone is in the same situation. Some of the Hmong elders already have wives in Laos” said Kab Zuag.
There are Hmong women support groups in vary cities throughout the state of Wisconsin. There will be a conference for Hmong women to get together in late October 2010. If you need more information, click here to contact us.
This is an original SuabHmong News Article coverage on Hmong Communities.
©2010 Suab Hmong Radio. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Suab Hmong Radio
The topic on the Suab Hmong Radio LIVE Talkshow on March 18, 2010 was "Abusive International marriages (act of going overseas for young brides) and how it is affecting Hmong families”. The show included Kab Zuag Vaj, Project Director for Freedom, Inc., and Pa Vang works for the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Click here to listen to Suab Hmong Radio LIVE Talkshow on March 18, 2010.
One of the major issue that is destroying Hmong marriage in the United States right now is the act of Hmong married men and women to go overseas and married young bride(s)/young groom(s). The majority of this act is among Hmong married men age between 40 and 65. Hmong married women are on the rising to pursue this path. This is a major issue right now in the Hmong community in the United States because almost every one is doing it. Some of them are over 60 years of age. We really need to talk about this to find ways and solutions to help Hmong to get back to the way it use to be” said Kab Zuag.
“In the past, Hmong men who went to Laos and married their young brides, majority of them took their young brides to the U.S.A. but now a day, the trend is that Hmong men are more to pay money to marry their young brides for a short time, they slept with them, make babies, and left them with no attention to return or take them to the United States. This is the current trend and it destroys Hmong young girl’s life” said Kab Zuag Vaj.
Pa Vang said one of the ways to prevent Hmong married men to go oversea and marry Hmong young girls while keeping their marriage in the United States is to stop admire them. “When others see a Hmong man married a young Hmong girl, every one admires him and says how pretty his young wife is. How about every one stop doing that and courage those that are being looking for their young wives in Laos to maintain their lives with their wives and children in the United States” said Pa.
“Seeking helps in the Hmong community is very tough at this time because almost everyone is in the same situation. Some of the Hmong elders already have wives in Laos” said Kab Zuag.
There are Hmong women support groups in vary cities throughout the state of Wisconsin. There will be a conference for Hmong women to get together in late October 2010. If you need more information, click here to contact us.
This is an original SuabHmong News Article coverage on Hmong Communities.
©2010 Suab Hmong Radio. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PhoneKham Village is for Hmong to start new life
Article courtesy of Suab Hmong Radio
Written by Richard Wanglue
2/8/2010: PhoneKham village in the Bolikhamxay province located in the central of Laos is where most Hmong who evicted by Thailand on December 28, 2009 will be settling to start their new life. Based on Laos’ source, there will be 600 houses built in the village before April 2010. After the construction for the dirt road to the PhoneKham village finished in sometimes early April 2010, any ones from around the world will be welcome to visit it.
Currently, 389 houses were giving to Hmong evicted families. 756 Acres land is being review by the LPDR official and it will be divided to the evicted Hmong families to plan crops during the 2010 season.
Click here to see photos of the PhoneKham village.
Written by Richard Wanglue
2/8/2010: PhoneKham village in the Bolikhamxay province located in the central of Laos is where most Hmong who evicted by Thailand on December 28, 2009 will be settling to start their new life. Based on Laos’ source, there will be 600 houses built in the village before April 2010. After the construction for the dirt road to the PhoneKham village finished in sometimes early April 2010, any ones from around the world will be welcome to visit it.
Currently, 389 houses were giving to Hmong evicted families. 756 Acres land is being review by the LPDR official and it will be divided to the evicted Hmong families to plan crops during the 2010 season.
Click here to see photos of the PhoneKham village.
Hmong Lost An Icon
Fresno, CA: Yia "The Bull" Moua passed away on Friday, January 15, 2010, in Fresno, California at 10:40 AM.
Yia "the bull" Moua was an icon to the Hmong community around the world. Yia is best known for his professional kick boxing fighting and a Hmong actor. Yia will be missed by the Hmong and his many friends.
Stay tuned for an interview with Yia's family in the next few weeks!
Our sincere condolence to Yia's children and his family. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family.
Click here
Yia's personal webpage
Watch HmongTVnetwork
Coverage of Yia Moua's death & interview with his mother
Yia's funeral services will begin January 20, 2010, in Fresno, CA.
Watch HmongTVnetwork for more news on Yia's funeral arrangement.
Yia "the bull" Moua was an icon to the Hmong community around the world. Yia is best known for his professional kick boxing fighting and a Hmong actor. Yia will be missed by the Hmong and his many friends.
Stay tuned for an interview with Yia's family in the next few weeks!
Our sincere condolence to Yia's children and his family. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family.
Click here
Yia's personal webpage
Watch HmongTVnetwork
Coverage of Yia Moua's death & interview with his mother
Yia's funeral services will begin January 20, 2010, in Fresno, CA.
Watch HmongTVnetwork for more news on Yia's funeral arrangement.
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