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About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.


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NCVA eREPORTER - January 11, 2005

In this NCVA eReporter:

Events

Funding Opportunities

Jobs/Internships

News

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 EVENTS

VIET HERITAGE SOCIETY COMMUNITY SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP AWARD

On February 28, 2005, Viet Heritage Society (VHS) will be holding an Inaugural Gala Celebration at the San Jose Museum of Art. The purpose of the black-tie affair is to introduce the Vietnamese Heritage Garden and Historical Museum Project to the community and to fundraise for this great undertaking.  Part of the proceeds from this event will also go to the VHS/VANG national academic scholarship program, www.vangUSA.com.  The theme of this year's Gala is "Celebrating Community.”  In keeping with this theme, Viet Heritage Society will also be honoring a community leader at the event.

To help facilitate the selection of a recipient for the 2005 Community Service and Leadership Award, we are opening the nomination process to the public. If you or anyone you know would like to nominate an individual for this award, please email your nomination(s) to Info@VietHeritageSociety.org.  All nominations must be received by February 4, 2005 and comply with the criteria set below for consideration.

Thank you,
Viet Heritage Society

(1) Individual has been heavily involved in community and/or public service work (locally or abroad)
(2) Individual has helped to bring about change and awareness in the community through his/her work
(3) Individual's commitment and dedication has greatly inspired others to serve their community through his/her work
(4) Individual is of Vietnamese descent
(5) Individual currently resides in the State of California
(6) Please include a biography, curriculum vitae, resume or any articles written about the individual and the community work that he/she has carried out.

Information may be sent via email, fax, or regular mail.

Viet Heritage Society
1654 Burdette Drive, Suite 180
San Jose, CA 95121
(408) 238-7780- phone
(408) 238-0107- fax
http://www.vietheritagesociety.org/
Info@VietHeritageSociety.org

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 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

FUNDS FOR TRACK RENOVATION AND CONSTRUCTION

Bowerman Track Renovation Program

The Bowerman Track Renovation Program, administered by Nike's Community Affairs department, provides matching cash grants to community-based, youth-oriented organizations anywhere in the world that seek to refurbish or construct running tracks. Applicants must demonstrate a need for running track refurbishment or construction and must provide track access to neighboring communities. Special consideration will be given to existing running tracks in need of repair or refurbishment and tracks located in low and moderate-income communities. Nonprofit organizations, schools, and governmental units throughout the U.S. and charitable nongovernmental organizations outside of the U.S. are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted year-round.

(http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikebiz.jhtml?page=26&item=bowerman)

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FOCUS ON YOUTH DEPRESSION

The Nick Traina Foundation

The Nick Traina Foundation, founded by author Danielle Steel as a legacy to her son who lost his life to manic-depression, supports organizations involved in the diagnosis, research, treatment, and/or family support of manic-depression, suicide prevention, child abuse and children in jeopardy, and provides assistance to struggling musicians in the areas of health and mental illness. The Foundation may give special consideration to proposals that address manic-depression in children and young adults. Nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. are eligible to apply and applications are accepted year-round.

(http://www.nicktrainafoundation.org/)

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FUNDING FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

Seventh Generation Fund

The Seventh Generation Fund is dedicated to promoting and maintaining the uniqueness of Native peoples and nations. The Fund supports projects in the areas of arts and cultural expression; environmental health and justice; indigenous peoples of the Americas, emphasizing alliances between indigenous peoples of North America and indigenous peoples of South America; sacred earth, including efforts to protect and preserve sacred places and traditional spiritual practices; and sustainable communities. In addition, the Fund's California Native Health Initiative provides support for the renewal of healthy Native nations within California. Supported projects should be focused in the Native communities with purpose, design and implementation strategy originating from the indigenous peoples being served. Indigenous communities and organizations throughout North and South America are eligible to apply. The next application deadline is March 1, 2005.

(http://www.7genfund.org/)

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SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Milagro Foundation

The Milagro Foundation, supported by the Santana family and its musical organization, provides funds to community-based, grassroots nonprofit organizations that work with children and youth in the San Francisco Bay area, the United States, and countries around the world in which the Santana Band performs. The Foundation focuses its grantmaking in three areas: helping children and youth live healthy lives through education and prevention of disease; helping children and youth live literate lives through learning; and helping children and youth live culturally enriched lives through arts education. Applications are accepted throughout the year and may be submitted online via the Foundation's website. Visit the website listed above for more information.

(http://www.milagrofoundation.org/)

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FOCUS ON EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Pioneer Hi-Bred International: Community Investment Program

Pioneer Hi-Bred International's Community Investment Program supports efforts to improve the quality of life in the communities where the company's customers and employees live and work, including international locations. Grantmaking is focused on education, agriculture, and the environment. Priority is given to nonprofit organizations located in Pioneer facility communities or rural agricultural regions. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

(http://www.pioneer.com/pioneer_info/corporate/us_guidelines.htm)

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THE MEYER FOUNDATION SUBMISSION DATE FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST NEARS

The Meyer Foundation works to develop Greater Washington, DC as a community by supporting capable, community-based nonprofit organizations that foster the well-being of all people in the region. The Foundation is especially concerned about low-income people and creating healthy neighborhoods and values, and seeks to promote the region's diversity. The Meyer Foundation requires any nonprofit interested in funding to submit a letter of inquiry. The next submission deadline is February 11, 2005.

(http://meyerfdn.org/)

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AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION: PARTNERSHIPS IN LAW AND AGING PROGRAM

The Partnerships in Law and Aging Program, created by the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging, helps legal services and other organizations meet the law-related needs of elders in their communities. The application deadline is March 1, 2005.

(http://www.abanet.org/aging/)

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 JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

 SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION 2005-2007 MULTICULTURAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The San Francisco Foundation is recruiting for the 2005-2007 Multicultural Fellowship Program.  Designed as a two-year full-time program, the Multicultural Fellowship assists in the development of professionals in the nonprofit and public sectors.  The goals of the multicultural fellowship program are to provide professionals of color, early in their career, with challenging work experiences and opportunities in the areas of grantmaking and community building in the Bay Area and to enhance their professional development as future foundation, nonprofit, or public service leaders.

This year, the fellowship program is seeking one fellow in each of the following program areas:  Community Health, Neighborhood and Community Development, and Environment.  The fellowship positions will commence in May, 2005.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The San Francisco Foundation is organized into six program areas that have staff with specific subject matter expertise and experience with different kinds of organizations.  The entire program staff brings rich perspectives from different kinds of community work to the Foundation – including grantmaking, comprehensive community initiatives, neighborhood projects, technical assistance in organizational development, and public policy work on a county, regional, or statewide level.

The general qualifications for the fellowship program are:  Self-directed individual and team player, demonstrated interest in nonprofit service, strong written, communication, analytical skills, computer and word processing skills, including Windows and Microsoft Word, volunteer and/or work experience in one of the Foundation’s specific program areas, ability to maintain quality work standards with a high volume of work.  A master’s degree in a relevant area or equivalent research and analysis experience preferred.

Community Health Program Fellow Qualifications:  Knowledge of key concepts and principles related to community health promotion.  Experience working on such issues as access, health disparities, health education, health prevention, treatment and underserved populations.  Understanding of trends in the delivery and funding of health services on the local level is important.  Background in assessing community needs, health policy, and community planning is welcomed.

Environment Fellow Qualifications: Education and experience in the area of environmental advocacy, sustainable economies, environmental health and justice, and policy work.  A background in bay area environmental justice issues and environmental sustainability is desired.

Neighborhood and Community Development Program Fellow Qualifications: Knowledge of community development and anti-poverty strategies with an understanding of community and economic security issues confronting low-income people.  Background in workforce development, homeless assistance, or affordable housing desired.

Compensation:  $39,520 - $44,720 annually

Application Deadline:  February 7, 2005

Interested applicants should submit a résumé and cover letter to The San Francisco Foundation.  Please specify the program area to which you are applying.  Upon receipt of your résumé and cover letter you will receive via email a set of questions requiring your written response that should be returned by the designated due date.  Please note that during the second half of 2004, recruitment for Neighborhood and Community Development and Community Health fellowship positions was postponed.  Prior applicants must resubmit resumes and cover letters for consideration.

Please send résumé and cover letter to:  fellowship@sff.org or me at The San Francisco Foundation, 225 Bush Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94104 fax: (415) 477-2783, phone: (415) 733-8500.

SPECIAL INFORMATION SESSION:
The San Francisco Foundation is holding a one-time-only information session on Friday, February 4, 2005 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at our offices.  This will be an opportunity to meet our current fellows, program officers, and other staff while acquiring additional information about the fellowship program.

(www.sff.org)

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FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ASIAN AMERICAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER (AAPI) AND NATIVE AMERICAN/ALASKA NATIVE (NAAN) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ($550 Per Week)

The Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association, Inc. (MVMA) serving as a non-profit partner of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is recruiting college students nationwide for the FAA AAPI/NAAN Internship Program. Numerous internships are available at FAA headquarter and field offices throughout the United States. The FAA is a technical organization responsible for every aspect of the aviation industry, and therefore MVMA is looking for undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring in aviation studies, engineering (aerospace, civil, electronics, electrical and mechanical), computer science, economics, math, law, and business administration.

FAA AAPI/NAAN Interns will gain professional and technical experience, and will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned in a professional setting. The internship program is intended to better prepare AAPI and NAAN college students for entering professional positions in the public and private sector. If selected, Interns must be able to work full-time for 15 weeks during the Spring Semester, 10 weeks during the Summer, or 15 weeks during the Fall Semester. Each FAA AAPI/NAAN Intern will receive a stipend of $450 per week; a housing allowance of $100 per week; and limited travel reimbursement (round-trip transportation to/from their duty station).

WHO MAY APPLY
To be considered for the FAA AAPI/NAAN Internship Program, an undergraduate or graduate student must:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen;
2. Have completed 12 semester credit hours from a junior college or 60 semester credit hours from four-year college or university with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0; or be a graduate student with minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0.

HOW TO APPLY
The application package is attached and can also be downloaded from MVMA’s website at www.mdvietmutual.org. The applicable deadlines for all application materials are as follows:

· November 1st for Spring Semester (January-April)
· February 15th for Summer (June-August)
· July 1st for Fall Semester (September-December)

Step 1: All applicants must submit all of the following softcopy items by email to the MVMA Internship Program Manager at FAA.Intern@mdvietmutual.org by applicable deadline:

1. A completed application (see attachment or download at www.mdvietmutual.org);
2. A one-page resume (see suggested resume format attached);
3. An unofficial college transcript from all schools attended (also see Step 2);
4. A one-page personal essay describing your career goals (maximum of 250 words).

Step 2: All applicants are also required to submit all of the following hardcopy items by mail (altogether in one package postmarked by the applicable deadline) addressed to MVMA, Internship Program Manager, 17101 Overhill Drive, Rockville, MD 20855:

1. A completed and signed application (from Step 1);
2. An official college transcript from all schools attended;
3. Two (2) letters of recommendation from professor, employer and/or community member who are is not related to the applicant (use attached forms or download at www.mdvietmutual.org ).

Failure to submit all required application materials by the applicable deadline may result in nonconsideration.

For more information, please email your questions to the Internship Program Manager at FAA.Intern@mdvietmutual.org.

(www.mdvietmutual.org)

******************
 NEWS

January 1, 2005

 THE FOREIGN-BORN HMONG IN THE UNITED STATES

By Jennifer Yau
Migration Policy Institute

The summer of 2004 marked the beginning of the latest refugee wave from the US Cold War involvement in Indochina. Over 15,000 Hmong refugees from Laos, who have spent years in Thailand, are being resettled in the US.

This Spotlight provides an overview of the political developments marking their experience as refugees over the last three decades, as well as statistics representing the Hmong's demographic impact in the United States.

Developments Shaping Policies Toward Hmong Refugees:

* The Hmong in the United States are mainly from Laos, where they are considered an ethnic minority group.

* The root of the Hmong refugee experience lies in an alliance with American Cold War efforts in Laos.

* Since 1975, more than 200,000 Hmong have fled Laos as refugees. Thailand has been the staging arena for the resettlement or repatriation of most Hmong refugees.

* Because of their role in the US-led war in Laos, approximately 90 percent of Hmong refugees have been resettled to the United States.

* All official refugee camps in Thailand serving the Hmong were closed in the mid-1990s.

* The Hmong community at Wat Tham Krabok monastery, though not officially recognized as a refugee camp, was tolerated by Thai officials until a decision to close the complex in 2003. This led to the latest resettlement program for Hmong refugees to the US.

A Statistical Overview of Hmong Immigrants in the US:

* There are approximately 103,000 foreign-born Hmong in the United States.

* The states with the largest number of Hmong immigrants are California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

* While the foreign-born Hmong make up less than one-half of one percent of the foreign-born population in the United States, they account for approximately 10 percent of immigrants in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

* The metropolitan areas with the most Hmong immigrants are the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota-Wisconsin, area, and the Fresno, California, area.

Developments Shaping Policies Toward Hmong Refugees:

The Hmong in the United States are mainly from Laos, where they are considered an ethnic minority group. In Laos, the Hmong are one of several ethnic groups that have traditionally lived in the highland areas of the country. Approximately 315,000 are still in Laos. Several million Hmong also live in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma.

The root of the Hmong refugee experience lies in an alliance with American Cold War efforts in Laos. Concerned about a Communist takeover of Indochina, the United States engaged in a CIA-led ground operation in Laos from the early 1960s to 1975. The Hmong, who Americans believed had exceptional combat skills, made up most of the manpower in this effort. Not all Hmong, however, joined the US effort.

Since 1975, more than 200,000 Hmong have fled Laos as refugees. Thailand has been the staging arena for the resettlement or repatriation of most Hmong refugees. In May 1975, when communist takeover of Laos seemed imminent, the US arranged to airlift between 1,000 and 3,000 Hmong into Thailand. By December 1975, when the Lao People's Democratic Republic was formed, an estimated 44,000 Hmong had fled to Thailand as refugees.

The earliest Hmong refugees who fled the country consisted mainly of soldiers in the US-led army and their families. Later waves have fled because of a variety of post-war hardships, including declining economic conditions, crop failure due to ineffective communist farm collectivization schemes and drought, and repression of past and on-going resistance activities.

Because of their role in the US-led war in Laos, approximately 90 percent of Hmong refugees have been resettled to the United States. The first flow to the United States included approximately 3,500 Hmong by December 1975. The 2000 Census counted 102,773 foreign born who self-identified as Hmong.

The largest wave of Hmong immigrants arrived in the United States during the 1980s. While 15 percent of Hmong immigrants arrived in the latter half of the 1970s, the 1980s saw a larger wave of entrants, representing 46 percent of Hmong foreign born currently in the US. The flow of arrivals in the 1990s decreased, accounting for 39 percent of current Hmong immigrants. For more information on the US refugee resettlement program, click here.

The Hmong have also been resettled in France, Canada, and Australia.

Many Hmong, however, have opted to stay in Thailand, waiting either for a return to Laos without fear of political reprisal, or until relatives can join them for settlement in a third country. Some have spent up to 10 years in Thai camps.

All official refugee camps in Thailand serving the Hmong were closed in the mid-1990s. Because the Thai government has never officially allowed Hmong resettlement within its borders, Hmong remaining in camps at the time of their closure were sent to transit camps to await repatriation to Laos. Several thousand, however, fled to rural areas of Thailand or to Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist monastery where a local religious leader organized shelter and services.

The Hmong community at Wat Tham Krabok monastery, though not officially recognized as a refugee camp, was tolerated by Thai officials until a decision to close the complex in 2003. This led to the latest resettlement program for Hmong refugees to the US. Due to the Laotian government's refusal to accept the repatriation of the Hmong because of their past resistance activities, the US agreed to resettle those Hmong registered at the temple by September 2003. More than 15,000 Hmong have been approved. At present, approximately 7,800 have arrived in the US, with the remaining expected to arrive by late spring 2005. The majority are being resettled in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California, where many have relatives who arrived earlier.

A Statistical Overview of Hmong Immigrants in the US:

There are approximately 103,000 foreign-born Hmong in the United States. According to the 2000 Census, there were 102,773 foreign born in the United States who reported their race as either Hmong or Hmong in combination with some other racial category. (For an explanation of Census terms concerning ethnic and racial groupings, see sidebar.)

The states with the largest number of Hmong immigrants are California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. According to Census 2000, 84 percent of Hmong immigrants are concentrated in three states: 41,133 (or 40 percent) live in California, 26,234 (or 26 percent) in Minnesota, and 19,349 (or 19 percent) in Wisconsin. The states with the next largest Hmong immigrant populations, North Carolina and Michigan, have significantly lower numbers (3,923 and 3,785, respectively). Only 15 states are listed in the 2000 Census as destinations of Hmong immigrants.

While the foreign-born Hmong make up less than one-half of one percent of the foreign-born population in the United States, they account for approximately 10 percent of immigrants in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Of the 31.1 million foreign born in the United States, only 0.304 percent identified themselves as Hmong in 2000, according to the US Census Bureau. In contrast, the Hmong represent approximately 10 percent of immigrants in Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, in the state with the largest Hmong immigrant population, California, they made up only 0.46 percent of the foreign-born population.

The metropolitan areas with the most Hmong immigrants are the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota-Wisconsin, area, and the Fresno, California, area. For the 2000 Census, 25,300 of the foreign born in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and Wisconsin identified themselves as Hmong, as did 13,182 in the Fresno, California, area. The other top five destinations included Sacramento-Yolo, California (10,941), Milwaukee-Racine, Wisconsin (4,917), and Merced, California (4,182).

Sources:

Census 2000, US Census Bureau.

Ranard, Donald A. Ranard, Editor (2004). The Hmong: An Introduction to their History and Culture. Washington D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics.

August 2004. "Special Report: Hmong Migration to Wisconsin," Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers. Available online.

Inquiry to State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

(http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=281)


For Vietnamese: (http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=197)

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January 4, 2005

ASIAN UNITY NEEDED TO MEET CHALLENGES

Samson Wong
Asian Week, Editorial

SAN FRANCISCO –– A number of political situations are setting the tone for our community as we begin 2005. We start in the Lone Star State, with Hubert Vo's very narrow election to the Texas Assembly. He is a Democrat and a Vietnamese American. His defeated opponent was a powerful and long-standing Republican incumbent. And now, the Republican-controlled state legislature is taking steps to order a new election.

Among California APA legislators, perhaps bipartisanship should be the watchword for 2005. Assembly Pro Tem Speaker Leland Yee's call to open the Asian Pacific American legislative caucus has merit. All Asian American legislators should be represented, even Republican members Van Tran, Alan Nakanishi and Shirley Horton. While they may disagree on policy approaches, they are nonetheless messengers from our community as much as Democrats Wilma Chan, Albert Torrico, Judy Chu, Carol Liu and Yee.

In San Francisco, ranked-choice voting ended runoff elections but not a debate that has raged on into the holiday season. Proponents and skeptics have exchanged claims about the successes, shortcomings and failures of RCV.

The debate has degenerated into name-calling, outright lies and negative campaigning - behaviors that RCV was supposed to eliminate.

We think it's important to pay attention to the nonpartisan Chinese American Voters Education Committee's analysis and polling on this issue. Those trying to discredit this long-standing organization should be ashamed of themselves.

CAVEC, a leader in registering tens of thousands of voters for more than 25 years, has every right to be an RCV skeptic, especially with the specter that RCV elections may well result in absolutely no APA representation on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors even though we are 40 percent of the city's population.

Despite the potential that these situations may result in negative outcomes, AsianWeek can't help but be cheered on by the fact that our community has reached the point where we are even dealing with these kinds of issues. We hope that in 2005, the questioning and soul- searching will lead us into greater unity and an even stronger Asian America.

 (http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=3f980f3c59e8cb26cac4b043348baf3e)

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January 5, 2005

SAVING LIVES THROUGH EARLY DETECTION: REGULAR PAP TESTS ARE URGED
Latinas, Asian Americans especially Vietnamese women, lesbians and the uninsured are under-screened

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - For National Cervical Health Awareness Month in January, Public Health - Seattle & King County and partners are urging women across the county to visit their health care providers for their regular Pap test. If caught early, cervical cancer is almost always curable.

“Pap screenings are extremely valuable and effective in prevention. By detecting cancer early, Pap tests can save your life,” said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director and Health Officer of Public Health - Seattle & King County.

Regular screening by women has reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 42% and cervical cancer deaths by 70%.

Despite the benefits of the Pap test, many women still do not know about the Pap test or its important role in detecting cervical cancer. The majority of women with newly diagnosed invasive cervical cancer have not had a Pap test in the past five years and may have never had one.

During the month of January, Public Health – Seattle & King County has teamed up with the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service in Seattle and International Community Health Services to raise awareness about the importance of Pap tests.

* For information about Pap test screening, contact the Community Health Access Line at 1-800-756-5437.
* More information on cervical cancer, Pap tests and Public Health centers that offer tests and exams, visit: www.metrokc.gov/health/famplan/exams.htm

“The Pap test is a public health success. It is one of the first tests that detects cell changes before they become cancerous,” said Ellen Phillips-Angeles, Manager of the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program at Public Health - Seattle & King County. “Even if cancer is detected, with regular screening it is likely to be at an early stage when it is most treatable.”

Less screenings, higher rates among some women:

* Asian-American, Latina, lesbian and low-income women are less likely than the general population to report having Pap smears.
* Cervical cancer rates and mortality rates are higher among African-American and Latina women.

“Vietnamese women are much more likely than white women to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and much less likely to get Pap smears. For this reason, it is critical to get regular Pap smears if you have ever been sexually active, even if you feel healthy," said Dr. Quynh Bui of International Community Health Services’ Holly Park Clinic.

"There is a proverb in Vietnamese culture that says ‘health is gold,’ but unfortunately many Vietnamese Americans are not good practitioners of wellness. Many families usually only see their doctors when they are sick,” said Lynn Nguyen, a Public Health Nurse at the North Public Health Center. “Regular screenings are very important to detect cervical cancer in the early stages.”

“The Latinas we have met face a number of cultural and communication challenges in obtaining health care. Since many of these women are underinsured or uninsured, their first question is always about how to find free or low-cost health services, but there are resources available to help with screenings,” said Katherine Briant of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service in Seattle.

“Since so many Latina women put their families needs before their own, the hard part is making sure they call and make an appointment to get screened. I always encourage the women I meet to make time to take care of themselves. If they stay healthy, they will be around for their families in the future,” said Briant.

For more information on the Breast and Cervical Health Program, visit: www.metrokc.gov/health/women/bchp.htm

(http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/05010503.htm)

In Vietnamese: (http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/05010502.htm)

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January 6, 2004

POLICE TARGET BOSTON ‘SLAVE TRADE’: TASK FORCE TAKES AIM AT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
By Laurel J. Sweet

Backed with federal money, a Boston-based task force is being launched to counter the spread of human trafficking in the region, including, according to some accounts, street gangs pressing 13-year-olds into prostitution.

``To me,'' said the American Anti-Slavery Group's Liora Kasten, human trafficking ``is one of the most atrocious things you can do. It's not just taking someone's life away from them, it's dehumanizing to the point that they don't even feel like people anymore.

``And that can be worse than killing someone.''

The growing slave trade is an international blight with a local impact. As demonstrated by the plights of an Indian nanny fed table scraps by a Brookline couple and seven Estonian women coerced by a Brighton businessman to toil in his ``erotic'' massage parlors, today's black-marketer of bodies can be the neighbor next door.

With sexual servitude their focus, Hub police have been awarded a $443,000 federal grant to create the Boston Area Anti-Trafficking Task Force with 10 law-enforcement and social-service partners, including Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan. The group's goal is to increase victim rescues by 15 percent each year.

``We've arrested girls for prostitution, but we don't get underneath the surface,'' said Deputy Superintendent Paul Fitzgerald. ``They may not be the person we should prosecute. They may be the victim.''

In the past three years, Fitzgerald, head of the Boston Police Department's major-case squad, said reports have filtered in from city schools that black and Asian street gangs are pimping playmates as young as 13.

However, Fitzgerald said, ``We've never been able to substantiate any of these allegations.''

Human trafficking, he said, is a ``new phenomenon'' for local investigators that's ``tough to uncover, but we're going to have a lot of good people involved.''

Fitzgerald has hand-picked Sgt. Detective Kelley O'Connell of the Youth Violence Strike Force, a 17-year veteran with vast contacts, to pilot the program.

``The number of actual cases of human trafficking in the Boston area remains undocumented,'' but as a prime point of entry for immigration, ``Boston is likely to be one of the major cities to which people are trafficked,'' a police report says.

The U.S. State Department believes upward of 17,500 people - some 80 percent of them women and children - are smuggled into the United States each year to labor in bondage or be sexually exploited.

But Kasten said even that number is conservative because ``most of this is so covert'' and victims, because of threats, embarrassment or mistrust of police, are reluctant to seek liberation.

(http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=62087)

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January 7, 2005

ASIANS SLOW TO EMBRACE POLITICS

By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff

Sam Yoon, the first Asian-American to run for Boston City Council, can tick off Asian-Americans who have ventured onto the political stage in Massachusetts on just one hand: a Newton alderman, a Lowell city councilor, a Randolph selectman, a couple of others who took a stab at office and didn't succeed.

Though Asian-American communities across the state are growing, they are not making themselves heard in the political arena. Voter registration levels among Asian-Americans lag, and relatively few Asian-Americans run for office, which further depresses political participation, Yoon and others said.

"There's a kind of chicken-vs.-egg problem," said Yoon, director of housing at the Asian Community Development Corporation, in Boston's Chinatown. "A lot of Asians don't participate in politics because they don't see themselves reflected in political or governmental institutions."

A report released this week suggests the extent of the problem. In the 11 largest Massachusetts cities and towns with sizable Asian populations, only 25.5 percent of Asian-Americans are registered to vote, compared with 62 percent of the total adult populations in those communities.

That is in part because so few Asian-Americans in those cities and towns are citizens, said Paul Watanabe, director of the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and one of the authors of the study. Fully 71.8 of the Asian-Americans in the communities studied were born outside the United States, the highest rate of any immigrant group in the state.

"A major explanation for the lower registration rates is that a significant number of [Asian-Americans in Massachusetts] are foreign born, and thus a significant proportion have to go through the naturalization hurdle," he said.

But even among Asian-Americans who are citizens, "there remains a considerable disparity between their registration rates and those of the general population," the report read. Eligible Asian-Americans are registered to vote at a rate of 51 percent, Watanabe said, compared to 74 percent of the eligible population as a whole.

The rate of registration is not consistent among the cities and towns, however. In Lowell, which has a large and well-established Cambodian population and a popular Asian-American city councilor in Rithy Uong, better than three out of four Asian-American citizens are registered, a rate that is slightly higher than the eligible population as a whole. In Quincy, home to Chinese and Vietnamese communities, 45 percent of eligible Asian-Americans are registered to vote, compared to 76 percent of the eligible population as a whole.

Although the study did not compare Asian-Americans' participation to that of other immigrant communities, Watanabe said their voter participation runs at about the same rate as that of Latino immigrants in Massachusetts.

According to the report, Asian-Americans comprise about 10 percent of the overall population of the 11 cities and towns surveyed: Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Newton, Quincy, Somerville, Waltham, and Worcester. In cities with large Asian-American populations -- Quincy, with 18.4 percent, Malden, with 18 percent -- the gap between presence and political participation is particularly wide.

"I know a number of [Asian-American] people who would like to be active and who are not eligible for citizenship," said Amy Mah Sangiolo, who has been an alderman in Newton for eight years. "It's not a matter of Asian-Americans not wanting to become citizens. Citizenship is so hard to get these days, given 9/11 and the state of our country."

One of Sangiolo's fellow aldermen has sponsored an initiative to give noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. In some other major cities, including Chicago and New York, immigrants are allowed to vote in school board contests.

"It's a great way to get people involved in politics," she said. "You don't have to be a citizen for the government to take your taxes, and our country was founded on [the principle of] no taxation without representation."

Politically active Asian-Americans say there may be more that is keeping Asian-American residents from political participation than the onerous burdens of naturalization.

"Asians don't go into politics as much as others do, maybe because politics is not embedded in their culture," said Yoon, whose parents were born in Korea.

On the West Coast, Yoon and Sangiolo said, there are larger Asian-American communities of longer standing in the United States than in the Northeast. Third and fourth generations there have embraced politics, just as, they say, future generations will eventually embrace politics in greater numbers here.

Others may feel bound by their backgrounds, Yoon said.

"A lot of Asian countries have been autocratic societies, and there could be, for the first generation of Asians, a feeling that authority is something to be feared more than respected," he said. "Asian culture is more centered around community, and the stereotype of politicians [in America] is one that is egocentric and self-promotional, and maybe that runs across the grain."

But both Yoon and Sangiolo are optimistic about the future.

"It's a matter of time for some folks like myself to jump out of that cycle, to do something for which there is no precedent or expectation from the community," Yoon said.

Yvonne Abraham can be reached at abraham@globe.com.

 (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/01/07/asians_slow_to_embrace_politics/)

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January 10, 2005

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

For more information, please contact:

In London, Brad Adams: +44-7960-844-996
In New York, Sam Zarifi: +1-212-216-1213
In Brussels, Vanessa Saenen (French, Dutch, German): +32-2-732-2009
In Geneva, Diane Goodman: +41-22-738-0481

VIETNAM: NEW EVIDENCE OF TORTURE, MASS ARRESTS OF MONTAGNARDS
Cambodia Slams Door on New Asylum Seekers

New York - Cambodia's decision to close its northeastern border with Vietnam to halt the flow of Montagnard asylum seekers comes amidst alarming new reports of mass arrests, torture, and increasing persecution of Montagnard Christians in Vietnam's Central Highlands, Human Rights Watch said in a 25-page briefing paper released today.

New testimony gathered by Human Rights Watch establishes the widespread and continued use of torture against activists, religious leaders, and individuals who have been deported or have voluntarily returned from Cambodia.

On January 1, Cambodian National Police Chief Hok Lundy ordered authorities in the border province of Ratanakiri to increase the number of border police in order to prevent Montagnard asylum seekers from entering. "The authorities have to convince the local people to be our spies in order to report how many Montagnards [enter Cambodia], to arrest them and send them back to Vietnam," he said.

"The Vietnamese government's mistreatment of Montagnards continues unabated," said Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division. "Instead of closing its borders to asylum seekers, the Cambodian government should be working with the United Nations refugee agency to provide sanctuary to people escaping torture and arbitrary arrest."

Human Rights Watch said that under Cambodia's international treaty obligations, the Cambodian government must not return Montagnard asylum seekers so long as they face a serious risk of persecution upon return to Vietnam. Hok Lundy's statements, which were tape recorded, make it clear that Cambodia is flouting its legal obligations.

During high-profile tours to the Central Highlands in December, top Vietnamese officials pledged to respect religious freedom and called on local officials to encourage "peaceful and happy" Christmas celebrations in Montagnard villages.

However, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, police were busy rounding up and arresting dozens of Montagnard Christians and detaining them at district and provincial police stations and prisons throughout the region. In Gia Lai province alone--one of five provinces in the Central Highlands--police arrested 129 people between December 12 and 24.

"Christmas was relatively quiet in the highlands," said Adams. "That's because hundreds of Montagnards were rounded up and spent the holiday in police detention."

Many of those arrested during the Christmas crackdown were Montagnard house church leaders who were organizing Christmas gatherings in the villages. Others targeted for detention included the wives and even young children of men who had fled to Cambodia to seek asylum. Human Rights Watch said that police also arrested dozens of Montagnards suspected of being protest leaders or making contact with groups in the U.S. supporting demands for the return of ancestral land and religious freedom. The current whereabouts and treatment of most of the detainees is unknown.

A Mnong man from Dak Nong province, who was arrested in April 2004, said he was severely beaten several times by police officers trying to obtain the names of other activists. At the district jail, police officers pulled out one of his toe nails, beat him repeatedly on his thighs with a rubber baton, and boxed him in the face, knocking out one of his front teeth. They brandished an AK-47 rifle and threatened to kill him. He was then transferred to the provincial prison, where he was interrogated and beaten again:

They beat my head and used two hands to box my ears more than thirty times, until my face was bright red and my ears were bleeding. They kicked me in the chest with their boots. They wanted to squeeze out the information about the demonstrations.

First-hand accounts from Montagnards who have voluntarily returned to Vietnam since 2001 indicate that Vietnamese authorities treat returnees with intense suspicion. Some are placed under police surveillance and even house arrest upon return, or are regularly summoned to the police station for questioning about their activities.

On December 29, the Vietnamese government publicly accused 13 Montagnards who voluntarily returned to Vietnam last October from a Cambodian refugee camp of being spies that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "trained to create disturbances and then sent back to Vietnam."

"These kinds of statements show a degree of paranoia that leads to persecution," said Adams. "Instead of punishing those who flee for safety, the government in Hanoi must begin to deal with the causes of discontent, which are religious repression and widespread confiscation of the agricultural land on which the indigenous minority people depend for their livelihood."

Meanwhile, Montagnard asylum seekers who crossed the border to Cambodia's Ratanakiri province right before Christmas remain in dire straits. During the last week truckloads of Cambodian police and gendarmerie have been scouring the forests where the asylum seekers are thought to be hiding.

"It is absolutely imperative that the Cambodian government immediately grants UNHCR access to these people, or turns them over to UNHCR if government security forces apprehend them," said Adams. "UNHCR and key governments must make it clear in no uncertain terms to the Cambodian government that asylum seekers must not be arrested and summarily returned to Vietnam."

Cambodia is a party to the United Nations Refugee Convention, which prohibits the return of individuals facing a well-founded fear of persecution on political, religious, or ethnic grounds. Cambodia has an obligation to make individual determinations about the validity of asylum claims. Cambodia is also a party to the Convention Against Torture, which states in article 3 that, "No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture."

To read the briefing paper please see:
http://hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/vietnam0105/

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January 11, 2005

JAPANESE CONGRESSMAN LEAVES RICH LEGACY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

Commentary, Paul Igasaki,
Asian-American Village News

NEW ORLEANS –– I know with the sudden and untimely passing of Congressman Bob Matsui there will be many discussing his contributions, some by people who were closer to him or knew him better than I. I met him when I was a law student and he was a Sacramento City Councilman, and supported his campaign for Congress in 1978. I worked with him when I was a civil rights lobbyist and served on his campaign staff when he explored a race for the U.S. Senate.

Bob was a highly respected member of Congress. He was a national leader on issues like social security and trade, but he was steadfast in his support of civil rights and programs to protect the poorest and weakest in our society. He explored opportunities for higher office, but it was in the House of Representatives that his greatest talents found expression. He was a leader in Congress supporting issues of free trade and protecting the social security system.

President Clinton relied upon him to carry his positions to Congress in both of these areas. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi asked him to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this past year and while the Democrats didn’t win a majority, he dramatically increased their fundraising. Bob had a rare talent for that and although I did fundraising for his campaign, Bob came to that difficult task easily. I had hoped that his party’s fortunes would improve so that he could show his legislative leadership as the chair of a major committee in Congress, but his death at a relatively young age has deprived the nation of that opportunity.

I am sure people like President Clinton and Leader Pelosi will speak to his considerable legislative skill. As a Japanese American and a Sansei (third generation Japanese American), I want to address what he meant to me and my generation in the community.

He was the first of our generation to achieve election to Congress. He grew up in an environment in which Japanese American self-esteem was deeply affected by the imprisonment of our community during World War II. I remember him once describing how he and a friend once talked about how they wished they weren’t Japanese. That discussion resonated with me. How many of my generation at one time or another confronted the psychological burden of the wrongful incarceration, or the ongoing burden of feeling the need to prove one’s Americanism?

He worked with others in Congress to do something about that, with the Supreme Court and U.S. history still holding that the concept of racial suspicion justified wholesale internment. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 did more than any other act since World War II to remove the unjustified mantle of Japanese American guilt and, more importantly than that, sent a message that America could be wrong and was willing to correct that wrong even decades later. That legacy will, I hope, continue to counter the irrational tendency to target those whose ethnic or racial roots coincide with our enemies of the moment, a tendency that runs against our most precious national principles.

While civil rights are the focus of my career, Bob, like most Sanseis, sought to make a difference in areas that were not based on his own heritage. Bob was a great friend to American business, most especially the agriculture native to his home in the Sacramento Valley and to technology, the engine that will continue to drive our nation’s economic future. His steadfast belief in free trade transcended his Democratic credentials and found recognition when President Clinton pursued the North American Free Trade Agreement and sought Bob’s stewardship to win support in Congress.

While Bob had always been a respected and loyal Democrat, he defined his positions independently. He was always a defender of business and of free trade. I remember his strong stance against the protectionism of the Japanese rice industry in the face of the American rice growers, many centered in the Sacramento region. His strong support by Sacramento business leaders went back to his days in the City Council and his own law practice operated out of small Victorian house in downtown Sacramento. At the same time, while Democratic, his district -- still rooted in its days as a farm town -- is by no means a bastion of urban liberalism.

Yet Bob was always a staunch supporter of civil rights, including that of gay and lesbian Americans, and also of social programs that would serve the poorest or weakest in our society. His advocacy for seniors on social security issues from his powerful position on the Ways and Means Committee is legendary, and neither Democratic nor Republican administrations were immune to his efforts. Indeed, the talk in this town recently was of the certainty that President Bush’s proposed Social Security overhaul would receive Bob Matsui’s serious scrutiny on the Hill. I am certain that his name will come up as that issue unfolds.

Bob brought a serious and thoughtful approach to government and to those of all political affiliations he added respect to a career in public service. In the mainstream, discussions in the wake of Bob’s passing will be of who and how his seat will be filled. But for Japanese Americans and other Asian Pacific Americans the issue is more who will fill his shoes.

For all the respect he won beyond our community, much of what he showed the world was of Japanese American values as translated by our generation. Few were as successful as Bob in winning that respect. The “quiet, hardworking professionalism” that will be spoken of in many of Bob’s memorials are the values given us by our grandparents and parents, tempered by immigration, civil rights abuses and many years “in between” other larger communities.

As Sansei approach retirement age, mostly born or at least raised following World War II, our lives and our community continue to be defined in many ways by the war. Japanese Americans struggled far beyond the immigrant generation to try to prove their loyalty and citizenship even if they had it legally.

The relocation proved that the law would only protect us up to a point. Sanseis played a major role in the campaign for Japanese American redress as we learned from the civil rights movement and showed our patriotism in a new way defined by the era that we grew up in. Some got over the reticence to stand out and did things like enter politics or acting, but many were still more comfortable in less visible professional roles. Bob represented us well without having to say so.

Now, with Bob’s passing, we can reflect both what we have lost as a community and as a nation, but also what we need desperately. I remember Bob talking frequently about how few Asian Pacific Americans are in the pipeline behind him. Few Japanese Americans, certainly, due to some extent to the community’s limited growth, but few Asians of all backgrounds, as well.

Some that are coming forward from the Korean, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and Hmong communities provide hope. But we need more, and perhaps the greatest memorial we can erect to Bob’s career in public service is to take the risk and seek to serve and, just as importantly, to support the qualified people from our community who share our political values with our encouragement, money, energies and votes.

 (http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0a424ead4cdc4d6db88d8ca657a34ec8)

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