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CalEden
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19036031/
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A former Laotian military general who helped the CIA wage covert war in Southeast Asia more than 30 years ago and a former officer in the California National Guard were charged Monday in federal court with plotting a violent overthrow of Laos' communist government.
Gen. Vang Pao, a prominent Hmong leader who lives in Orange County, was charged with conspiracy to topple Laos leaders in a case that reads like it was taken from the pages of a spy novel.
Also charged was former California National Guard Lt. Col. Harrison Ulrich Jack, a 1968 West Point graduate who was involved in covert operations during the Vietnam War. Jack acted as an arms broker and organizer of the plot, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
The group was raising money to recruit a mercenary force and buy enough weapons to equip a small army, including anti-tank missiles and grenade launchers, prosecutors allege.
"We're looking at conspiracy to murder thousands and thousands of people at one time," Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Twiss said in federal court Monday.
He said thousands of coconspirators remain at large.
Vang Pao, now 77, led CIA-backed Hmong forces in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s as a general in the Royal Army of Laos. He emigrated to the U.S. about 1975 and has been credited by thousands of Hmong refugees with helping them build new lives in the U.S.
Since then, however, he has been plotting to overthrow the government, according to the federal complaint.
Seven others, all prominent members of the Hmong community from California's Central Valley, also were charged Monday in federal court. The criminal complaint identified them as Lo Cha Thao of Clovis, a suburb of Fresno; Lo Thao of Sacramento County, who is president of United Hmong International, which the complaint says also is known as the Supreme Council of the Hmong 18 Clans; Youa True Vang of Fresno, founder of Fresno's Hmong International New Year; Hue Vang, a former Clovis police officer; Chong Yang Thao, a Fresno chiropractor; Seng Vue of Fresno and Chue Lo of Stockton, both of whom are clan representatives in United Hmong International.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly J. Mueller ordered all nine defendants to be held in custody until separate hearings later this week.
Vang Pao, of Westminster, was the alleged leader of the anti-communist plot, while Jack acted as the arms broker, according to the complaint. The attorneys for Vang Pao and Jack had no immediate comment after Monday's court proceeding.
The criminal complaint said Vang Pao and the other Hmong defendants formed a committee "to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a military expedition or enterprise to engage in the overthrow of the existing government of Laos by violent means, including murder, assaults on both military and civilian officials of Laos and destruction of buildings and property."
The committee acted through the Lao liberation movement known as Neo Hom, led in the U.S. by Vang Pao. It conducted extensive fundraising, directed surveillance operations and organized a force of insurgent troops within Laos, according to the complaint.
As recently as May, people acting on behalf of the committee were gathering intelligence about military installations and government buildings in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, according to prosecutors.
Since January, the Hmong leaders and Jack inspected shipments of military equipment that were to be purchased and shipped to Thailand, shipments that were scheduled for June 12 and June 19, the complaint alleged. That equipment included machine guns, ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-tank rockets, stinger missiles, mines and C-4 explosives.
During a news conference after the defendants' court appearance, prosecutors displayed photographs of the weapons involved in the alleged plot. They showed a light anti-tank rocket system, a Stinger missile, Claymore mines and an AK-47 assault rifle.
The defendants also attempted to recruit a mercenary force that included former members of the Army special forces or Navy SEALs.
Jack worked full-time doing strategic planning for the California National Guard after retiring from active duty as a lieutenant colonel about 10 years ago.
He recently established the Hmong Emergency Relief Organization, a nonprofit committed to supporting the Hmong community. He also is president of the nonprofit Youth Development Academies of America.
In March, Jack was hired by Yolo County, near Sacramento, as an ombudsman to help employees who have concerns or problems with county officials. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from West Point in 1968.
Vang Pao has been a source of controversy elsewhere.
In April, a dispute erupted in Madison, Wis., over a proposal to name a new elementary school after him, a move intended to honor the area's large Hmong population. Dissenters said a school should not bear the name of a figure with such a violent history.
In 2002, the city of Madison dropped a plan to name a park in his honor after a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor cited numerous published sources alleging that Vang Pao had ordered executions of his own followers, of enemy prisoners of war and of his political enemies.
Spokesmen for Vang Pao and his followers denied the charges at the time.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:39 pm on June 4, 2007
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DaffyDuck
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Why is plotting the overthrow of a foreign government (communist, no less) a prosecutable offense, in the USA? Why does the US now now extend to 'protecting' foreign communist governments from being overthrown? As far as I can tell, these folks were doing mostly planning, but not committing any actions, on US soil, that are dangerous, or illegal.
Nice going - of course, I'm doubly confused, as I don't really understand why the US is doing this, seeing as how Laos has nothing to offer in its present shape...
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 12:16 am on June 5, 2007
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Mel Gibson
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"I'm doubly confused, "
A lot of us have noticed.
Regards
Mel.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:34 am on June 5, 2007
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Wagie
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U guys are kiddin' right?!? Or is this not planet earth anymore?
Just because the USofA doesn't like another government, it's fair play to seek to overthrow them by force... Just think about that, and try imagine what this place would be like if this were acceptable? Isn't one f...g Iraq-type intervention enough?
Come on! Quit thinkin' with your dicks!!!
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 1:05 am on June 5, 2007
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China Sailor
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Quote: from DaffyDuck on 3:01 pm on June 5, 2007
Why is plotting the overthrow of a foreign government (communist, no less) a prosecutable offense, in the USA? Why does the US now now extend to 'protecting' foreign communist governments from being overthrown? As far as I can tell, these folks were doing mostly planning, but not committing any actions, on US soil, that are dangerous, or illegal.
Nice going - of course, I'm doubly confused, as I don't really understand why the US is doing this, seeing as how Laos has nothing to offer in its present shape...
I guess the fact that you are confused shows exactly how much you know about Global Power politics.
A primer for the Duck:
1) The US recognizes the current government of Laos. Like Vietnam they have long-standing border disputes with the Chinese and serve a leverage against China in the Asia-Pac region.
2) It is not good to have a government you recognize be overthrown by a plot hatched and operated from your own country; it tends to make your allies nervous and weakens your credibility.
3) Given the size of the arsenal amassed it is worrying to a government that is fighting a war against global terrorism; the same dudes (Duck word for people) that are selling weapons to the Lao dude (same Duck word in singular case) could sell them to the Islamic dudes.
So how is it confusing that the US does not support an unsanctioned attempt to overthrow the government of an ally using military armaments obtained through criminal action?
Cal -- Is it my glasses or am I seeing double  ...
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 1:24 am on June 5, 2007
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IBFarang
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I would say the US authorities were more concerned with the arms sales than any actual coup attempt. Not likely the US government would be overly excited about having more rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-tank rockets, or stinger missiles be brokered by people living in the US. The only potential issue I see is how active the US undercover folks were in these actions and if they might have prompted the arms sales.
Hard to understand how the Hmong thought they could pull this off anyway. During the 1970’s I think they numbered less than 500k and it is fairly certain that number is much lower now. Hell there might be more Hmong living in the US now days than actually live in Vietnam.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:55 am on June 5, 2007
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usvirgin
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Is it my glasses or am I seeing double...
Dunno, but you might have been hearing it in Dubly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QodpxbSMs_4
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:00 am on June 5, 2007
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ThaidUp
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I guess Vang did not get the CIA memo. "It's over Johnny"
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:46 am on June 5, 2007
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sai tai
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Some background on Vang Pao from the time he arrived in the US in this 2005 story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune...
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/70202.html
He has been raising money in Minneapolis and St Paul for many years. He is still revered (or feared?) by the older generation of Hmong who left Laos, but is seen as irrelevant by the young who don't understand why their parents and grandparents still give money when asked.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 5:53 am on June 5, 2007
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seajohn
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Quote: from CalEden on 10:24 am on June 5, 2007
Seven others, all prominent members of the Hmong community from California's Central Valley, also were charged Monday in federal court. The criminal complaint identified them as Lo Cha Thao of Clovis, a suburb of Fresno; Lo Thao of Sacramento County, who is president of United Hmong International, which the complaint says also is known as the Supreme Council of the Hmong 18 Clans; Youa True Vang of Fresno, founder of Fresno's Hmong International New Year; Hue Vang, a former Clovis police officer; Chong Yang Thao, a Fresno chiropractor; Seng Vue of Fresno and Chue Lo of Stockton, both of whom are clan representatives in United Hmong International.
I knew those guys were up to something squatting around on the sidewalks and smoking all the time. Especially when they pulled up all their floorboards to plant hot peppers in. Is that all they planted? Hmmm....
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:27 am on June 5, 2007
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