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1979: Minnesota Gov. Quie tours refugee camps in Thailand

Gov. Al Quie with Lt. Col. Vang Neng at Ban Vinai
Gov. Al Quie toured refugee camps in Thailand in 1979 during a trip to Asia. Here, he stands with former Lt. Col. Vang Neng, who was the Hmong leader in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp.
Photo courtesy Touger Vang via the Minnesota Historical Society | 1979

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Original broadcast date: Oct. 30, 1979

MPR News reporter Pat Kessler talked to Minnesota Gov. Al Quie about a trip he made to Asia in the fall of 1979.

"Gov. Quie used phrases like 'another Holocaust,' 'human wreckage' and 'suffering beyond belief' when he described his impressions of the short tour of camps of refugees in Thailand," Kessler reported.

Quie talked of helping refugees in the camps regain their health before trying to help them relocate outside Thailand.

Hmong in Minnesota

The year 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the Hmong arrival in Minnesota. At that time, the number of Hmong could be counted in the dozens.

Now the Twin Cities metro area is home to 64,000 Hmong people, making it the largest urban population of Hmong in the country. This story is one of many, culled from the MPR News radio archives, as we look back at the history of the Hmong people, both in Southeast Asia and Minnesota.