Channapha Khamvongsa

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Channapha Khamvongsa
NationalityLao-American
Alma materGeorgetown University George Mason University
OccupationFormer founder and executive director of Legacies of War

Channapha Khamvongsa (born 1973) is the Lao-American former founder and executive director of Legacies of War, a D.C.-based non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the history and continued effects of the Vietnam War-era bombings in Laos through the use of art, culture, education, and advocacy. [1] In September 2016, President Barack Obama acknowledged Channapha’s advocacy efforts in Laos, when he became the first U.S. President to visit the country.

Contents

Early life

Khamvongsa was born in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. However, as a result of the Laotian Civil War, in 1979, six-year-old Khamvongsa and her family were forced to flee due to political and economic uncertainty.

A boat took her family of eight across the Mekong River in pairs, with Khamvongsa and her father waiting until her mother contacted them to confirm that they successfully crossed the border into Thailand. When they did not hear from her mother, Khamvongsa's father decided to have a stranger smuggle Khamvongsa across the border alone. Khamvongsa later found the rest of her family in a refugee camp. [2]

Fearing detection by the Thai border patrol, her father attempted to swim across the river. Despite crossing the river, the Thai border patrol detained him and placed him in a holding cell. By chance, a family friend recognized him as he was crossing the river and sent word to Khamvongsa's family of his situation. The friend also knew a supervisor from the refugee camp and after sending someone with money to pay for his release, the eight of them were reunited. [3]

In 1980, after a year in the refugee camp, Khamvongsa and her family left for Falls Creek, Virginia. As a child, Khamvongsa knew very little about the Secret War in Laos. For her parents' generation, the trauma they had endured led many to ignore or simply forget their past experiences. Through her own research later in life, Khamvongsa was able to discover her homeland's violent past and how this past was affecting the present. [4]

Education

Khamvongsa received her Bachelor's of Science Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University in 1996. In 2002 she received a master's degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. [5]

Career

Prior work experience

Before founding Legacies of War, Khamvongsa worked at the Ford Foundation in the Peace and Social Justice Unit, the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown University, the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program, the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, and at NEO Philanthropy. [6]

In 2003, while at the Ford Foundation, she came into contact with John Cavanagh, who had worked closely with Fred Branfman and his book Voices from the Plain of Jars . After discussing their shared connection to Laos, he gave her a binder filled with drawings made by survivors of the bombings in Laos. The drawings, along with personal narratives, had been collected by an American educational adviser and his Laotian colleague in Vientiane refugee camps in 1970 and 1971. The images, made with pencils, pens, markers, and crayons, depicted the horrific experiences of the survivors that shaped their reality. [7] It was through this interaction that Khamvongsa was motivated to start an organization dedicated to advocating for the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos. [8]

Legacies of War

In 2004, Khamvongsa founded Legacies of War, a nonprofit organization fiscally sponsored by NEO Philanthropy, dedicated to bringing attention to UXO awareness, education, and removal in Laos.

In 2010, Khamvongsa spoke in front of the House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, within the Committee on Foreign Affairs, addressing the need for increased funding for the removal of UXO in Laos. [9]

In September 2016, Khamvongsa and Legacies of War's efforts were directly acknowledged by President Obama during a visit to Laos, the first such visit by a US President. During a speech at the Lao National Cultural Hall, Obama remarked that "for years, she urged the United States to do more to help remove unexploded bombs here in Laos. 'There are many, many problems in this world that might not be able to be solved in a lifetime,' she's said, but this is one we can fix. So, Channapha, we thank you for working to fix this problem." [10]

Through Legacies of War's efforts, annual U.S. funding for the removal of UXO in Laos has increased dramatically from $2.7 million to a $30 million commitment for 2016 to 2018. [11] Khamvongsa's efforts through Legacies of War was covered by multiple news sources, such as the New York Times, [12] PBS, [13] and CBS. [14]

Legacies of War continues to draw attention to the UXO issue in Laos and ensure that the UXO sector in Laos gets the funding needed to make Laos safe again from millions of leftover bomblets. The goal is to reduce the annual number of casualties of UXO in Laos to zero. [15]

Honors and awards

Recipient of the Georgetown McCourt Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing a record of outstanding accomplishments within their chosen profession or demonstrated service to the McCourt and GPPI community.

Channapha was the Keynote speaker at 2017 |Laotian American Scholarship Foundation, the 2016 Lao-American Writer's Summit, [16] and at the 2016 Laotian American Society. [17]

She was appointed to the Seattle Women's Commission, was selected in 2012 to be the Executive Director of the |ICAP International Career Advancement Program at Aspen Institute, Aspen Colorado, and served on the board of the Refugee Women's Alliance and Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) [18]

Recipient of the Friends Without a Border Healing Asia Award (2015) [19] [20]

Channapha Khamvongsa in 2010 testified before Congress to discuss the issue of UXO in Laos and U.S. funding for their removal. Hearing was held before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, chaired by Rep. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa)

Published work

Related Research Articles

Laos Country in Southeast Asia

Laos (,), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. At the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Its capital and largest city is Vientiane.

Laotian Civil War Civil war in Laos from 1959 to 1975

The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War, with both sides receiving heavy external support in a proxy war between the global Cold War superpowers. It is called the Secret War among the American CIA Special Activities Center, and Hmong and Mien veterans of the conflict.

Plain of Jars Megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos

The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos. It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau. The jars are arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred.

Laotian Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to Laos. Laotian Americans are included in the larger category of Asian Americans. The major immigrant generation were generally refugees who escaped Laos during the warfare and disruption of the 1970s, and entered refugee camps in Thailand across the Mekong River. They emigrated to the United States during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.

HALO Trust

The HALO Trust is a non-political and non-religious registered British charity and American non-profit organization which removes debris left behind by war, in particular land mines. With over 8,000 deminers worldwide, HALO has operations in 28 countries. Its largest operation is in Afghanistan, where the organization continues to operate under the Taliban regime that took power in August 2021.

Unexploded ordnance Explosives that have not fully detonated

Unexploded ordnance, unexploded bombs (UXBs), and explosive remnants of war are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, sometimes many decades after they were used or discarded. UXO does not always originate from wars; areas such as military training grounds can also hold significant numbers, even after the area has been abandoned. UXO from World War I continue to be a hazard, with poisonous gas filled munitions still a problem. When unwanted munitions are found, they are sometimes destroyed in controlled explosions, but accidental detonation of even very old explosives also occurs, sometimes with fatal results.

Phonsavan District & municipality in Xiangkhouang Province, Laos

Phonsavan, population 37,507, is the capital of Xiangkhouang Province. Phonsavan was built in the late-1970s and replaced the old Xiangkhouang which was destroyed during the Second Indochina War.

Laotian Canadians are Canadian citizens of Laotian origin or descent. In the 2016 Census, 24,580 people indicated Laotian ancestry. Bilateral relations between Canada and Laos were established in 1954 with the formalization of the independence of the Kingdom of Laos from France. In August 2015, Canada's first resident diplomat opened the Office of the Embassy of Canada in Vientiane, Laos.

A mine clearance organization, or demining organization, is an organization involved in removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) for military, humanitarian, or commercial reasons. Demining includes mine clearance, as well as surveying, mapping and marking of hazardous areas.

Operation Freedom Deal was a United States Seventh Air Force interdiction and close air support campaign waged in Cambodia between 19 May 1970 and 15 August 1973, as an expansion of the Vietnam War, as well as the Cambodian Civil War. Launched by Richard Nixon as a follow-up to the earlier ground invasion during the Cambodian Campaign, the initial targets of the operation were the base areas and border sanctuaries of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC).

Bolaven Plateau Elevated region in southern Laos

The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region in southern Laos. Most of the plateau is located within Champasak Province of Laos, though the edges of the plateau are also located in Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu Provinces. It is located between the Annamite Mountain Range, along which runs Laos' eastern border with Vietnam, and the Mekong River to the west, at about 15°N106°E. The plateau's elevation ranges approximately from 1,000 to 1,350 metres above sea level. The plateau is crossed by several rivers and has many scenic waterfalls. The name Bolaven makes reference to the Laven ethnic group which has historically dominated the region. However, domestic migrations by the Lao ethnic group has resulted in widespread interethnic marriage, thus modifying the ethnic composition of the region.

Laos–United States relations Bilateral relations

Relations between Laos and the United States officially began when the United States opened a legation in Laos in 1950, when Laos was a semi-autonomous state within French Indochina. These relations were maintained after Lao independence in October 1953.

CIA activities in Laos started in the 1950s. In 1959, U.S. Special Operations Forces began to train some Laotian soldiers in unconventional warfare techniques as early as the fall of 1959 under the code name "Erawan". Under this code name, General Vang Pao, who served the royal Lao family, recruited and trained his Hmong and Iu-Mien soldiers. The Hmong and Iu-Mien were targeted as allies after President John F. Kennedy, who refused to send more American soldiers to battle in Southeast Asia, took office. Instead, he called the CIA to use its tribal forces in Laos and "make every possible effort to launch guerrilla operations in North Vietnam with its Asian recruits." General Vang Pao then recruited and trained his Hmong soldiers to ally with the CIA and fight against North Vietnam. The CIA itself claims that the CIA air operations in Laos from 1955-1974 were the "largest paramilitary operations ever undertaken by the CIA."

Mines Advisory Group

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons.

<i>Bomb Harvest</i> 2007 Australian film

Bomb Harvest is a 2007 documentary film directed by Australian filmmaker Kim Mordaunt and produced by Sylvia Wilczynski. It explores the consequences of war in Laos as it follows an Australian bomb disposal specialist, training locals in the skill of detonating bombs while trying to stop villagers, particularly children, from finding them and using them for scrap metal.

Malichansouk (Mali) Kouanchao is a Lao American visual artist, web and interactive designer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the subject of a children's book Mali Under the Night Sky. Her multidisciplinary works explore the relationship between art, transformation, and communal healing.

Xiangkhouang Province of Laos

Xiangkhouang is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed place on Earth.

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Chanida Phaengdara Potter is a Lao American writer, activist and community development strategist in the Lao American and Southeast Asian diaspora communities. She is well known for her work as the founding editor of the internationally acclaimed online publication, Little Laos on the Prairie where voice and visibility of the Lao diaspora experience are amplified. She is the executive director of The SEAD Project , an organization based in Minnesota and Laos aimed at empowering Southeast Asian diaspora communities by bridging the access gap to community, storytelling, languages, heritages and cross-cultural connections and knowledge-sharing through creative workshops and communication tools. She has worked in the nonprofit field on organizing, public affairs, community development, and human rights advocacy.

Legacies of War, is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, Inc (NEO), dedicated to raising awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos and advocate for the clearance of unexploded bombs, (UXO) and survivor assistance, to provide space for healing the wounds of war, and to create greater hope for a future of peace.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". Legacies of War. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ "When the Idea of a Bomb-Free Laos Became Possible: An Interview with Channapha Khamvongsa". Little Laos on the Prairie. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Phaengdara Potter, Chanida (7 July 2014). "When the Idea of a Bomb-Free Laos Became Possible: An Interview with Channapha Khamvongsa". Twin Cities Daily Planet. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Fernando, Marice (2013). "An Interview with Channapha Khamvongsa, Legacies of War, Founder and Executive Director" (PDF). Southeast Review of Asian Studies. 35. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  5. ↑ Channapha, Khamvongsa. "Legacies of War Update from Director". Asian American Press. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Channapha Khamvongsa". NEO Philanthropy. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "Illustrations & Narratives". Legacies of War. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "The Heroes Behind the $90 Million Disposal of Unexploded Bombs in Laos". YOMYOMF. 7 September 201. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Khamvongsa, Channapha. "Legacies of War: Unexploded Ordnance in Laos". US Government Publishing Office. US Government Printing Office. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  10. ↑ Obama, Barack. "Remarks of President Obama to the People of Laos". Obama White House. Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Cavanagh, John. "The Heroes Behind Obama's Historic Announcement in Laos". The Nation. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  12. ↑ Fuller, Thomas (5 April 2015). "One Woman's Mission to Free Laos from Millions of Unexploded Bombs". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  13. ↑ Woodruff, Judy (6 September 2016). "Decades On, Millions of Unexploded American Bombs Left Behind Still Kill and Maim in Laos". PBS. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Diaz, Adriana (5 September 2016). "US Bombs Dropped Decades Ago in Laos Still Killing Locals". CBS. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "FAQ President Obama's Historic Announcement on UXO in Laos". Legacies of War. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  16. ↑ "Speakers 2016". Lao Writers. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "Laotian American Society Raised Funds for Community at Annual Gala". Georgia Asian Times. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  18. ↑ Khamvongsa, Channapha. "Legacies of War Update from Director". Asian American Press. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  19. ↑ "15th Annual New York Gala". Friends Without A Border. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  20. ↑ "2015 Annual Report" (PDF). Friends Without A Border. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  21. ↑ Khamvongsa, Channapha; Eisenberg, Pablo; Ahn, Christine (September 2003). "Foundation Trustee Fees: Use and Abuse" (PDF). The Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  22. ↑ Khamvongsa, Channapha; Russell, Elaine (June 2009). "Legacies of War: Cluster Bombs in Laos". Critical Asian Studies. 41. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  23. ↑ Khamvongsa, Channapha. "After War, A New Legacy of Peace in Laos". The Obama White House. The Medium. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
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