My First Ambassadorship: Reflections from Laos

Touring Vientiane sites (Pha That Luang) with my mother in 2005

I thought I had won the lottery when I was tapped to go to Laos in 2004. To prepare for my first ambassadorship, I read up on the Vietnam War, which was also referred to as the Second Indochina War or the American Secret War in Laos. I grew up in the 1970s and was aware of the war, but I never really knew the impact it had on Laos. I also consulted two former U.S. Ambassadors: Wendy Chamberlain recommended that I take up golf and karaoke; among other things, and Doug Hartwick introduced me to Ann Mills-Griffiths and the National League of POW/MIA Families.

It was a very interesting time to be in Laos. It marked the beginning of our countries emerging from the shadows of the war as we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Laos also hosted the ASEAN Summit in 2005. Still, most of our assistance focused on war legacy programs such as the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO), the search for U.S. soldiers’ remains, and poppy eradication and drug addiction treatment. We did not have a resident USAID program ; Laos was covered by Bangkok.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with a concert by Ketsana

Speaking out about the dangers of the narcotics trade

My biggest human rights challenge was trying to persuade the Lao government to be more flexible on the issue of the Hmong people. Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, many Hmong who had supported the United States during the wa fled to neighboring countries and eventually found homes in places like the Twin Cities. An advocate for the Hmong, Congresswoman Betty McCollum was a frequent visitor to my home. There were still Hmong refugees in camps on the Thai side of the Mekong River and a number of children had gone missing from their camp and were reported to be in Laos. This issue was not resolved by the time I left in 2007.

The recovery and identification of U.S. service personnel remains was our key program. We had the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at the Embassy, which worked with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in Washington and the National League of POW/MIA Families. I went on several archaeological digs with experts who searched meticulously for the remains of aircrew from plane crashes. Experts trained the Lao staff to sift through the dirt for bits of uniforms, plane parts and bones, which were then sent to Hawaii for forensic analysis. When remains were sent back for analysis, we held a formal ceremony in Savannakhet. A C-130 would land and uniformed officers would accompany the flag-draped coffins to the U.S. Pacific Command in Honolulu. Senior Lao government officials participated in the ceremonies. It was moving for us and for the Lao. We recovered the remains of about 60 pilots and aircrew by the time I left.

Honoring our fallen soldiers at a ceremony in Savannakhet

Our UXO program was another major focus of our Embassy. Laos was, and remains,  the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. The U.S. has funded the removal of UXO since 1995 through its Conventional Weapons Destruction Program,conducting surveys and clearance of unexploded ordnance, landmine clearance, explosive ordnance risk education, victim and survivor assistance, and capacity development. We worked closely with the United Nations, other donors, and partners like the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group (MAG). An important part of the program focused on alerting the public to the dangers of cluster munitions and mines that maim and kill to this day. Children are especially attracted to the small,brightly colored cluster bombs. Farmers are also vulnerable , especially as they increasingly cultivate land near the areas where unexploded bombs were dropped from planes returning to base.

Another unfortunate legacy of the war was the growth in poppy production and illicit drugs — opium and increasingly methamphetamines. We worked with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) in Washington to help the Lao government achieve two primary counternarcotics objectives: the elimination of opium poppy cultivation and the suppression of illicit trade of narcotics and precursor chemicals. We had some success persuading farmers in Houaphanh Province to grow green tea rather than poppy. We also started to focus on treating those addicted to “meth”, which was being transported by small boats down the Mekong River from the Golden Triangle.

We had cooperation with the Lao government in other important areas. We were near the epicenter of the first avian influenza outbreak in Thailand,which spread to Laos. In February 2007, Laos experienced its first confirmed human case of avian influenza (H5N1) in a 15-year-old girl. That year, U.S. Secretary of Health, Mike Leavitt, visited Laos to observe our training program and the distribution of protective gear. On the economic and development front, we established Normal Trade Relations in 2005 and began discussions on implementation of a bilateral trade agreement. We provided assistance through USAID in Bangkok to work with Laos on measures to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO). I was glad to see Laos join the WTO in 2013. We also supported the restoration of murals and repaired masonry in Wat Sisaket through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Honoring my parents at a Baci Ceremony (Sou Khuan) 

I have many fond memories of my time in Laos, especially the Baci ceremony welcoming my parents when they visited. The residence was amazing, large with Lao-style architecture and a marvelous garden. We also had a plot of land near the residence that we turned into a community park for the staff and their families. Before I left Laos in 2007, we started negotiations with the government on the new Chancery. I hope to get back to see it someday.