Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive News and Updates

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

NEAAS Conference

The New England Association for Asian Studies (NEAAS) Regional Conference was held at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, MA on October 18th, 2008. At the conference, The Vietnam Archive’s Vietnamese American Heritage Archivist, Anna Mallett, presented “Unheard Voices: The Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association and Its Struggle for Freedom.” Ms. Mallett’s presentation detailed how the FVPPA, under the extraoridinary leadership of Khuc Minh Tho, helped approximately 10,000 former Vietnamese political prisoners and their families immigrate to the U.S. under the UNHCR’s (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) ODP (Orderly Departure Program). Ms. Mallett’s presentation gave a brief introduction to: why the UNHCR created the ODP, Khuc Minh Tho’s biography, the history and accomplishments of the FVPPA, the condtions of the reeducation camps, the hardships endured by former Vietnames political prisoners and their families during and after their release from reeducation camps. Ms. Mallett enjoyed the conference and its beautiful location. The campus is surrounded on three sides by the bay, lots of ships and tall white sails, and trees adorned in beautiful fall colors.

Posted by at 3:53 pm
Labels: vietnamese american heritage

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