1979: After touring refugee camps, Minn. Gov. Quie pledges support
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.
"The governor was clearly moved by what he saw in the refugee camps he and Mrs. Quie visited on the Thai-Cambodian border," Kessler reports.
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The governor told of the malnutrition, dysentery and malaria that plagued the people living in the camps. "He pledged Minnesota's aid to keep volunteer help there after international concern for the problem decreases," Kessler said.
Hmong in Minnesota
The year 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the Hmong people's 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.