The delegation will “look into environmental remediation of dioxin and the joint funding of medical services for people with disabilities, and meet with Vietnamese government officials to discuss education initiatives, labor issues, and trade relations.”

Franken will also visit Laos, where he will likely be working on issues related to the forced repatriation of Hmong refugees. In early June, Franken hosted a community briefing with Ravic Huso, the U.S. Ambassador to Laos, and Minnesota’s Hmong leaders; he promised attendees he would be visiting Laos soon, according to Hmong Times.

Sen. Mee Moua

Several of Minnesota’s members of Congress, as well as state Sen. Mee Moua, have condemned the forced movement of Hmong out of Thailand and into Laos where advocates say they could face discrimination and persecution.

State Sen. Mee Maou, DFL-St. Paul, whose family came to Minnesota as Hmong refugees in 1978, condemned the actions of Thailand.

“The bilateral agreement between the Thai military and the government of Laos to forcibly deport these families back to Laos in spite of concerns expressed by the international community, as well as multiple human rights organizations, is not in alliance with the good spirit of international human rights,” she said in a statement. “The Thai government must honor international law and immediately desist this deportation.”

Rep. Betty McCollum echoed those sentiments.

“The forced repatriation to Laos by Thai authorities of more than 4,500 Hmong refugees from Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun, Thailand, violates the basic principle of human dignity and decency upheld by international law,” she said. “The safety and well being of this group is vital, and I will continue to work closely with the U.S. Department of State and the Lao government to monitor the reintegration process of this group in Laos.”

Senators from Wisconsin and Minnesota, which together have some of the largest communities of Hmong families in the United States, crafted a joint statement condemning the actions. Sens. Russ Feingold, Herb Kohl, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar said Tuesday:

“We strongly condemn the decision by the Royal Thai Government to forcibly repatriate over 4,000 Hmong back to Laos. This was done over the objections of the United Nations, the U.S. Government, and international human rights groups. This action violates humanitarian and refugee principles and could have serious repercussions. We share the concern of many of our Hmong-American constituents whose loved ones have been forced to return, and we will be paying close attention as the Hmong are resettled in Laos. We urge the Government of Laos to ensure the safety and well being of these individuals and to allow immediate and ongoing monitoring by international observers at all stages of the resettlement and reintegration process.”

The Hmong people were recruited by the CIA in 1961 as part of a secret operation to fight the Communists of North Vietnam. When the United States withdrew from southeast Asia, the Hmong were targeted by the Communist regimes in the region. Many Hmong fled to the United States, but others were left behind in Thailand and Laos.

Last year, Al Jazeera produced a series focusing on the situation for the Hmong living in Laos.

“I’ve got news for you,” Vang wrote. “It has now been confirmed that those individuals in your commercial spot are in fact quite familiar with Burger King as well as McDonalds, two fast food chains that are quite popular right in the heart of Chiangmai, Thailand! In fact, a couple of Hmong Thai students are employees at both places as I write!”

Burger King responded with a letter (pdf) of its own, stating that the company “always strive to be sensitive to cultural concerns” and that it is their “practice to associate our brand with campaigns that are within the bounds of good taste, executed appropriately, and not offensive to any substantial population group.”

But the answer wasn’t satisfactory to Vang, who wrote a follow-up:

The Hmong of the world, especially those in Thailand and in the U.S. are NOT satisfied by your explanations.

Let’s look at the your ad, again, word for word, line for line.

BK claims in it’s ad: “What happens if you take remote Chiang Mai villagers who have never seen a burger?”

This is obviously a false, as the specific people in the ads (who are our relatives) HAVE seen burgers before, lots of it. Almost every Hmong Thai villages in Thailand have a TV. Thailand has how many BK franchises? How many commercials in Thai have these franchises run in the past several decades? Even the most remote Hmong villages in Thailand, like the ones in your ad, drive Toyota Tundras, talk to their relatives in St. Paul on their cell phones, and watch CNN and BBC on their satellite TVs. Never seen a burger? Pure fiction. Hmong villagers in Thailand aren’t as backward or primitive as you want Americans or the world to think. This type of stereotype needs to stop! BK eating Hmong Americans demands it.

BK ad claims: “[Hmong] Who don’t even have a word for burger?

In Thai, burgers are called, “Ber-Gerh”. Hmong Thais may not pronounce “burger” you and I would, but they know what a burger is. It’s not like lutefisk or something. Please.

BK ad claims: “And ask them to compare a Whopper versus Big Mac in the world’s purest taste test.”

They have had burgers before. They have had Whoppers before. They have had Big Macs before.

BK ad claims: “The Whopper is America’s favorite.”

I’m sure millions of Thai people, including the Hmong of Thailand likes the Whopper too. They also like the Big Mac just as well. If they can afford it.

BK ad claims: “But what will these people choose?”

“These people?” Those primitives in remote places of the world? As if they exist in a time warp and isolated from the rest of the world. Last I checked, there was a Hmong Super Delegate for Barack Obama. Get your heads out of the sand. We all live in a very tight knit global society.

Finally, your BK ad claims: “The Whopper Virgins will decide.”

Obviously, BK and their ad agency, CONTRARY to their claim that they “carefully constructed the campaign to respect the cultures of the people who participated in the test,” yet have by calling remote Hmong villagers in Thailand “virgins”, BK has committed a grave and unspeakable cultural gaffe, especially with images of Hmong men chumping on “burgers.” Need a little Hmong cultural and diversity orientation, BK?

Let the apologies come forth, and hopefully soon. Some of these Hmong people know how to run viral campaigns on Youtube too, you know.