According to Ly, members of her group had split up after visiting Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang. They each had different destinations, and she and her husband were scheduled to depart Vientiane on the last flight for Bangkok before the weekend. But for Ly Vang, a respected former nurse during the war in Laos and executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota, the departure would not be as smooth as she had hoped.

Seven immigration officers decided to play a little game with them. After reviewing their U.S. passports (both Ly and her husband are U.S. citizens), a member of the group told them there was a problem. Not wanting to miss the plane and unwilling to pay a bribe for better service, Ly asked what the problem was and who she should speak to straighten it out.

The immigration officers were vague in their answers, first asking her why the code on the bottom of her passport did not have the same number of digits as the number on the top. The passport number on the top, of course, is included in the longer U.S. ID code in the bottom of all American passports, but the officers were apparently trying to imply that the passport had been falsified. A bribe would have ended the game there if Ly had been intimidated, but she was determined to clear the matter and make her flight.

"You own property in Laos," declared one of the immigration officers. Ly replied that she was an American citizen with an established life and family in the United States.

The immigration officers then insisted that Ly was the daughter of General Vang Pao. Ly responded that this was not the case, explaining further that the General lived in California while she lived 1,000 miles away in Minnesota. She again demanded to see the official responsible for the delay. But the officers explained that it was someone higher up and that she would have to go to the Immigration Office of Foreigner Control in Vientiane to straighten things out.

Ly then turned to the U.S. Embassy, where she had checked in upon her arrival in Laos. By this time, she had already missed her flight out of Vientiane and was destined to stay there over the weekend. After explaining her situation, an undersecretary working at the U.S. embassy named Joseph recognized it as a predicament common to many other tourists in Laos these days.

Intimidation by Laotian officials for private economic gain in a lawless country is not uncommon. Joseph made arrangements to appear with Ly and her husband at the Immigration Office of Foreigner Control. Joseph demanded release of the passports, which he said were property of the U.S. government and must be returned immediately to the embassy. When the Lao immigration officials said that the person who held the passports had gone home, Joseph demanded the person's name and address so that he could gain release of the documents himself.

When the Lao officials named the person in question, Joseph said that he knew the man personally and would see him immediately. To this response, the officials made more excuses - that the passports were actually held by someone higher up who had left town for the weekend.

As Joseph continued demanding names, the officials began relenting a bit. The games stretched on through Monday so that Ly and her husband were forced to wait until Tuesday to depart, but the U.S. Embassy got results. When Ly and her husband came to the airport with friends on Tuesday, Lao officials helped them with luggage and even allowed their friends through security to see them off.

It was a tense time for Ly Vang, but also very educational, and Ly Vang definitely has advice for people who are thinking of travelling to Laos. Although Laos is officially trying to increase tourism to the nation, the report by the US State Department on deteriorating human rights conditions in Laos and Ly Vang's experience should be a strong enough caution for travellers to exercise good judgement and not panic, but to inform the US Embassy when you arrive and keep their number handy.

Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota is located in St. Paul and has been an important help to the community for many years. You can reach them at (612) 724-3066.