Bill Text: MN SR12 | 2025-2026 | 94th Legislature | Draft
Bill Title: A Senate resolution recognizing the 2025 Hmong New Year Celebration in Khek Noi, Thailand, and international cultural exchange
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-13 - Referred to Rules and Administration [SR12 Detail]
Download: Minnesota-2025-SR12-Draft.html
1.1A Senate resolution
1.2recognizing the 2025 Hmong New Year Celebration in Khek Noi, Thailand, and
1.3international cultural exchange.
1.4WHEREAS, Khek Noi is a subdistrict in the Khao Kho District of Phetchabun Province,
1.5known for its rich cultural heritage and historical significance; and
1.6WHEREAS, the 2025 Hmong New Year Celebration brings together families and leaders
1.7from 12 nearby villages and attracts visitors from across Thailand and abroad, including distinguished
1.8guests and a community delegation from the United States; and
1.9WHEREAS, Khek Noi, home to 17,000 Hmong-Thai residents, serves as a vital cultural
1.10hub that reflects the rich heritage of Thailand's 125,000 Hmong people, who are native to the
1.11highlands of Southeast Asia and Southern China; and
1.12WHEREAS, following the 1975 Vietnam conflict, thousands of Laotian-Hmong allied with
1.13the United States and Thailand were resettled as refugees in western countries, with Minnesota
1.14now home to at least 94,000 Hmong-Americans who continue to honor their heritage and maintain
1.15ties with Hmong communities in Thailand; and
1.16WHEREAS, with Minnesota honoring the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian resettlement
1.17in the United States in 2025, Hmong-Americans express gratitude to Thailand and her people for
1.18providing refuge for decades during dangerous times; and
1.19WHEREAS, it is historic that the Khek Noi Hmong New Year Celebration, taking place
1.20from December 31, 2024, to January 7, 2025, has invited Minnesota State Senator Foung Hawj, a
1.21Hmong descendant, as the keynote speaker. He is joined by a diverse delegation from the United
1.22States; and
2.1WHEREAS, Senator Foung Hawj, alongside Mr. Saranyu Meethongkham, Governor of
2.2Phetchabun Province, and other government officials and cultural leaders, will formally commence
2.3the Hmong New Year Festival in Khek Noi on January 1, 2025; and
2.4WHEREAS, the festival will include tree planting to symbolize cultural and environmental
2.5stewardship unity, and potential conversation about establishing sister city relations; and
2.6WHEREAS, the event highlights the enduring ties between the Hmong community in
2.7Phetchabun, Thailand, and the Hmong community in the United States, celebrating their shared
2.8history, fostering unity and mutual respect, strengthening international relationships, and honoring
2.9a collective commitment to preserving Hmong heritage; and
2.10NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it
2.11recognizes the Hmong community of Khek Noi, Thailand, and joins them in celebrating this cultural
2.12exchange.
2.13BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an
2.14enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the
2.15Chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to Saranyu Meethongkham,
2.16Governor of Phetchabun Province, and cultural leaders hosting the Hmong New Year Festival in
2.17Khek Noi.
1.2recognizing the 2025 Hmong New Year Celebration in Khek Noi, Thailand, and
1.3international cultural exchange.
1.4WHEREAS, Khek Noi is a subdistrict in the Khao Kho District of Phetchabun Province,
1.5known for its rich cultural heritage and historical significance; and
1.6WHEREAS, the 2025 Hmong New Year Celebration brings together families and leaders
1.7from 12 nearby villages and attracts visitors from across Thailand and abroad, including distinguished
1.8guests and a community delegation from the United States; and
1.9WHEREAS, Khek Noi, home to 17,000 Hmong-Thai residents, serves as a vital cultural
1.10hub that reflects the rich heritage of Thailand's 125,000 Hmong people, who are native to the
1.11highlands of Southeast Asia and Southern China; and
1.12WHEREAS, following the 1975 Vietnam conflict, thousands of Laotian-Hmong allied with
1.13the United States and Thailand were resettled as refugees in western countries, with Minnesota
1.14now home to at least 94,000 Hmong-Americans who continue to honor their heritage and maintain
1.15ties with Hmong communities in Thailand; and
1.16WHEREAS, with Minnesota honoring the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian resettlement
1.17in the United States in 2025, Hmong-Americans express gratitude to Thailand and her people for
1.18providing refuge for decades during dangerous times; and
1.19WHEREAS, it is historic that the Khek Noi Hmong New Year Celebration, taking place
1.20from December 31, 2024, to January 7, 2025, has invited Minnesota State Senator Foung Hawj, a
1.21Hmong descendant, as the keynote speaker. He is joined by a diverse delegation from the United
1.22States; and
2.1WHEREAS, Senator Foung Hawj, alongside Mr. Saranyu Meethongkham, Governor of
2.2Phetchabun Province, and other government officials and cultural leaders, will formally commence
2.3the Hmong New Year Festival in Khek Noi on January 1, 2025; and
2.4WHEREAS, the festival will include tree planting to symbolize cultural and environmental
2.5stewardship unity, and potential conversation about establishing sister city relations; and
2.6WHEREAS, the event highlights the enduring ties between the Hmong community in
2.7Phetchabun, Thailand, and the Hmong community in the United States, celebrating their shared
2.8history, fostering unity and mutual respect, strengthening international relationships, and honoring
2.9a collective commitment to preserving Hmong heritage; and
2.10NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it
2.11recognizes the Hmong community of Khek Noi, Thailand, and joins them in celebrating this cultural
2.12exchange.
2.13BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an
2.14enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the
2.15Chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to Saranyu Meethongkham,
2.16Governor of Phetchabun Province, and cultural leaders hosting the Hmong New Year Festival in
2.17Khek Noi.
| Tom BotternSecretary of the Senate | Erin P. MurphyChair, Senate Committee onRules and Administration |
| Foung HawjState Senator, District 67 |
