The Littleton resident was one of about 60 people from near and far who attended the Eighth Anniversary Celebration of the Lao Heritage and Freedom Flag at City Hall on Saturday. Posters set up in front of the building bore photos of ancient Laotian treasures, including glistening Buddhist temples, intricately woven baskets of various shapes and sizes, gold statues and finely carved wooden musical instruments and textile-making utensils.
Sounphale, a now 50-year-old research and development technician who emigrated here in 1980, said despite his love for Laos, he was not in favor of the Communist government that took over in 1975.
The event celebrated the contributions of Laotians to the Lowell area while offering speakers a chance to advocate for peaceful change back home to re-install a democratic form of government. It was emceed by Linkham Xaylitdet of The Laotian Community of Lowell. It drew local officials like Mayor Patrick Murphy and City Councilors Rita Mercier and Vesna Nuon, along with native Laotians from as far as Germany.
"The Laotian community of Lowell stands in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Laos," Murphy said.
Also in attendance to show their support were several Vietnamese immigrants who have served with the US Army Veterans Support Command and several Bangladeshi
"Thanks to the warm open arms and generous helping hands of the U.S. Government and the American people, we the Laotian Americans are who we are today: independent, free and law-abiding contributive citizens," said United Lao Political Organization President Khamthene Chinyavong, expressing his gratitude to state officials for allowing them to uphold the Lao National Flag and the Lao Freedom and Heritage Flag so they can share their celebration with the city and the community.
The Lao Heritage and Freedom Flag features three white elephant heads on a red background.
The background represents the courage of Laotian kings and commoners who, despite hailing from 68 ethnic groups, managed to build a unified nation that they defended and protected from invaders for seven centuries, according to Bounthone Chanthalavong-Wiese, president of Alliance for Democracy in Laos.
The white elephant heads, which peer out from a white nine-level parasol, represent the pure beauty of both the land and culture of Laos, said Chanthalavong-Wiese, adding that the parasol represents the levels a person would need to climb, spiritually speaking, to reach the pinnacle that represents the heavens and Mount Meru, which Laotians tend to revere as the center of the universe.
The flag "illustrates the abundance of elephants in the country, hence 'Lan Xang:' the land of a million elephants," said Chantalavong-Wiese, who said about 14 percent of the Laotian population, or more than 500,000 people, had emigrated to other countries to find safety and freedom after the Communist Party replaced the ruling constitutional monarchy.
Among them were Alygnaphon "Alit" Chanthala, who came to the event from Connecticut. Chanthala, now 34, was a leader of the student democracy movement in Laos in 1999. He said he emigrated here to join his sister after watching Communist officials attempt to arrest protesters at a rally he attended back home. Chanthala said he still misses family members back home, but that he is thankful he was able to start a new life here.
The Littleton resident was one of about 60 people from near and far who attended the Eighth Anniversary Celebration of the Lao Heritage and Freedom Flag at City Hall on Saturday. Posters set up in front of the building bore photos of ancient Laotian treasures, including glistening Buddhist temples, intricately woven baskets of various shapes and sizes, gold statues and finely carved wooden musical instruments and textile-making utensils.
Sounphale, a now 50-year-old research and development technician who emigrated here in 1980, said despite his love for Laos, he was not in favor of the Communist government that took over in 1975.
The event celebrated the contributions of Laotians to the Lowell area while offering speakers a chance to advocate for peaceful change back home to re-install a democratic form of government. It was emceed by Linkham Xaylitdet of The Laotian Community of Lowell. It drew local officials like Mayor Patrick Murphy and City Councilors Rita Mercier and Vesna Nuon, along with native Laotians from as far as Germany.
"The Laotian community of Lowell stands in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Laos," Murphy said.
Also in attendance to show their support were several Vietnamese immigrants who have served with the US Army Veterans Support Command and several Bangladeshi
"Thanks to the warm open arms and generous helping hands of the U.S. Government and the American people, we the Laotian Americans are who we are today: independent, free and law-abiding contributive citizens," said United Lao Political Organization President Khamthene Chinyavong, expressing his gratitude to state officials for allowing them to uphold the Lao National Flag and the Lao Freedom and Heritage Flag so they can share their celebration with the city and the community.
The Lao Heritage and Freedom Flag features three white elephant heads on a red background.
The background represents the courage of Laotian kings and commoners who, despite hailing from 68 ethnic groups, managed to build a unified nation that they defended and protected from invaders for seven centuries, according to Bounthone Chanthalavong-Wiese, president of Alliance for Democracy in Laos.
The white elephant heads, which peer out from a white nine-level parasol, represent the pure beauty of both the land and culture of Laos, said Chanthalavong-Wiese, adding that the parasol represents the levels a person would need to climb, spiritually speaking, to reach the pinnacle that represents the heavens and Mount Meru, which Laotians tend to revere as the center of the universe.
The flag "illustrates the abundance of elephants in the country, hence 'Lan Xang:' the land of a million elephants," said Chantalavong-Wiese, who said about 14 percent of the Laotian population, or more than 500,000 people, had emigrated to other countries to find safety and freedom after the Communist Party replaced the ruling constitutional monarchy.
Among them were Alygnaphon "Alit" Chanthala, who came to the event from Connecticut. Chanthala, now 34, was a leader of the student democracy movement in Laos in 1999. He said he emigrated here to join his sister after watching Communist officials attempt to arrest protesters at a rally he attended back home. Chanthala said he still misses family members back home, but that he is thankful he was able to start a new life here.
Speaking out for the Laotian community
LOWELL -- Linkham Xaylitdet has lived in this country since 1982, but he can still recall the ordeal he went through to get here. When he was 16 years old, Xaylitdet was forced to join a communist youth labor camp in his native Laos. He said he and the other children and young adults in the camp rose early and worked hard and they were only fed two meals a day. After five years, Xaylitdet said he managed to escape from the camp, which was located in the north part of the country. He walked for about two days before finding a safe ride to a Laotian refugee camp across the border in Thailand, about 12 to 14 more hours away by car.
Xaylitdet, who is now 56, was in the refugee camp for almost two years when he got the papers he needed to emigrate to this country at age 23.
"I came here on June 16, 1980. I was sponsored by The International Institute of Boston," Xaylitdet said.
After moving to Nashua, he spent four years working in the bilingual department for the Boston Public Schools. Eventually Xaylitdet, who earned his GED in Somerville and got an associates degree from Bunker Hill Community College, found work as an electronic technician for companies like M/A-COM, 3M and Analog Devices.
After 16 years in Nashua, he moved to Lowell in 2000 and has been here ever since.
Xaylitdet has been very active with the Laotian American community of Lowell, which had its annual Celebration of the Lao Heritage and Freedom Flag at City Hall on
"This is the eighth year. I am going to be a speaker," said Xaylitdet, noting that he is also the organization's treasurer and shares the role of secretary with another member.
"I have three jobs," he said.
At the Lao Heritage and Freedom Flag Celebration, immigrants celebrate the unity of the three principalities in Laos. The flag inspires hope among expatriates like Xaylitdet that things like freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association and others will someday be restored in their native country.
The Laotian American community of Lowell, a non-profit organization that does not get any state funding, also hosts a Laotian New Year celebration in April and sponsors a food booth at the Lowell Folk Festival.
While the local Laotian community is relatively small, they do have two Buddhist temples in Lowell,
Xaylitdet works for Axsun Technologies in Billerica. His mother, who also emigrated here with his father, has since passed away, but his father still lives in Lowell and his son and daughter, both university graduates, are now working in California.
