Colonel general is a senior rank of general. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories. The rank is also closely associated with Germany, where Generaloberst has been a rank above the full General and a rank below Generalfeldmarschall.

Austria[link]

Colonel general (Generaloberst) was the second-highest rank in the Austro-Hungarian Army, introduced following the German model in 1915. The rank was not used after World War I in the Austrian Army of the Republic.

China (PRC)[link]

The People's Liberation Army rank of shang jiang (上将: literally, "senior general") is variously translated as either colonel general or general, with the translation as colonel general generally reserved for the period 1955-1965 (when it corresponded to the Soviet rank of colonel general). All ranks in the PLA were abolished between 1965 and 1988. When it was restored, there was a reduction in the number of officer ranks, and the ranks have since been normally translated into English as the corresponding American or British rank, rendering the rank of shang jiang as simply "general".

Egypt[link]

The Egyptian Army uses a rank which translates as "colonel general". They equate it with a 4-star rank ("full" general); it is junior to the rank they translate as field marshal.

France[link]

In the French Army, under the Ancien régime, the officer in charge of all the regiments of a particular branch of service (i. e. infantry, cavalry, dragoons, Swiss troops, etc.) was known as the colonel general. This was not a rank, but an office of the Crown.

Germany[link]

Wehrmacht

A colonel general (Generaloberst) was the second highest general officer rank—below field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall)—in the Prussian army and later in the army of Imperial Germany (1871-1919), the Reichsheer (1921-1935), the Heer and the Luftwaffe (1935-1945).

The rank in the German armed forces equivalent to a colonel in the British or American army is an "Oberst". So, the translation as colonel general follows the line of lieutenant general (Generalleutnant) and major general (Generalmajor).

The rank was created originally for Emperor William I—then Prince of Prussia—because traditionally members of the royal family were not promoted to the rank of a field marshal.

Since the rank of Generalfeldmarschall was also reserved for wartime promotions, the additional rank of a colonel general in the capacity of a field marshal—the Generaloberst im range eines Generalfeldmarschalls—was created for promotions during peace. Such generals were entitled to wear four pips on their shoulder boards, compared to the normal three.

The equivalent ranks of a colonel general were in the:

• Kriegsmarine - Generaladmiral ("general admiral")
• Schutzstaffel (SS) - SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer
• Sturmabteilung (SA) - no equivalent
• Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) - Generaloberst der Polizei ("colonel general of police")

NVA
	35px

National People's Army

East Germany's National People's Army (NVA) retained this rank as its third highest, behind armeegeneral and marschall der DDR.

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr (first in West Germany and since 1990 in a unified Germany) does not use the rank.

Hungary[link]

In Hungary, the rank of colonel general (vezérezredes) has been introduced with the Imperial and Royal Army (the common ground force of the Dual Monarchy) in 1915. The rank replaced the ranks of gyalogsági tábornok (general of infantry), lovassági tábornok (general of cavalry), and táborszernagy (general of artillery) in the early 1940s.

The rank title vezérezredes is still in use for the highest ranking (four-star) general officer of the Magyar Honvédség and foreign four-star general officers' rank titles are usually translated as vezérezredes in Hungarian.

North Korea[link]

The North Korean rank of sangjang translates as "colonel general". Sangjang is senior to that of jungjang (usually translated as "lieutenant general") and junior to that of daejang (usually translated as "general").

This rank is typically held by the commanding officer of units along the Korean DMZ and the North Korean security zone at Panmunjon.

Russia[link]

The rank of colonel general (Russian: генерал-полковник, general-polkovnik) did not exist in Imperial Russia and was first established in the Red Army on 7 May 1940, as a replacement for previously existing командарм второго ранга (kommandarm vtorogo ranga, "comandarm of the second rank").^[1] During World War II, about 150 officers were promoted to colonel general. Before 1943, Soviet colonel generals wore four stars on their collar patches (petlitsy). Since 1943, they have worn three stars on their shoulder straps, so Pettibone compares the rank to the US lieutenant general.^[1]

The rank still exists in the contemporary Russian Army. Unlike the German generaloberst (which it most probably calqued), the Soviet and Russian colonel general rank is neither an exceptional nor a rare one, as it is a normal step in the "ladder" between a two-star lieutenant general and a four-star army general.

Other than that, the Soviet and Russian rank systems sometimes cause confusion in regard to equivalence of ranks, because the normal Western title for brigadier or brigadier general ceased to exist for the Russian Army in 1798. The combrig rank that corresponded to one-star general existed in Soviet Union in 1935–1940 years only. Positions typically reserved for these ranks, such as brigade commanders, have always been occupied by colonels (polkovnik) or, very rarely, major generals (see History of Russian military ranks).

The rank has usually been given to district, front and army commanders, and also to Deputy Ministers of Defense, Deputy Heads of the General Staff etc.

In some post-Soviet CIS armies (for example in Belarus) there are no generals of the army or marshals, and so colonel general is the highest rank, usually held by the minister of the defense.

The corresponding naval rank is admiral, which is also denoted by three stars.

Sweden[link]

Colonel general (generalöverste) has also been a senior military rank in Sweden, used principally before the 19th century.

United Kingdom[link]

The title of colonel general was used before and during the English Civil War in both Royalist and Parliamentarian armies. In these cases it often appears to have meant a senior colonel as opposed to a senior general.

United States[link]

In the United States, as commander of an army the equivalent rank was general (four-star general, grade O-10).

Vietnam[link]

In Vietnam, the rank of colonel general is known as thượng tướng (literally "senior lieutenant general"), equivalent to a three star general and admiral. Thượng tướng is senior to trung tướng (usually translated as "lieutenant general") and junior to đại tướng (usually translated as "general"). It is used in the army and the air force. It is the equivalent to đô đốc (admiral) in the Navy.

See also[link]

• List of colonel generals
• List of German colonel generals

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Charles D. Pettibone (2009). Organization and order of battle of militaries in world war ii : union of soviet socialist republics. Trafford On Demand Pub. p. 905. ISBN 1-4269-2251-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=Vr4Xr1EeezQC&lpg=PA619&dq=IVth%20mechanized%20corps&pg=PA905#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Data about Germany and Austria are based, in part, on the German-language Wikipedia article: "generaloberst"

External links[link]

• Biographies of German army generalobersten
• Biographies of Luftwaffe generalobersten
• Biographies of Austro-Hungarian generalobersten of WWI

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2010)

Jamel Debbouze
Debbouze at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1975-06-18) 18 June 1975 (age 37) Paris, France
Nationality	French Moroccan[1]
Occupation	Actor, comedian, producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Mélissa Theuriau
Website
http://www.jameldebbouze.fr

Jamel Debbouze (Arabic: جمال دبّوز‎; born 18 June 1975) is a French and Moroccan actor, comedian, and producer.

Biography[link]

Debbouze was born in Paris, France, but his family, from Taza, moved back to Morocco the following year. They returned in 1979 and settled in Trappes in 1983, in the Paris region, where Debbouze spent the rest of his childhood. He is the eldest of his siblings: Mohamed, Hayat, Karim, Rachid and Nawel Debbouze.^[2]

On 17 January 1990, at the train station in Trappes, he was struck by a passing train travelling at 150 km/h. He lost the use of his right arm, while another young man, Jean-Paul Admette, the son of the singer from Reunion Michel Admette, died. Debbouze was sued by the victim’s family for manslaughter but the case was dismissed by lack of proof, most of the witnesses retracting. In December 2004, while he was going to perform on a Reunion stage, Debbouze cancelled, claiming illness, while Michel Admette’s parents had organized a demonstration against his arrival^[3].

In 1995, he was spotted by the bosses of Radio Nova, Jacques Massadian and Jean-François Bizot, who made him famous (Jacques Massadian would become his manager). He debuted on Radio Nova, with a film review show, Le Cinéma de Jamel and on television around 1996-1997 on cable channel Paris Première, in a TV show co-produced by Radio Nova and the channel. He took Le Cinéma de Jamel to television on Canal+ in 1998. On the same channel, he contributed to another show, H, along Éric Judor and Ramzy Bedia.

He played in the movies Zonzon (1998), international box-office hit Amélie (2001), domestic hit Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002), and Angel-A, directed by Luc Besson (2005).

In 2006, he played in the historical movie Indigènes (which he coproduced), paying tribute to the North-African soldiers who fought for France during WW2. For this movie, he got the prize for best male actor at the 59th edition of the Cannes Film Festival with Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila and Bernard Blancan.

In April 2008, Debbouze opened a Comedy Club in Paris, aimed at launching newcomers on the stand-up scene ^[4].

On 29 March 2008 Debbouze became engaged to French journalist and news anchor Mélissa Theuriau; the two married on 7 May 2008.^[5]

In 2009, he collaborated with the rap band 113 and Awa Imani for the project Maghreb United of Rim'K'^[6].

On 1 December 2010 is released his new DVD named Made in Jamel and featuring the likes of Gad Elmaleh, Florence Foresti, Elie Semoun, Stromae, Didier Bourdon, and Sophie Mounicot.

His next show, Jamel improvise, debuted in January 2011^[7], before playing every evenings Tout sur Jamel from 1 January to 20 January at the Casino de Paris.

Career[link]

First works[link]

In 1990, Debbouze met Alain Degois, an educator who organized theater improvisation workshops, and joined his troupe. With this troupe, he took part in the French Championship of Improvisation in 1991 and toured Quebec and Morocco. In 1992, he got his first part in a film called Les Pierres Bleues du Désert. After this film, Debbouze wanted to work as an actor and create his own show. This happened in 1995 with the show C'est Tout Neuf which had been enjoyed a lot. Then he had an approximative^{[clarification needed]} role on the radio program Radio Nova and took part in the television program Nova Premiere where he was noticed by Canal+.

Debbouze's various shows[link]

In 1998, Debbouze played Jamel Dridi an operator, in the hospital sitcom, H on Canal+, alongside fellow comedians Eric and Ramzy. By the time the series ended in 2002, Debbouze had achieved national fame.

In March 1999, Debbouze started his new show Jamel en Scène. In this show, Debbouze talked about his beginnings, his childhood and show business. The show played at La Cigale and then at the Bataclan in Paris. He went on tour throughout France in 2000. At the end of the year, he returned to Paris with his show at the Olympia for three weeks.

In 2002, Debbouze returned with a new show, 100% Debbouze. For three years this show played in the top Parisian theaters: the Casino de Paris, the Bataclan, the Zenith, and the Olympia. He then toured France, Morocco, Tunisia, Switzerland and Belgium. The DVD of the show went on sale in 2004, and sold more than 1 million copies.

In 2006, Debbouze became the presenter of a new program, Jamel Comedy Club, which featured a half an hour of the new generation of French humorists each week. With this troupe, Debbouze went to the Casino de Paris in 2007 for a new show, le Jamel Comedy Club Envahit le Casino de Paris. This show was very successful, its run was extended and it also played in Canada.

Cinematic works[link]

Debbouze at the 2001 César Awards

In 1992, the seventeen-year-old Debbouze appeared in his first film, Les Pierres Bleues du Désert. The film tells the story of a young boy who is persecuted because he believes in the existence of blue stones in the desert. It was the first of numerous film roles for Debbouze. In 1996, he played a small part in Les Deux papas et la maman, a film by Jean-Marc Doval with Smaïn and Arielle Dombasle. Three years later he received his first big role in a feature film called Le Ciel les oiseaux et ta ... mère! (Boys on the Beach). This comedy was successful, with more than one million tickets sold. Over the next two years he continued his stage shows, before returning to film with the highly-successful Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. He was nominated for his part in this film for the César Award of the Best Supporting Actor in 2002. In 2002, Debbouze appeared in another big French film, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra directed by Alain Chabat. This successful film was seen by 14,000,000 spectators. In 2005 he had the leading role in Luc Besson's film Angel-A.

In 2006, Debbouze played one of the most important parts of his career in the film Indigènes (Days of Glory in the United States). The film told the story of four African soldiers who participate in the liberation of France during World War II. Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Sami Bouajila and Roschdy Zem shared the prize for the best male performance at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.^[8]

Television work[link]

In 1996, he took part for the first time in a TV show called Nova première on Paris Première. He was noticed on this show by some producers from Canal+ who hired him to present a show called Le cinéma de Jamel. For New Year's Eve in 2000, Debbouze created a TV show for this occasion called the Jamel show. Numerous French comedians such as Bruno Solo, Alain Chabat, Elie and Dieudonné appeared in this show. In April 2003, he took part in 6 commercials for Orangina.

Filmography[link]

• Sur la piste du Marsupilami (2012)
• Outside the Law (2010)
• Why I Did (Not) Eat My Father - (2009)
• Parlez-moi de la pluie - (2008)
• Asterix at the Olympic Games - (2008) - Numerobis
• Indigènes - (2006, English title Days of Glory, also a coproducer)
• Angel-A - (2005)
• She Hate Me - Doak (2004)
• Les Clefs de bagnole - Voice of the modelling-clay dog (2003)
• Le Boulet - The Malian guard (2002)
• Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cléopatre - Numerobis (2002)
• Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain - Lucien (2001, English title: Amélie)
• Granturismo - François (2000)
• Elie annonce Semoun - Various characters (2000)
• Les Petits souliers - Zinedine Haouita (1999)
• Rêve de cauchemar - Saïd (1999)
• Le Ciel, les oiseaux et... ta mère! - Youssef (1999, English title: Boys On the Beach)
• Un pavé dans la mire - The prison guard (1998)
• H - Jamel Dridi (1998–2004, TV Series)
• Zonzon - Kader (1998)
• Y a du foutage de gueule dans l'air - (1996)
• Les Deux papas et la maman - (1996, English title: Two Dads and One Mom)
• Les Pierres bleues du desert - (1992)

Shows[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jamel Debbouze

• Official site
• Jamel Debbouze at the Internet Movie Database

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010)

Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; December 8, 1929 – January 6, 2011)^[1] was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army. He was an ethnic Hmong and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States.

Early life[link]

Vang Pao was born in December 8, 1929,^[2][3] in a Hmong village named Nonghet,^[4] located in Central Xiangkhuang Province, in the northeastern region of Laos, where his father, Neng Chu Vang, was a county leader. He began his early life as a farmer until Japanese forces invaded and occupied French Indochina in World War II. His father sent him away to school from the age of 10 to 15^[1] before he launched his military career, joining the French Military to protect fellow Hmong during the Japanese invasion.^{[citation needed]}

When Vang Pao was taking an entrance examination, the captain who was the proctor realized that Vang Pao knew almost no written French. The captain dictated the answers to Vang so that he could join the army. Vang Pao insisted that the captain told him the answers, and that the captain did not actually guide his hand on the paper. Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, said that Vang Pao did not express any embarrassment for his cheating. Fadiman added that "it is worth noting that in this incident, far from tarnishing Vang Pao's reputation—as, for example Ted Kennedy's fudged Spanish exam at Harvard tarnished his—merely added to his mythology: this was the sort of man who could never be held back by such petty impediments as rules."^[5]

Military career[link]

The term "Mèo Maquis" was originally used by Free French and Allied intelligence officers to describe the Hmong resistance forces working against the Japanese forces occupying Indochina and China during World War II. After WWII, French GCMA authorities recruited Vang Pao as a lieutenant during the First Indochina War to combat the Viet Minh (archive video by Col. Jean Sassi). Although French forces lost the war in 1954, Vang remained in the army of the newly independent Kingdom of Laos in 1949. He was the only ethnic Hmong to attain the rank of General officer in the Royal Lao Army, and he was loyal to the King of Laos while remaining a champion of the Hmong people. During the 1960s and 1970s General Vang commanded the Secret Army, a highly-effective CIA-trained and supported force that fought against the Pathet Lao and People's Army of Vietnam.^[6] According to some former CIA Air America pilots, he made a small fortune as an opium warlord as they regularly flew his planeloads of opium to Saigon, he engaged in summary executions, and ran a Hmong Army with child soldiers as young as 14.(ref. The Ravens-Christopher Robbins 1987)

Vang Pao in the United States[link]

Vang immigrated to the United States after the communists seized power in Laos in 1975. He remained widely respected by his fellow Hmong and was an esteemed elder of the American Hmong people, many of whom experienced the war or the reprisals that followed. Though he was somewhat less influential among younger Hmong-Americans who have grown up primarily in the United States, he generally was considered an influential leader of U.S.-based Hmong, enjoying great loyalty for his position of leadership and respect for his military accomplishments.^[7]

While in exile, Vang Pao assembled other Lao and Hmong leaders from around the world to create the United Lao National Liberation Front (ULNF), also known as Lao National Liberation Movement and Neo Hom, to bring attention to atrocities happening in Laos and urge support for the military resistance.^[8]

The government of Laos, along with the governments of Vietnam, the People's Republic of China, Cuba and North Korea are the world's few remaining bastions of communism. In the mid-1990s, Vang Pao, aided by influential American diplomatic allies and vast numbers of Hmong-Americans, halted forced United Nations-sponsored repatriation back to Laos of thousands of Hmong refugees in Thailand. It was a major human rights victory for the Hmong. The Thailand-based refugees, many of whom had been living in refugee camps at Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist temple in Thailand, were afforded the right to avoid the forced return to Laos and instead were offered relocation rights and assistance to the U.S.

Throughout Vang Pao's residence in the U.S., the Hmong leader has diplomatically opposed human rights violations by the communist government of Laos against the Hmong. In 2001, Vang Pao began to moderate this position, publicly advocating normalization of U.S.-Laotian relations in hope of alleviating the human rights abuses by the Laotian government against the indigenous Hmong people.

Alleged plot to overthrow government of Laos[link]

On June 4, 2007, following a lengthy federal investigation labeled "Operation Tarnished Eagle," warrants were issued by U.S. federal courts ordering the arrest of Vang Pao and nine others for allegedly plotting to overthrow the communist government of Laos, in violation of the federal Neutrality Acts. Following the issuance of the warrants, an estimated 250 federal agents representing numerous U.S. federal law enforcement and other agencies conducted simultaneous raids on homes, offices and other locations throughout central and southern California, arresting Vang Pao and the other nine.^[9] The federal charges allege that members of the group inspected weapons, including AK-47s, smoke grenades, and Stinger missiles, with the intent of purchasing them and smuggling them into Thailand, where they allegedly would be shipped to anti-Laotian governmental resistance movement forces inside Laos. The one non-Hmong person among the nine arrested, Harrison Jack, a 1968 West Point graduate and retired Army infantry officer, allegedly attempted to recruit Special Operations veterans to act as mercenaries in an invasion of Laos.

On June 15, the defendants were indicted by a grand jury and an 11th man was arrested in connection with the alleged plot. The defendants face possible life prison terms for violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act and various weapons charges. Vang Pao and the other Hmong were also initially denied bail by the California federal court, which cited each of them as a flight risk.

Since the June 4, 2007 federal raid, Vang Pao's arrest had been the subject of mounting criticism. Vang Pao's fellow friends, including Hmong, Mienh, Lao, Vietnamese, and Americans individuals who knew Vang Pao protested the arrest and rallied throughout California, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Several of Vang Pao's high-level U.S. supporters have criticized the California court that issued the arrest warrants, arguing that Vang Pao is a historically important American ally and valued current leader of U.S. and foreign-based Hmong. In 2009 all of the federal charges against Pao were dropped.

Prior to his arrest, Vang Pao was slated to have an elementary school in Madison, Wisconsin named after him, a proposal that met with opposition over Alfred W. McCoy's allegations that Vang had been involved in war crimes and drug trafficking,^[10] with Gary Yia Lee and other scholars strongly disputing his claims^{[citation needed][11]} Vang's June 2007 arrest later led the Madison School to reopen discussion on the school's naming.^[12] On June 18, 2007, the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education voted to drop Vang's name from the new school, in light of the federal charges against him and the previous allegations.^[13]

Release from jail[link]

On July 12, 2007, under significant pressure from Vang Pao's Hmong and influential American supporters, the California federal court ordered the release of the Hmong leader on a US$1.5 million bond secured by property owned by members of his family. The Hmong were joyful to hear this news; many had participated in numerous protests over several weeks in California and elsewhere, calling for Vang Pao's release from the date of his incarceration until his release under bail nearly a month later.^[14]

Return to court[link]

On March 9th, 2009, Vang Pao's lawyers filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against him. His lawyers claimed that the charges were fabricated and had no bearing in court. Following this appearance, on April 6, 2009, federal prosecutors denied all allegations of fabrications in the motion. That following month, on May 11, 2009, Vang Pao returned to federal court in Sacramento, California with his lawyers to argue the motion. Judge Frank Damrell stated, after hearing the arguments for the motion, that there was not sufficient evidence from the defense to justify a dismissal.

Charges dropped[link]

On September 18, 2009, the federal government dropped all charges against Vang Pao, announcing in a release that the federal government was permitted to consider "the probable sentence or other consequences if the person is convicted.” ^[15]

Personal life[link]

Vang Pao had 25 children with several wives.^[16] Reporter Doualy Xaykaothao is his great-niece ^[17]

Death[link]

Vang Pao, who battled diabetes and heart problems, died aged 81 of pneumonia with heart complications on January 6, 2011, at Clovis Community Medical Center^[1] His eldest son, Chao Francois Vang, said he had been admitted to the hospital on December 26, 2010, after attending Hmong New Year celebrations in Fresno. A hospital spokesman said his family had been at the hospital at the time of his death.^{[18][19][20][21]}

Traditional Hmong funeral services for Vang Pao were scheduled to be held for six days, starting February 4, 2011, at the Fresno Convention Center. More than 10,000 Hmong mourned the leader on the first day of the funeral.^[22] A committee unanimously voted against a request to bury Vang Pao at Arlington National Cemetery;^[23] he was subsequently buried near Los Angeles at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.^[24][25][26] In lieu of a burial at Arlington a memorial service was held in May 2011 at the Laos Memorial within Arlington.^[26][27]

See also[link]

	Laos portal
	Biography portal
	United States portal
	Military history portal

• Battle of Lima Site 85
• Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés GCMA Laos
• History of Laos since 1945
• Ho Chi Minh trail
• Laos Memorial
• Laotian Civil War, also known as the Secret War in Laos
• Lee Lue
• North Vietnamese invasion of Laos
• Raven FACs

Further reading[link]

• Jane Hamilton-Merritt (1999). Tragic Mountains. ISBN 0-253-20756-8
• Robert Curry (2004). Whispering Death, "Tuag Nco Ntsoov": ...Our Journey with the Hmong in the Secret War for Laos ...Lub caij peb thiab Hmoob koom tes ua ntsug rog ntsiag to nyob Los Tsuas teb. ISBN 0-595-31809-6
• General Vang Pao's Last War New York Times Magazine, May 11, 2008
• Nightmare in Laos - The True Story of a Woman Imprisoned in a communist gulag ISBN 1-905379-08-0
• Dictionary of the modern politics of South-East Asia, Michael Leifer (2001) Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-415-23875-7, Page 287 (biography entry for Vang Pao)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikinews has related news: Vang Pao

• "Against All Odds: The Laotian Freedom Fighters," by General Vang Pao, Heritage Foundation Lecture #96, March 19, 1987.
• "Acts of Betrayal: Persecution of Hmong", by Michael Johns, National Review, October 23, 1995.
• "Welcome to the Jungle: Recruited by the CIA to be a Secret Army During the Vietnam War, the Hmong Rebels of Laos Fought Communism. Now they Desperately Battle for their Own Survival," Time magazine, May 5, 2003.
• "Vang Pao Met with Senior State Department Official," by Sing Bourommavong, Voice of America news, January 28, 2004.
• "The Covert Wars of Vang Pao," by Tony Kennedy and Paul McEnroe, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, July 2, 2005.
• "Hmong Hero Faces Trial in California (audio)," The World, June 14, 2007.
• Lao National Liberation Front information agency