[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF THAJ KHU MOUA LIA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 2021

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Thaj Khu 
Moua Lia. Moua Lia passed away on August 14, 2021. Moua Lia was a 
husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather as well as an 
inspiration for the entire Hmong community.
  Moua Lia was born in Phac Lac (Nong Het), Xieng Khouang Province, 
Kingdom of Laos. Throughout his life, he fought to bring more education 
to the mountains of Laos, leading him to become the first 
Superintendent of Schools in Xieng Khouang Province.
  After studying pedagogy, student testing and placement, special 
education, and ethnic group school systems in France and Thailand, Moua 
Lia returned to Laos and began rehabilitating Xieng Khouang Province by 
reforming the school systems in remote areas that had been ravaged by 
war. During this time, he helped establish the first institution for 
Hmong teachers called Samthong College.
  His commitment to improving the education system for ethnic 
minorities in Laos took him all over the world, specifically to 
Singapore and the United States, where he collected ideas and 
strategies for how to better approach education in the regions he 
served.
  When Laos fell to communist army forces in 1975, Moua Lia and his 
family received asylum in France for 15 years. They later moved to 
Merced, California, where he worked as the Community Outreach 
Specialist in the local school district, and retired in 2005, still 
actively supporting the community through various projects.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of 
Thaj Khu Moua Lia. His service and contributions to the Hmong community 
in the Central Valley and beyond will be missed. I join his friends, 
loved ones, and community in celebrating Moua Lia's life.

                          ____________________