Outstanding Refugees Awarded For ‘Our Heart And What We Bring To The State’ CBS Minnesota 2 hrs ago Syndicated Local – WCCO | CBS Minnesota ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — True Thao stood at the Minnesota History Center dressed in traditional Hmong clothes, styled with beads and coins. He shared his journey to America 45 years ago. “I remember our escape from Laos to Thailand was pretty traumatic,” Thao said. “We had to leave in the middle of the night because it was hard to cross. We paid a Laotian man to take us by a little canoe across to Thailand side.” Thao’s family escaped communist forces and eventually relocated to the United States in 1979. Thao’s brother was a communication technician for the United States CIA so escaping was the only choice they had.