The Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), or Centre for Public Policy Analysis, was established in Washington, D.C., in 1988 and describes itself as a non-profit, non-partisan, think tank and research organization. The CPPA is a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on foreign policy, national security, human rights, refugee and international humanitarian issues. Its current executive director is Philip Smith.
The CPPA focuses on key domestic and international public policy issues, including those in the United States, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. It has frequently raised concerns about international security, counter-terrorism, civil society, the environment, international trade and tariffs, press and internet freedom, human rights, and religious freedom issues, including the plight of political asylum seekers and refugees, in Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia.
The CPPA researches and writes about press and internet freedom, and the persecution of journalists, in the Philippines and elsewhere.
Concerned about environmental issues, the CPPA has raised awareness about illegal logging, and environmental degradation, in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and elsewhere.
The CPPA also focuses on economic, political, human rights, religious freedom and humanitarian issues in Indochina. The organization is described as an "outspoken supporter" and human rights proponent for ethnic, minority Laotian and Hmong people in Laos and Vietnam.
From 1998 to 2013, the CPPA in cooperation with members of the U.S. Congress has hosted the U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos, in the U.S. Congress, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos brings together policy experts, diplomats, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), human rights and environmental groups, community leaders, business leaders, Members of the U.S. Congress, political and religious dissidents and others to discuss current issues of concern regarding the nation of Laos and the region.
The CPPA says it conducts public policy events and briefings in the US Congress and Washington, D.C., on a range of public affairs issues. It says it organizes research and fact-finding missions in the United States and abroad with US policymakers to gain first-hand information about key issues, developments and events."Acts of Betrayal: Persecution of Hmong", by Michael Johns, National Review, October 23, 1995.
The CPPA also researches military and national security history issues regarding World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (First and Second Indochina Wars), the first and second Gulf War (U.S.-Iraq War) and the "War on Terrorism," (both before and after the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001). The CPPA is concerned about the plight of veterans, including minority veterans, of these conflicts, and is active in policy research and debate on key issues.
The CPPA also works to honor Vietnam War veterans of the First and Second Indochina War who served in Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos, Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand, including American, South Vietnamese, Royal Laotian, Cambodian and French military and clandestine veterans.
Press and internet freedom
The CPPA researches and writes about press and internet freedom in the Philippines, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lao, Vietnam, Thailand and elsewhere.
Persecution of journalists in the Philippines
The CPPA has repeatedly raised concerns about freedom of the press and the plight of journalists in the Philippines and ongoing press and internet freedom violations. The intimidation, persecution and killing of journalists in Mindanao and the restive Southern areas of the Philippines have been give special attention by the CPPA in recent years.
Afghanistan and Pakistan
Prior to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, 9/11 and its aftermath, the CPPA, and its Executive Director Philip Smith, worked to co-found, establish and assist the Washington, D.C.-based Afghanistan Foundation (AF) in its research and policy efforts educate policymakers and the general public about the nation of Afghanistan, its people, history and culture, and the threat of trans-national terrorism posed by radicalized elements within Afghanistan and the region. During the Soviet Union's invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Smith formerly served as a foreign policy and national security advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as staff liaison for the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Task Force on Afghanistan co-chaired by U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson and other Members of Congress. Smith traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region on U.S. Congressional research and humanitarian missions during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and prior to the September terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. Smith, the CPPA and the Afghanistan Foundation assisted in support of Afghan refugees, and political dissidents, including Ahmad Shah Massoud, Ismael Khan, Hamid Karzai, and key Afghan leaders and others, during the war and its aftermath. During it early years, the CPPA and Philip Smith provided office space and support to the Afghanistan Foundation on Capitol Hill during its founding, and frequently hosted meetings of key Afghan opposition and dissident leaders with Foundation. During key years prior and after 9/11, Philip Smith also served as executive director, board member and officer of the Afghanistan Foundation. In the days and weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the assassination of Ahmed Shah Massoud, Smith, the CPPA and Afghanistan Foundation worked jointly in Washington, D.C., and Capitol Hill to advocate for, and assist the Northern Alliance and moderate Pushtun, Tajik, and Ismali religious and tribal leaders in combating terrorism in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan Uzbek leader Rashid Dostum, and Uzbek ethnic forces in the Mazar-e-Sharif area and elsewhere.
Environmental issues in Southeast Asia
The upswing in illegal logging in Southeast Asia has caused concern in many quarters about environmental destruction and human rights violations against minority jungle-dwelling peoples. The CPPA conducts extensive research regarding ongoing illegal logging in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia.
The role of Vietnam People's Army (VPA), and VPA owned companies, in illegal logging in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Laos, and Cambodia continues to be documented by the CPPA and other human rights and environmental NGOs and advocates.
Cambodia
The CPPA researches issues regarding Cambodia. It has expressed concerns about widespread election irregularities and fraud in the July 28, 2013, elections in Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen's decision to deploy army troops, tanks, heavy weapons, armored personnel carriers and security forces to the capital of Phnom Penh following the contested elections.
U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos
From 1998-2013, the CPPA in cooperation with Members of the U.S. Congress has hosted the U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos, in the U.S. Congress, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos brings together policy experts, diplomats, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), human rights and environmental groups, community leaders, business leaders, Members of the U.S. Congress, political and religious dissidents and others to discuss current issues of concern regarding the nation of Laos and the region.
Religious freedom violations
The CPPA conducts research, and develops awareness about, religious freedom violations, and religious persecution, in the Marxist Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and other countries, including the killing of independent and dissident Buddhists, Christians and Animist religious believers.
The CPPA has provided information about the Lao People's Army and Vietnam People's Army military attacks against minority Lao and Hmong Catholics, Protestant Christians in Vietnam and Laos including the killing of religious believers in various provinces in Laos and in Dien Bien Phu Province, and other places, in Vietnam.
In 2003, the CPPA raised awareness about the plight of St. Paul, Minnesota, Protestant, Christian Hmong-American pastor Naw Karl Moua (Mua)'s arrest in Laos by Lao military and security forces, along with independent journalists, investigating Lao and Hmong Christians suffering persecution and military attacks under the Pathet Lao government.
In 2011, the CPPA confirmed military attacks by Vietnam People's Army and Lao People's Army forces on ethnic minority Hmong Christians, at least four of whom were brutally killed by the soldiers.
The CPPA has raised concerns about the persecution of Catholic, Protestant and other believers in Vietnam, including efforts to curtail or halt the celebration of Christmas and Easter ceremonies by the secret police and security forces in Vietnam, especially from 2003-2013.
In 2014-2015, according to news reports and editorials in The Diplomat, Wall Street Journal and other sources, the CPPA and others issued reports about violent attacks by Hanoi-backed police and security forces.
Communiques on imprisoned Laotians
The CPPA has issued a number of high-level joint international communiques, and appeals, with leading non-governmental organizations, especially regarding the plight of political and religious dissidents and Indochinese refugees and asylum seekers.
In 2005, the Laos National Federation, the Center for Public Policy Analysis, the Lao Veterans of America, Inc., the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc., the Lao Association of Washington, D.C., Lao Huam Phao Association, Free Laos Campaign, Inc., the Laos Institute for Democracy, and others, issued a joint communique about human rights violations in Laos involving the Lao government and military as well as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). The communique raised concerns about United Nations findings about racial discrimination against the ethnic Hmong minority in Laos and violations of the Viet-Lao "Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation" by the government and military leaders in Hanoi.
In 2010, the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), the United League for Democracy in Laos (ULDL) and a coalition of Lao and Hmong non-governmental organizations released a twelve-point joint communique in Bangkok, Thailand, New York, and Washington, D.C., about the egregious religious persecution of minority Christian and Animist believers in Laos, and military attacks upon them, as well as the plight of imprisoned Laotian student leaders, political prisoners and Hmong refugees in Laos. The communique also decried the Lao People's Army attacks on Laotian and Hmong hiding in the jungle and mountains of Laos.
On Christmas Day 2011, the Paris, France-based Lao Movement for Human Rights, the CPPA and a coalition of NGOs issued a joint international communique about the increased arrest, persecution, torture and killing of minority Laotian and Hmong Christians, including Catholic and Protestant believers in Laos by the government and military. The communique raised concerns about intensified and deepening religious freedom violations in Laos by the Lao government and military.
Humanitarian appeals
In 2011, the CPPA issued a joint international statement and appeal, with key NGOs, urging Laos to release political and religious dissidents, and jailed American citizens, prior to a key meeting of the communist party congress in Vientiane.