Media Advisory
November 12, 2010

Contact: Shandon Phan
C: (703) 647-6462
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Falls Church, VA: Representatives of fisheries communities from three Gulf states affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas – will join together to meet with Mr. Ken Feinberg, Claims Administrator, in Washington DC on November 15, 2010 in the first in-person meeting with the man who is in charge of administering the claims process. During their two-day advocacy trip on November 15-16, the delegation will also meet with congressional members, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, FEMA senior officials, and other key federal agencies to discuss the man-made environmental disaster’s impacts on their communities and comment on current recovery efforts.

The three fisherfolks organizations participating include the Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Alabama, the Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Mississippi, and the Fishermen Association of Texas.

The representatives are the following:

• Tuyet Nguyen, Administrator of Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Mississippi (228-323-1088): Mrs. Nguyen came to the U.S. 29 years ago as a boat refugee.  She lived briefly in Mobile, Alabama then moved to Texas for several years before settling in Mississippi.  For the past 25 years, Mrs. Nguyen and her husband have been working as shrimpers.  They started out as deckhands and eventually became boat owners.  Despite many recent setbacks and traumas, she continues to display tremendous resolve and determination to regain her livelihood. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 
  
• Thiet Van Kieu, Coordinator of the Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Mississippi. Mr. Kieu arrived to US in 1980 and lived in Mobile, Alabama for 5 years before moving to Bayou La Batre to work as a deckhand on a shrimping boat.  He worked tirelessly to support his family here in the US and back home in Vietnam.  After years of working and savings, he was able to buy his own boat with the hope of one day achieving the “American Dream”.  However, his dream is being put on hold as the BP Oil Spill forced him out of work and threatened his livelihood. With tremendous resolve and determination to overcome any obstacles, he plans to stay in the industry for years to come. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
  
• Binh Nguyet Luu, President of the Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Texas. Ms. Luu is a shrimp boat owner, with 30 years of experience in the industry. She used to live in Louisiana but moved to Houston, Texas after Hurricane Katrina. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
  
• Kelly Ho, Secretary of the Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Texas. Ms. Ho has worked in the shrimping industry for over 14 years. She previously resided in New Iberia, Louisiana for 25 years before moving to Houston, Texas, where she has resided for six years. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
  
• Vinh Tran, member of Vietnamese Fisherfolks Association of Alabama: Vinh was born and raised in Bayou La Batre, AL. At the age of four years old, Vinh started working in the shrimping business as a deck hand.  He spent summers working mostly on a small shrimp boat.  At the age of seven, he started picking crabs in the crab market.  At 16, he worked both in the crab market and in the oyster shucking business to help his family due to the fact that his father was declared disabled from working. After six years of service in the United States Navy, including a deployment in Iraq, Vinh returned to live and work in his Bayou La Batre community. He can be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone number (251) 517-3011.
  

The participating organizations, composed of life-long fishermen and established in the aftermath of the Oil Spill with the assistance of Boat People S.O.S. (BPSOS) and National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA), represent their respective fisherfolks communities.

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Founded in 1980, BPSOS is a national community organization operating at 18 locations across the United States. BPSOS empowers individuals, strengthens families, and builds communities through Direct Services, Advocacy, Media, Community Development and Organizing, and Research. For more information, go to www.bpsos.org.

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