Filed under: Travel Stories
My Life In A Strange Land
By Moeun, Sokhavuddh (Vina), Minnesota
Vina posed for a photograph with her brother, Uy Daravuth, on the bank of the Mekong River near Phnom Penh in the early 1990s (File photo)
|
O |
ctober 23, 1996, I arrived in the United States and I came through Los Angeles. I did not know anyone in this country, and had never been here before. My only concern was leaving my country to find safety. When I fled Cambodia, I left behind my children, my mother, my brothers and all of my extended family. Besides these things, I left also my friends, my property, my culture and language and my entire history.
I boarded an airplane with only a small suitcase and the clothes on my back. At every moment I was terrified that the authorities would stop me and return me to Cambodia where I would face imprisonment.
On the airplane I encountered a few Cambodians who had families in the United States. I came to know two of them. One of them was elderly and had a daughter with a house in Los Angeles. I spent much of the trip from Cambodia assisting her on the airplane. The other acquaintance had family in Minnesota. (more…)
Filed under: International Issues
Comment
Cambodians Should Show Support for Suu Kyi
by Moeun Chhean Nariddh
|
A |
s leaders around the world joined hands to demand the release of Burmese pro-democracy leader Ang San Suu Kyi during her 60th birthday, Cambodian leaders seemed quiet and did nothing to help the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
As a democratic country, Cambodia should do anything it can to show its support for Ang San Suu Kyi and her efforts to restore democracy in Burma. (more…)
Filed under: International Issues
Comment
Cambodia Should Be Careful About Relations With Burma
by Moeun Chhean Nariddh
|
O |
nce upon a time, there lived a king in a kingdom. The king, as he is told in a Buddhist tale, had a very handsome horse that he loved so much. The king thought that he should get his horse trained with all the skills that it should deserve. So, he asked one of his palace officials to hire a trainer to train his horse.
Upon completion of the training, the trainer left for his home and gave the horse to the official to show to the king. (more…)
Filed under: Khmer Rouge Issue
The search, and some successes, in finding missing kin
By Moeun Chhean Nariddh
|
T |
WENTY years since the Khmer Rouge seized power, launching a vicious social revolution which forcibly split apart most Cambodian families, thousands of Khmers are still “missing”.
Each year, the lucky ones finally find out that their loved ones are alive and – with the help of international agencies – are able to contact them.
The Khmer Rouge years, followed by the Vietnamese occupation which sent nearly 300,000 people flocking to border refugee camps, led to vast numbers of Cambodians losing contact with family members. (more…)
