Saturday, 12 April 2008

Dith Pran's story must keep being told

Cape Code Times

By JONATHAN HEMMERDINGER
April 11, 2008

A few weeks ago Dith Pran, a photojournalist with The New York Times, died of pancreatic cancer. Though many Americans may not know him, Cambodian-American immigrants do. To them, Dith Pran and the movie about his life present the Cambodian people and their nation's troubled history to the world.

In the early 1970s, Dith Pran worked with Times foreign correspondent Sydney Schanberg covering events in Cambodia.

At the time, Cambodia was a Cold War hot spot, caught between the pull of Washington, Hanoi, Moscow and Beijing. Though the government was largely aligned with the United States, North Vietnamese troops and a communist guerrilla group called the Khmer Rouge ruled much of the Cambodian countryside.

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge overran Phnom Penh and embarked on a plan to transform Cambodia into an agricultural-based utopian society. Immediately, citizens were dispersed to rural work and prison camps, and all potential enemies of the regime were eliminated. By the time Vietnamese forces drove the Khmer Rouge from power in 1979, some 1.7 million Cambodians — one-fifth of the country's population — was dead.

Dith and Schanberg were in Phnom Penh when the city was taken. Though Schanberg escaped to the French Embassy, Dith endured years of torture and forced labor. He escaped to Thailand in 1979 and then came to the United States, where he was reunited with his family. He continued working for the Times.

I first learned of Cambodia's "forgotten genocide" about 15 years ago when I watched the 1984 film "The Killing Fields." The movie, which stars Sam Waterston and Haing Ngor, portrays the experiences of Schanberg and Dith during the Khmer Rouge years. It's a true story.

The film stayed with me long after I watched it. Mostly, I was disturbed that such a monumental world event had escaped my attention. I wanted to know more.

Therefore, when asked to cover an immigrant people in my first year at journalism school, I chose Cambodian Americans.

I soon learned that the community, which numbers some 200,000 in the United States, is largely eager to tell its stories. Through my reporting, I was introduced to a strong and resilient people who've endured astonishing atrocities. Torture, murdered siblings, missing parents, death camps and ethnic cleansing are common elements in the lives of adult Cambodians. So are endurance, self-reliance, inner strength and optimism about the future.

It must have been obvious to those I interviewed that I had trouble comprehending their stories. To help clarify a few suggested that I watch "The Killing Fields."

So I watched it again.

It's not often that a movie accurately portrays reality, but "The Killing Fields" comes close. It recreated in me the same uncomfortable feeling I had had when interviewing survivors.

Though that was only a few weeks ago. It wasn't until I heard of Dith Pran's death that I understood the significance of his life and the movie about him.

Cambodia's genocide has been largely forgotten. As one of my friends at the community center explained, "Every day it fades more and more."

But because Dith's experience was recreated in "The Killing Fields," the story of Cambodia's past will never be completely lost. To Cambodians, Dith was more than a survivor of the Khmer Rouge; he was a New York Times reporter and the subject of a movie that tells their story.

Dith is gone, but "The Killing Fields" survives and can be found in any film rental store. Do yourself a favor and rent it. I warn you that it's a bit uncomfortable, mostly because it's true.

But it's also true that the world is a dangerous place and insulation from the truth is false security. Our best protection against mankind's worst deeds is the acquisition of knowledge.

And that's exactly what Dith's story in "The Killing Fields" delivers.

Jonathan Hemmerdinger of Arlington, Va., who is pursuing a master's in journalism at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is a former resident of Chatham.

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