By Nuch Sarita, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Washington
19 May 2008
Sichan Siv, former US ambassador to the United Nations, is the only official in the US government who was born in Cambodia, and he has held a high ranking position at the White House, in the office of the 41st US president.
He has just released a memoir, “Golden Bones,” the tale of an extraordinary journey from the hell of Cambodia to a new American life. The book, written in English, is being published by a major New York house and is scheduled to be in bookstores in the US in July, and Sichan Siv gave a talk on it at the White House in Washington last week.
“I was at the White House last week to listen to Ambassador Sichan Siv about his new upcoming book ‘Golden Bones,’” Reaksmey Norin, a Cambodian woman, told VOA Khmer. “It make me so proud to be a Cambodian.”
She called him a “role model,” but others see him as golden.
The book’s title comes from the Cambodian adage for someone born very lucky, or who is blessed. Cambodians from the village of Sichan Siv’s father, who know the former ambassador was able to escape the Khmer Rouge and find a life abroad, call him “the man with the golden bones.”
Sichan Siv was working for the CARE organization in Phnom Penh when the country fell to the communists. He escaped in 1976, knowing he was in trouble because of his past.
“I hard worked for the Cambodian airlines and for the US, I had studied at a university, and I wore glasses,” he told VOA Khmer. “So I fled to Thailand.”
On his journey, he remembered the advice of his mother, who told him, “never give up hope.”
“Hope kept me alive for a year under the Khmer Rouge, and I did everything the best way I could,” he said. “It was my mother’s wisdom that helped me move on. The dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”
Sichan Siv arrived in the US in 1976 and began a new life, picking apples at first in the state of Connecticut and driving a taxi in New York.
By 1989, he was the deputy assistant to the US president, George H.W. Bush, and in 2001 he was appointed by President George W. Bush as a delegate to the UN Commission on Human Rights.
What happened in between is a very good story.
He has just released a memoir, “Golden Bones,” the tale of an extraordinary journey from the hell of Cambodia to a new American life. The book, written in English, is being published by a major New York house and is scheduled to be in bookstores in the US in July, and Sichan Siv gave a talk on it at the White House in Washington last week.
“I was at the White House last week to listen to Ambassador Sichan Siv about his new upcoming book ‘Golden Bones,’” Reaksmey Norin, a Cambodian woman, told VOA Khmer. “It make me so proud to be a Cambodian.”
She called him a “role model,” but others see him as golden.
The book’s title comes from the Cambodian adage for someone born very lucky, or who is blessed. Cambodians from the village of Sichan Siv’s father, who know the former ambassador was able to escape the Khmer Rouge and find a life abroad, call him “the man with the golden bones.”
Sichan Siv was working for the CARE organization in Phnom Penh when the country fell to the communists. He escaped in 1976, knowing he was in trouble because of his past.
“I hard worked for the Cambodian airlines and for the US, I had studied at a university, and I wore glasses,” he told VOA Khmer. “So I fled to Thailand.”
On his journey, he remembered the advice of his mother, who told him, “never give up hope.”
“Hope kept me alive for a year under the Khmer Rouge, and I did everything the best way I could,” he said. “It was my mother’s wisdom that helped me move on. The dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”
Sichan Siv arrived in the US in 1976 and began a new life, picking apples at first in the state of Connecticut and driving a taxi in New York.
By 1989, he was the deputy assistant to the US president, George H.W. Bush, and in 2001 he was appointed by President George W. Bush as a delegate to the UN Commission on Human Rights.
What happened in between is a very good story.
21 comments:
More self-serving propaganda from the useless Khmer in the White House. He was not the US Ambassador to the United Nations but one of the minor US Ambassadors to one of the UN bodies. The US Ambassador to the UN has Cabinet (Ministerial) rank, people like John Negroponte or Madeleine Albrigth but not Sichan Siv, let us be honest about it.
That shit again?!
"Golden Shit"!
" a gold digger "/ these people just to make another confusion to khmer people...he just the deputy low class to the UN.
can't believe these guy!
I knew that such article would cast so much unbearable heat upon the head of this sole devil. And it would get extremely discomforted and shaken again. Predictable really. The fine success of a Khmer has caused so much psychological pain to this evilish foreigner. Stay there where you are, you miserable toilet scum. Hide your ugly face once and for all.
Lok si chan bay,
No such thing golden bones for you.
If you did serve some of our mother land interrest may be you could carry wood bones. Keep your face away from Khmer alright!. Keep it under some where that you like.
No shame at all when you needed money.
I don't know if all of you above,7:19AM, 8:09AM, 9:02AMs, 9:16AM , are well-educated people or not. From your above comments,i dare say it derives from your envious hearts again your own citizen. You will never appreciate the achievment of your national. This is a shame for some Khmer People, who always envy their own Khmer accomplishment.What a shame!
No matter how low or high status Mr. Siv Sichan held at the UN bodies, i solemnly say that he is still far & far better than you all, thoughless khmer poeple.
Thanks.
R.S
10:40 AM
We know how to appriciate only GOOD
Khmer's people who sacrify their works for the country.For sichan bay, you, hun xen, pol pot and the rest of khmer krahom also the traitors. No way jose.
PS: How much do you get the benefit from that sichan bay? Do you know who is he?
The Viet spies are now trying to express their comments over Cambodian issues.
You're correct first commentator, but that deosn't make him any less recognizable. To many of us who were trying to escape in vien, Mr. Sichan had gone far beyond and stood out among many. He is the symbol of hope and dream that none of you noodle head people can ever hope for or able to do. Go back to Hanoi's noodle shop or Beijin's noodle shop to eat your nasty noodle. Don't come here and spread your sick decease sicko!
for 2 millions people that were gone death and finished under the stupid Motherf*cker regime in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979, How dare you Motherf*cker say he doesn't have a golden bone?!!!F*** you!MF!!!!!! You MF know nothing about the killing of the innocent! All of your MF are bunch murderers!!! and a quack!!!!!!!F*cker!
don't be angry viet pls calm down so that nobody can see your tail
KHMER NEVER, I SAID, NEVER, GIVE A DAMN TO KHMER.
WHILE I WAS STUDYING IN MEDICAL SCHOOL, SOME KHMERS ASSAULTED ME IN FRONT OF MY FACE THAT WHITE PEOPLE WOULD NOT GIVE ME (KHMER) THE JOB OR SUPERVISE THEM.
HERE I'M NOW 8 YEARS LATER, I HAD A GOOD PAYING JOB, NEVER THINK ABOUT SUPERVISE OTHERS, BUT TO MAKE MY LIFE TO LIVE COMFORTABLE AND PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR MY FAMILY, AND PLEASE TO TRAVEL WHEREEVER I WANT TO GO WITH MY FAMILY.
I WISH IF I COULD DONATE MORE MONEY TO KHMER CHARITY BUT CAN'T BUT AFRICAN PLIGHT IS.
Sichan Siv is the most educated than you all have comments. He is recommended by Bush's senior for current Bush. Please be advised to you all. He is very smart thats why Bush took him in their administration. I'm proud to be Khmer and I'm proud of Mr. Sichan Siv.
Let's have some maturity for your opinion and don't be fooled by some of the anti Khmer people in here. I ask you to have some thinking before throwing your two feet in the sinkhole. Khmer must support Khmer regardless of his being indifference for Khmer causes. I respect his diversity but I hope someday he will return to the fold...
Ah Khmer-Yuon is no Khmer. They are Yuon.
What the fuck 1:26AM talking about? How does the word Ah Khmer-Youn come to be part of this. We are all Khmer except you being racist toward your own race. But thanks for put the word Khmer infront of Youn. Thank!!!!!!!!
Khmer should learn how to appreicate their own people success like sichan. he can be an asset. if you piss him off he will run to the yuon dogs.
8:52 PM
Educated?! My ass!
This fucker is a big loser.
You should kneel down and kiss his rear-end.
Does everyone here really believe that this idiot write this book "Golden Shit" by himself (without the help from Matha)? I highly doubt it.
Golden Bones? Oh, boy!
5:30 AM
He's a useless to the society!
Real asset? That's really bullshit.
8:52 PM
The Bush 41 took this guy because of Matha. Without Matha, he'll be tiik sa-iv.
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