Kruy Nop, left, and Pang Thoerm pray during an April 17 vigil at Wat Vipassanaram in Long Beach. The annual observance commemorates the Killing Fields genocide. (Carlos Delgado/For the Press Telegram)04/17/2009
By Greg Mellen Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)
LONG BEACH - Many years ago, April was a happy month for Chantara Nop. Now it comes with shadows.
The Cambodian New Year in the middle of the month with its spring blossoms and spirit of renewal has forever become colored by the memories of April 17, 1975, for Nop and many other Cambodians.
That was the last day Nop saw his five brothers alive. That was the day darkness came to his home with the onset of the Killing Fields genocide, that would leave millions dead in less than four years under the brutal Khmer Rouge reign.
Nop, a small, thin, unimposing man, is one of the pre-eminent poets of his country. And every April 17, he pours out his soul and his tears onto the page as he remembers.
The small, frail survivor of the atrocities of 34 years ago recited one of his newest poems, titled simply "April 17, 2009," to a gathering of fellow Khmer Rouge victims and younger Cambodian-Americans on Friday night.
The event, in its fifth year, is an annual occurrence started by the Killing Fields Memorial Center to commemorate the dead, remember the past and teach the young about the darkness that enveloped Cambodia.
At Wat Vipassanaram, where Friday's event was held, monks prayed for the dead, with the venerable Kruy Nop, no relation to Chantara, reciting the requiem.
Kruy Nop, who recently returned to the temple, said the memorial prayers are important.
"This is a problem we all share," Kruy Nop said of survivors, including himself. "It's something we have to do because a lot of people died in this regime."
By praying and doing good deeds, Kruy Nop said the living can send good wishes to the lost souls of family members and other victims.
In addition to the prayers, there were testimonials by victims and a candlelight vigil.
While the memorial was held, the United Cambodian Community was staging its first commemorative day with a dinner, prayers and talks.
Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of UCC, also invited a number of members of the Jewish community to her event to highlight their shared histories with holocausts.
This week also marks Yom HaShoah, when Jews remember the Nazi holocaust.
Deborah Goldfarb, executive director of the Jewish Federation in Long Beach, said it is important for communities that have experienced genocide to have dialogue, "so we can learn from each other and heal together."
For Chantara Nop, who has written more than 4,000 poems and has been published and translated worldwide, the process of "throwing my feelings onto paper" as he calls it, is not without cost.
"Most of the time in April I'm sad," Chantara Nop says. "It used to be fun - the New Year, spring. Now it's really mixed."
In his newest poem, Nop writes about April 17 being written into his heart and the hearts of all Cambodians and about "the darkness, the devilish darkness" it brings.
In the poem he remembers how Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, killed people with any implement he could find. Nop remembers the screams of his people at dusk when the killings occurred, of mountains of bones and not being allowed to cry, of becoming a human ox who had to carry a cart around town and of an all-encompassing hunger.
The tale is all the more harrowing because it is true. Chantara Nop says it is vital that young people understand what their forbears endured and to never forget.
Rabbi John Borak of Amud Ha-Schachar looked to the future when he spoke at the UCC event.
"What matters most is what we do with our freedom," Borak said, adding that it is important not to live in the past or let it dictate a course. "Once we are free of tyranny, who do we become?"
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
The Cambodian New Year in the middle of the month with its spring blossoms and spirit of renewal has forever become colored by the memories of April 17, 1975, for Nop and many other Cambodians.
That was the last day Nop saw his five brothers alive. That was the day darkness came to his home with the onset of the Killing Fields genocide, that would leave millions dead in less than four years under the brutal Khmer Rouge reign.
Nop, a small, thin, unimposing man, is one of the pre-eminent poets of his country. And every April 17, he pours out his soul and his tears onto the page as he remembers.
The small, frail survivor of the atrocities of 34 years ago recited one of his newest poems, titled simply "April 17, 2009," to a gathering of fellow Khmer Rouge victims and younger Cambodian-Americans on Friday night.
The event, in its fifth year, is an annual occurrence started by the Killing Fields Memorial Center to commemorate the dead, remember the past and teach the young about the darkness that enveloped Cambodia.
At Wat Vipassanaram, where Friday's event was held, monks prayed for the dead, with the venerable Kruy Nop, no relation to Chantara, reciting the requiem.
Kruy Nop, who recently returned to the temple, said the memorial prayers are important.
"This is a problem we all share," Kruy Nop said of survivors, including himself. "It's something we have to do because a lot of people died in this regime."
By praying and doing good deeds, Kruy Nop said the living can send good wishes to the lost souls of family members and other victims.
In addition to the prayers, there were testimonials by victims and a candlelight vigil.
While the memorial was held, the United Cambodian Community was staging its first commemorative day with a dinner, prayers and talks.
Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of UCC, also invited a number of members of the Jewish community to her event to highlight their shared histories with holocausts.
This week also marks Yom HaShoah, when Jews remember the Nazi holocaust.
Deborah Goldfarb, executive director of the Jewish Federation in Long Beach, said it is important for communities that have experienced genocide to have dialogue, "so we can learn from each other and heal together."
For Chantara Nop, who has written more than 4,000 poems and has been published and translated worldwide, the process of "throwing my feelings onto paper" as he calls it, is not without cost.
"Most of the time in April I'm sad," Chantara Nop says. "It used to be fun - the New Year, spring. Now it's really mixed."
In his newest poem, Nop writes about April 17 being written into his heart and the hearts of all Cambodians and about "the darkness, the devilish darkness" it brings.
In the poem he remembers how Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, killed people with any implement he could find. Nop remembers the screams of his people at dusk when the killings occurred, of mountains of bones and not being allowed to cry, of becoming a human ox who had to carry a cart around town and of an all-encompassing hunger.
The tale is all the more harrowing because it is true. Chantara Nop says it is vital that young people understand what their forbears endured and to never forget.
Rabbi John Borak of Amud Ha-Schachar looked to the future when he spoke at the UCC event.
"What matters most is what we do with our freedom," Borak said, adding that it is important not to live in the past or let it dictate a course. "Once we are free of tyranny, who do we become?"
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
21 comments:
I am so proud of LOK NOP CHANTARA for being an out spoken for the lost lives and souls of our innocents KHMER people to the Killing Fields, orchestrated by KMHER ROUGES and our King SIHANOUK, but LOK NOP CHANTARA has been writing the poems shedding his tears on the KOHSANTEPHEAP NEWSPAPER which pro and support HUN SEN brutal and fierce regime almost the same way ruled by KHMER ROUGES and SIHANOUK. I could not wait to see SIHANOUK and LOK NOP CHANTARA volunteer to fight SIAM while they have been already aggressively attacking Cambodians at the borders as I remember SIHANOUK and LOK NOP CHANTARA 's pledges.
A Survivor of our own KHMER Killing Fields
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2009/04/9-lives-of-norodom-sihanouk-part-1-in.html
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http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2009/04/9-lives-of-norodom-sihanouk-part-2-in.html
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"Chu-teyor Véti-sata-naing ,Upak pati-pvear sapak-sor,A-sataing suka-taing Puthaing,Tama-haing proumi -pream-naing."
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"He who perfectly knows the passing away of all beings and how again they arise,who is detached,wellgone,and enlightend,-Him I call a Brahman."
Open your mind!
Cambodian Town
Long Beach, Ca
I had truly appreciated to our friend who celebrated the memorial of killing field regime at Wat Irap (Long Beach).
New Phally
Secretary of State for Ministry of Interior and Adviser for first Vice President National Assembly
You know Mr. Nop too thin, dude. The guy is half-retarded.
Ananymous knew Chantara and tried to insult him. Khmer people should learn about unity principle.
Perharps, you can go to this site and will find out what is this half-retarded did http://archive.poyi.org/items/show/18169
I know what unity means very well, but to unite with a fool is more foolish. Can you tell me what unity principle is?
You should to CSULB in Education Department and asked for Dr. Ramirez or Dr. Ronquillo to study Unity Princile.
And please do not ask Dr. Julie O'donell, she is in Social Work Department OK. You should asked Rene Castro better.
I thought you know about Unity Principle. You seem a brand new brain who never educate at all. Your formal education is to low
I mean too low
Is not to late to go to school. You should learn more before you asked and you blamed.
I have enough in me. I graduated from LBCC in 1987. Education alone won't help me much; decency is better if you go into social group, and never boast that you are well educated. I don't care if you have a Ph. D. In front of me, if you act follishly, I'll call you a fool right away. In live, I have seen a lot of well-educated people lacking decency.
correction: foolishly
. . .and let me continue: Once a week I go to the Buddhist temple for my Sila practical service at Watt Irap.
. . . and as one of the Republic Regime's soldiers and one of survivers of the Pol Pot Regime, I support their memorial ceremony of the Killing Field, but strongly criticize them most of whom are well-educated but lack decency: How can they hold their memorial ceremony without bringing food to offer the Buddhist monks so they can pray (baingsokol uttis phal) for the souls of those victims, and don't tell me that they do, because I was there seeing all of them. They were all well-groomed, going to the Buddhist temple empty handed!
Good things, we ordered foods from Khmer Restaurant to offer our monks.Only some foods we cook. Our empty hand came from our money that we chip it in. We are too low. And we do not eat your foods.
I do not want to argue with you about it because I know what charit means, but on that day none of your friends left the Watt. Thay all were hungrily waiting to eat after the monks had finished, and the food that those old men and wemen brought to the Watt was shared with all. They barely got the food to eat because the food was not enough for all. The food is not a big deal; the big deal is some of you who look like believers in Buddhism, but know nothing about the Bon relating to religious tradition. If your Bon was in the afternoon, it was OK for all of you. I called you and your friens the high-class people with low
religious moral.
correction: charity, they
Thanks FCC, we know who you are,
I know you since the early 1980's.
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