By MARSHALL KIM
Op-Ed Contributor
New York Times
I WAS 15 in 1975, when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge overtook Cambodia, enslaving my people and turning our farmland into what the world now calls the Killing Fields. During the next four years I lost my mother and father, my brothers, aunts, uncles and friends to the cruel oppression that claimed 1.7 million lives.
As a boy I prayed every day for someone to stop the slavery and the killings. No one did. I saw soldiers force people to dig the holes in which they would be buried alive. We ate mice, rats, lizards. My 8-year-old niece starved before my eyes. I cried until I had no tears.
I survived by cutting our Khmer Rouge leader’s hair and making bamboo baskets, which my elders used to carry away the dirt we were ordered to dig from canals. In 1979, alone and desperate, I escaped to a Thai refugee camp. Sponsors helped me gain passage to New York City in 1982. I spoke no English, had no money and lived tormented by images of cruelty and death.
Today, I own a hair salon in Manhattan and live with my wife and two children in Scarsdale. We have enough to eat, to call a doctor or buy medicine when sick, and money left over for charity. I wonder why I am so blessed.
Now I read about the United Nations trial of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, the Khmer Rouge commander of the Tuol Sleng prison. I read the testimony of victims and witnesses, like me, of torture and murder.
And I find myself asking, what sort of justice is possible now? After ignoring our suffering when action might have saved our country, what does the United Nations expect to do for Cambodia now? Placing elderly Khmer Rouge leaders on trial will not bring back those who lost their lives in the Killing Fields, or bring peace to the survivors. It will only stir more anger and misery and hate. Pol Pot, the chief criminal, is long dead. So are many of the others who killed and tortured at his command.
For Cambodians, this should be a time of cooperation, peace and prosperity. Around 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is under 30 years old. They didn’t experience the Killing Fields, and they face enough challenges in their daily struggle to make ends meet. We who were lucky enough to survive once looked forward to trials, but it has been 30 years — too much time has gone by for us to want to waste our energy seeking revenge.
I don’t mean to say we should forget. We can’t. Let the horrors be documented in books and films and let the truth be recorded for the entire world to learn. But by pursuing this trial instead of working to improve the lives of young Cambodians, the United Nations demonstrates it still has not learned the lesson of the Killing Fields: Act before it’s too late.
Marshall Kim, the owner of a hair salon, is the founder of the Cambodian-American Foundation for Education, a charitable organization.
As a boy I prayed every day for someone to stop the slavery and the killings. No one did. I saw soldiers force people to dig the holes in which they would be buried alive. We ate mice, rats, lizards. My 8-year-old niece starved before my eyes. I cried until I had no tears.
I survived by cutting our Khmer Rouge leader’s hair and making bamboo baskets, which my elders used to carry away the dirt we were ordered to dig from canals. In 1979, alone and desperate, I escaped to a Thai refugee camp. Sponsors helped me gain passage to New York City in 1982. I spoke no English, had no money and lived tormented by images of cruelty and death.
Today, I own a hair salon in Manhattan and live with my wife and two children in Scarsdale. We have enough to eat, to call a doctor or buy medicine when sick, and money left over for charity. I wonder why I am so blessed.
Now I read about the United Nations trial of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, the Khmer Rouge commander of the Tuol Sleng prison. I read the testimony of victims and witnesses, like me, of torture and murder.
And I find myself asking, what sort of justice is possible now? After ignoring our suffering when action might have saved our country, what does the United Nations expect to do for Cambodia now? Placing elderly Khmer Rouge leaders on trial will not bring back those who lost their lives in the Killing Fields, or bring peace to the survivors. It will only stir more anger and misery and hate. Pol Pot, the chief criminal, is long dead. So are many of the others who killed and tortured at his command.
For Cambodians, this should be a time of cooperation, peace and prosperity. Around 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is under 30 years old. They didn’t experience the Killing Fields, and they face enough challenges in their daily struggle to make ends meet. We who were lucky enough to survive once looked forward to trials, but it has been 30 years — too much time has gone by for us to want to waste our energy seeking revenge.
I don’t mean to say we should forget. We can’t. Let the horrors be documented in books and films and let the truth be recorded for the entire world to learn. But by pursuing this trial instead of working to improve the lives of young Cambodians, the United Nations demonstrates it still has not learned the lesson of the Killing Fields: Act before it’s too late.
Marshall Kim, the owner of a hair salon, is the founder of the Cambodian-American Foundation for Education, a charitable organization.
15 comments:
Now that you are well off and live like a king, you should donate more money to charitable organizations in Cambodia to make a difference in Khmer Kids' lives.
What ? owning a hair salon in New York and claim to be blessed ? you must be kidding . How blessed you are if you work 10 to 12 hours a day and 6 days a week ?
And what are you talking about ... too late for revenge ? they are looking for justice for those 1.7 million victims .
Mr Kim , give me your business address , i will take my girlfriend there one day to let you fix her hair.
It's just his comment and it doesn't count . Whoever you are , if you committed crimes , you will be brought to justice no matter how long it has been .
And about his business , I am not impress . If you work at least 10 hours a day and 6 days a week , your living standard will be better even you cut grass to make a living .
the UN or the prosperity countries should have saved the deseperate cambodian and helped to stop this crime during the filling field was happening....yes, now it's too late as u said, that's true.
Once again, they care only the country that can return them in interests and benefits.
we khmer people had endured so much and overcamed so much. we demand a geniune justice for my beloved cambodia and all our beautiful beautiful khmer people and citizens. nobody has to go through this like cambodia. we want justice!
Mr. Kim,
It is not about revenge. It is about justice. It is about a group of people committed crime; and now, they face with legal action.
If those crimes were ignored, more crimes would blatenly be encouraged.
I'm also about the age as Mr. Kim at the time Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in April of 1975. I lived thru the same 4 years of suffering, but don't 100% agree with Mr. Kim. Yes happiness and prosper and forget about the past. That's great!, but to let the criminal go free and living in their big villas next to me. No! get the suckers out and trowing them in jail! They don't deserve happiness or prosperity. Send them to sharks infested water, if all I care. Please don't forget that KRT bring hopes and justice to good and innocent people thru out this entire planet and not just Cambodian people alone. They are the Nazi of Asia and they must be punished by law.
How would you like to get tripped out of your house and go to live in the middle of nowhere for no reason, all becuase of those MF think they could change Cambodia to hell???!!!
Mr. Kim has to be neutral. He cut a lot of people's hairs. Fighting won't bring business or $ to his bank account. That's understandable.
Another word, he rather let the killer of his parents or his relatives and 1.7 to 2.0 millions or so of Cambodian people living freely and unpunish for the shake of his current happiness. It's exactly like telling the Jewish people to forget about Hitler. Just so you know Mr. Kim, it won't be that easy.
off course, he want “justice” too BUT from whom????
it is the truth “too liter Too Late “ we will never see 1.7 million lives that lost will came back a live again include’ his parents and his family.
it is the truth only anger ,misery and hate and Pol Pot’s bones and alone with 1.7 million peoples bones left for us .
a man who was responsible for 1.7 million lives was death “ Pol Pot
“ by the way, himself can not killed 1.7 million lives he need many thousands of Khmer Rouge to do this job and they all still living with us what are we going to do about them? kill them all ? put all of them in jail ? and when peace will be for Cambodian ?
please, bring peace to Cambodia not a " misery show "
Mr. Kim !
we wish to have more peoples like you in this world.
it was extraordinary and like everyone of your loyal "subjects" was deeply moved.
What touched me most was your humanity and that your focus is on what can we do for your community today, why spend the energy on revenge....and what is important about that thought is how this applies to everything else in life.
we are in and complete agreement with you that the world needs to help build a new Cambodia and not dwell on the past.
We are proud of you for both your survival and passion for life. You are an inspiration to us.
Mr. kim I think you are very wise.
it is " TOO LATE FOR REVENGE "
For punishment to prevent crime it must be swift, certain and severe - in that order. With out the first two, that last really serves no purpose except revenge.
Mr. Kim , he is trying to tell the truth of what was happening to him ,his family and the rest of Cambodian and let the world know ,how he is feeling .
Why some of you are sounding like a FREAK !!
I have to agreed with Mr. Kim it doesn't matter what he said or what all of you are thinking? all it matter is what we are doing now !.why some of you are angry with him ? you should learn from what he said, he is a role model of a good man and he is helping Cambodian more than all of you .it doesn't matter how rich you are ? it mean not thing! at less Mr. Kim did some thing to help Cambodian .
just shut up ! and move on !you got it ?
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