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The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for three years, eight months and twenty days. After overthrowing Lon Nol in April 1975 and establishing a so-called Democratic Kampuchea, the Communist-sponsored government was responsible for the deaths of as many as two million people, almost one-third of the country's population. Here, Chileng Pa vividly recalls life under the Cambodian Communists. Attempting to conceal his identity as a policeman for the previous government, Chileng changed his name and moved his family to the village of Prayap, near the Vietnamese border. In April of 1977, after two years of starvation and cruelty at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, Chileng was forced to watch as Communist guerillas brutally murdered his wife and two-year-old son. With nothing left for him in Prayap Chileng fled to Vietnam, but eventually returned to Cambodia as part of a Vietnamese invasion force that would end the bloody reign of the Khmer regime. In 1981 Chileng and his new family found their way to America. His "simple strand of remembrance" serves to honor all those who died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface by Carol Mortland Cast of Characters Chronology Introduction by Carol Mortland 1. My Good Life
2. Love at First Sight
3. Becoming an Adult in a Country at War
4. Serendipity and Separation
5. Hope and Heartbreak
6. "Liberation"
7. Bamboo Grave
8. A Poem for Grandmother
9. Witness to Death
10. The Worst Night of All
11. A Fearful Escape to Vietnam
12. A New Life in Cambodia, Thailand, and America
13. An Interruption to This Story
Epilogue by Carol Mortland Glossary Suggested Reading Index
About the author
Chileng Pa passed away in 2005.
Summary
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for three years, eight months and twenty days. After overthrowing Lon Nol in April 1975 and establishing a so-called Democratic Kampuchea, the Communist-sponsored government was responsible for the deaths of as many as two million people. This title recalls life under the Cambodian Communists.
