Hello Steemit. This is a true story about being born in a Cambodian refugee camp in 1986 where our family lived until 1991.
I understand that my story is just one small, but essential part of my family’s overall journey for safety from the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) regime. According to some estimates 2 million out of 8 million people died during this and the subsequent Vietnamese occupation period.
In this post, I will tell you some of my childhood memories.
It is a story of sadness,
But let it also be one of hope.
Khao I Dang, the refugee camp where I was born
My parents were sent by the Khmer Rouge to work in labour camps in the countryside in Battambang. They eventually met each other while fleeing from Battambang to the Thai border, which was a months-long journey through the heart of the Cambodian jungle. They first entered the camp Sa Kaeo which was also the first organized refugee camp that opened in 1979. Within just 8 days, the refugee population grew to 30,000. The camp eventually closed half a year later, because of unfavorable conditions. The drainage in the campsite was for example so bad that several refugees, too weak to lift their heads, drowned from a flood as they laid on the floor in tents made of plastic sheets.
One month after the opening of Sa Kaeo, the Khao I Dang camp was opened and many people were repatriated into Khao I Dang. My parents eventually ended up there as well.
Khao I Dang was a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border where I was born. It was a bamboo village with dirt roads, barbed wire, and armed guards. Within just 5 months, the camp’s population reached 160,000. The camp gave us more safety, but violence and theft ran rampant.
Religion and death
People continued their religious activities and some houses were transformed into places for Buddhist ceremonies. In this picture you see my two brothers, my father, and me wearing our best clothes. We just came back from a visit to a local ‘temple’. The husband of my aunty, who had just been allowed to find refuge in Australia, had recently died in the camp.
Behind me is a grave of him. My father hired a photographer to take this picture so that he could send it to my aunty. I am the one barefooted.
Hospital
My father worked at the hospital. The hospital was a large hall with beds placed next to each other. I remember that I visited the hospital where I was given a doctor’s gloves to play with. I would blow it and enjoy a child’s kick out of it.
Night raids
I remember that during some nights, rebels with guns would raid people’s houses to steal their belongings. Often, the word about night raids went faster than the rebels themselves, and so most of the times we were warned before the rebels reached us. I remember very well one incident when we did not flee early enough.
My brothers and I ran after my father, while my mother took my baby sister in her arms to flee in separate directions. My father brought us into a nearby canal to hide there. When the Thai patrolling soldiers within the camp arrived at the scene, shooting between the two groups erupted. I remember the fear so clearly. I wanted to cry, but my father put his hands tightly on my mouth so that I would not make any sound. We then fled into the hospital where my father was working, and stayed there during the night. We were too afraid to go back home, and waited until the morning.
In another incident, our neighbors were too late to flee and somehow for reasons unknown, a rebel threw a hand grenade inside their little home that killed the whole family.
Kindergarten
Despite the violence and misery, people tried to rebuild their normal lives. I went to kindergarten and remember so well one incident that I played hooky.
I was 4 years old and walking to school by myself. I hated it so much and decided to return home to my mother’s small shop. My mother, a soft young woman, let me stay with her. But then my father came by the shop, got angry with me, and spanked me for not going to school. Until this day I still don’t think I did anything wrong.
Our little shop
Trade went on. Although it was illegal, industrious people were trying to make money by starting small trade businesses. This shows to me that entrepreneurship is natural to us human beings.
Thai merchants would come to the fences, away from the Thai soldiers who were patrolling, in order to sell food to the refugees inside. Such activities occurred during night-time. When Thai soldiers would find out that we were trading with outsiders, they would beat us and take away our belongings. We, refugees, were also not allowed to get outside of the camp and risked of being shot dead by Thai soldiers.
During day-time, people inside the camp would expose their new belongings and small shops would erupt. My mother sold small products of convenience. I think it was smuggled by Thai people into the camps that we, Cambodians, were selling further to other Cambodians. I am the one in the blue jersey.
Continuing story
These are some of my childhood memories from our lives in Khao I Dang. Maybe next time I can tell of our continuing journey towards the Netherlands and the psychological impact my experiences in Khao I Dang had on me. I can tell about the nightmares that hunted me for years, and my difficulties of trusting new people.
To prove that this is my real history, I will post here a picture of my passport which says that I was indeed born in Khao I Dang:
EDIT: As @firepower asked me for a Steemit verification picture, here it is:
What a touching story!
Great post, great sharing, this is how you do it an introduction!
Thanks. What kind of stuff do you want to use Steem for in the future?
Hi @eeks, thank you very much for your nice comment! I appreciate it.
There are several things I want to use Steem for. I'd like to use Steemit as a platform of self-expression. I like to write and share original content about Philosophy, Politics and Economics. I have also put high hopes that Steem, supported by Steemit, will become the first wide-spread crypto adoption which will eventually disrupt government monopolies over the issuance of money. In addition, I look forward to have a market place in which people can trade goods and services with Steem. :)
You know what I really like about Steemit? It's that it allows people to get closer to each other. A certain way of centralizing isolated information. People to connect, share information, and interchange values. But at the same time, it uses a cryptocurrency that is decentralizing. Making us less depending on governments money issuance and probably more personal financial freedom. Positive movements in two major macro dimensions.
Hi @chhaylin,
Fede here, been here since the beginning. I guess you could call me a "Dolphin" on Steemit – when I upvote someone it adds $30 or so – and I do so with caution, trying to get only quality content to rise, instead of just pictures of pretty girls (it's getting pretty annoying).
I upvoted your story with pleasure.
Thank you for sharing what must have been an incredibly difficult childhood, something that most of us can't even begin to understand.
Hi @federicopistono,
Thank you for upvoting my story. I appreciate the fact that you have found it quality content.
Hey Lin. What a great introduction. So much information and personal stuff. Nice to see myself on the picture. :)
Haha, yes. Thank you!
Your story is very intriguing. What an unusual start of your life journey.
Thank you @nicku, it is indeed quite unusual. However, there are still many more refugees to this day, unfortunately.
I live in Japan. Well come to steemit.
Thank you for the very cute photo.
Haha, you're welcome. :D
Very touching post. I look forward to the next segment.
Thank you @james212!
wow, what a great story, moving and full of tragic moments. I know about not being able to trust people! Being burned does that to us!
Thank you, @stellabelle :) It does! As a child, whenever I made friends I always wondered whether they could ever end up killing me like the Khmer Rouge were killing their fellow Cambodians if they would be put in similar situations. These thoughts were not very healthy for a young child.
Welcome to the community. It would be great if you could post a Steemit verification picture and update this post. Your post will be better received by the community. :)
Thank you for the suggestion. I just updated it with a verification picture. :)
Thank you for doing it. :) Cheers!
I can also verify he is he.
@chhaylin just wanted to mention that your story was amazing too! Thanks for sharing.
@grittenald Cheers. :)
@chhaylin amazing story, all the best to you
Thank you, @chriscrypto
Being born and raised here in the United States us Americans take SO many things for granted. In a way I feel it makes us weaker than people from other parts of the world that have had to deal with the atrocities and horrors like you have. The fact that you are here sharing this story with us shows how resilient you are. Peace.
I think it has helped me appreciate life including its misfortunes more. Have you ever heard about the Taoist story of the farmer and the horse? That's how I have started to perceive life. :) In case you are interested, this is the story:
haha, great story! never read that one before, thank you
Best introduction post ever. I really am glad that you were able to get through all of that despite the horrendous treatment the Khmer Rouge put their fellow Cambodians through. I have read a few books by survivors as well as documentaries, but to hear a story of a person that is on the internet right in reach to talk to is really something.
It sounds like you had some culture shock when going into the Netherlands and perhaps some PTSD from what you were exposed to? I would like to learn a little more about that transition. You look great and I hope you are doing well now that you have lived for nearly 30 years. :)
Thank you, @justicepirate! That's such a nice comment.
Yes, our family had a huge culture shock when we arrived in the Netherlands. I have never been diagnosed with PTSD, but I would not be surprised if some in our family would have it. If I remember correctly, 50% of all people who have directly experienced the Khmer Rouge rule are suffering or have suffered from PTSD. And if I remember correctly, around 50% of their children although they may not have directly experienced the KR, suffer from depression before the age of 30. I was personally diagnosed with chronic depression since the age of 14/15 and with adjustment disorder, which I eventually overcame.
I will write a follow-up article on some more memories from Khao I Dang camp and our early years in the Netherlands. Despite the culture shock and several depressive episodes, we were also helped a lot by people here. We received second-hand clothes, the Church welcomed us, and despite language barriers we were able to build good relationships with people in our surroundings. :)
nicely done! welcome
Thank you, @jasonstaggers! :)
You sir are amazing, thank you for sharing your story!!!
Haha, thank you @thebear! :D It makes me happy to see that you liked my story.
Awesome story! I am glad you are here to share some of that with us.
Welcome to Steemit Community!
Thank you, @daf
I have been around here for two weeks already, but decided to write a serious 'Introduceyourself' post just now. :)
I wrote my introduction later too. Its cool.
It is a true story of survival and hope. Thank you for sharing your story
You're welcome, @kirtash85
I truly appreciate the fact you have enjoyed the reading. :)
I know that you noted this experience made it difficult to trust new people, so I thank you for opening up and sharing about this difficult period in your families life. This is the first post I read after signing up for Steemit, as I live in Southeast Asia myself and gravitated towards your story about Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge rule. Thank you for sharing this and look forward to following your journey further.
Thank you @tncreative! And welcome at Steemit. I hope that you will like our community. I just went to your blog to see your beautiful pictures of Peru. I look forward to see more of your beautiful photographs and stories. :)
Thank you for sharing your story, and welcome
Thank you, moviefan!
Great post and welcome!
Thank you very much @gapil!
nice to meet you @chhaylin ! 8]
Nice to meet you too, @gekko! :)
Great sharing nice lines you have written about your life must read my post about STEEM community , what is STEEM? which facility give you the STEEM.
https://steemit.com/money/@shaheer001/what-is-steem-community-and-which-services-steem-provides-to-its-members-what-is-steem-dollars-and-steem-power
meep
I love your story so much. So proud for you to share your story and inspire others. Bless you :)
Having been born and raised in the United States, I've honestly never thought about night raids. That would be terrifying.
One of great story, save from a camp, thanks for sharing about your life :)
Very insightful for the world to know of these things. You are among the fortunate having photos and such during this time. As I understand it, my wife's family was not able to complete the journey from BB to the camps along the border and are not even sure of most birthdates in the family. The Khmer are a resolute people and your story proves it. Jol Mui
Thank you @sharon