Dith Pran 'can't remain silent' By MSNBC Ben Davis A voice for Cambodia's children On a crusade, Dith Pran 'can't remain silent' Dith Pran says he will never forget the children, helpless before the Khmer Rouge. DITH PRAN SAYS HE WILL NEVER FORGET the children of Cambodia. They were helpless under the violent dictates of the Khmer Rouge which changed their lives, ruined their lives or too often ended them. Pran was made famous by the movie, "The Killing Fields," which focused on his life as a Cambodian photo-journalist just as Pol Pot's regime came to power, and on his perilous escape to Thailand. But the movie left out vital messages, Pran said - most of the children were portrayed as little demon-puppets of the Khmer Rouge. "I want to show the good children who suffered during the killing fields," he said, "because the movie didn't tell enough stories about the children who suffered."
OUTSPOKENNESS ALMOST KILLED HIM Pran has been outspoken in the past and it almost cost him his life. In Southeast Asia, Pran worked for former New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg. When the Khmer Rouge swept into Phnom Penh, Schanberg misjudged their ruthlessness and decided to remain in the city to cover their arrival. It was Pran who kept Khmer Rouge soldiers from killing Schanberg and three other Western journalists. It was one of the more emotional scenes in "The Killing Fields," because Pran had the opportunity to escape the dangerous grip of the Khmer Rouge soldiers and go about his business. Instead, he argued with them, insisting that he remain with the four journalists. He was prepared give up his life in order to save four others. When Schanberg and his colleagues were expelled from the country, Pran was not allowed to go with them. Instead he hid his identity, survived the killing fields, and escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand, where he was eventually reunited with Schanberg.
THE TRUTH ABOUT POL POT Pran said he is on a one-person crusade to make certain future generations know the truth about what occurred under the Pol Pot regime. "I can't remain silent," he said. "My story, the Cambodian story, needs to be told. We don't want history to repeat itself, again and again." He hopes the memoirs, which he compiled along with his wife, Kim DePaul, will give a voice to those "good children" he could never help during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror and serve as a reminder to future generations of children. Pran believes that message is still urgent because the Khmer Rouge he knew are still an organized political entity in Cambodia. Pran wants them held accountable for their actions while in power. "I hope some day the world community will help to find justice for the Cambodian people," he said. "The top echelon of the Khmer Rouge who are responsible for the Cambodian genocide should be brought to trial." |