San Antonio, Texas
02 July 2008
Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Economic and Social Council SichanSiv has written a new book, called "Golden Bones," that tells how hesurvived the Khmer Rouge terror in his native land and came to prosperin the United States. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from San Antonio,Texas, the author admits that luck had a lot to do with it.
On apatio outside his home, Sichan Siv shares a toast with friends who havecome to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of his arrival in the UnitedStates. At that time he had only $2 in his pocket.
But Sichan Siv had something else on his side, as he explains in his book "Golden Bones."
"Cambodians believe that somebody who is very blessed and lucky is a person with golden bones," he said.
Luckand a lot of hard work helped Sichan Siv go in 13 years from being apoor refugee to being the first Asian-American deputy assistant to thepresident of the United States, under the first President George Bush. In 2001, the current President Bush appointed him U.S. Ambassador tothe U.N. Economic and Social Council.
But Sichan Siv's realluck started well before all that. He survived one of the most brutalperiods of modern human history when the Khmer Rouge took over hiscountry in 1975.
He was working with the relief agency CARE at the time and could have escaped had he made it to the U.S. embassy on time.
"Imissed the last helicopter by 30 minutes because I decided to go to ameeting trying to help some 3,000 refugee families stranded inthe province," Siv recalled. "Five days later, the Khmer Rouge came andthey emptied the cities and all the urban centers and they puteverybody to forced labor."
He lost his mother and all other members of his family in the killing fields, and nearly lost his own life as well.
"Isurvived 10 brutal months under the Khmer Rouge with countless brusheswith death," said Siv. "Then I made it to Thailand after I spentthree days walking across the jungle in northwest Cambodia. I fell ina booby trap and was severely wounded, but I arrived in Thailandcompletely exhausted."
Thai authorities arrested him for illegalentry and then took him to a refugee camp where he taught English tofellow refugees and intensified his devotion to Buddhism.
Although he avoids bitterness, Sichan Siv says he wants to see former Khmer Rouge leaders held accountable for their crimes.
"Thereis not one Cambodian who has not lost someone or something dear to themso everybody wants to see justice brought to these people," he said.
Fiveformer Khmer Rouge officials are being prosecuted by a special genocidetribunal in Cambodia. Their cases are expected to be tried later thisyear.
Today, Sichan Siv enjoys going for rides around SanAntonio on his motorcycle. He cannot forget the horrors of the past,but he seems determined to concentrate on his new life here. Thisself-styled "Cambodian cowboy" also enjoys horseback riding and hashelped herd cattle on a ranch in west Texas where his wife, Martha, wasborn and raised. She says they chose to live in San Antonio partlybecause of its western atmosphere.
"Sichan says that when he wasgrowing up in Cambodia he listened to all those John Wayne moviesdubbed in French, so now he is living it out in San Antone!," she said.
Ashis book goes on the market, Sichan Siv hopes he can help readersunderstand what it has meant for him to have this new life in theUnited States.
"I hope that they will understand that in Americaeverything is possible, that when you have dreams you can turn yourdreams into reality," he said.
Sichan Siv has found his dreamhere, but he says he will never forget those in Cambodia who wereunable to escape their nightmare.