That Wednesday also marked the 44th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital that was seized by the Khmer Rouge on April 17, 1975.
Survivors of the Khmer Rouge shared their emotional stories of living through the brutal regime led under Marxist leader Pol Po.
“I was 11 years old and forced to work 16-hour days in labor camps,” said local Chilynna Lo in her native Cambodian language of Khmer at the event. Lo was one of three people sharing their stories during a panel at the event.
For some survivors, their experience was too traumatic to recount.
“I never got to hear the whole story,” said Sabby Leng in regard to her parents, who lived through the regime before coming to America.
Cameron Sam, whose parents were also survivors, said, “We’re not going to forget the past, but we can be stronger.”
Sam is the owner of Rep Cambodia, a clothing line dedicated to the expression and cultural movement of Cambodian aesthetics.
The event ended with participants decorating lotus flowers, named the official flower for Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day, with the names of those they wished to honor as part of a community art mural that will be displayed at the United Cambodian Community Center.
