TED2009
Sophal Ear: Escaping the Khmer Rouge
Sophal Ear: Evadarea din regimul Khmerilor Roşii
Filmed:
Readability: 4.5
685,840 views
Sophal Ear împǎrtǎşeşte la TED povestea emoţionantǎ a familiei sale şi cum au scǎpat din Cambodgia condusǎ de Khmerii Roşii. O poveste despre şiretenia şi personalitatea puternicǎ prin care mama sa a reuşit sǎ-şi salveze copii.
Sophal Ear - Development economist
Sophal Ear leads research on post-conflict countries -- looking at the effectiveness of foreign aid and the challenge of development in places like his native land, Cambodia. Full bio
Sophal Ear leads research on post-conflict countries -- looking at the effectiveness of foreign aid and the challenge of development in places like his native land, Cambodia. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I normally teach courses on
0
0
3000
În mod normal predau un curs despre
00:15
how to rebuild states after war.
1
3000
4000
reconstrucţia statelor dupǎ rǎzboi.
00:19
But today I've got a personal story to share with you.
2
7000
2000
Însǎ azi am o poveste personalǎ de împǎrtǎşit.
00:21
This is a picture of my family,
3
9000
3000
Asta-i o pozǎ cu familia mea,
00:24
my four siblings -- my mom and I -- taken in 1977.
4
12000
4000
cei patru fraţi ai mei, mama şi cu mine, fǎcutǎ în 1977.
00:28
And we're actually Cambodians.
5
16000
2000
Noi suntem cambodgieni,
00:30
And this picture is taken in Vietnam.
6
18000
2000
iar aceastǎ pozǎ e fǎcutǎ în Vietnam.
00:32
So how did a Cambodian family end up in Vietnam in 1977?
7
20000
4000
Totuşi cum a ajuns o familie din Cambodgia, în 1977, în Vietnam?
00:36
Well to explain that, I've got a short video clip
8
24000
3000
Pentru a vǎ explica, am un scurt filmuleţ
00:39
to explain the Khmer Rouge regime
9
27000
2000
menit sǎ explice regimul Khmerilor Roşii
00:41
during 1975 and 1979.
10
29000
3000
între anii 1975 - 1979
00:44
Video: April 17th, 1975.
11
32000
4000
Filmul: 17 Aprilie 1975.
00:48
The communist Khmer Rouge
12
36000
2000
Khmerii Roşii comunişti
00:50
enters Phnom Penh to liberate their people
13
38000
3000
intrǎ în Phnom Penh sǎ elibereze poporul
00:53
from the encroaching conflict in Vietnam,
14
41000
2000
de conflictul ameninţǎtor din Vietnam
00:55
and American bombing campaigns.
15
43000
4000
şi campaniile de bombardament americane.
00:59
Led by peasant-born Pol Pot,
16
47000
3000
Conduşi de Pol Pot, țăran la origine,
01:02
the Khmer Rouge evacuates people to the countryside
17
50000
4000
Khmeri Roşii au evacuat populaţia din oraşe
01:06
in order to create a rural communist utopia,
18
54000
3000
pentru a creea o utopie ruralǎ comunistǎ
01:09
much like Mao Tse-tung's Cultural Revolution in China.
19
57000
6000
asemeni Revoluţiei Culturale din China lui Mao Tse-tsung.
01:15
The Khmer Rouge closes the doors to the outside world.
20
63000
4000
Khmerii Roşii au închis porţile spre lumea externǎ.
01:19
But after four years the grim truth seeps out.
21
67000
4000
Însǎ dupǎ patru ani, adevǎrul sinistru a ieşit la ivealǎ.
01:23
In a country of only seven million people,
22
71000
2000
Într-o ţarǎ de şapte milioane de locuitori
01:25
one and a half million were murdered by their own leaders,
23
73000
4000
un milion jumate au fost ucişi de proprii conducǎtori,
01:29
their bodies piled in the mass graves of the killing fields.
24
77000
4000
corpurile lor ajungând în gropi comune pe câmpiile morţii.
01:33
Sophal Ear: So, notwithstanding the 1970s narration,
25
81000
3000
Sophal Ear: Ignorând povestea din anii '70,
01:36
on April 17th 1975
26
84000
2000
pe 17 aprilie 1975
01:38
we lived in Phnom Penh.
27
86000
2000
locuiam în Phnomm Penh.
01:40
And my parents were told by the Khmer Rouge
28
88000
3000
Iar pǎrinţii mei au primit ordine de la Khmerii Roşii
01:43
to evacuate the city because of impending American bombing for three days.
29
91000
4000
sǎ evacueze oraşul pentru cǎ vor fi bombardamente americane timp de 3 zile.
01:47
And here is a picture of the Khmer Rouge.
30
95000
2000
Asta e o imagine cu Khmerii Roşii.
01:49
They were young soldiers, typically child soldiers.
31
97000
3000
Erau soldaţi tineri. De obicei copii-soldaţi.
01:52
And this is very normal now, of modern day conflict,
32
100000
3000
Iar asta e ceva obişnuit acum, în conflictele moderne.
01:55
because they're easy to bring into wars.
33
103000
3000
Pentru cǎ sunt uşor de bǎgat în rǎzboi.
01:58
The reason that they gave about American bombing wasn't all that far off.
34
106000
4000
Motivul dat, acela legat de bombardamentele americane, nu erau chiar poveşti.
02:02
I mean, from 1965 to 1973 there were
35
110000
2000
Vreau sǎ zic, cǎ între 1965 şi 1973
02:04
more munitions that fell on Cambodia
36
112000
4000
a cazut mai multǎ muniţie peste Cambodgia
02:08
than in all of World War II Japan,
37
116000
2000
decât în Al II-lea Rǎzboi Mondial peste Japonia,
02:10
including the two nuclear bombs
38
118000
2000
incluzând ambele bombe nucleare
02:12
of August 1945.
39
120000
3000
din august 1945.
02:15
The Khmer Rouge didn't believe in money.
40
123000
3000
Khmerii Roşii nu credeau în bani.
02:18
So the equivalent of the Federal Reserve Bank
41
126000
2000
Aşa cǎ echivalentul Bǎncii Federale
02:20
in Cambodia was bombed.
42
128000
2000
din Cambodgia a fost bombardat.
02:22
But not just that, they actually banned money.
43
130000
3000
Nu doar atât, ci au interzis chiar banii.
02:25
I think it's the only precedent in which
44
133000
2000
Cred cǎ este singural caz în care
02:27
money has ever been stopped from being used.
45
135000
2000
banii au fost complet scoşi din circulaţie.
02:29
And we know money is the root of all evil,
46
137000
2000
Şi ştim cǎ banii sunt sursa tuturor relelor,
02:31
but it didn't actually stop evil from happening in Cambodia, in fact.
47
139000
4000
însǎ asta nu a împiedicat rǎspîndirea rǎului în Cambodgia.
02:35
My family was moved from Phnom Penh to Pursat province.
48
143000
4000
Familia mea s-a mutat din Phnom Penh în provincia Pursat.
02:39
This is a picture of what Pursat looks like.
49
147000
2000
Asta-i o pozǎ despre cum aratǎ Pursat.
02:41
It's actually a very pretty area of Cambodia,
50
149000
3000
E o zonǎ chiar frumoasǎ din Cambodgia,
02:44
where rice growing takes place.
51
152000
2000
unde se cultivǎ orez.
02:46
And in fact they were forced to work the fields.
52
154000
2000
De fapt, erau forţaţi sǎ munceascǎ pe câmp.
02:48
So my father and mother ended up in
53
156000
3000
Aşa cǎ tatǎl şi mama mea au ajuns
02:51
a sort of concentration camp, labor camp.
54
159000
3000
într-un fel de lagǎr de concentrare, de muncǎ.
02:54
And it was at that time that my mother got word
55
162000
2000
Şi atunci a aflat maicǎ-mea vestea,
02:56
from the commune chief
56
164000
3000
de la şeful comunei,
02:59
that the Vietnamese were actually asking
57
167000
2000
cǎ vietnamezii ceruserǎ de fapt
03:01
for their citizens to go back to Vietnam.
58
169000
3000
ca cetǎţenii lor sǎ se întoarcǎ în Vietnam
03:04
And she spoke some Vietnamese,
59
172000
2000
şi ea vorbea un pic de vietnamezǎ,
03:06
as a child having grown up with Vietnamese friends.
60
174000
3000
fiindcǎ a copilǎrit cu prieteni vietnamezi
03:09
And she decided, despite the advice of her neighbors,
61
177000
4000
Şi a decis, în ciuda sfaturilor date de vecini,
03:13
that she would take the chance
62
181000
2000
cǎ îşi va asuma acest risc
03:15
and claim to be Vietnamese
63
183000
2000
şi va declara cǎ e vietnamezǎ,
03:17
so that we could have a chance to survive,
64
185000
2000
pentru ca noi sǎ avem o şansǎ de supravieţuire.
03:19
because at this point they're forcing everybody to work.
65
187000
2000
Pentru cǎ deja toţi erau forţaţi sǎ munceascǎ
03:21
And they're giving about --
66
189000
2000
şi li se dǎdea cam--
03:23
in a modern-day, caloric-restriction diet, I guess --
67
191000
3000
în termeni moderni, era o dietǎ restricţionatǎ caloric, cred--
03:26
they're giving porridge, with a few grains of rice.
68
194000
4000
primeau terci de ovǎz, cu câteva boabe de orez.
03:30
And at about this time actually
69
198000
2000
Şi tot cam atunci
03:32
my father got very sick.
70
200000
2000
tatǎl meu s-a îmbolnǎt foarte rǎu.
03:34
And he didn't speak Vietnamese.
71
202000
2000
Şi el nu vorbea vietnamezǎ.
03:36
So he died actually, in January 1976.
72
204000
3000
Aşa c-a murit în ianuarie 1976.
03:39
And it made it possible, in fact,
73
207000
3000
Şi a fost posibil ca noi
03:42
for us to take on this plan.
74
210000
2000
sǎ ne punem în aplicare planul
03:44
So the Khmer Rouge took us
75
212000
2000
Şi Khmerii Roşii ne-au dus
03:46
from a place called Pursat to Kaoh Tiev,
76
214000
2000
dintr-un loc numit Pursat la Koh Tiev.
03:48
which is across from the border from Vietnam.
77
216000
3000
Care era aproape de graniţa cu Vietnamul.
03:51
And there they had a detention camp
78
219000
2000
Şi aveau acolo o tabǎrǎ de detenţie
03:53
where alleged Vietnamese would be tested, language tested.
79
221000
4000
unde presupuşi vietnamezi erau testaţi, dacǎ ştiu limba.
03:57
And my mother's Vietnamese was so bad
80
225000
3000
Şi vietnameza vorbitǎ de mama era aşa rea,
04:00
that to make our story more credible,
81
228000
4000
încât pentru a fi mai credibilǎ povestea noastrǎ,
04:04
she'd given all the boys and girls new Vietnamese names.
82
232000
3000
a dat nume vietnameze copiilor ei.
04:07
But she'd given the boys girls' names,
83
235000
2000
Numai cǎ a dat bǎieţilor nume de fete,
04:09
and the girls boys' names.
84
237000
3000
iar fetelor nume de bǎieţi.
04:12
And it wasn't until she met a Vietnamese lady
85
240000
2000
Doar dupǎ ce a întâlnit o doamnǎ vietnamezǎ,
04:14
who told her this, and then tutored her for two days intensively,
86
242000
4000
care i-a spus asta, şi apoi i-a dat lecţii intensive timp de douǎ zile,
04:18
that she was able to go into her exam
87
246000
3000
a putut sǎ meargǎ sǎ-şi dea examenul
04:21
and -- you know, this was a moment of truth.
88
249000
3000
iar ǎsta era momentul adevǎrului.
04:24
If she fails, we're all headed to the gallows;
89
252000
3000
Dacǎ eşua, ajungeam sǎ fim executaţi.
04:27
if she passes, we can leave to Vietnam.
90
255000
2000
Dacǎ trecea, puteam pleca în Vietnam
04:29
And she actually, of course -- I'm here, she passes.
91
257000
4000
Şi ea, normal, doar sunt aici, a trecut examenul,
04:33
And we end up in Hong Ngu on the Vietnamese side.
92
261000
3000
Şi ajungem în Hong Ngu, pe partea vietnamezǎ,
04:36
And then onwards to Chau Doc.
93
264000
2000
şi de acolo la Chau Doc.
04:38
And this is a picture of Hong Ngu, Vietnam today.
94
266000
2000
Asta este o pozǎ din Hong Ngu, Vietnamul de azi.
04:40
A pretty idyllic place on the Mekong Delta.
95
268000
2000
Un loc destul de idilic, pe Delta Mekongului.
04:42
But for us it meant freedom.
96
270000
2000
Dar pentru noi a însemnat libertate.
04:44
And freedom from persecution from the Khmer Rouge.
97
272000
5000
Libertate faţǎ de persecuţiile Khmerilor Roşii
04:49
Last year, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal,
98
277000
3000
Anul trecut, Tribunalul Khmerilor Roşii
04:52
which the U.N. is helping Cambodia take on,
99
280000
2000
creat în Cambodgia, cu sprijin ONU,
04:54
started, and I decided that as a matter of record
100
282000
2000
a început, şi am decis
04:56
I should file a Civil Complaint
101
284000
3000
sǎ depun o plângere civilă
04:59
with the Tribunal about my father's passing away.
102
287000
3000
la Tribunal, legată de moartea tatǎlui meu.
05:02
And I got word last month
103
290000
3000
Şi acum o lunǎ am aflat
05:05
that the complaint was officially accepted by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
104
293000
3000
cǎ plângerea mea a fost acceptatǎ de Tribunalul Khmerilor Roşii.
05:08
And it's for me a matter of justice for history, and accountability for the future,
105
296000
5000
Iar pentru mine este vorba de dreptate istoricǎ, şi de reglare a conturilor pentru viitor.
05:13
because Cambodia remains a pretty lawless place, at times.
106
301000
5000
Deoarece Camdodgia a rǎmas un loc cu multe fǎrǎdelegi.
05:18
Five years ago my mother and I went back to Chau Doc.
107
306000
4000
Acum cinci ani, eu şi mama mea ne-am întors la Chau Doc.
05:22
And she was able to return to a place
108
310000
2000
Şi a avut posibilitatea sǎ se întoarcǎ într-un loc
05:24
that for her meant freedom, but also fear,
109
312000
3000
ce pentru ea a însemnat libertate, dar şi fricǎ
05:27
because we had just come out of Cambodia.
110
315000
3000
pentru cǎ tocmai ieşisem din Cambodgia.
05:30
I'm happy, actually, today, to present her.
111
318000
4000
Mǎ bucur chiar sǎ v-o prezint astǎzi.
05:34
She's here today with us in the audience.
112
322000
2000
Este aici alǎturi de noi în public.
05:36
Thank you mother.
113
324000
2000
Îţi mulţumesc, mamǎ.
05:38
(Applause)
114
326000
14000
(Aplauze)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sophal Ear - Development economistSophal Ear leads research on post-conflict countries -- looking at the effectiveness of foreign aid and the challenge of development in places like his native land, Cambodia.
Why you should listen
Elected to the Crescenta Valley Town Council in November 2015 for a 3-year term, encompassing more than 20,000 residents in unincorporated La Crescenta and Montrose, California, Sophal Ear, Ph.D., is a tenured Associate Professor of Diplomacy & World Affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles where he lectures on political economy, security, development and Asia.
Previously, he taught how to rebuild countries after wars at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and international development at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He consulted for the World Bank, was Assistant Resident Representative for the United Nations in East Timor and Advisor to Cambodia's 1st private equity fund Leopard Capital. A TED Fellow, Fulbright Specialist, Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, he sits on the board of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Refugees International, Partners for Development, the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, the Southeast Asia Development Program, Diagnostic Microbiology Development Program, the Journal of International Relations and Development (Palgrave), the International Public Management Journal (Taylor & Francis), Journal of South-East Asian American Education & Advancement (Purdue), and Politics and the Life Sciences (Cambridge University Press).
He is the author of Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy (Columbia University Press, 2013) and co-author of The Hungry Dragon: How China’s Resources Quest is Reshaping the World (Routledge, 2013). He wrote and narrated the award-winning documentary film "The End/Beginning: Cambodia" (47 minutes, 2011) based on his 2009 TED Talk and has appeared in four other documentaries.
A graduate of Princeton and Berkeley, he moved to the United States from France as a Cambodian refugee at the age of 10.
Sophal Ear | Speaker | TED.com