ABOUT THE SPEAKER
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.

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.

More profile about the speaker
Sophal Ear | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Sophal Ear: Escaping the Khmer Rouge

Sophal Ear: Evadarea din regimul Khmerilor Roşii

Filmed:
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.
- 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

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I normallyîn mod normal teacha preda coursescursuri on
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În mod normal predau un curs despre
00:15
how to rebuildreconstrui statesstatele after warrăzboi.
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reconstrucţia statelor dupǎ rǎzboi.
00:19
But todayastăzi I've got a personalpersonal storypoveste to shareacțiune with you.
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Însǎ azi am o poveste personalǎ de împǎrtǎşit.
00:21
This is a pictureimagine of my familyfamilie,
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Asta-i o pozǎ cu familia mea,
00:24
my fourpatru siblingsfraţii -- my mommama and I -- takenluate in 1977.
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cei patru fraţi ai mei, mama şi cu mine, fǎcutǎ în 1977.
00:28
And we're actuallyde fapt CambodiansCambodgieni.
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Noi suntem cambodgieni,
00:30
And this pictureimagine is takenluate in VietnamVietnam.
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iar aceastǎ pozǎ e fǎcutǎ în Vietnam.
00:32
So how did a CambodianCambodgian familyfamilie endSfârşit up in VietnamVietnam in 1977?
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Totuşi cum a ajuns o familie din Cambodgia, în 1977, în Vietnam?
00:36
Well to explainexplica that, I've got a shortmic de statura videovideo clipclamă
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Pentru a vǎ explica, am un scurt filmuleţ
00:39
to explainexplica the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge regimeregim
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menit sǎ explice regimul Khmerilor Roşii
00:41
duringpe parcursul 1975 and 1979.
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între anii 1975 - 1979
00:44
VideoPagina: AprilAprilie 17thlea, 1975.
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Filmul: 17 Aprilie 1975.
00:48
The communistcomunist KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge
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Khmerii Roşii comunişti
00:50
entersintră PhnomPhnom PenhPen to liberateelibera theiral lor people
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intrǎ în Phnom Penh sǎ elibereze poporul
00:53
from the encroachingatentează conflictconflict in VietnamVietnam,
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de conflictul ameninţǎtor din Vietnam
00:55
and AmericanAmerican bombingbombardare campaignscampanii.
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şi campaniile de bombardament americane.
00:59
Led by peasant-borntaranesti-n. PolPol PotOală,
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Conduşi de Pol Pot, țăran la origine,
01:02
the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge evacuatesevacuates people to the countrysidezona rurală
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Khmeri Roşii au evacuat populaţia din oraşe
01:06
in orderOrdin to createcrea a ruralrural communistcomunist utopiautopie,
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pentru a creea o utopie ruralǎ comunistǎ
01:09
much like MaoMao Tse-tung'sTse tung CulturalCulturale RevolutionRevoluţia in ChinaChina.
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asemeni Revoluţiei Culturale din China lui Mao Tse-tsung.
01:15
The KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge closesînchide the doorsuşi to the outsidein afara worldlume.
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Khmerii Roşii au închis porţile spre lumea externǎ.
01:19
But after fourpatru yearsani the grimrău truthadevăr seepsse scurge out.
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Însǎ dupǎ patru ani, adevǎrul sinistru a ieşit la ivealǎ.
01:23
In a countryțară of only sevenȘapte millionmilion people,
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Într-o ţarǎ de şapte milioane de locuitori
01:25
one and a halfjumătate millionmilion were murdereducis by theiral lor ownpropriu leadersliderii,
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un milion jumate au fost ucişi de proprii conducǎtori,
01:29
theiral lor bodiesorganisme piledpufos in the massmasa gravesmorminte of the killingucidere fieldscâmpuri.
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corpurile lor ajungând în gropi comune pe câmpiile morţii.
01:33
SophalRodica EarUreche: So, notwithstandingîn ciuda the 1970s narrationnaraţiune,
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Sophal Ear: Ignorând povestea din anii '70,
01:36
on AprilAprilie 17thlea 1975
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pe 17 aprilie 1975
01:38
we livedtrăit in PhnomPhnom PenhPen.
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locuiam în Phnomm Penh.
01:40
And my parentspărinţi were told by the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge
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Iar pǎrinţii mei au primit ordine de la Khmerii Roşii
01:43
to evacuateevacuarea the cityoraș because of impendingiminent AmericanAmerican bombingbombardare for threeTrei dayszi.
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sǎ evacueze oraşul pentru cǎ vor fi bombardamente americane timp de 3 zile.
01:47
And here is a pictureimagine of the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge.
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Asta e o imagine cu Khmerii Roşii.
01:49
They were youngtineri soldierssoldati, typicallytipic childcopil soldierssoldati.
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Erau soldaţi tineri. De obicei copii-soldaţi.
01:52
And this is very normalnormal now, of modernmodern day conflictconflict,
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Iar asta e ceva obişnuit acum, în conflictele moderne.
01:55
because they're easyuşor to bringaduce into warsrăzboaie.
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Pentru cǎ sunt uşor de bǎgat în rǎzboi.
01:58
The reasonmotiv that they gavea dat about AmericanAmerican bombingbombardare wasn'tnu a fost all that fardeparte off.
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Motivul dat, acela legat de bombardamentele americane, nu erau chiar poveşti.
02:02
I mean, from 1965 to 1973 there were
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Vreau sǎ zic, cǎ între 1965 şi 1973
02:04
more munitionsmuniții that fellcăzut on CambodiaCambodgia
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a cazut mai multǎ muniţie peste Cambodgia
02:08
than in all of WorldLumea WarRăzboi IIAL II-LEA JapanJaponia,
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decât în Al II-lea Rǎzboi Mondial peste Japonia,
02:10
includinginclusiv the two nuclearnuclear bombsbombe
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incluzând ambele bombe nucleare
02:12
of AugustAugust 1945.
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din august 1945.
02:15
The KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge didn't believe in moneybani.
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Khmerii Roşii nu credeau în bani.
02:18
So the equivalentechivalent of the FederalFederal ReserveRezerva BankBanca
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Aşa cǎ echivalentul Bǎncii Federale
02:20
in CambodiaCambodgia was bombedbombardat.
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din Cambodgia a fost bombardat.
02:22
But not just that, they actuallyde fapt bannedinterzis moneybani.
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Nu doar atât, ci au interzis chiar banii.
02:25
I think it's the only precedentprecedent in whichcare
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Cred cǎ este singural caz în care
02:27
moneybani has ever been stoppedoprit from beingfiind used.
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banii au fost complet scoşi din circulaţie.
02:29
And we know moneybani is the rootrădăcină of all evilrău,
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Şi ştim cǎ banii sunt sursa tuturor relelor,
02:31
but it didn't actuallyde fapt stop evilrău from happeninglucru in CambodiaCambodgia, in factfapt.
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însǎ asta nu a împiedicat rǎspîndirea rǎului în Cambodgia.
02:35
My familyfamilie was movedmutat from PhnomPhnom PenhPen to PursatPursat provinceprovincia.
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Familia mea s-a mutat din Phnom Penh în provincia Pursat.
02:39
This is a pictureimagine of what PursatPursat looksarată like.
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Asta-i o pozǎ despre cum aratǎ Pursat.
02:41
It's actuallyde fapt a very prettyfrumos areazonă of CambodiaCambodgia,
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E o zonǎ chiar frumoasǎ din Cambodgia,
02:44
where riceorez growingcreştere takes placeloc.
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unde se cultivǎ orez.
02:46
And in factfapt they were forcedforţat to work the fieldscâmpuri.
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De fapt, erau forţaţi sǎ munceascǎ pe câmp.
02:48
So my fatherTată and mothermamă endedîncheiat up in
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Aşa cǎ tatǎl şi mama mea au ajuns
02:51
a sortfel of concentrationconcentraţie camptabără, labormuncă camptabără.
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într-un fel de lagǎr de concentrare, de muncǎ.
02:54
And it was at that time that my mothermamă got wordcuvânt
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Şi atunci a aflat maicǎ-mea vestea,
02:56
from the communelocalitate chiefşef
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de la şeful comunei,
02:59
that the VietnameseVietnameză were actuallyde fapt askingcer
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cǎ vietnamezii ceruserǎ de fapt
03:01
for theiral lor citizenscetățeni to go back to VietnamVietnam.
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ca cetǎţenii lor sǎ se întoarcǎ în Vietnam
03:04
And she spokevorbit some VietnameseVietnameză,
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şi ea vorbea un pic de vietnamezǎ,
03:06
as a childcopil havingavând growncrescut up with VietnameseVietnameză friendsprieteni.
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fiindcǎ a copilǎrit cu prieteni vietnamezi
03:09
And she decideda decis, despitein ciuda the advicesfat of her neighborsvecinii,
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Şi a decis, în ciuda sfaturilor date de vecini,
03:13
that she would take the chanceşansă
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cǎ îşi va asuma acest risc
03:15
and claimRevendicare to be VietnameseVietnameză
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şi va declara cǎ e vietnamezǎ,
03:17
so that we could have a chanceşansă to survivesupravieţui,
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pentru ca noi sǎ avem o şansǎ de supravieţuire.
03:19
because at this pointpunct they're forcingforțând everybodytoata lumea to work.
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Pentru cǎ deja toţi erau forţaţi sǎ munceascǎ
03:21
And they're givingoferindu- about --
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şi li se dǎdea cam--
03:23
in a modern-dayZi moderna, caloric-restrictioncalorica restricţie dietcura de slabire, I guessghici --
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în termeni moderni, era o dietǎ restricţionatǎ caloric, cred--
03:26
they're givingoferindu- porridgeterci de ovăz, with a fewpuțini grainsboabe of riceorez.
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primeau terci de ovǎz, cu câteva boabe de orez.
03:30
And at about this time actuallyde fapt
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Şi tot cam atunci
03:32
my fatherTată got very sickbolnav.
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tatǎl meu s-a îmbolnǎt foarte rǎu.
03:34
And he didn't speakvorbi VietnameseVietnameză.
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Şi el nu vorbea vietnamezǎ.
03:36
So he dieddecedat actuallyde fapt, in JanuaryIanuarie 1976.
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Aşa c-a murit în ianuarie 1976.
03:39
And it madefăcut it possibleposibil, in factfapt,
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Şi a fost posibil ca noi
03:42
for us to take on this planplan.
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sǎ ne punem în aplicare planul
03:44
So the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge tooka luat us
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Şi Khmerii Roşii ne-au dus
03:46
from a placeloc calleddenumit PursatPursat to KaohKaoh TievTiev,
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dintr-un loc numit Pursat la Koh Tiev.
03:48
whichcare is acrosspeste from the borderfrontieră from VietnamVietnam.
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Care era aproape de graniţa cu Vietnamul.
03:51
And there they had a detentiondetenţie camptabără
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Şi aveau acolo o tabǎrǎ de detenţie
03:53
where allegedpresupusa VietnameseVietnameză would be testedtestat, languagelimba testedtestat.
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unde presupuşi vietnamezi erau testaţi, dacǎ ştiu limba.
03:57
And my mother'smama lui VietnameseVietnameză was so badrău
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Şi vietnameza vorbitǎ de mama era aşa rea,
04:00
that to make our storypoveste more crediblecredibil,
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încât pentru a fi mai credibilǎ povestea noastrǎ,
04:04
she'dea ar givendat all the boysbăieți and girlsfete newnou VietnameseVietnameză namesnumele.
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a dat nume vietnameze copiilor ei.
04:07
But she'dea ar givendat the boysbăieți girls'fetelor namesnumele,
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Numai cǎ a dat bǎieţilor nume de fete,
04:09
and the girlsfete boys'băieți namesnumele.
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iar fetelor nume de bǎieţi.
04:12
And it wasn'tnu a fost untilpana cand she metîntâlnit a VietnameseVietnameză ladydoamnă
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Doar dupǎ ce a întâlnit o doamnǎ vietnamezǎ,
04:14
who told her this, and then tutoredNatsume her for two dayszi intensivelyintens,
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care i-a spus asta, şi apoi i-a dat lecţii intensive timp de douǎ zile,
04:18
that she was ablecapabil to go into her examexamen
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a putut sǎ meargǎ sǎ-şi dea examenul
04:21
and -- you know, this was a momentmoment of truthadevăr.
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iar ǎsta era momentul adevǎrului.
04:24
If she failseșuează, we're all headedintitulat to the gallowsspânzurătoare;
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Dacǎ eşua, ajungeam sǎ fim executaţi.
04:27
if she passestrece, we can leavepărăsi to VietnamVietnam.
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Dacǎ trecea, puteam pleca în Vietnam
04:29
And she actuallyde fapt, of coursecurs -- I'm here, she passestrece.
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Şi ea, normal, doar sunt aici, a trecut examenul,
04:33
And we endSfârşit up in HongHong NguCristea on the VietnameseVietnameză sidelatură.
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Şi ajungem în Hong Ngu, pe partea vietnamezǎ,
04:36
And then onwardsîncepând cu anul to ChauChau DocDoc.
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şi de acolo la Chau Doc.
04:38
And this is a pictureimagine of HongHong NguCristea, VietnamVietnam todayastăzi.
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Asta este o pozǎ din Hong Ngu, Vietnamul de azi.
04:40
A prettyfrumos idyllicidilic placeloc on the MekongMekong DeltaDelta.
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Un loc destul de idilic, pe Delta Mekongului.
04:42
But for us it meanta însemnat freedomlibertate.
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Dar pentru noi a însemnat libertate.
04:44
And freedomlibertate from persecutionpersecuţia from the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge.
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Libertate faţǎ de persecuţiile Khmerilor Roşii
04:49
Last yearan, the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge TribunalTribunalul,
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Anul trecut, Tribunalul Khmerilor Roşii
04:52
whichcare the U.N. is helpingajutor CambodiaCambodgia take on,
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creat în Cambodgia, cu sprijin ONU,
04:54
starteda început, and I decideda decis that as a mattermaterie of recordrecord
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a început, şi am decis
04:56
I should filefişier a CivilCivile ComplaintPlângere
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sǎ depun o plângere civilă
04:59
with the TribunalTribunalul about my father'statăl lui passingtrecere away.
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la Tribunal, legată de moartea tatǎlui meu.
05:02
And I got wordcuvânt last monthlună
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Şi acum o lunǎ am aflat
05:05
that the complaintplângere was officiallyoficial acceptedadmis by the KhmerKhmeră RougeRouge TribunalTribunalul.
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cǎ plângerea mea a fost acceptatǎ de Tribunalul Khmerilor Roşii.
05:08
And it's for me a mattermaterie of justicejustiţie for historyistorie, and accountabilityresponsabilitate for the futureviitor,
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Iar pentru mine este vorba de dreptate istoricǎ, şi de reglare a conturilor pentru viitor.
05:13
because CambodiaCambodgia remainsrămășițe a prettyfrumos lawlessfără de lege placeloc, at timesori.
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Deoarece Camdodgia a rǎmas un loc cu multe fǎrǎdelegi.
05:18
FiveCinci yearsani agoîn urmă my mothermamă and I wenta mers back to ChauChau DocDoc.
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Acum cinci ani, eu şi mama mea ne-am întors la Chau Doc.
05:22
And she was ablecapabil to returnîntoarcere to a placeloc
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Şi a avut posibilitatea sǎ se întoarcǎ într-un loc
05:24
that for her meanta însemnat freedomlibertate, but alsode asemenea fearfrică,
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ce pentru ea a însemnat libertate, dar şi fricǎ
05:27
because we had just come out of CambodiaCambodgia.
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pentru cǎ tocmai ieşisem din Cambodgia.
05:30
I'm happyfericit, actuallyde fapt, todayastăzi, to presentprezent her.
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Mǎ bucur chiar sǎ v-o prezint astǎzi.
05:34
She's here todayastăzi with us in the audiencepublic.
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Este aici alǎturi de noi în public.
05:36
Thank you mothermamă.
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Îţi mulţumesc, mamǎ.
05:38
(ApplauseAplauze)
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(Aplauze)
Translated by Arnold Platon
Reviewed by Anca Astalus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
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.

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.

More profile about the speaker
Sophal Ear | Speaker | TED.com