Monday, 8 September 2008

Smiling on history

boston.com
September 7, 2008

On a rutted road in sun-drenched jungle, a man named Kola thought back 30 years to Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime.

In 1975, at 13, Kola was marched by Khmer soldiers from the capital, Phnom Penh, to the fields.
How did he, who survived to raise a family and fight for democracy, navigate those dark days?

It was simple, he said: He talked to no one. He worked in rice fields. Each morning he saluted his rulers' flag.

"I acted stupid," he said.

To illustrate this prior life, Kola screwed his face into a demented twist, then released it back to a grin.

TOM HAINES

No comments: