Searching for a Missing Brother

 

 

 

 

SEARCHING FOR MISSING BROTHER

 

Dear Youk,

 

Thank you for your e-mail, which I read with a sense of sorrow because so many of us have gone through this most unbelievable event and it changed all our lives, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic standing. I am so sorry to hear that your sister was savagely murdered in cold blood at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in the most sadistic of circumstances.

 

I know and share your pain and the bereavement you have endured for more than two-thirds of your life. Your view of life about Cambodia and its leaders will never be the same again. I say this because we’re about the same age. However, my circumstances were different because I never knew what life was like under the Khmer Rouge. I was one of the first Cambodians to escape to Thailand on 14th April 1975. But left behind were my father and six other siblings, of which only one survived. I, too, might have perished under the Khmer Rouge, but perhaps it was not meant to be.

 

What is difficult for me is how do I go about finding my lost siblings? So far I know for sure that my father, my sister and two elder brothers are dead, as there were confirmed reports of their fates. But I also have two older brothers who may still be alive. If they are alive, they may be crippled or handicapped in some way by the events in our country and are not able to trace or locate me. It has been so difficult for me, not knowing for certain if they are alive or dead. Do you have any suggestions about where to look or how I might be able to find out if they are alive or dead? They would be in their mid 40s now, if they survived the regime.

 

Youk, you have demonstrated a lot of humanity and the will to collect so much information for the Cambodian people and the world to reflect on the most barbaric government the world has ever known. I wish you and the staff of DC-Cam the very best for the future. I’m sure many of us are very proud to have a son like you.

 

Keep up the good work!

I hope to catch up with you sometime when I’m in Cambodia.

With my warmest regards,

           

Neru

 

 

 


Documentation Center of Cambodia

Ten Years of Independently Searching for the Truth: 1997-2007

 

DC-Cam ® 66 Preah Sihanouk Blvd. ® P.O. Box 1110 ® Phnom Penh ® Cambodia

Tel: (855-23) 211-875 ® Fax: (855-23) 210-358 ® Email: dccam@online.com.kh ® www.dccam.org