Survivor of Khmer Rouge "Reign of Terror" Discusses Cambodian Genocide, Land Mine Dangers in Lawrence University Address

APPLETON, WIS. -- Author and activist Loung Ung, a child survivor of Cambodia's genocidal civil war under the Khmer Rouge, shares the story of her harrowing youth under dictator Pol Pot and her ultimate escape to America in an address at Lawrence University.

Ung presents, "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers," Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. in Riverview Lounge of the Lawrence Memorial Union. Ung, who chronicled her experiences in a book of the same name that was released earlier this year, will conduct a book signing following her address. The event is free and open to the public.

Born into a middle-class family in Phnom Pehn, Ung was just five years old when Pol Pot's regime overran the country in 1975. Forced to hide her identity and life of privilege to survive, Ung lived in a work camp and was trained as a child soldier. Within three years, her parents and two of her siblings were dead at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. In 1980, Ung was reunited with her brother and together they escaped to Thailand where they spent six months in a refugee camp. With the help of a church's sponsorship, Ung was able to emigrate to the United States, settling in Vermont.

Fifteen years after her escape, Ung returned to Cambodia for the first time to see the effects of the Khmer Rouge's regime. She learned that 30 of her relatives had been killed during Pol Pot's reign of terror and began devoting herself to causes of justice and reconciliation. She joined the staff of Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and serves as the national spokesperson for "Campaign for a Land Mine Free World."

There are an estimated 4-6 million land mines still buried in Cambodia, covering 50% of the country, and 80-90 million land mines in 70 countries around the world, killing an average of 200 people a month and creating more than 40,000 amputees.