tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37017036995263677862024-03-12T17:38:09.750-07:00Life in commute...from the Mekong Delta to the San Francisco Bay, between two worlds, and many stops along the way.Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-21020546814474782152022-03-09T22:03:00.025-08:002022-03-16T22:13:36.570-07:00 Let me tell you about my mother...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: right;"><i>(It was quite a struggle for me to write this because I had to relive my mother's traumatic past. It has been nearly 3 years since I last saw her in person, thanks to the pandemic, which has worsened her health conditions. </i></span><i style="text-align: right;">I will get to see her 1st week of April. </i><i style="text-align: right;">I also hadn't written on this platform in a very long time. Forgot how to navigate the many functions -- old & new. I thank you for reading. Comments & feedback will be greatly appreciated.)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: right;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcWzSiHXBoM6Z37FdGdFygHuDiQiAoQPUSn38hBeZ6xOy35EtR6zOq4mSp70ukRlD1j4qK_IgRHGi8VFuihDh6PneMbq-G6FRcV-Gbe8lgx9RhK9hbXIfjTPbkkliMLQx9Btq3gVMBOcwR1IPzrSltcgoFcchLzRYM5XX3gaWFfn6JWjehl1yX9y2M=s960" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="960" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcWzSiHXBoM6Z37FdGdFygHuDiQiAoQPUSn38hBeZ6xOy35EtR6zOq4mSp70ukRlD1j4qK_IgRHGi8VFuihDh6PneMbq-G6FRcV-Gbe8lgx9RhK9hbXIfjTPbkkliMLQx9Btq3gVMBOcwR1IPzrSltcgoFcchLzRYM5XX3gaWFfn6JWjehl1yX9y2M=w346-h214" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span>This was taken in 2016.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>Nearly everything about me, whom I've become has </span><span>been<span> s</span>haped </span><span>by my seventy-nine years old </span><span><span>mo</span></span><span>ther -- who </span><span>she </span><span>was and what she had</span><span> </span><span>experienced. I </span><span>think about her </span><span>nearly every waking hour. </span></div></span></div></span></div></div><p></p><p>The lead up to Lunar New Year is the most difficult time of year for me, this year was even more so. For Vietnamese, the Lunar New Year, known as <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Tết, is </span></span>Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year all rolled into one. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDlvRKN43XCC9rf-VPTdw9zazrMsuYSuuzKgALvg6Vw--cwCycuWKhcFDAWRPO93g5snR77o_p-mhLb5OlEnz1Ni7Z8smBMjRlLFU6Bf0u3cth8nqjRexZoly0Xu54ucLYKwetjBigjKNqc4QSzmz6QzfulOC_mpk8aQo5sBJOmzn5IKfD-uKF3qB0=s2016" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDlvRKN43XCC9rf-VPTdw9zazrMsuYSuuzKgALvg6Vw--cwCycuWKhcFDAWRPO93g5snR77o_p-mhLb5OlEnz1Ni7Z8smBMjRlLFU6Bf0u3cth8nqjRexZoly0Xu54ucLYKwetjBigjKNqc4QSzmz6QzfulOC_mpk8aQo5sBJOmzn5IKfD-uKF3qB0=w356-h253" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span>This was on my 1st trip back to Vietnam in 1992. <br />My three siblings were barely out of their teens, which was framed and <br />prominently hung in my parents' home.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibISQh6zmoB0Mj0ErE_IaKgUKZr8EmXmfV8vLn6WBeTjGnJLzMOAQPCXEunjHyguHj7gmLHj_VDCJO12tQ-dXv_0m51JQ1CgYsyO37eeGo7uSPwBYqbWzRLZE9BzlqCSfdcUcoT1JtFDxzQ3Sc8eFtyqH-97_rC5Mx7TgTlbFeZLWDZKojLw2grK27=s1408" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1408" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibISQh6zmoB0Mj0ErE_IaKgUKZr8EmXmfV8vLn6WBeTjGnJLzMOAQPCXEunjHyguHj7gmLHj_VDCJO12tQ-dXv_0m51JQ1CgYsyO37eeGo7uSPwBYqbWzRLZE9BzlqCSfdcUcoT1JtFDxzQ3Sc8eFtyqH-97_rC5Mx7TgTlbFeZLWDZKojLw2grK27=w372-h223" width="372" /></a></div><span>On this same trip I got to meet most the cousins who were not yet born when I left in 1979.<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It's the one family gathering that I've been dreaming of for forty-three years. That's how long I've been separated from my family -- father, mother, and three younger siblings, one brother and two sisters. Life in America is as such that you have money, but not the time, or time, but not money. You rarely have both.<p></p><p>I now regret for not havin<span></span>g set everything aside to be there with my family during Lunar New Year, especially my mother, at least once. I visited Vietnam last in 2019 and already noticed her rapidly declining health, including what seemed like onset dementia. I had planned to be there again in 2020, but only to have the coronavirus get in the way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuO3zGyGL08ncdDNrBzpTWbO30v-fBGGlIHAYnvDYUtJ4-JJrbVxWh4txTOkPMXGHt8g8HAmZwILbdZCN42bhTVx_y-MWhoTdRuXv5usDlgNpfkTmxxImbIHsWwDmRFozWloWw3R4UM1ockmZE9KZsy5DXWOZI864M_Yvy65mlEBXA9JBrAD2ZbVxG=s960" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="960" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuO3zGyGL08ncdDNrBzpTWbO30v-fBGGlIHAYnvDYUtJ4-JJrbVxWh4txTOkPMXGHt8g8HAmZwILbdZCN42bhTVx_y-MWhoTdRuXv5usDlgNpfkTmxxImbIHsWwDmRFozWloWw3R4UM1ockmZE9KZsy5DXWOZI864M_Yvy65mlEBXA9JBrAD2ZbVxG=w393-h220" width="393" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">I'm the oldest, next is my brother, 2 years younger, my mother, my youngest sister, then the 2nd sister.</i></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlkiNkvFyCXTx2udnQQhAELfZhP9xustPZPrV1yPsF4dUntuyqd3k5izqE2x9kFf0bSh4FPDcGLGaTt1AG6BvNWIz3YZqgYhzJ7cKUKA36OR766yEr57YkJ-y7IjGu1dPU8vkQSWfEy3T8RWdZCYg4TX7a-b5mX2CqUPNu9sVP_U8Q31T0xxTrTcDi=s3575" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2819" data-original-width="3575" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlkiNkvFyCXTx2udnQQhAELfZhP9xustPZPrV1yPsF4dUntuyqd3k5izqE2x9kFf0bSh4FPDcGLGaTt1AG6BvNWIz3YZqgYhzJ7cKUKA36OR766yEr57YkJ-y7IjGu1dPU8vkQSWfEy3T8RWdZCYg4TX7a-b5mX2CqUPNu9sVP_U8Q31T0xxTrTcDi=w395-h252" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i>These two photos were taken on my last trip in 2019.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>As the pandemic drags on, my mother's health, as well as my father's, seems to have worsened. I shared my fear in an op-ed written for work on the <a href="http://eltecolote.org/content/en/to-vaccinate-our-most-vulnerable-it-will-take-a-village/">state's vaccination campaign</a>. In recent weeks, my youngest sister relays that my mother has begun to speak of me as if I were there. She speaks of me being in her dreams nightly. As for my father, I had to rush back to Vietnam in 2019 because he had suffered a series of minor strokes. They, like the elderly everywhere, have suffered the most in the last two years. I had hoped to visit them again in the fall of 2020 when I would have finished with the 2020 Census, which was scheduled to end in July, 2020.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg04GDXp2k0XgLun2kPTkRCqbpAfTqZyoHnhrPhYj70vX1wttyqjArKJhJmU67otCbNy4Xua5TEvlaQKLAw2mWmNBbyIhCKm9OjJBJWh7V9RF2PLGHK6levEA0FSSE7Jjz7nP9sRP7HAb8NAk1DTiXhmRyljNeEABUUqymmjCSZC0_adAJbqccZHaTO=s810" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="810" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg04GDXp2k0XgLun2kPTkRCqbpAfTqZyoHnhrPhYj70vX1wttyqjArKJhJmU67otCbNy4Xua5TEvlaQKLAw2mWmNBbyIhCKm9OjJBJWh7V9RF2PLGHK6levEA0FSSE7Jjz7nP9sRP7HAb8NAk1DTiXhmRyljNeEABUUqymmjCSZC0_adAJbqccZHaTO=w362-h233" width="362" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i>With my youngest sister and my mother in December 2009, right before the <br />three busiest months of the US decennial census, which takes place on April 1 during the tenth year of the decade. I also took a similar trip in 1999, and did likewise in 2019. I worked on the 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/01/21/1074977884/thich-nhat-hanh-dead">Thích Nhất Hạnh's</a> passing on January 22, ten days before the beginning of </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Tết, sent me on an unexpected learning journey. My knowledge of him and his teachings were cursory at best, so I decided to learn more about him, reading and watching online copiously, in both English and Vietnamese. (Will share my reflection on what I've learned about him in another post.) </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">For the next few days I read everything about <span style="color: #202122;">Thích Nhất Hạnh I could find on the internet. The more I read, the more I wanted to know about him and his life. One particular video, a 26-minute long talk at Plum Village on 2014 Lunar New Year's eve. The talk itself is essentially about ancestral worship practices that all Vietnamese observe during Lunar New Year, but the words he used hit me hard, had me in tears as I watched it.</span></span></p><p>He begins the talk with "As we all know, trees have roots, rivers have headwaters (the original source), and people have ancestors... a person who's not connected to his roots, cut off from his ancestors cannot be a happy person." Oh, how much I wish I could be with family, my mother as I was listening to these words.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="286" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GaL15mr3U_c" width="344" youtube-src-id="GaL15mr3U_c"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Here's <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; text-align: left;">Thích Nhất Hạnh speaking to his Vietnamese follower about the meaning of reconnecting </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; text-align: left;">with one's roots during Lunar New Year, and acknowledging one's mother. I'd love to find out if this video has English captions. It has me crying every time I watch it.</span></i></span></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122;">Who I am is firmly rooted in how I was brought up. My Vietnamese roots are not in question, but according to </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Thích Nhất Hạnh, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Tết is an occasion to reconnect with and reaffirm one's roots, pay respect to one's ancestors, and acknowledge one's mother. Mother, the person who gives you life, to him is the source of your happiness. Happiness is not an individual's attainment independent of or without your mother also being happy. If your mother is suffering, so are you, and vice versa. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122;">I then learned that the most emotionally-charged Vietnamese ballad about a mother's love was based on a poem written by no other than </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Thích Nhất Hạnh himself not long after he had lost his own mother. It's a song enumerating the many ways a mother shows her love for her child. It also urges those whose mothers are still alive to acknowledge their mothers for her love and suffering.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ffr9I_sdjY" width="376" youtube-src-id="1ffr9I_sdjY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Two young Buddhist monks singing "A Rose for Your Lapel/Pocket".</i></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="241" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6f0TcEP3iuc" width="376" youtube-src-id="6f0TcEP3iuc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Here he is providing the back story and meaning of his prose poem that was set to music, and went on to become the most powerful ballad about a mother's love in Vietnamese popular culture. </i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Would love to see English (and other languages) caption for this interview, and the song.</i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: justify;">"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f2526; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: left;">Mother is a boundless source of love, an inexhaustible treasure. But unfortunately, we sometimes forget. A mother is the most beautiful gift life offers us. Those of you who still have your mother near, please don't wait for her death to say, "My God, I have lived beside my mother all these years without ever looking closely at her." <a href="https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/blog/2018/5/9/a-rose-for-your-pocket">Read more here.</a></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>A Chinese Merchant's Daughter</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Realizing that my mother would soon be suffering from dementia due her frequent memory lapses quite early on, I decided to find out more about her childhood and upbringing every time I visited Vietnam the past few years. She had also experienced quite a few traumatic episodes in her life, including my leaving Vietnam without her knowing. Based on my own recollections from as early as five years old and the many conversations I've had with her older sister, below is a snapshot of who my mother was, up until now. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Born into an ethnic Chinese merchant family in a predominantly ethnic Khmer/Cambodian Mekong town in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kiên Giang Province, m</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">y mother is Teochew on her father's side and Hainanese on her mother's side. In southern Vietnam, more so in the Mekong Delta region, certain privileges were (still are) afforded ethnic Chinese regardless of wealth. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Up to 80% of privately-owned business and enterprises were in the hand of the Chinese even though they made up less than 6% of an estimated forty five million people that made up South Vietnam in 1970.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Chinese ethnicity has been a class onto itself. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLnd1wZIOjMcfGFzKJUPBQQLD-_KbFeh306Gz-ekL6bt4bwpD0RcrwKEt0tc1Qe8IkaITQRre68PuXnlWC6AnNMf_Zq8FCuEgrMop8t5Kuhw1DTHt8eK9TCACuqHB9VCglfBveoxImgJLGbY7KZyUoikcZfee1VS_8MTF90RGtnhJUnUw9AWgN4MdH=s1712" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLnd1wZIOjMcfGFzKJUPBQQLD-_KbFeh306Gz-ekL6bt4bwpD0RcrwKEt0tc1Qe8IkaITQRre68PuXnlWC6AnNMf_Zq8FCuEgrMop8t5Kuhw1DTHt8eK9TCACuqHB9VCglfBveoxImgJLGbY7KZyUoikcZfee1VS_8MTF90RGtnhJUnUw9AWgN4MdH=w374-h240" width="374" /></a></div><span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>One of only two photos I have of my maternal grandparents. Taken on my 1st trip back in 1992. My first sister standing over my grandmother. My father standing behind my grandfather. Aunt, my mother's older sister and her husband.</i></div></i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhME-I2iPwbKSHWaXIHiqW11hgBqz0h8CVlAkzSWD0UH38tIEzegy6nHyfEgPuZFAVoeU_N84IPHX4N8oieuPmVm2_SYI1XjPcIBN6atDKtNOjx5zyJ21-EdJqXw3787PrC1-T8Q3uhCHSYJYNrssKrlN866m54x-w5qpIvBYiyeF-gNgw7g7bYWK6i=s3840" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhME-I2iPwbKSHWaXIHiqW11hgBqz0h8CVlAkzSWD0UH38tIEzegy6nHyfEgPuZFAVoeU_N84IPHX4N8oieuPmVm2_SYI1XjPcIBN6atDKtNOjx5zyJ21-EdJqXw3787PrC1-T8Q3uhCHSYJYNrssKrlN866m54x-w5qpIvBYiyeF-gNgw7g7bYWK6i=w360-h223" width="360" /></a></span></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My aunt is in much better shape despite being two years older than my mother. This was taken in 2019.</i></div></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">My mother's father -- among the many aunts and uncles -- owned a lumberyard and sawmill, then later on a fleet of intercity buses and freight hauling trucks. </span></p><p>When she was thirteen years old, her mother, my maternal grandmother, answered her "calling," entered a Buddhist monastery, heaving behind two teenage daughters and a six years old son. My mother, together with her older sister and their brother were brought up by a nanny after that. </p><p>My grandmother eventually became a well-respected and influential religious figure, but she always seemed to convey a sense of guilt for having abandoned her three children. A calling to be become a devout Buddhist may have been the result, but from what I had gathered, my grandmother suffered from the hardship of being a daughter-in-law as well as a series of miscarriages. Walking out on her family was perhaps the only solution to end her own suffering, and Buddhism offered her refuge.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhD-irVRrsf2fn8LvKXtQJwNJ7tZXZyVW3YqWtrkdqxL_sm2Jf5Q82jYownmrjkZDJQpYZlonf4FyZFxcZEZIucdQkfdQOdRk1myXZwP2vMCqKBTKjHBRJVKCctUyabf0lBjOE4fMh3kZ3MZE4ckjeyVri0AlMHJ4wwvXvgEtg_IrrfdnM1s7K1KwKn=s1609" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1609" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhD-irVRrsf2fn8LvKXtQJwNJ7tZXZyVW3YqWtrkdqxL_sm2Jf5Q82jYownmrjkZDJQpYZlonf4FyZFxcZEZIucdQkfdQOdRk1myXZwP2vMCqKBTKjHBRJVKCctUyabf0lBjOE4fMh3kZ3MZE4ckjeyVri0AlMHJ4wwvXvgEtg_IrrfdnM1s7K1KwKn=w263-h320" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>My maternal grandmother also suffered much in her life until she found refuge in Buddhism<span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></i></div><p>My grandmother was the reason I chose to study social work and to become a community organizer, taking a vow of poverty working in the nonprofit sector.</p><p>My mother's older sister some years later also walked out on her younger sister, my mother, and her little brother. My uncle, whom I adored, was tragically killed in an automobile accident when he just turned eighteen. My grandfather was behind the steering wheel. I was also on that bus, which nearly killed my youngest sister. We were on a our way to a holy site to celebrate the Buddha's birthday.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span>Opposite Sides of the Delta </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Chinese community in Vietnam, like in neighboring Southeast Asian countries, was (is still to a large degree) quite insular, having their own schools and hospitals, whose members stick together for protection and financial support. Most towns, big and small, have areas akin to Chinatown with rows of storefronts comprise of Chinese-owned businesses. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">My mother attended Chinese primary school, taught by Taiwanese teachers. She was a tomboy, excelling in basketball and sharpshooting, and had a knack for singing. Her love for popular Vietnamese ballads was what drew her to my father who was at that time working for my maternal grandfather as a clerk and accountant. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The oft-told story was that my father would sit outside on the balcony of his apartment above the sawmill drumming his guitar, playing those very sappy ballads that my mother couldn't get enough of. The dashing young man with quick wit and loud laughter had stolen the boss's daughter's heart. They were married soon afterwards.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU0QjkFTg62nYULYe0qvWS7UsvhsYyYFxo3TvHOYE-CKZL_1EWokL5aSqHslL7Dq4Ed40vzljrh1f2ukOf8REqC5yYlPQ8cuc6EFv0rTpC-ukw3RhCTQ_YnJPhT0BXbgOgsqQpX8yx17ab6AKgL3gw1gvB1EWhPZ56yQQw1sVMCtrmE2sQAeNEO3XO=s1596" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1596" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU0QjkFTg62nYULYe0qvWS7UsvhsYyYFxo3TvHOYE-CKZL_1EWokL5aSqHslL7Dq4Ed40vzljrh1f2ukOf8REqC5yYlPQ8cuc6EFv0rTpC-ukw3RhCTQ_YnJPhT0BXbgOgsqQpX8yx17ab6AKgL3gw1gvB1EWhPZ56yQQw1sVMCtrmE2sQAeNEO3XO=w362-h238" width="362" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This was taken in 2012 when both them were still in very good health.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My parents, though both native to the Mekong Delta, came from opposite sides of the southern Vietnam, geographically and culturally. He came from a large land-owning family in An Giang Province, along the Mekong River bank; whereas she came from a Chinese merchant family in the coastal <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kiên Giang Province -- freshwater met saltwater literally.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3EN-XTKMwpch8MJQyLSgTGw7dP20wbmK59ojOVrIBP2e38S0ii9orNbrAVk4SzOEqHYYs6voXqMUVBOsrKEEW0aOFUe14NjLnE0M851TP6n4WLVtrL_NYT2fB9KziB4OcwhjbAyDxSu-Nem35m0e9VyOc9O8vEO3H5Ws9z6PtX6xXaXiHr7ymdWWP=s699" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="626" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3EN-XTKMwpch8MJQyLSgTGw7dP20wbmK59ojOVrIBP2e38S0ii9orNbrAVk4SzOEqHYYs6voXqMUVBOsrKEEW0aOFUe14NjLnE0M851TP6n4WLVtrL_NYT2fB9KziB4OcwhjbAyDxSu-Nem35m0e9VyOc9O8vEO3H5Ws9z6PtX6xXaXiHr7ymdWWP=w362-h274" width="362" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>My father came from <span style="color: black; text-align: left;">Vĩnh Hòa, about a km from the Cambodian border, part of </span><span style="color: black; text-align: left;">Tân Châu, where I was born. My mother came from </span><span style="text-align: start;">Rạch Giá, a city on the Gulf of Thailand, but also borders Cambodia. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_Delta">Many aspects of life in this region have been influenced by Khmer culture</a>, similar to Mexican/Latino culture in Texas, Arizona and California.</span></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Life in Wartime</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Soon after my parents were married, like all young men who graduated high school at the time, my father was called up to attend <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%E1%BB%A7_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c_Military_Academy">Thủ Đức Military Academy</a>/</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Trường Sĩ Quan Trừ bị Thủ Đức, joining the Signal Corps. My mother remained with her family while my father was at the academy for two years.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Upon graduation, with the rank of lieutenant, my father was assigned to </span><span style="background-color: white;">Tân Châu, a county-level town on the Mekong River bordering Cambodia, not far from where he came from and where I was born.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> His job was essentially to monitor radio communications among undercover communist guerillas, particularly the to and fro traffic between Vietnam and Cambodia.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">From my earliest recollections, things were not all well with our family, especially for my mother. She was not prepared for the role of a homemaker, and particularly a </span><span style="color: #202122;">subserviently</span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"> daughter-in-law.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">During that period in the former South Vietnam or Republic of Vietnam, men with governmental power, especially military rank, were either corrupt, enriching themselves and their family or allowing themselves to be wined and dined. My father was the latter. Every week he was either feted by someone who were trying to curry favor with him or they showed up at our house with all kinds of delicacies and treats for my mother and me. My mother often had to cook elaborate meals for my father and his "friends," which she was not good at nor too happy about it.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">Instead of being corrupt, bringing money home, my father spent most of his earnings on treating others. We were poor compared to my father's colleagues, a point of contention that often led to arguments between my parents.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another aspect of life in wartime, in that society was extramarital affairs that most men in power seemed to engage in, and my father was no exception. An ugly </span>byproduct<span style="font-family: inherit;">, which often involved violence, called </span></span></span><span style="color: #202122;">đánh ghen, which is literally translated as "jealousy fight". These jealousy fights often were carried out by goons hired by the "official" or 1st wife of the philandering husband warning the mistress to stay away from her husband. One horrendous act often took place was the use of battery acid thrown in the mistress' face, causing disfigurement, which led to suicide.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;">My father was known to have been carrying on with another woman and may have had a child or two with her. This woman also happened to own a bar frequented by men of power in town. Seemed my mother may have confronted this woman on more than one occasion. One night someone came to our house to tell my mother that my father was meeting up with this woman at so and so place. In a jealous rage, my mother asked a neighbor to watch after my brother and me, while she set out to catch my father "in the act with this woman". </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;">It was a set up. In a dark alley on the way to said location, my mother was slashed in the back with a kitchen knife. Luckily the cut was not deep enough to cause life-threatening damage and that the hospital was nearby where passerby brought her quickly to get stitched up. The hospital knew who my father was and called for him. She came home the next day with a six-inch gash on her back, near the should blade and a blood-soaked blouse that she kept to remind my father for over ten years, until it was eaten up by termites.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;">To atone for his misdeed, my father resigned from his post and requested a transfer to the Mekong Delta regional military headquarters in </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Cần Thơ, known as the Fourth Corps where he stationed until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. My mother decided to move back to the house where she grew up in, now with the Buddhist temple her mother had founded next door. By the this time I had a second sibling, a sister.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8QngWDhfTlKkn_TuiRUDqer1oqxl5a4POccES4LDj45Pkm5Yobb7pSGpkE1IVOLTkda2WVC6t5Q9TZfFujkvbn0eD66nOOT_CwfQypzHpUzMEfVpafwzTA9v0cBclYrxFbWbHVVPLfSyrVoFWAN6hLnRCQuEQZuZafS2wosbINLO6KOW6r67VxpVB=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8QngWDhfTlKkn_TuiRUDqer1oqxl5a4POccES4LDj45Pkm5Yobb7pSGpkE1IVOLTkda2WVC6t5Q9TZfFujkvbn0eD66nOOT_CwfQypzHpUzMEfVpafwzTA9v0cBclYrxFbWbHVVPLfSyrVoFWAN6hLnRCQuEQZuZafS2wosbINLO6KOW6r67VxpVB=w389-h226" width="389" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The house my mother grew up in is the left with my grandmother's Buddhist temple to the right. I spent part of my childhood eating meat and fish for lunch, then strict vegetarian meals for dinner in the temple next door. </span></i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We visited my father at his new post a few times, </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">six grueling hours on woeful public transportation.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I remember my mother struggling with three young children in tow -- no baby stroller, no suitcases with wheels. It was sheer superhuman </span><span style="background-color: white;">strength</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> called maternal instincts and a mother's love. She gave up on him, grumbling that she no longer cared if he took up with another woman.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>An Outspoken Outsider</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While my father was stationed in </span><span style="background-color: white;">Cần Thơ, we, by now four of us -- two boys and two girls -- would go visit my paternal grandparents on a regular basis, especially during the summer break. These times were the best part of my childhood -- fishing, catching crickets and dragonflies, picking and steaming fresh corn, fresh off the field sugarcane, fresh fruit everywhere, and best of all, lots and lots of cousins to play with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">My father came from a family of ten children, and he was the fifth child. Furthermore, his own father, my paternal grandfather was the youngest of eleven children. I was related to nearly everyone in a thirty-kilometer radius. The two villages bordering Cambodia, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Vĩnh Xương and </span><span style="background-color: white;">Vĩnh Hòa, were essentially the ancestral land of the </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lê Clan. Everyone knew who he was.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigEG9hwsBY263VAr8BCretH1vWoN6MkUlKAq4nrJRxNi1t1DlHSy5y-Lxfux3a7j4qQLfNPOlxA8voKPp8P_GkmxGSY_Iqaaao3PSZqeqI7q83K4vDchI0vWxG8MPp6Sw0Fm3sh1hpYl03vJvZxBKjwbSnKMV5Kr7sYE47OUPuwemdw-0EyCxEE_ph=s1587" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1587" data-original-width="1147" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigEG9hwsBY263VAr8BCretH1vWoN6MkUlKAq4nrJRxNi1t1DlHSy5y-Lxfux3a7j4qQLfNPOlxA8voKPp8P_GkmxGSY_Iqaaao3PSZqeqI7q83K4vDchI0vWxG8MPp6Sw0Fm3sh1hpYl03vJvZxBKjwbSnKMV5Kr7sYE47OUPuwemdw-0EyCxEE_ph=w296-h332" width="296" /></a></div><span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My father and his two younger brothers. All three served in South Vietnamese military, and all three spent a few years each in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re-education_camp_(Vietnam)">hard labor camp</a> for being on the losing side of the Vietnam War.</i></div></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">The respect and deference conferred upon the </span><span style="background-color: white;">Lê Clan were primarily due to my grandfather's status among the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hòa</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hảo followers and that he was a mandarin scholar, one who could read and write </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%E1%BB%AF_N%C3%B4m">Nôm</a>, the pre-Latinized Vietnamese language based on Chinese characters -- Sino-Vietnamese. He was self taught.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My mother was a novelty of sort because she was the only Chinese, and not native to An Giang province, among the </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Lês. Even though native to Vietnam, the 4th generation born in Vietnam, she was treated to some degree like a foreigner. Vietnamese and Chinese often see each other through stereotypical lens, even today, despite how much we have in common, more than we want to admit. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">My paternal grandfather never seemed to warm up to my mother. It was mostly had to do with my mother's uncharacteristically outgoing personality, unlike his other daughters-in-law. Perhaps it was also she could read Chinese characters better than he, which could minizine the mystic of his being a mandarin scholar. He was also a very strict and fastidious man, particularly towards the rambunctious grandchildren. I don't recall he ever talked to me, or nearly all of my cousins, for that matter. He epitomized the patriarchal head of a family. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">In addition to being the birthplace of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B2a_H%E1%BA%A3o"><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hòa</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></a><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B2a_H%E1%BA%A3o">Hảo</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Tân Châu was (and still is), its stronghold, but up to the Fall of Saigon in 1975, it was akin to state religion in the area. One of its unique characteristics was the reading of its founder's purported teaching broadcast via loudspeakers from a steeple-like structure. It was similar to the Islamic call to prayers. The readings had a sing-song quality to it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">For whatever reason, my mother took to it like a duck to water despite not knowing anything about </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hòa</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hảo or its founder's, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BB%B3nh_Ph%C3%BA_S%E1%BB%95">Huỳnh Phú Sổ</a>, teachings. Eventually my mother became the voice of these readings over the town's loudspeakers to the dismay and disapproval of her father-in-law. She was told that it was unbecoming for a </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Lê's daughter-in-law, particularly one that was not a </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hòa</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">Hảo follower. However, my grandfather conveyed his disapproval indirectly through his wife, my paternal grandmother, who adored my mother.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwhpNFzUgEWdJUzVhXqE8qNKk5AwhBe7qKjZoU2cD888KIzRCxYUeNPcUM94bbt5jH2xMYYI_xFzvZHsT6Nj0MguusvvimrRyDGXHApzGoIhulps7S49LRYni7j9_fDMwjaeZcm6LVq6Lh6hGeXZd8C5iqpe8KSJUH4Lc8YQ9Y35bIkR_FsGbxiVoe=s1703" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1089" data-original-width="1703" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwhpNFzUgEWdJUzVhXqE8qNKk5AwhBe7qKjZoU2cD888KIzRCxYUeNPcUM94bbt5jH2xMYYI_xFzvZHsT6Nj0MguusvvimrRyDGXHApzGoIhulps7S49LRYni7j9_fDMwjaeZcm6LVq6Lh6hGeXZd8C5iqpe8KSJUH4Lc8YQ9Y35bIkR_FsGbxiVoe=w349-h227" width="349" /></a></div><span><i><div style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"><i>My paternal grandmother (center) taken on my 1992 or 1993 trip. She adored my mother. </i></div></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><i>It's incredible that she gave birth to ten (10!) children.</i></span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;">In many ways, I've taken after my mother, who learned how to live among strangers, adapted and blended in but never lost sight of who she truly was. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Fighting Stopped, But Not the Suffering</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">From 1964 to 1975, my mother was essentially a single mom, bringing the four of us up while my father serving in the South Vietnamese military's Signal Corps. Other than being the wife and children of a relatively influential man, we benefited very little from my father's position. We were recognized, received more attentive care from the local hospital's staff. My father's friends and colleagues came bearing gifts and treats whenever they came over. That was pretty much it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">The war, and its end particularly, wasn't kind to my mother. She gave birth to her last child, a son, in 1976, right after the end of the Vietnam War, during the height of privation and persecution against individuals where were part of the old regime and their families. Birthing complications occurred, a C-section was performed, but it was done without general </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">anesthetics</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> or sedatives. All competent and trained medical staff in former South Vietnam were either sent off hard labor camps, had escaped from Vietnam or had been relieved of their duties. Those who took over these duties were mostly former National Liberation Front (communist guerillas in the the south) medics who performed meatball surgeries in the jungle during the war. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">It was either the hospital didn't have </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">anesthetics</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> or sedatives </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"> to offer or that because my mother was the wife of a former regime's officer. We suspected it was both.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">An aunt who accompanied my mother to the hospital reported that my mother was screaming throughout the procedure and afterwards, begging for pain killers to no avail. The poorly performed surgery led to infections, requiring reopening of the not-yet healed wound to remove the abscess. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">This child whose birth caused her so much pain and suffering did not live to see his first birthday. My youngest brother needlessly died o<span style="font-family: inherit;">f </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hemorrhagic fever thanks to lack of medical care and medicines.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">A few years later, during the height of the war between Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge-controlled Cambodia, I was sent off to join my father on a boat building venture, which was essentially a clandestine operation to smuggle refugees out of Vietnam by boat. I would haver been drafted to fight in Cambodia, had I stayed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">To avoid arousing suspicion, risking imprisonment, the boat my father and his brothers were constructing was masqueraded as a river-going long-distance transport. Family members and relatives those involved were kept in the dark. No loose lips. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">In May 1979, I, along with 303 others, left Vietnam on a moonless night, aiming for the South China Sea full throttle, not know whether we would make it the other side. Thankfully we did, but with the help of an oil tanker belong to the Getty Oil Company of California.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">My mother did not know her son had escaped from Vietnam, whether he was still alive, not until 12 years later. I was told that she cried nearly everyday for all that time I was gone, often dreaming that I had come back to her... alive.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">She survived the war and its aftermath, but with a six-inch gash on her back, a mutilated mutilated tummy, and perhaps a permanently damaged her mind that has led to dementia and a whole host of other chronic conditions. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>A Free Spirit</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">It seemed my mother never lost her tomboy's spirit and personality. She was goofy, silly, outspoken, stubborn, prone to start singing along to songs being played on the radio or audio cassette players.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cJnQlSgacjo" width="369" youtube-src-id="cJnQlSgacjo"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This was (still is) my mother's favorite album by <span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Thanh Tuyền, and it has also become my favorite. I have had the same recording, leased in the late 1960s. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I listen to these songs nearly everyday for the past 40 years.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The house where my other shared with her older sister and their baby brother was festooned with posters of popular Vietnamese pop singers at the time. My uncle, who was sixteen, seventeen at the time, like teenagers everywhere, was obsessed with the pop idols. I was only seven or eight, but I knew all these singers by names -- <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Băng Châu, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Duy Khánh, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Giao Linh, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Nhật Trường, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Phương Hồng Quế, among others. My uncle had also bought a reel-to-reel player, allowing my mother to sing along to the music playing. Her favorite was, and remains to this day, is </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanh Tuyền, who has also become my fave. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanh Tuyền, at 74, still sounds like she was in those days, even more seductive, I must say.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7LCwAwTY9rI" width="366" youtube-src-id="7LCwAwTY9rI"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And here is </i></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span>Thanh Tuyền last year, aged 74... an unbelievable set of pipes!</span></i></span></div></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I may not have been born a ham, but I certainly began rehearsing to be one as early as four or five years. By that time television broadcast in South Vietnam had begun to show Vietnamese soap operas and southern musical theater, a variation of Chinese opera. There was also radio and theater troupes that played on makeship stages in on Buddhist temple grounds outdoor markets at night, as well as soccer fields. I was hooked on their theatrics.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I was asked to entertain family members, acting out the characters I had seen or heard, often standing on tabletop. My maternal grandmother was most entertained by my antics, and I was happy to oblige.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">The fondest memory I have of my mother showcasing her vocal chops was when the two of us alone working in the field on going to the market to sell our produce.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">After 1975, to get away from the prying eyes of the new regime, we moved to an isolated newly created farmland quaintly called "new economic zone" in those days. The soil was not that fertile, swamped with mosquitos and infested with leeches, rats and snakes, but we had to survive. Barely. We eked out a living growing watermelons, bananas, sugarcane, chili peppers, squashes, sweet potatoes, catching fish and crabs, raising chickens and pigs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">Being the oldest, I had to help on the farm, often working along my mother's side from dusk to dawn. In those moments my mother would often sing out loud to pass the time and to forget the backbreaking work. During vegetable crops, she and I would get up at four, five in the morning to bring our crops, chickens and/or their eggs to the Sunday market to sell once twice a month. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">Again, it was backbreaking work paddling a canoe to the market three hours away, often against strong currents. My mother would be singing the whole way to keep herself awake. I love those moments with her. They are still vivid in my mind.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I did want become an entertainer of sort, at least learn how to sing or act, but alas the war put a stop to a boy's dream. Not sure what would have become of me had I not left home at the age of fourteen. There are a many things about me that I attribute to my father -- a love for books and news, geopolitics and history, and a curiosity about the world. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">In second grade my father would pick me up from school on his bicycle on his way home from work for lunch. We would stop by the local post office to pick up the newspapers and magazines that he subscribed. He would read the stories to me while waiting for my mother to make lunch. Then every evening after dinner he would tune into either Voice of America or the BBC on his shortwave radio, with me sitting in his lap. My earliest window to the world was the shortwave radio.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYX5qK5SraYEn-CjSZUAjq2CSB9FK0Zs5W5kXKKkRB2BYYrE6GCS7ZB1J13f-VtyKkwMKWtmAhyfGoPWWyfONIHsBS9Snv7xrsgelrWrFM_Twi9eRNTwuJFFagmbOAJ3Ou3AlIpkOwsSzMPz7-Mt-bQNMhmYOsDp6FMCgeUuhsWp8zQ6pxPvestUEf=s3485" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3485" data-original-width="2744" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYX5qK5SraYEn-CjSZUAjq2CSB9FK0Zs5W5kXKKkRB2BYYrE6GCS7ZB1J13f-VtyKkwMKWtmAhyfGoPWWyfONIHsBS9Snv7xrsgelrWrFM_Twi9eRNTwuJFFagmbOAJ3Ou3AlIpkOwsSzMPz7-Mt-bQNMhmYOsDp6FMCgeUuhsWp8zQ6pxPvestUEf=w311-h320" width="311" /></a></div><i><span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span>My father in 2019, trying to regain his strength and to stay fit after a series of mini strokes.</span></i></div></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">My father would often quiz me the names of capital of different countries around the world, their leaders' names and which continents those countries were on. We listened to the spectators' roar after </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Pelé scoring the first goal that led to Brazil winning the 1970 World Cup. And of course, I and all other boys around the world wanted to be </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pelé, practicing his famous </span>bicycle kick<span style="font-family: inherit;">. Instead of a football, I had to make do with a dry coconut.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">The biggest dream yet for a little boy in a small Vietnam's Mekong Delta was to become an astronaut, or </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">phi hành gia in Vietnamese, thanks to the Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's </span>moon landing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the Apollo 11 in 1969 that my father and I were listening to on Voice of America. Of course I had no idea what becoming an </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">astronaut would entail, but the shortwave radio shortened the distance between where I was and where NASA was.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I see both my mother and father in me as I get older, but who my mother was, what she went through and how she carried herself have shaped me into who I am today, more so than my father. Where I belong or do not belong, my identity of being neither here nor there -- Chinese and/or Vietnamese -- but seemingly both -- it's all my mother.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMox7z7u3JsjNq24n407YGDGbki4kvh8-iQ3gFMi14jm_ZGrfZFifa3jt1GwYWs4I5LCirP-D4-5zt5SNGz0PdSK35vjnDo3UWGaf4vPgA9LQhdIk8elkmGBVFCw9dcDrjPNpjbzOuDFXXX8-JVx2s5hlurvQncNf0EgYds0WhKJbAyTyuTRs8pLco=s3863" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3863" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMox7z7u3JsjNq24n407YGDGbki4kvh8-iQ3gFMi14jm_ZGrfZFifa3jt1GwYWs4I5LCirP-D4-5zt5SNGz0PdSK35vjnDo3UWGaf4vPgA9LQhdIk8elkmGBVFCw9dcDrjPNpjbzOuDFXXX8-JVx2s5hlurvQncNf0EgYds0WhKJbAyTyuTRs8pLco=w373-h268" width="373" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My father and his immediate younger brother. The strokes had caused his mouth to be crooked. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><i>He has difficulty chewing ever since.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I love music, nearly everyday still listening to the same songs that my mother sang to me while we were working in the field or paddling our produce to the market at four am in the morning. I've learned to blend in, to find a place to be who I truly am for the past forty-three years. My mother has been my role model.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I last saw her in 2019 and had planned to see her again in August or September 2020 when I'd have done with the 2020 Census had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic. My worst fear about her health may have come true the past two years, which I had written about. Her memory lapses presented themselves quite early on and I knew that it would be just a matter of time she would suffer from dementia.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">In recent weeks my youngest sister has relayed that my mother would often say that she saw me in her dreams and that she would speak of me as if I were there in Vietnam. When we speak via Facebook, she'd often lose her train of thought, forgetting or repeating what she was saying.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I'll be seeing her for one week in April, all the time I can afford to take off. Tickets were a bit difficult to come by and the COVID-19 restrictions and guidance are still somewhat not entirely clear, but I can't wait. I need to see her as soon as I can, before she forgets who I am.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUDZ3fMfriEbvJg3HMkW7zUXJ8pESmb_O6K_Sexwg3HttTv0HggOrBOBCWvpEFYOzxhuaOgG8nQ2Vn-D7laNGfbuxuYFPZ-JOBGskW1w2HXX8te-OGokwUY-19apVE-gLIEeDpSn2Sn8oiost6jzXQtPPD-wqvoOoXxtSNtnhtNorokHmUAHTTNSwl=s1767" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1767" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUDZ3fMfriEbvJg3HMkW7zUXJ8pESmb_O6K_Sexwg3HttTv0HggOrBOBCWvpEFYOzxhuaOgG8nQ2Vn-D7laNGfbuxuYFPZ-JOBGskW1w2HXX8te-OGokwUY-19apVE-gLIEeDpSn2Sn8oiost6jzXQtPPD-wqvoOoXxtSNtnhtNorokHmUAHTTNSwl=w348-h202" width="348" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span>I came to America with the shirt, a 1979 Lunar New Year<a href="https://medium.com/@sonnylebythebay/a-gift-from-my-mother-f09db49d425b"> gift from my mother.</a> The right father was taken a few days after I had arrived at the Singapore refugee camp, after having cheated death on the high seas. </span></i><i><span>I will take that shirt back to Vietnam for my mother to see at the end of this month.</span></i></div></i><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-48471505309955404482017-10-16T22:18:00.004-07:002017-10-17T21:05:48.885-07:00Seduced By Fame, I Too Once Aspired To Be An Actor<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">HOLLYWOOD CALLING</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My first brush with Hollywood’s power & fame came in 1991. One day the receptionist ran into my office & said "someone from Hollywood wants to talk to you." At the time, I was working with at-risk Southeast Asian refugee youth & their families, as well as coordinating special events & communications at a nonprofit in San Francisco Tenderloin District.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was thinking, "Well, I've been taking acting classes at the Asian American Theater Company & San Francisco State University's theater arts department. I haven't gone on auditions, but Hollywood's ALREADY calling? Nah!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Turned out it was a representative of casting directors, two white women, who were working on Oliver Stone's upcoming movie, a biopic based on Le Ly Hayslip's "When Heaven & Earth Changed Places," the last of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, after Platoon & Born on the Fourth of July.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VApjRfnflHc/WeWNrlth17I/AAAAAAAAti4/H_SUXgIWyrI38-SQ2OEjbeRcCuWCLYdgQCLcBGAs/s1600/220px-Heaven_%2526_Earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VApjRfnflHc/WeWNrlth17I/AAAAAAAAti4/H_SUXgIWyrI38-SQ2OEjbeRcCuWCLYdgQCLcBGAs/s320/220px-Heaven_%2526_Earth.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Heaven & Earth movie poster </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They were looking for someone to help coordinate local casting calls, also known as open auditions or ‘cattle calls,’ in search of both actors & non-actors for about a dozen speaking roles in the film. The job would include securing venues to hold the events in San Francisco & San Jose, as well as outreach to the local acting & Vietnamese communities. In lieu of paying me & in exchange for using my workplace's space for the auditions, a donation was made to my employer, a Southeast Asian refugee resettlement services provider.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MORE THAN FOUR THOUSAND men, women, children, both actors, non-actors, showed up for three days of casting, Friday & Saturday in San Francisco & Sunday in San Jose. Nearly every local Asian American actor showed up, as well as who was who in the Vietnamese American community (artists, writers, performers, even some political leaders).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In addition to scaring up prospective actors for the film, I was put in charge of screening nearly all the non-actors. Even though my acting experience was limited to class exercises, improv & table readings, I ended up becoming a casting assistant right on the spot due to the overwhelming turnout.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the first day, I often served as the ‘sparring partner,’ reading lines from the script for those auditioning to act against. Everyone who passed my initial screening was ushered into a room with either one of the casting directors & me or another assistant, usually behind the video camera. They were told that their auditions were filmed for the “director, Mr. Oliver Stone, to review.” Oftentimes the tape wasn’t even running.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All it took was “Give me all you’ve got” or “Action!” & prospective actors lost all their inhibitions & fear. I was punched, pushed, as called for in the script, by my fame-seeking fellow Vietnamese. I was shocked by their ferocity, how serious some got. A few women even showed some flesh. The casting directors, with long credits to their names, were nonchalant about it while my face must have turned blood-red.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE SEDUCTION OF FAME</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fame is a drug, and just an illusion of it is enough for one to lose one's senses. In these vulnerable moments, I can see how powerful men – Hollywood directors & producers -- could easily take advantage of up & coming actors & those seeking parts in major Hollywood films.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DkcbciAoRTw/WeWPCU6cYAI/AAAAAAAAtjE/Ts-KPfLU1G4X3pSeVKWZhHYSI7R_xDp3wCEwYBhgL/s1600/LongNguyen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1080" height="222" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DkcbciAoRTw/WeWPCU6cYAI/AAAAAAAAtjE/Ts-KPfLU1G4X3pSeVKWZhHYSI7R_xDp3wCEwYBhgL/s320/LongNguyen.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Long Nguyen, artist & sculptor who ended up with a speaking role, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">with Heidi Levitt, the casting director.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">(San Francisco Chronicle, Nov 23, 1991)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the casting call moved to San Jose on the third day, I was confronted by another facet of my very own community that I had not seen before. Every who was who in Silicon Valley’s Vietnamese community showed up. Due to an overwhelming turn-out, people were seated in the auditorium of San Jose State University, where the auditions were held. Like in previous two days, I was responsible for screening most of the non-actors, i.e., those who showed up without headshots taken by professional photographers & acting resumes or portfolios.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the casting directors took one side of the auditorium, I on the other, while the other casting director setting up a makeshift auditioning space upstairs, where those who passed the initial screening were sent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we started interviewing, I noticed that more people were lining up to see the other casting director than seeing me. Moreover, those who ended up with me simply asked if they could wait for “bà Mỹ” or “American lady,” meaning the white woman. They did not want to be screened by me, probably assuming I had no authority because I was neither white nor “from Hollywood.” Quite a few notable community members – journalists, writers, former South Vietnam government’s high-ranking members -- asked to be seen by “director Oliver Stone.” They wanted Stone to tell their lives’ stories, like he was about to do with Le Ly Hayslip’s. They came with scrapbooks, old photographs; their lives neatly organized in binders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Annoyed, I loudly announced that Oliver Stone was NOT there & that we needed to keep the lines moving to ensure that everyone had a chance, adding, in Vietnamese, that they had a better chance with me than with the white lady. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I did eventually meet Oliver Stone a few months later, during the "call backs" with a handful of hopefuls, out of nearly 5,000, at The Ritz Carton Hotel in San Francisco. Our meeting was rather awkward. Needless to say, I haven’t seen any of his movies since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few months later I had a much better experience with Hollywood when I was asked to help with local casting for The Joy Luck Club, directed by Hong Kong-born director Wayne Wang, based on Amy Tan's novel of the same name. My experience with “white Hollywood” wasn’t that much better here either, even though Wang was so gracious & pleasant to work with.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lipGnoZwKc/WeWSV63TYTI/AAAAAAAAtjc/US7mOkP5ziErn1T8v0d6NIKqYQxm4170ACLcBGAs/s1600/Hollywood3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="1080" height="164" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lipGnoZwKc/WeWSV63TYTI/AAAAAAAAtjc/US7mOkP5ziErn1T8v0d6NIKqYQxm4170ACLcBGAs/s320/Hollywood3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">This may have been my 1st quotable soundbite, in English.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">(San Francisco Chronicle, Nov 23, 1991)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">However, thanks to this gig, I was able to go back to Vietnam to visit my family for the first time in nearly 12 years. I got paid on Thursday, bought my plane tickets on Saturday & off I went on Tuesday.</span></h2>
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-47492034073933071302015-09-03T22:49:00.005-07:002021-07-12T21:16:02.885-07:00Old Stomping Ground<div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><b>(I have a rather sad update to share, July 12, 2021.</b><b>)</b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Had my 1st brunch at a restaurant, indoor in 19 months on Saturday! Technically 2nd, the 1st was a lovely get-together with a good friend & her partner, but the setting was more like outdoor. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I went back to the Inn Kensington, which is located in an unincorporated area of the same name in Contra Costa County, nestling between the City of El Cerrito & Berkeley Hills. This was where I had my 1st paying job as a dishwasher so many, many years ago. Sadly I learned today that one of the women who gave me that job had passed away recently. Sharon Lazaneo & her surviving partner Jackie Karkazis taught me so much about life in America.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've often talked about how I've literally survived on the kindness & compassion of strangers ever since I left home at 14. Sharon & Jackie were among those strangers. Here's a blog post I wrote about the Inn Kensington a few years back (I've meant to write a longer tribute to them, but I'm now kicking myself for not going through with it).</div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="color: #141823;"><b>(Below is the original post I wrote in September 2015.)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823;">I recently went back to the restaurant where I had my 1st job in the US as a dishwasher 31 years ago for brunch today. The Inn Kensington (no lodging here) is located on a short strip that makes up the unincorporated community called</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington,_California"><span style="color: blue;"> Kensington</span></a><span style="color: #141823;">, which is up in the hills between El Cerrito and Berkeley.</span></div>
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This restaurant was a foodies' destination, kept secret by food writers who were regulars throughout the 80s and 90s. Many early California cuisine's luminaries worked here, trying out new and exotic, unheard of dishes in those days.</div>
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<span style="color: #141823;">It's known for scrumptious buttermilk biscuits and fluffy omelets, made the ways they're supposed to, and Mediterranean dishes with a California flair. </span><a href="http://www.aidells.com/our-way/aidells-story"><span style="color: blue;">Bruce Aidells</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> used to deliver his freshly-made sausages to the restaurant, then sat down for whatever was being cooked in the kitchen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;">Among the most well-known regulars were </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ellsberg"><span style="color: blue;">Daniel Ellsberg</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> of the Pentagon Papers fame (he ate alone) and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Muren"><span style="color: blue;">Dennis Muren</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> (9 Oscars) and his posse from George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic.</span></div>
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I went from washing dishes to busing tables to becoming a waiter, as my English became more proficient. More importantly, this was where I learned to eat well, as in live to eat, not eat to live. The owners and the cooks were generous, not as concerned about making money. They wanted to cook. It was the freshest ingredients every day. At the end of the night, we all had the same food as what were on the menu. Every night.</div>
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However, the most unique, and important, things I learned as a refugee from Vietnam (anti-Communist, Reagan-Republican wannabe at the time) were diversity and inclusivity. The restaurant was owned by a lesbian couple (which at the time I had no preconception) who were social workers by day.</div>
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In addition to me, there were two other Vietnamese refugees, and refugees from Iran and Afghanistan, and later immigrants from other parts of the world as well. Some started out as dishwashers and busboys, and many graduated to waiters and cooks at the restaurant.</div>
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About 15 years ago, the owners decided to sell the restaurant to their two employees who both started out as dishwashers: One had become the cook at the time and the other was the waiter, both came from Vietnam.</div>
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The menu, and the restaurant itself, hasn't changed much. It still doesn't take credit cards, but takes personal checks (remember those?), and the utensils are real silverware that require polishing regularly. The food, especially the brunch, is like no others in the entire Bay Area.</div>
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Its address is 293 Arlington Avenue, Kensington (Contra Costa County).</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tqTqRKh2wFQ/VekvzHJd6aI/AAAAAAAASFg/PyBbmDPev3g/s1600/innkensington1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tqTqRKh2wFQ/VekvzHJd6aI/AAAAAAAASFg/PyBbmDPev3g/s400/innkensington1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oh, how I got that job? I was one week-shy of my 18th birthday and living with my guardian in Concord, east of San Francisco, at the time. We were informed that as soon as I turned 18, I'd no longer be eligible for public assistance (misinformation). I was attending Clayton Valley High School nearby.</div>
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What that meant was I had to quit high school and go to work. Through Vietnamese refugee network, I was told there was a job at the Inn Kensington, but I must figure out how to get there on my own: one train (BART) ride with a transfer to another line and a bus ride, about 3 hours, each way.</div>
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After about six months of washing dishes, I had saved enough money to rent an apartment of my own in Oakland, which was much closer, where I've resided ever since.</div>
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<span style="color: #141823;">A few months after that, I decided I needed to go to school, so I asked around. I was told I needed to take a bus to a school called Merritt College, a community college, up in the Oakland hills. And so I did. The rest is </span><a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-nelson-mandela-taught-me.html"><span style="color: blue;">another chapter</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> of my life.</span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-44439970652651904462015-09-03T22:19:00.001-07:002015-09-23T13:16:44.040-07:00Where Is Our Humanity?<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;">I can no longer bear to watch </span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34137358"><span style="color: blue;">Syrian and African</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> refugees suffering and dying as they try to reach Europe, in search of a better life, free from fear. Has the world become less compassionate & more inured to our fellow humans' suffering?</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L3ArhwXcHrc/VekmQWIJZaI/AAAAAAAASEw/jg4LKgwiEtk/s1600/_85337088_85336992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L3ArhwXcHrc/VekmQWIJZaI/AAAAAAAASEw/jg4LKgwiEtk/s400/_85337088_85336992.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: "<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32395181"><span style="color: blue;">Europe Migrant Crisis</span></a>," the BBC</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;">Pretty certain that I and the majority of my </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_boat_people"><span style="color: blue;">ONE MILLION</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> fellow Vietnamese refugees would have perished in the South China Sea if we were to leave Vietnam today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;">Amid tepid responses from rich western nations, the US included, I'm heartened that in response to the government of Iceland's stingy offer to take in just 50 Syrian refugees, more than </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/icelanders-call-on-government-to-take-in-more-syrian-refugees"><span style="color: blue;">12,000</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> Icelanders have offered their homes to these refugees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the late 1980s a Vietnamese family walked into an Oakland social service agency where I worked seeking help. One of the younger daughters spoke English with an interesting accent. They had just relocated to Oakland... from Iceland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;">That family turned out to be part of the 1st </span><a href="http://eng.velferdarraduneyti.is/information/refugees/nr/947"><span style="color: blue;">34 Vietnamese</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> refugees that Iceland took in in 1979. Some 300 Vietnamese eventually resettled in Iceland, making up nearly 1% of its population.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the height of the SE Asian (Cambodians, Laotians, Vietnamese) refugee crisis, Iceland was one of the smallest countries that opened up their hearts & homes to people like me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--BMUxPM4vO0/VekpXAQZ9xI/AAAAAAAASFA/tFFJZdh5ho8/s1600/_85242407_31_refugee_crisis_lesvos_gr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--BMUxPM4vO0/VekpXAQZ9xI/AAAAAAAASFA/tFFJZdh5ho8/s400/_85242407_31_refugee_crisis_lesvos_gr.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: "<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32395181"><span style="color: blue;">Europe Migrant Crisis</span></a>," the BBC</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KtGw3IY3V7s/Vekpf1u421I/AAAAAAAASFI/27nK0yBWwjA/s1600/44a56a724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KtGw3IY3V7s/Vekpf1u421I/AAAAAAAASFI/27nK0yBWwjA/s400/44a56a724.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the archive of the </span></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Office of United Nations High </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Commissioner </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">for Refugees (UNHCR), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">which operated the refugee camps </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;">Just imagine... the many Vietnamese Americans and immigrants that you know or have met, the Vietnamese restaurants, the nail salons, doctors, mechanics, professors, gardeners, artists, engineers and nurses, and </span><a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2010/11/escape-from-viet-nam-my-life-in-america.html"><span style="color: blue;">myself included</span></a><span style="color: #141823;">, wouldn't be where we are today if you had turned your back on us 30 years ago.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="color: #141823;">I recently shared with NPR's </span><a href="http://hereandnow.wbur.org/"><span style="color: blue;">Here & Now</span></a><span style="color: #141823;"> my </span><a href="https://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/09/09/vietnamese-boat-people-refugees"><span style="color: blue;">refugee story</span></a><span style="color: #141823;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><a href="https://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/09/09/vietnamese-boat-people-refugees">Vietnamese ‘Boat Person’ Speaks Out About Refugee Crisis</a></span></h1>
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-8501113033386462222015-02-18T19:08:00.000-08:002016-02-05T12:49:12.562-08:00Xuân Này Con Không Về -- I Won't Be Home for New Year <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 16.5454540252686px;">The 2015</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; line-height: 16.5454540252686px;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/asia/year-of-the-goat-sheep-ram/" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;"> <span style="color: blue;">Year of the <span style="background-color: #fefefe; line-height: 1.06452;">Sheep/Goat/Ram</span></span></a></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 16.5454540252686px;"> begins on Thursday, 19 February. </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 16.5454540252686px;">Which animal it is dependent on the celebrants' ethnic and country of origin.</span>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The above, my 1st for YouTube, is meant for my family in Viet Nam, who now finally has high-speed internet access at home, but hopefully you, especially Overseas Vietnamese, can also appreciate it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the exception of the New Year's pictures, which came from <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Nguyen_Dan">Wikipedia,</a> </span>all other pictures are mine, taken mostly in the early 1990s. I decided to put this together because, for whatever reason, not being able to "go home" for New Year this year hit me quite hard. When seeing writer <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://chrisgalvinwriter.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Chris</span> <span style="color: blue;">Galvin</span> <span style="color: blue;">Nguyen</span></a>'s </span>tweet about soaking rice for making <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banh_chung">b<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">ánh chưng</span></a>,</span> it made me realize how much these New Year's rituals I still sorely missed. Thanks, Chris.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Xuân Này Con Không Về</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This song was written in the early 1960s by the<span style="color: blue;"> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu%C3%A2n_n%C3%A0y_con_kh%C3%B4ng_v%E1%BB%81">Trịnh - Lâm - Ngân</a></span> </span>song-writing trio. Over the years many have sung this song but only<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://anhvuong2323-begiao.blogspot.com/2010/01/duy-khanh.html"> <span style="background-color: white; color: blue; line-height: 19px;">Duy Khánh</span></a> </span>has truly made this his own. For millions of Vietnamese away from home, this is our song. Though it was written, and sung, from the point of view of a young soldier at the front longing to come home for new year, the song has become the anthem for those of us, because of circumstances beyond our control, are forced to be thousands of miles away from our loved ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 20th Century wasn't so kind to the people of Viet Nam, in addition to the devastating war, families were broken up not once, but twice, first in 1954 and then in 1975.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-45-MwvyvaHo/TxmjxxMhhvI/AAAAAAAAEF0/O41JDD1O2WQ/s1600/RefugeesBoarding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-45-MwvyvaHo/TxmjxxMhhvI/AAAAAAAAEF0/O41JDD1O2WQ/s320/RefugeesBoarding.jpg" width="317" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Passage_to_Freedom"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Passage to Freedom</span></a>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Northern Viet Nam's Refugees Boarding US Navy Ship in Haiphong, 1954</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When Viet Nam was partitioned into two halves in 1954, it did not just divide the country, but also divided thousands of families. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_passage_to_freedom"><span style="color: blue;">Over one million</span></a> moved to what-now became Southern Viet Nam from the north, and about 200,000 moved in the opposite direction.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gN9l7PZwyg/TxmlG88t1jI/AAAAAAAAEF8/Xoh67KQTWLA/s1600/boatpeople.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gN9l7PZwyg/TxmlG88t1jI/AAAAAAAAEF8/Xoh67KQTWLA/s320/boatpeople.JPEG" width="267" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Leaving Home Once Again after 1975</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And in 1975, once again the Vietnamese people are forced to leave behind their loved ones, marking the biggest exodus from just one country in the 20th Century. All told close to 2 million Vietnamese refugees, escaping mainly by boats or on land through Cambodia, were resettled outside Viet Nam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Vietnamese people have been<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Vietnamese"> <span style="color: blue;">scattered to all four corners of the world</span><span style="color: #674ea7;">.</span></a> Lunar New Year, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt"><span style="color: blue;">Tết</span></a>, is the biggest celebration, and family reunion event of the year. It's Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year all rolled into one. Being able to go home for this occasion would be a dream come true for those of us who have not been home for it. The hand-to-mouth existence in the developed countries is such that when you have money, you have no time or when you have time, no money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mother, I promise, I will be home for Tết one day soon, hopefully next year/Mẹ, con xin hứa, con sẽ về ăn Tết với Mẹ và các em một ngày sớm, hy vọng trong năm tới. Not being able to join you for Tết for 33 years is long enough/Không về ăn Tết được trong 33 năm nay đã đủ dài.</span><br />
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-40965529368090921422015-02-16T17:49:00.000-08:002019-02-02T19:13:12.641-08:00From Australia to Zimbabwe: Over 1.5 Billion People Gearing Up For Lunar New Year<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 2016 </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://susanlevitt.com/astrology/monkey-year-2016/"><span style="color: blue;">Year of the Fire</span> <span style="color: blue;">Monkey</span></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> begins on Monday, February 8. Unlike like year, which was known either Year of the Goat/Sheep/Ram dependent on the celebrants' ethnic and country of origin, this year, it's just Monkey for everyone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_New_Year"><span style="color: blue;">Lunar New Year</span></a> is celebrated by more than 1.5 billion people around the world, from <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.noodlies.com/2015/01/lunarchinese-new-year-lucky-food/"><span style="color: blue;">Australia</span></a> </span>to <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201502140031.html"><span style="color: blue;">Zimbabwe</span></a>,</span> from<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.bangkok.com/whats-on-events/chinese-new-year.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Bangkok</span></a></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>t</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">o</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://english.vov.vn/Overseas-Vietnamese/Traditional-Vietnamese-Tet-celebrated-in-France/254318.vov"><span style="color: blue;">Paris</span></a>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Invariably it’s a Spring celebration, rooted in agrarian traditions, marking the end of another bountiful (hopefully!) harvest; hence the overflowing amount of food and drinks, especially rice, the staple food.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mongolian Tsagaan Meal (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsagaan_Sar"><span style="color: blue;">Wikipedia</span>)</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s known as<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year"> <span style="color: blue;">Chun Jie</span></a> in Chinese, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt" title="Tết"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Tết</span></span></a> in Vietnamese,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1707882046"> </a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losar"><span style="color: blue;">Losar</span></a> </span>in Tibetan, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://discoveringkorea.com/100211/celebrating-seollal-in-seoul/">Seollal</a></span></span> or Seolnal, in Korean and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsagaan_Sar"><span style="color: blue;">Tsagaan Sar</span></a> in Mongolian. Japan celebrated the Lunar New Year until 1875 when the<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_New_Year"><span style="color: blue;">Gregorian, or western, calendar</span></a> </span>was adopted, but some of the traditions still persist and are now celebrated on January 1st instead.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saebae -- Korean New Year Tradition <br />
Children bowing to elder members of the family to wish them health & longevity. <br />
(<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://kurdishkoreanfriendshipbridge.blogspot.com/2011/01/sol-korean-lunar-new-year.html"><span style="color: blue;">Sol -- Korean Lunar New Year</span></a> </span>by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For many, especially those of Vietnamese and Chinese descent, it’s a Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, all rolled into one, the <a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">biggest reunion event of the year</span></a>. There are many variations of rituals and customs surrounding the occasion, but all essentially have the same common purpose bidding goodbye to the old and looking forward to the new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Ano do Dragão, Liberdade Neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Outside China, and other parts of Asia with sizable Chinese populations, the Lunar New Year festivities often take place in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatowns"><span style="color: blue;">Chinatowns</span> </a>of the World, from<span style="color: magenta;"> </span></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.junkmail.co.za/blog/dont-miss-the-chinese-new-year-celebrations-at-brightwater-commons/9465"><span style="color: blue;">Johannesburg</span></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>to </span><a href="http://gobrazil.about.com/od/festivalsevents/ig/Chinese-New-Year-in-Liberdade/Chinese-New-Year-in-S-o-Paulo.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Sao Paulo</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The biggest Chinese New Year Parade takes place outside China. It's the San Francisco</span><a href="http://www.chineseparade.com/" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="color: blue;">Chinese New Year Parade</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which began in 1847. Rain or shine, close to 1 million line the streets to watch the parade and over 3 million more watch it on TV.</span><br />
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-5176037743291671052014-09-28T16:18:00.002-07:002018-09-12T19:30:08.762-07:00My Dee Dee Is No More<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last night, for the first time in nearly thirteen years, I
came home to no barking sound or wagging tail. My Dee Dee is no more. Even
after close to two years of preparing for the eventuality, to lose her to
cancer, letting her go yesterday was the most heart-wrenching thing I've ever
done in my life. I held her as the veterinarian injecting a high dose of <span style="color: blue;">a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_euthanasia"><span style="color: blue;">pentobarbital</span>.</a></span> Death came quickly and peacefully. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Here she was running free at Berkeley Marina's<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;"> Cesar Chavez Park, aged 4</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">Dee Dee was adopted from the <a href="http://www.eastbayspca.org/"><span style="color: blue;">East Bay SPCA</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> when she was about
five months. We had wanted a dog for some time. We visited animal shelters and
pet adoption centers frequently but did not find any dog or puppy to our
liking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">One day we saw this forlorn-looking ‘Alex, 5 Months Old’ in a
cage way in the back of the SPCA shelter. Unlike other puppies and dogs, she
made no attempts to be noticed, no barking, no wagging tail, not even coming up
to the cage’s wire mesh to say ‘Hi’. Unlike other puppies and dogs in the
shelter on that day, she seemed to have given up on being adopted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">But it was her gaze. Directed at you with arched eyebrows. It
was like a high-power tractor beam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So we decided to get ‘acquainted’ with her in the fenced-in
yard. We tossed her the tennis ball. No chasing. We tossed her the sticks. No
fetching. She did make half-hearted attempts to go after them, but turned
around, then came to sit at my feet, looking up at me with those arched eyebrows, deploying her tractor beam at full power.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">So we came home with her that day. With the exceptions of
throwing up once in the car ride home and peeing on the carpet twice, she was
instantly toilet-trained.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Alex, short for Alexandra, sounded good, but she didn’t seem
to like the name, never responded to it. We had read that dogs, and cats,
respond better to ‘hard’ sounding short names, preferably one or two syllables. We
couldn’t think of any names. ‘Dee Dee’ came to mind for two reasons. At the
time a colleague at a funding NGO was named Dee Dee and it sounded like ‘</span><em><span style="background: white;">đi đi</span></em><span style="line-height: 150%;">,</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">’ which means ‘go, go’ in Vietnamese.
</span><i><span style="line-height: 150%;">‘</span></i><em><span style="background: white; font-style: normal;">Đi</span></em><i><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><em><span style="background: white; font-style: normal;">đi</span></em><i><span style="line-height: 150%;">,</span></i><i><span style="line-height: 150%;">’</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%;"> can also be used as ‘let’s go’ or
‘go away,’ depending on the context.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">Lo and behold, she responded to Dee Dee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dee Dee became the dog I had wanted to replace the </span><a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2013/12/of-dog-meat-and-professor-joel-brinkley.html"><span style="color: blue;">childhood dog</span></a> that I was forced to give up because we were too poor. Dee Dee was loving,
gentle, but fiercely protective. Instead of a ‘Border Collie, Medium Size’ dog
we saw on the tag at the SPCA’s shelter, she grew up to be a relatively big
dog, over 60 pounds/30 kilos, and she was a Pitbull mixed with what looked
like Labrador Retriever, and possibly Border Collie.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E6qeilVCVWQ/VCiUWPvJt9I/AAAAAAAAIJA/djk8dM2toMg/s1600/IMAG0378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E6qeilVCVWQ/VCiUWPvJt9I/AAAAAAAAIJA/djk8dM2toMg/s1600/IMAG0378.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was at the Irvine La Quinta Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">She was well-traveled. She had slept at some of the best ‘pet-friendly’
hotels -- Best Western, Marriott, La Quinta. She walked the streets of LA, San
Luis Obispo, Irvine, San Diego, Sonoma, Napa and <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Sacramento. She ran on the
sand of Newport, Stinson, Asilomar beaches, among others. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">She walked among the giant </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: right;">redwoods, oaks and
maples in state and national parks up and down California coast. She swam the Pacific
Ocean, even taking a dip or two in North America’s largest alpine lake, Lake
Tahoe.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">She would have become an international traveler had my job
prospects in Southeast Asia come through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">About two years ago we began to feel a ‘bump’ beneath her
skin, in the abdomen area. We had learned, through friends with dogs, and
literature, that cancer is the most common killer of older dogs. We worried,
but there wasn’t much we could have done other than keeping her healthy. <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">Recently we began to feel more bumps in other areas of her
body. She had also begun to slow down, and with diminished eye sight. Old age, the usual
for dogs, we learned, had begun to set in. But suddenly a white spot on her
right nostril began to grow, and quite rapidly, about six months ago. It kept
on growing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">We took her to the East Bay SPCA veterinary clinic for a
checkup. We were informed it was an infection, possibly a tumor, considering
her age. Antibiotics were prescribed to help fight off the infection. Blood
test was also done. Nothing alarming came back other than the usual old-age
conditions. As the tumor got bigger, and more infected, she was prescribed more
and stronger antibiotics. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">At this point, within the last three months, the cancer had
begun to affect her appetite and mobility. On top of those, she also seemed to
be suffering from arthritis, the most common old dog’s affliction.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">The tumor on her nostril had grown to the point where it not
only affected her breathing, but also a constant irritation for her, which she
tried to scratch open, causing severe bleeding. It broke our hearts to see our
beautiful, yet still somewhat spunky dog, in pain and losing weight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">We were mentally prepared for the eventuality, but weren’t
certain when to let her go. If she was in pain, she did not show or whine about
it, but we did notice she was often awakened at night by the irritation caused
by the infection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday afternoon, in consultation with the East Bay SPCA’s
veterinarian, we decided to let her go. We're lucky to have had her in our
lives for over a decade. She gave us a thousand times more in affection and unconditional
love than the food and shelter that we had provided her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Dee Dee is no more. She had gone to join her best friend,
Dumpling, the tabby, which we also lost last month to a sudden<span style="color: blue;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.petmd.com/cat/slideshows/general_health/top-ten-signs-of-heart-disease-in-cats"><span style="color: blue;">heart failure</span></a>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h-45P-D9D6U/VCiVO32DtTI/AAAAAAAAIJM/BV2pY_jMML8/s1600/IMAG0312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h-45P-D9D6U/VCiVO32DtTI/AAAAAAAAIJM/BV2pY_jMML8/s1600/IMAG0312.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Losing two beloved pets less than one month apart was/is
hard. Dumpling, the tabby, was not yet four years old. She was also adopted
from the East Bay SPCA. She was healthy, spunky, seemingly in the prime of her
life. Then one night last month, a massive heart attack struck, paralyzed her
hind legs and causing blood clots. She was in screaming pain. This being pet-crazy
America, we were able to take her to a 24-hr pet hospital at 2 am. The vet on
duty gave us the bad news, and she was put down there and then.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vWHjq-c0q4/VCiVxLnd31I/AAAAAAAAIJc/zYQz6ysBkZw/s1600/CAM01543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vWHjq-c0q4/VCiVxLnd31I/AAAAAAAAIJc/zYQz6ysBkZw/s1600/CAM01543.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeping me company in the office on cold winter days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">It was devastating because she was still a baby to us, even
though we recently adopted a kitten, just a few weeks before Dumpling had the
heart attack. It took her just four days to warm up to the kitten, named
Dimsum, with whom she began to show motherly instincts, licking the little one,
allowing it to cuddle with her.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">Dumpling developed a
taste for lemongrass when she was about seven months old. She chomped down on
all the young lemongrass blades, her catnip. She was my gardening companion. I
love that cat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The family already misses them, but I will miss them most in the coming cold, winter days. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jxe0EknxI8U/VCiWKUckKQI/AAAAAAAAIJk/QdXeiC2GLUE/s1600/IMAG0267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jxe0EknxI8U/VCiWKUckKQI/AAAAAAAAIJk/QdXeiC2GLUE/s1600/IMAG0267.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumpling checking up on the zucchini while Dee Dee on the <br />
lookout for pesky squirrels.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3-zN8alB3Z8/VCiWQ-9UvRI/AAAAAAAAIJs/AMfE-iAw8dw/s1600/IMAG0306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3-zN8alB3Z8/VCiWQ-9UvRI/AAAAAAAAIJs/AMfE-iAw8dw/s1600/IMAG0306.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I called her my 'gardening assistant,' the lemongrass trimming specialist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c9Xo1UVc9jg/VCiWnRO_pZI/AAAAAAAAIJ0/-yL0JbBHE84/s1600/CAM03382~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c9Xo1UVc9jg/VCiWnRO_pZI/AAAAAAAAIJ0/-yL0JbBHE84/s1600/CAM03382~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">She wanted to be part of whatever I was doing, including </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">hooking up the old powered amp.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zijrJ-6uLw/VCzaTvj3wjI/AAAAAAAAIKU/z3vGADZtK5A/s1600/10371437_10152749229143817_5298710284448572080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zijrJ-6uLw/VCzaTvj3wjI/AAAAAAAAIKU/z3vGADZtK5A/s1600/10371437_10152749229143817_5298710284448572080_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dee Dee with her true bestie, Puca, which was the only dog she didn't </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
have a fight with. In fact, she seemed smitten by Puca, who later moved </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
with her family to Canada. Thanks for digging this up Judy.</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-81814338103290884832014-04-10T09:13:00.000-07:002014-04-10T21:22:41.443-07:00Sur Sdei Chnam Thmei - Happy New Year!<span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;">13 of April marks the beginning of a new year for 160 million people of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_New_Year"><span style="color: blue;">Cambodia</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">,</span><span style="color: blue;"> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_New_Year"><span style="color: blue;">Laos</span></a>,</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran_%28Thailand%29">Thailand</a>, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_New_Year"><span style="color: blue;">Burma</span></a><span style="color: #333333;"> and around the world. It's better known as</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran"><span style="color: blue;"> Songkran</span></a><span style="color: #333333;"> in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thingyan"><span style="color: blue;">Thingyan</span></a> in Burma, <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;">but commonly referred to as the </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=water+festival&rlz=1C2GGGE_enUS402&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=6GpHU4WZMKaOyAGDj4GgBg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=785"><span style="color: blue;">Water</span> <span style="color: blue;">Festival</span></a>,</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> which is believed to have been adapted from an Indian tradition. As the name implies, it involves lots of water and everyone is prepared to get wet. There's no escaping.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h4P0YNVdqqk/U0ds1mGnUSI/AAAAAAAAGls/Kq1Zm88d0xA/s1600/songkran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h4P0YNVdqqk/U0ds1mGnUSI/AAAAAAAAGls/Kq1Zm88d0xA/s1600/songkran.jpg" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In addition to Southeast Asia, it is also celebrated by various ethnic minority groups in South Asia.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Growing up in the Mekong Delta, a stone-throw away from Cambodia, and having Cambodian relatives and neighbors, this was a major event of the year for me. There is a lot more music and dancing going on with Cambodian New Year in comparision to the relatively staid, and certainly less musical, Vietnamese New Year or </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt"><span style="color: blue;">Tết</span></a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YZx9wfu8Tm8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cambodian music is meant for dancing. It's more about the graceful, subtle movements of the hands and wrists, the swaying of the hips and the back & forth motion. Since Cambodian society is a relatively conservative culture, even though the guy and the girl are dancing for and with each other, </span><em style="font-family: inherit;">it is </em><span style="font-family: inherit;">strictly a group </span>activity<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cZ9ZiTUlfBY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Above video is with Khmerak Sreymon, the current heartthrob of Khmer pop music. He's the Cambodian Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z all rolled into one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Traditional music of Laos (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor_lam"><span style="color: blue;">mor lam</span></a>), Thailand <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luk_thung">(<span style="color: blue;">luk thung</span></a>), Cambodia and Burma, especially ethnic tribes, have a lot in common. There's one instrument that I instantly fell in love the 1st time I heard it -- the panflute, also known as the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaen"> <span style="color: blue;">khene</span></a> or kaen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zaEyoUw-ghI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Found, above, on YouTube, a great video -- the costumes -- of Hmong New Year. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_people"><span style="color: blue;">Hmong</span></a> people are a mountain tribe in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand who, during the Vietnam War, were recruited by the U.S. military to the Vietnamese and Lao Communists or Pathet Lao. When the Pathet Lao took over Laos, many had to flee, with over 200,000 now resettled in the U.S.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/Ix3B_axajmM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ix3B_axajmM&fs=1&source=uds" />
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<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ix3B_axajmM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A video from the Tai people of the Shan State, Burma. In Burma they are known as the Shan people, geographically-speaking.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span>Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-24990882769310227592014-01-19T22:33:00.000-08:002017-11-27T19:43:31.863-08:00Cambodia Can't Move Forward With Historical Grievances<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s difficult to wrap one’s head around the current anti-Vietnamese
rhetoric whipped up by Sam Rainsy, the Cambodia National Rescue Party leader.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a person of Vietnamese descent who had lost
relatives to the pogroms under<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2013/07/kap-yuon-cambodias-deadly-anti.html"><span style="color: blue;">General Lon Nol </span></a></span>in the 1970s and the Khmer Rouge’s massacres of Vietnamese villages
along the border, it has been more than unsettling to see pictures of <a href="http://www.ucanews.com/news/anti-vietnamese-sentiment-boils-in-cambodia/70049"><span style="color: blue;">looted Vietnamese shops</span>.</a></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNseHYul1Zo/Ut2FKpxmfLI/AAAAAAAAGkU/No9-zOP404c/s1600/LOOTED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNseHYul1Zo/Ut2FKpxmfLI/AAAAAAAAGkU/No9-zOP404c/s1600/LOOTED.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“</span><span style="background-color: white;">This Vietnamese-owned coffee shop near Veng Sreng was looted
on Friday. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Everything inside smashed - </span><span style="background-color: white;">Julia Wallace (@julia_wallace), </span><span style="background-color: white;">Jan 5, 2014</span><span style="background-color: white;">."</span></div>
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</tbody></table>
</div>
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Born not far from the Cambodian border in the Mekong Delta
of Vietnam, I grew up having relatives and neighbors both Khmer Krom and
Vietnamese native to Cambodia.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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Furthermore, I began my career in the US <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.seaccusa.org/about"><span style="color: blue;">as a social worker</span></a>,</span>
assisting newly-arrived Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese refugees settled into
new life in America. It’s surreal to think that the many Cambodians I’ve worked
with and for may have harbored resentment and animosity towards me for being
Vietnamese. The most disturbing aspect is the potential long-lasting impact this may have on the Cambodian and Vietnamese American
communities in the US, which have been <a href="http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=894"><span style="color: blue;">closely linked</span></a> since the 1980s.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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It seems every time Mr. Sam Rainsy is criticized for
anti-Vietnamese rhetoric, his supporters immediately defend <b>1)</b> the usage of the word Yuon, <b>2)</b> bring up Kampuchea Krom, <b>3)</b> claim Khmer in Vietnam are being
mistreated, <b>4) </b>claim that illegal Vietnamese
immigrants are taking over Cambodia, culminating in Vietnam’s supposed plan to take over
Cambodia.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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I’ve spent the past few months trying to figure out, and to
understand, how to best approach the issues raised as the reasoning for why the
Khmer can’t trust and live with the Yuon or Vietnamese.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">YUON<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Sam Rainsy and his supporters have been<a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/analysis-and-op-ed/no-%E2%80%98yuon%E2%80%99-not-all-offensive"><span style="color: blue;"> trying too hard to defend </span></a>why they use this word when referring to the people of Vietnam
and those of Vietnamese descent. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s not the word itself. It’s how it’s being used, as in
</span><a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2013/07/kap-yuon-cambodias-deadly-anti.html" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">‘kap Yuon’</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or ‘chop the Vietnamese,’ literally. It becomes a problem only when the
word Yuon is being used to dredge up historical grievances against a long-gone
Vietnam, and incite hatred and animosity towards people of Vietnamese descent. </span>A distinction has to be made between the actions of Vietnam government, past or present, versus the people of Vietnam or
those who happen to be Vietnamese.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two months after Japan bombed Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941, President Franklin D Roosevelt put together a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="ilad">plan, under Executive Order
9066,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that swept up and incarcerated over <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment"><span style="color: blue;">100,000 Americans of Japanese descent</span></a><u>. </u></span></span>The suspicion that those of Japanese descent were loyal
to Japan and/or worked against the United States resulted in violent racist attacks and discrimination whose impact lasting to this day.</div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWwu4eL9kKA/Ut2PMgW9hmI/AAAAAAAAGkw/vxdMuiAeAaU/s1600/JapsKeep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWwu4eL9kKA/Ut2PMgW9hmI/AAAAAAAAGkw/vxdMuiAeAaU/s1600/JapsKeep.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Jap' is a derogatory term for Japanese, in this case Americans of Japanese descent. <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Photo: <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Japanese American Historical Society</span> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cambodia is no stranger to racist violence and racial discrimination
against Vietnamese.<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_Nol"> <span style="color: blue;">In April, 1970 <span style="text-decoration: none;">Lon Nol</span></span></a> </span>regime’s
crazed soldiers went on Vietnamese killing sprees or kap Yuon. All told,
thousands were killed and some 200,000 were expelled. The majority of these
Vietnamese, like my relatives, had been born and grew up in Cambodia, the only
country they knew.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">KHMER KROM<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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I’m familiar with Khmer Krom because I grew up with and
among many in An Giang and Kien Giang provinces. Most older southerners, especially in the Mekong Delta, are aware that the southern part of Vietnam once belonged to the Khmer. Those of us who were
born and grew up there know that place names, such as<i> </i>Bạc Liêu, Sóc Trăng, Trà Vinh, Cần Thơ, Cà Mau, Mỹ Tho, Rạch Sỏi<em><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-style: normal;"> </span></b></em><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">(where I grew up),</span></em><em><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-style: normal;"> </span></b></em>are all
Khmer in origin.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On top of that, many common everyday words we use are
also borrowed-Khmer words, and we know it. Vietnamese word <i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">nóp</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> for straw hut<i>; </i></span><i>lộp</i>, bamboo fish trap; <i>cá lóc,
</i>the prized snakehead fish; <i>ghe bầu, </i>the
Mekong River transport boat that I escaped Vietnam on; <i>bưng</i> for pond; and hundreds more, are all Khmer in origin. However, it’s true that many Vietnamese, both in Vietnam
and abroad, without the presence of Khmer people around, have become ignorant
of Vietnam's genocidal past.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Southern
Vietnam was taken from the Khmer people like America taking what are now the states
of <strong><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">California,</span></strong><b> </b><strong><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Nevada,</span></strong><b> </b><strong><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Utah,</span></strong><b> </b><strong><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Arizona,</span></strong><b> </b><strong><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">New
Mexico</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background: white;"> </span></b></span><span style="background: white;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Texas</span></strong><b> </b>from Mexico or, going further back, the
entire United States of America from the native tribes; white English
settlers taking of what is now Australia from the Aborigines; it was the British and the
Thais that determined which country, Malaysia or Thailand, the Malay Muslims of
southern Thailand should belong to. </span><span style="background-color: white;">How is it that
Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, Indonesia, is Malaysia? Why is the western
half of the island of New Guinea, whose inhabitants are culturally and ethnically
different from the majority of Indonesians, yet it is part of Indonesia? </span><span style="background-color: white;">They all have been
part of the history and by-products of
conquests and colonization.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Should
Mexico reclaim its land from the US or demand that the border be redrawn to
include its historic territories? Should white Australians be demanded to leave
Australia?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white;">In the event
Vietnam refuses Cambodia’s claim to its historic territories, should Cambodia
go to war with Vietnam? Would Prime Minister Sam Rainsy do it? Would Cambodians
take up arms to engage border guerrilla war against Vietnam? </span><span style="background-color: white;">Should
Cambodia take Vietnam to ‘International Court’ or the United Nations to demand
its land back? What’s the likelihood of being listened to, let alone winning?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #0e2233;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">KHMER KROM’S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATED<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0e2233;">Vietnam is a
communist state whose human rights record is not the best in the world, to put
it mildly, and has been known to arrest and </span><a href="http://www.cpj.org/2013/10/vietnamese-blogger-jailed-on-tax-evasion-charges.php"><span style="color: blue;">jail bloggers and writers</span></a><span style="color: #0e2233;"> who speak
up for democracy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233;">There’s room
for debate, and demand for better policies regarding all of Vietnam’s ethnic minority
groups, not just Khmer Krom.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: #0e2233;">Given that
the Khmer Krom may not have been well-treated in Vietnam, one thing for sure is
that in the past 50 years there have not been massacres or attempts to expel Cambodians from Vietnam by the current Communist or the former US-backed
regimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #0e2233;">Here’re some
statistics and anecdotal information to compare Khmer in Vietnam and Vietnamese
in Cambodia: According to the CIA “World Fact Book,” ethnic Vietnamese make up
5% of Cambodia population of 15 million people. An estimated 600,000 persons of
Vietnamese descent are in Cambodia, but there’re no precise numbers as to how
many are native to Cambodia, legal or illegal immigrants.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #0e2233;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0e2233;"><span style="background-color: white;">Khmer, as an ethnic group, makes up 1.5% of Vietnam's population of 92 million people or close to 1.3 million. Khmer is the 4th largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam. Again, there're no numbers given for how many are citizens, native to Vietnam, and/or whether there're Cambodian immigrants, legally or illegally, in Vietnam.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: inherit;">Those
who’re born in Vietnam to Vietnamese nationals (there’s a difference between
nationality and ethnicity) are counted as Vietnamese citizens, but the same
thing cannot be said for Vietnamese in Cambodia.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0e2233;"> Technically, and legally, they should be
counted as</span> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.irinnews.org/fr/report/98786/ethnic-vietnamese-in-cambodia-face-discrimination"><span style="color: blue;">Cambodian</span> <span style="color: blue;">citizens</span></a>,</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> but the reality is a lot more complicated. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #0e2233;">Khmer Krom people's lands have been seized and grabbed by Vietnamese government. However, p</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233;">oor Vietnamese have also had their lands grabbed and seized. It</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233;"> seems this is an
ongoing problem in Vietnam, as well as Cambodia, and many other countries where
corruption is rampant and the civil rights of the poor are not protected. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Much has been mentioned, especially among Khmer online, that Khmer Krom are
denied their heritage, culture and language. However, t</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">his is not my
experience. I grew up spending time in a wat or pagoda where one of my uncles
was a Cambodian monk, listening to Khmer music on the radio, as well as
attending festivities where Khmer music and culture were on full display.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">Here's a sample of <a href="http://canthotv.vn/category/radio/khmer-radio/" style="color: blue;">Khmer radio broadcast</a> from Mekong Delta’s largest province, </span>Cần Thơ, which is a
Khmer word in itself.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/_NVaG-rMYso/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_NVaG-rMYso&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_NVaG-rMYso&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A dance troupe from Kien Giang Province, where </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I grew up,</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">performing on </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cần Thơ TV Khmer program</span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every province
in the Mekong Delta has either a TV or radio, or both, program in Khmer. Does Cambodia have TV or radio programs for its Vietnamese population?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/B0m8bpcLKps?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for why
Khmer is not the language of Vietnam? Well, because the country is called
Vietnam. I agree that Vietnamese who live in Cambodia legally should not only learn to speak Khmer, but also Cambodian history. Cambodia is their country. For comparison, i</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">n America, an estimated 40 million US residents speak Spanish
either as the second or primary language even though English is understood to be the official language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">Lastly, many
Khmer have pointed out that the mere fact Khmer Krom are called ‘</span><em><span style="background-color: white;">Miên</span></em><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">’ </span></em><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">is an indication of discrimination
and exclusion. </span></em></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">In fact, that’s not only inaccurate, but also absurd. Khmer Krom have been officially known as ‘</span></em><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">người Khmer'’</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span></i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">or<i> ‘'</i></span></span><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Khơ-me’.
</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">So
how did the term </span><em><span style="background-color: white;">Miên</span></em><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> come into being? Blame it on the Chinese who
originally called the Khmer </span></em><span style="background-color: white;">高棉</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">people,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">which translated into </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">Cao
Miên</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>. </i>They had conflated the Khmer people with the highland Mien of China. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's similar to Christopher Columbus who set sail for the 'New World,' in search of riches in 'East Indies'; when he and</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> his crew encountered the natives of what is now the Americas, who looked dark, non-European, Columbus called them </span><i style="background-color: white;">‘Indians.'</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">So how are the
Khmer Krom doing in Vietnam? Not that great, if they’re poor, but not living in
fear of having their businesses looted and burned by their neighbors. Vietnam hasn't experienced the kind of upheaval and political instability that could lead to interracial ethnic violence like that in Cambodia under Lon Nol and the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">The most striking
thing about the anti-Vietnamese sentiment shared among many Khmer is that it’s
a one-sided affair. The majority of Vietnamese, both in Vietnam and abroad, are
oblivious to what’s going on in Cambodia and with the Cambodians. Many,
unfortunately, are completely ignorant of the history of what had happened to
the Khmer.<span style="color: #0e2233;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">VIETNAMESE vs
VIETNAMESE CAMBODIANS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Anti-Vietnamese rhetoric makes no distinction between
Vietnamese native to Cambodia, legal immigrants, and those who may reside in
Cambodia illegally (my frustration extends to foreign journalists whose
reporting often fails to mention that not ALL Vietnamese in Cambodia are immigrants).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My take on the citizenship and immigration is this:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
1. Vietnamese native to Cambodia should be accorded all the <a href="http://www.irinnews.org/fr/report/98786/ethnic-vietnamese-in-cambodia-face-discrimination"><span style="color: blue;">rights and privileges</span></a> Khmer, Cham and other Cambodian citizens have.<br />
<br /></div>
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2. Those who’ve legally resided in Cambodia ten years or
longer should be provided a path to Cambodian citizenship if they so desire.
This should be a formal legal process. This process should include some form of requirement of proof of
residency, such as business or land ownership, deeds, etc.<br />
<br /></div>
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3. Adults who've resided in Cambodia less than ten years, and illegally, should be asked
to leave. If they wish to reside in Cambodia legally, again, there should be a formal legal process for them to petition.<br />
<br /></div>
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Corruption, such as the selling and buying of immigration documents, and the lack of a formal legal process may
hinder the implementation of the above, but as a ‘democracy,’ the rule of law should
be above all. Persons of Vietnamese descent should not be blamed for what’s not
working with the government of Cambodia.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I recently asked two young Cambodian Americans, both US
citizens, whether Vietnamese native to Cambodia are entitled to Cambodian
citizenship. They quickly responded, “No, because they’re not Khmer.” I said, “With your reasoning, the US government should
not have given you US citizenship then.” They both realized the similarity, sheepishly laughed, but
stood their ground insisting that Cambodia belongs to Khmer people. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Just imagine all </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">276,667 Cambodians in America are being asked to leave the US because they're not 'American.'</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">LAND-GRABBING and EXPANSIONISM<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Again, Vietnamese who know history or are informed know that southern Vietnam was taken from the Khmer. We also know
that central Vietnam was taken from the<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://diacritics.org/2011/bearing-the-weight-of-history-the-story-of-a-young-cham-woman-in-america"><span style="color: blue;">Cham people</span></a>,</span> of which there’re plenty of
reminders, memorialized in songs and poetry. <span style="font-family: inherit;">However, not unlike people in many countries, take the US for example, ordinary people are not preoccupied with how their countries came into being.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21573611-anger-rises-over-corrupt-local-officials-losing-plot"><span style="color: blue;">Land-grabbing</span></a> is a worldwide phenomenon where the poor are
being dispossessed of their land and livelihood. It is enabled by corrupt
government officials, or the government itself, in collusion with powerful domestic
or foreign corporations.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yix_KFTsvfk/Ut2H2ivKKlI/AAAAAAAAGkg/BuTu8aNFDas/s1600/VNlandgrabbing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yix_KFTsvfk/Ut2H2ivKKlI/AAAAAAAAGkg/BuTu8aNFDas/s1600/VNlandgrabbing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 23px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">“The government is seizing (our land) it. </span></span>They say it’s
all <br />about investing in social-welfare projects, but I call it stealing" </i><br />
Land-grabs in Vietnam, <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21573611-anger-rises-over-corrupt-local-officials-losing-plot"><span style="color: blue;">The Economist</span></a>,</span> March 16, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/26/us-cambodia-land-idUSBRE85P0G520120626"><span style="color: blue;">Land concessions </span></a>are given to foreign companies, not the
people where those foreign companies are located or local residents who happen
to share the same ancestry as the foreign companies' owners. It should be pointed
out that local, in this case Cambodian, corrupt officials also stand to profit from these land
concessions.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vietnam wants to annex Cambodia. How? What for? Communist
Vietnam is struggling to govern within its own territories, not to mention the constant threat posed by China, which has laid claim to the entire South
China Sea. Furthermore, given the state of current geopolitical
reality, invading and occupying another country are no longer the norm nor tolerated,
unless it’s done by the superpowers like the US under the guise of ‘war on
terrorism.’ In order words, Vietnam can't and won’t invade Cambodia for the sake of taking land or to obliterate Khmer people or culture. It’s pure paranoia to believe that Vietnam will find
reason to invade Cambodia.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On the other hand, however, Vietnam, not unlike other Asian countries, does see Cambodia as a market to expand its economy and as a source of natural resources. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Regarding Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia after having driven out the Khmer Rouge, yes, I do
agree 10 years were far too long. By nature, the natives always feel
resentful of foreign occupying powers regardless of the original intent and
purpose.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bigger threats to the livelihood of the average Cambodians
might be its own integration into the global market. Given only 50% of its <a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodian-students-fear-losing-jobs-asean-neighbours"><span style="color: blue;">current workforce</span></a> has finished primary school, low-paying jobs continue to be
the only things available. When ASEAN becomes a regional bloc in 2015, more companies
and professionals from other Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam, will come to Cambodia. Unfortunately, Cambodia does not have companies that could expand to other countries
and most Cambodians lack the necessary skills and training to go work in other
countries freely, other than as low-paying contracted manual laborers, like maids, fishing boat crews and construction workers.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Electoral reforms are needed, so are concerted efforts to stamp out corruption and enforce the laws, including immigration, that are
already on the book. Blaming the Yuon for Cambodia's socio-economic and political problems essentially let those in power, current or future government, off the hook. <span style="line-height: 115%;">It also distracts from the urgent need to improve the levels of
education and training to enable young </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3701703699526367786" name="_GoBack" style="line-height: 115%;"></a><span style="line-height: 115%;">Cambodians to
compete in the ASEAN and global market.</span></span><br />
<br />
Historical grievances can't and won't move the Khmer people forward. They only drag Cambodia back to the past.</div>
</div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-39352070779716901672013-12-24T23:49:00.000-08:002013-12-30T01:18:33.118-08:00Of Dog Meat and Joel Brinkley<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(This post is dedicated to Stanford </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://jimromenesko.com/2013/01/31/joel-brinkley-defends-his-vietnam-op-ed/"><span style="color: blue;">Professor Joe Brinkley</span></a> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">who in February wrote a rather bizarre column pontificating why Vietnamese eat dog. I've deliberately decided not to include graphic photos and details</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.)</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Walking your dinner?” two long-time Vietnamese American friends said
when they saw me walking my dog, Dee Dee.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrPfFCgHjsA/UrzHzyqjeoI/AAAAAAAAGj8/jYrFjxGVwLQ/s1600/deedeehat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrPfFCgHjsA/UrzHzyqjeoI/AAAAAAAAGj8/jYrFjxGVwLQ/s320/deedeehat.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dee Dee at about two.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a Vietnamese in-joke, a pretty funny one, if I may add. However, on
that day, I couldn’t laugh, couldn’t even manage a response other than a sheepish
nervous grin.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dog meat consumption somehow has been associated with Vietnamese people,
but not as I remembered growing up in the Mekong Delta region of southern <span lang="VI" style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span>. It still carries negative
connotations. The perception towards those who eat dog borderlines xenophobia.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I'm going to call for the dog catcher if you don't stop crying" was a commonly-heard threat to get a child to stop crying, and it worked for this was no ordinary dog catcher.
He was catching dogs for meat. Furthermore, he was '<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">bắc
kỳ,' a northern </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> native who was 'different.' He wasn't one of 'us</span>.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A good part of my childhood was spent in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki%C3%AAn_Giang_Province"><em><span style="background: white; color: blue; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Rạch Sỏi</span></em>,<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Kiên Giang</span></span> <span style="color: blue;">Province</span>,</a> a relatively large Mekong
Delta coastal town with a good mix of ethnic Chinese and Khmer or Cambodian
people. This is my mother’s side of the family. I was born in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2n_Ch%C3%A2u,_An_Giang"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.2em;"><span style="color: blue;">Tân Châu,</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">An Giang Province</span></a>, my father's side of the family, not far from the Cambodian border.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The main highway from An Giang to <span style="background: white;">Kiên
Giang </span>passes by a town called <em><span style="background: white; color: blue; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2n_Hi%E1%BB%87p_District,_Ki%C3%AAn_Giang"><span style="color: blue;">Tân</span> <span style="color: blue;">Hiệp</span></a></span></em>, about twenty
minutes from <em><span style="background: white; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Rạch Sỏi</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unlike elsewhere in the entire Mekong Delta region, <em><span style="background: white; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tân Hiệp’s
residents were predominately </span></em><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">bắc kỳ<em><span style="font-style: normal;">, and Catholics. And without fail, each and every time the bus
stopped in Tân Hiệp, it was pointed out that the people in this town ate dog.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">And that
became the stereotype about northerners eating dog.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_io-emjgVw/UrqjUMkXfFI/AAAAAAAAGjs/4HLbE7-FauM/s1600/TanHiepDiocese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_io-emjgVw/UrqjUMkXfFI/AAAAAAAAGjs/4HLbE7-FauM/s400/TanHiepDiocese.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.giaoxugiaohovietnam.com/LongXuyen/01-Giao-Phan-LongXuyen-TanHiep.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Tân Hiệp</span></a> has one of the biggest Catholic dioceses in </span></em><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Việt Nam</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal;">It may not
be apparent to outsiders, but the cultural divide, and the associated misgivings, between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_and_southern_Vietnam"><span style="color: blue;">northerners and southerners</span></a> can be quite a gulf. It was further widened by the years the
country was divided, compounded by <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_crisis"><span style="color: blue;">Catholics versus Buddhist</span></a>s </span>tension during President</span></em><span style="background-color: white;"> Ngô Đình Diệm<em><span style="font-style: normal;">
administration </span></em></span><span style="background-color: white;">(1955–1963)</span>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">When Việt Nam was partitioned into two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_passage_to_freedom"><span style="color: blue;">halves in 1954</span></a>, for fear of retribution and persecution, partly </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">fanned by US-engineered propaganda, nearly one million northerners, 85% Catholics, migrated south to join the now US-backed regime under </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: normal;">President</span></em><span style="background-color: white;"> Ngô Đình Diệm. Hence those</span><span style="background-color: white;"> who settled in </span><em><span style="font-style: normal;">Tân Hiệp were known as '</span></em><span style="background-color: white;">bắc kỳ </span><em><span style="font-style: normal;">ông</span></em><span style="background-color: white;"> Diệm,' Mr. Diệm’s northerners or '</span><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">bắc kỳ 54,' northerners who migrated south in 1954</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">The typical
dog catcher in the towns and villages neighboring Tân Hiệp was a man with a bamboo
shoulder pole and two burlap bags. He either caught the dogs, often rabid
and/or sick, that people no longer wanted or bought them from those who
were desperate for money.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">He was seen
as a sinister outsider trading in cruelty who occasionally performed a thankless
job of removing dangerous dogs. How the dogs were butchered and consumed were
subject of many bizarre stories full of xenophobic conjecture.</span></em><br />
<br />
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">Culinary historian<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.chonc.com/3.html"><span style="color: blue;">Erica J. Peters</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">,</span> in her Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam: Food and Drink in the Long
Nineteenth Century, wrote that </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">“dog meat was eaten on occasion by some
Vietnamese, but much less often than one would think from the extent to which the
French identified being Vietnamese with eating dog meat.”</span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal;">According
to The Guardian’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/27/eating-dog-vietnam-thailand-kate-hodal"><span style="color: blue;">Kate Hodal</span></a> </span><span style="background-color: white;">“</span></em><span style="background-color: white;"><i>no one knows exactly when
the Vietnamese started eating dog, but its consumption – primarily in the north
– underlines a long tradition.</i><span class="apple-converted-space"><i>”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal;">Unlike the bountiful Mekong Delta, northern </span></em><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background-color: white;"> is less
fertile</span><em><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal;"> whose winter could be bitterly cold, and even <a href="http://asiancorrespondent.com/117316/northern-vietnam-hit-by-freak-snowfall/"><span style="color: blue;">snows on occasions</span></a>. Southerners often surmised
that northerners resorted to eating dog out of the need for protein in their diet
and a desire for variety.</span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">When the
victorious communist north united the country in April, 1975, libraries sprung up everywhere;</span></em><em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"> free books were given out, partly as an effort to indoctrinate
formerly capitalist southerners, but also to reacquaint southerners with their estranged northern
cousins.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">I took to
the libraries like a duck to water, reading anything and everything I could get
my hand on. I remember reading about the living conditions in northern </span></em><span style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam </span><em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">during the brutal
Japanese occupation, especially in the winter of 1944 and 1945. Between 400,000 to two million died of starvation. It was known as the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Famine_of_1945"><span style="color: blue;">Vietnamese Famine of 1945</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There were many stories of Hanoi residents fighting with
each other over crumbs tossed to the sidewalks by Japanese soldiers and French
colonialists. All the dogs were eaten,
even the starving ones with nothing left but skin and bones. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Subsequently, I read many more stories of harsh
winters and failed-crop years when dogs became the main course in
northern </span><span style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">Dog meat consumption may have been borne out of necessity, but has devolved into a delicacy, often consumed exclusively by men during drinking binges.</span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TCUrBrn6x0Q/UrqMksht-PI/AAAAAAAAGjQ/nXBZtSt6Isw/s1600/operationfreedompassage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TCUrBrn6x0Q/UrqMksht-PI/AAAAAAAAGjQ/nXBZtSt6Isw/s400/operationfreedompassage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">"Operation Passage to Freedom"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Northern Viet Nam's Refugees Boarding US Navy Ship in Haiphong, 1954</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(Photo: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_passage_to_freedom"><span style="color: blue;">Wikipedia</span></a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">After 1975</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa;"> my family moved to a rural
village outside<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Rạch Giá to work as farmers in order to
avoid the watchful eyes of the new communist government because my father was a
member of the old regime. O</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">ne of the neighbors</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> gave me a beige and white puppy as a welcome gift.
We named her Kina, an 'American'-sounding name because of an uncle who had
raised three German Shepherds, and a few other purebreds, given to him by his
American military </span>advisers<span style="font-family: inherit;">. They all had non-Vietnamese names.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I loved that dog. We had quite a bit of land where rabbits and other livestock were raised, which Kina loved to chase as a puppy. She also
loved to go hunting field rats, which we ate. (Second part to this post will be on field rat consumption.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The monsoonal flooding season of 1978 was particularly severe,
partly due to the excessive damming of the tributaries that flood water
used to escape to the South China Sea. The prolonged inundation of the land
wiped out not only the crops and fruit trees, but also the livestock for there was
no dry land for them to shelter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">We were at the edge of starvation, forced to cut down
to one solid meal a day. Other meals were essentially watery rice porridge,
complimented with fish and sweet potatoes from previous year’s harvest. Towards
the end we even ran out of sweet potatoes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Early one day, my dad told me we would have to get
rid of my beloved Kina because we could barely feed ourselves. I protested to
no avail, but understood their decision. Worst of all, I had to lure her onto
the canoe so we could take her to an army garrison nearby to
sell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The soldiers were national army regulars<span style="font-family: inherit;"> (</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">bộ đội chính quy)</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> who were sent
there in preparation for the invasion of Cambodia to drive out the Khmer Rouge.
They were northerners.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I cried all the way home and many days afterward. I was
about 13.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To this day I can’t bear reading any stories about dog
meat consumption, and the reason why I </span>couldn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> laugh at my friends’ funny crack
upon seeing me walking my now-12-year old mutt, Dee Dee. You might say I’m
still traumatized by that experience.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IevCQZaXoSU/UrqNm4HFgOI/AAAAAAAAGjc/PY45zWW5GFA/s1600/DumplingandDeedee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IevCQZaXoSU/UrqNm4HFgOI/AAAAAAAAGjc/PY45zWW5GFA/s400/DumplingandDeedee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Dee Dee, who is now 12, with Dumpling, the cat.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">PS: Some time later my father was invited to a village chief's party where dog meat was served. Both my mother and I anxiously wanted to know what it tasted like. His response was "Everything tastes better with garlic and lemongrass. Besides, I was too drunk."</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-87665418274862452532013-12-16T20:29:00.004-08:002020-07-18T09:29:58.540-07:00What Nelson Mandela Taught Me, a Vietnamese Refugee, About Justice and Reconciliation<div style="border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">Seeing and hearing Nelson Mandela speak at the Oakland Coliseum on June 30, 1990 was a DNA-changing experience. He had saved me from becoming a flag-waving anti-Communist Vietnamese immigrant.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">To the thousands of Vietnamese refugees arriving in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan was not just the 40<sup style="line-height: 0;">th</sup> President of the United States, but also our "savior," our champion against communist tyranny and oppression. Or so we thought. I was destined to become a Republican in order to repay a debt of gratitude to him, but then I learned about apartheid South Africa.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">For someone who had risked his life escaping Communist Vietnam, it was difficult to fathom that while Reagan was professing to fight communist tyranny and oppression, his administration was aiding and abetting racial tyranny and oppression in South Africa.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I arrived in the Bay Area in 1980 as a 17 year-old refugee during the height of the anti-apartheid campaign on <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9vJFePKHl1I/Uq_Qr188SsI/AAAAAAAAGOQ/HEV-b9lZ9Ro/s1600/SCAN0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9vJFePKHl1I/Uq_Qr188SsI/AAAAAAAAGOQ/HEV-b9lZ9Ro/s320/SCAN0120.JPG" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This "Press Aide" badge has been <br />with me at all times since 1990.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
college campuses, especially at UC Berkeley. Initially, I didn’t yet have the wherewithal to understand what was going on until I enrolled at Merritt College in the Oakland Hills in 1984.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444;">Many of those involved in the Third World Student movement at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University had now become professors and instructors. Merritt College Chicano Studies instructor </span><a href="http://trevinofuneral.com/services.asp?locid=38&page=odetail&id=27282"><span style="color: blue;">Froben Lozada</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> was one of them. He taught a class called “Racism in America.”</span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I took the class out of curiosity and interest in history and politics. I was still on track to become a Republican so Lozada and I had many fights, even though my English wasn’t quite proficient enough for political debates. For whatever reason, he took a liking to me. He directed me to books, literature and films about the Civil Rights Movement, the Farm Workers Union, the Black Panther Party and, of course, South Africa.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I was shaken to the core. I grew up in what was then the Republic of South Vietnam or ‘free’ Vietnam, America’s ally in Southeast Asia. USA was “Number One” to us. America had come to Vietnam to hold against the tide of communist tyranny and oppression. She could do no wrong.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">A moment forever etched in my mind occurred when I found out many black soldiers suffered racist abuse at the hands of their white comrades in Vietnam, and then came back to what amounted to second class status in America. It took me days to shake it off.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Then came the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, which had been championed by then-Oakland U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums. When President Reagan vetoed the bill in 1985, which had been passed by both the House and the Senate, it dawned on me that his anti-Communism stance was all politics. South Africa’s racist brutality took a backseat to geopolitics. (The veto was overridden by both Houses of Congress shortly after.)</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">From that day on, Froben Lozada became my favorite teacher, whom I continued to keep in touch with until the early 2000s. Lozada died in January of this year at age 83, a fighter to the end.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I went on to take part in the Anti-Apartheid Movement at San Francisco State University, where I had transferred, as well as other civil rights issues. When Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Prison on February 11, 1990, I felt a sense of jubilation and liberation as if I had lived in South Africa.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Upon his release from prison, Mandela and his then-wife, Winnie, embarked on a 12-day, eight-city tour of the United States, which included a visit to Oakland, California on June 30, 1990. I signed up to work the event as a volunteer.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">With previous experience working for the Merritt College student newspaper, I was assigned to work as a “Press Aide.” I was able to see his easy smile and folksy manner up close before he took the stage to a rapturous welcome, an indescribable atmosphere.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">For a newly-arrived immigrant, one who had escaped his country by boat, it was an experience and a memory that possibly nothing will rival for as long as I live.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">After the victorious North Vietnamese overran South Vietnam in 1975, uniting the two halves into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a communist state, purges and persecutions were carried out against those who were part of the American-backed regime, of which my father was a member.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Millions of Vietnam’s southerners suffered. As many as two million took to sea to escape, to find a better life. I was one of them. Like all Vietnamese refugees, we had resentment and hatred for the regime that forced us out. It had become our sworn-enemy even though we were fellow Vietnamese.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">But when Mandela came out of prison after twenty-seven years, his words portrayed none of the resentment and hatred for his jailers or the regime that had tried to kill him. His message was one of reconciliation, of rebuilding a new South Africa inclusive of those who had oppressed and brutalized non-white South Africans. No purges and persecutions. It was a shocking revelation. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">What I learned from Mandela was that hatred and resentment only poison your own mind, not your enemy’s.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">The following year, I was able to put aside my apprehension and fear of communist Vietnam. During that time, visiting Vietnam was seen by many in the overseas Vietnamese community as aiding and abetting an enemy state, which needed to be brought down. But I went back to see my family for the first time in eleven years. I was part of the first wave of former boat people to have done so.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<i>This post was originally published at <a href="http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2013/12/what-nelson-mandela-taught-me-vietnamese-war-refugee-about-justice-and-reconcil">Hyphen Magazine</a>. Would like to thank <a href="https://twitter.com/momochang_oak">Momo Chang </a>for coaxing it out of me. Without her persistence and patience, it would have taken me another year to finish it, Mandela's 1st death anniversary.</i></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-24365837099440813252013-11-09T02:04:00.006-08:002023-04-10T14:18:18.192-07:00Useful Village Idiots of Việt Nam<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Within thirty minutes of my arrival two men
in olive-green uniforms had taken a seat at our coffee table, helping
themselves to cigarettes and iced tea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Man #1: He’s your son?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My father: Yes. He just came home from
America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Man #2 chimes in: I thought you had only one
son (pointing to the picture on the wall).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U0K0TBVKKGk/Un4BZbIZzhI/AAAAAAAAGMQ/cMZrxFlOvws/s1600/after75family.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U0K0TBVKKGk/Un4BZbIZzhI/AAAAAAAAGMQ/cMZrxFlOvws/s400/after75family.jpg" width="303" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This photo was taken in 1981, after I had left.<br />
L to R, top row: My mother, younger brother and my father<br />
Bottom row: My youngest sister, my third-generation Chinese-Vietnamese maternal <br />
grandmother who was born on <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phu_Quoc"><span style="color: blue;">Phú Quốc</span>,</a></span></span> </span>which is now a resort island, and my younger sister.<br /><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My father: Well, he had run away from home.
We </span>didn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> know where he was until recently.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so my first conversation with my father
in almost twelve years kept being interrupted by two complete strangers who had
invited themselves into our living room. Somehow I managed to ignore their
presence. Perhaps it was because I was more overwhelmed by seeing my family
again after so many years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once the men in olive-green uniforms had left,
after about two hours, I asked my dad, <i>“Who the heck were those guys?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Local security busy-bodies, useful village
idiots,” </i>my father replied, without missing a beat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prior to the official lift of US travel restriction,
Vietnamese with US citizenship, on a limited basis, were able to apply for a ‘family
visit’ visa. Through luck and timing, I got myself a visa and some money earned
from casting work for the film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joy_Luck_Club_(film)"><span style="color: blue;">“The Joy Luck Club”</span></a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After almost twelve years of occasional letters and
telegrams, I was about to see my family in person. Giving the lack of private
telephones in <span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt
Nam</span><span lang="VI"> </span>at the time, I had no way
to inform them of my arrival. I was paid by director Wayne Wang’s film company
on Thursday, purchased the plane ticket on Saturday and off I went back to <span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt Nam</span> the
following Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Việt
Nam</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> today is a far cry from the </span><a href="http://giaoduc.net.vn/Utilities/PrintView.aspx?ID=175064" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt Nam</span> I visited in 1991</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, after
ten years in the U.S., and almost two </span><span style="text-align: right;"><span>years in refugee camps. I was part of the third wave of boat people, leaving </span></span><span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span> in 19</span>79</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> with 303 others on a river boat, aiming for the South China Sea.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duk8ur3ECCE/Un4ErnMqU7I/AAAAAAAAGMg/oDG6WgiVOho/s1600/sidewalkbarbershop.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duk8ur3ECCE/Un4ErnMqU7I/AAAAAAAAGMg/oDG6WgiVOho/s400/sidewalkbarbershop.jpg" width="260" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hồ
Chí Minh City sidewalk barber, 1991</span><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
Photo:<span style="color: blue;"> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://giaoduc.net.vn/Utilities/PrintView.aspx?ID=176179">Giáo dục Magazin</a>e</span></span><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I found Sài Gòn, now Hồ
Chí Minh City, </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> much
different than the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">last time I saw it in
1979</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Though “đổi mới”</span><em style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></b></em><span style="font-family: inherit;">reforms were in full swing, almost everything
else looked like leftovers from before 1975. Streets were clogged with older
motorbikes, <a href="http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xe_lam"><span style="color: blue;">Lambretta</span></a> vans and bicycles, with occasional older model American
cars, used Toyota vans and Korean buses.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The most visible change, however, was store-front shops and
sidewalk <span style="background-color: white;">cafés. Almost every house along the main
thoroughfare from </span>Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport leading into <span style="background-color: white;">the city center
</span>was selling something. This was đổi mới <span style="background-color: white;">in </span><span style="background-color: white;">full </span><span style="background-color: white;">bloom, the 1986 historic
policy shift that helped usher in economic development, taking war-ravaged </span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span><span lang="VI"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">to where it is
today. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Due to limited lodging available in HCM City and
transportation to where my parents were, I needed to stay </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">overnight or until I
could arrange for transportation ‘home.’ On top of it, I only had a vague idea
where my parents had moved since I left</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, so I needed a private car, and assistance,
as I went searching for my parents.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNWVDxabgsk/Un4LiESDk7I/AAAAAAAAGM0/FsXe4sHBrhs/s1600/saigon1991.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span><img border="0" height="262" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNWVDxabgsk/Un4LiESDk7I/AAAAAAAAGM0/FsXe4sHBrhs/s400/saigon1991.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span>Hồ Chí Minh City, 1991<br />Photo: </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: blue;"><a href="http://giaoduc.net.vn/Utilities/PrintView.aspx?ID=175064"><span style="color: blue;">Giáo dục</span> <span style="color: blue;">Magazin</span></a>e</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During this period, unless at international
hotels, in order to sleep overnight non-residents were required to report to
the local police<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;">
and be registered with either a Vietnamese national ID card or passport if
overseas Vietnamese. And since I did not know anyone in HCM City, I was
introduced to the cousins of a colleague in the U.S. who took me in as their
‘cousin’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I, and the husband of the
family Vinh, my new cousin, spent literally the</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> next whole
day looking for a private car with a driver, who could take us to the Mekong
Delta, six hou</span><span style="background-color: white;">rs away. Through Vinh’s
contact</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, the coffee shop </span><span style="background-color: white;">owner on his street found us t</span><span style="background-color: white;">he
car and driver.</span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A young man about 15 came to our house very
early the next morning, informing us that we had to walk to the car because the
street, more like an alley, where we were was too narrow. I asked the teenager what kind of car it was. He kept saying
something like <i>‘Fan Cong,’</i> but I </span>couldn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> figure out what ‘Fan Cong’ was. </span></span><em style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It turned out to be a 1967 Ford Falcon which
had rusted beyond recognition, looking</span><span style="background-color: white;"> as if</span><span style="background-color: white;"> it
had been demolished on the set of “Mad Max” and put back together by a
back-alley Dr. Frankenstein. Yes, I was going to ride for six hours in a rusty
1967 Ford Falcon from HCM City to the Mekong Delta.</span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LMQ_VZcrLBw/Un4H79Gfj7I/AAAAAAAAGMo/NTY6yIILArc/s1600/1967FordFalcon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span><img border="0" height="166" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LMQ_VZcrLBw/Un4H79Gfj7I/AAAAAAAAGMo/NTY6yIILArc/s400/1967FordFalcon.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1967 Ford Falcon<br />
Photo:<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1966-1970-ford-falcon2.htm"><span style="color: blue;">how stuff works</span></a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In addition to the non-functioning
speedometer, it had no working head or tail lights, and the windows on both
sides were </span><span style="background-color: white;">also </span><span style="background-color: white;">broken.
Before jumping in I asked the driver, who turned out to be a former soldier in
the South </span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white;">Việt
Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> Army with one eye missing, how he
would be able tell how fast he drives. He simply said, <i>“Oh, you kinda know how
fast it goes.”.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Off to the Mekong
Delta we went. The one-eyed former </span><span style="background-color: white;">South </span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">’s
soldier was in the driver’s seat with his teenage sidekick in the front
passenger seat. Vinh and I took the back seats.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">That Ford Falcon was
flying, whose horn sounded more like a cat with fur balls stuck in its throat. Have
I mentioned the car’s speedometer was broken? Good thing </span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">’s
roads were deserted then. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">About halfway through
the six-hour trip, to my horrors, the sidekick took over the driving duties. I asked where
he learned to drive a four-wheel automobile. He pointed at the floor and said,
<i>“This one.”</i> Whenever the car hit a bump, a metal sheet at my feet would
slide, revealing the asphalt through the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We were covered in a
layer of dust by the time we reached </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2n_Ch%C3%A2u,_An_Giang"><span style="color: blue;">Tân Châu</span></a>, where I was born. Tân Châu sits on the banks of
the <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Tiền River</span>, the Mekong’s main tributary in <span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. In the 1960s and 1970s </span>Tân Châu was a major stop for cargo
ships going up to and from Cambodia, which is about twenty kilometers away. It was a </span>smuggler’s paradise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">From there on, I had
no idea where to go for many of the landmarks – shops and public structures –
were no longer there. The Mekong Delta, due the annual flooding, is notorious for
erosion and landslides. Both the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tân
Châu’s old public market and the Catholic Church where I attended </span>kindergarten<span style="font-family: inherit;"> had
fallen into the river years prior. So did the main road leading up to Cambodia.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many
things had changed by 1991 but not as dramatic yet that the village culture
where everyone knew each other was still intact. So we stopped the car every
few kilometers to ask people if they knew who my father was and where we could
find him. Lo and behold, we were able to locate my family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we reached the
house, a general merchandise store out front, which we were told belongs to a “Mr.
H</span>ồ<span style="font-family: inherit;">ng,” my dad’s name. For whatever reason Vinh, my new cousin, </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;">decided that it would be better if he</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">came into the house
first. (Vietnamese address each other by first name.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NszQYoLojjs/Un4PgjogDyI/AAAAAAAAGNc/-mJvHCob8TE/s1600/myparentshouse.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NszQYoLojjs/Un4PgjogDyI/AAAAAAAAGNc/-mJvHCob8TE/s400/myparentshouse.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was my parents' house, which since has been given to <br />
my youngest sister<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Walking into the
house, meeting my mother, Vinh said </span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Is this Mr. H</span>ồ<span style="font-family: inherit;">ng’s family?”</span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> My mother responded yes and asked who Vinh was. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">“Your son from America is back to see you,”</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> he
said. In disbelief my mother told Vinh, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t know who you are, but don’t
say such thing, please leave.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At that point Vinh
asked me to come in so my mother would believe him. I walked in to the house
and said, <i>“Mother, I am home.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My mother screamed,
running into my aunt’s house next door and said, <i>“Can you come over to see if
that’s my son? Is that him for real or I'm seeing a ghost?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had to reassure my
mother that I </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a ghost. At that time she started to cry. I held my mother
tightly as we both started to cry. When I left </span></span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> in
1979, it was a clandestine people-smuggling operation. Everything was
hush-hush. I had joined my father to work on the boat some six months prior, so
when I left, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to my mother or my three
younger siblings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0oJpALuCCIk/Un4QrGjIWKI/AAAAAAAAGNo/bHoJCRvw4q8/s1600/meetingtheleclan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span><img border="0" height="286" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0oJpALuCCIk/Un4QrGjIWKI/AAAAAAAAGNo/bHoJCRvw4q8/s400/meetingtheleclan.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Le Clan<br />
Center is the matriarch, my paternal grandmother</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Within minutes we had a
circus of onlookers outside our door starring at a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Kieu"><span style="color: blue;">Việt Kiều</span></a>, an overseas
Vietnamese, the oldest son of Mr. Hong whom nobody knew existed. Soon after the
two men in olive-green uniforms showed up and helped themselves to our
cigarettes and iced tea.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">My parents’ house was
located at an intersection leading down to a ferry crossing, so there were a
few shops, including coffee shops and drinking places catering to a steady
stream of customers throughout the day. Many eateries in </span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">’s
small towns pull triple duties: Coffee, noodle soup and rice porridge in the morning,
simple working men’s lunches in the afternoon and drinking parlors in the
evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being a small town,
there </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> much to do. My days consisted of visiting relatives and ancestors’
grave sites during the day and sitting around people-watching in the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">One night a fight
broke out among a group of drunken young men across the street. Soon everybody
was milling around, anticipating a fist fight, which, unfortunately a common occurrence
in rural </span><span lang="VI" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Việt
Nam</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then a tiny man in
shorts, barefoot and bare-chested, showed up with what looked like an old World
War II Carbine. The gun was as tall as the man himself, who was trying to make
his presence known but nobody seemed to care. He was just standing around with the
gun slung off his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me to my dad, <i>“Who’s he
and why does he have a gun?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“He’s the local
security chief,”</i> my dad deadpanned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Is he going stop the fight?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Nobody’s
afraid of him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“But he has a gun!”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My dad laughed so
hard, which I thought was odd, but not sure what to make of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Yeah, he has a gun, but
no bullets.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Incredulous, I asked, <i>“What’s the
point of having a gun without bullets?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Would you trust him
with bullets?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good point. The man
with a WWII rifle without bullets was another useful village idiot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So who were these men?
Often times they were ne'er-do-well sons of those who, overnight after 1975,
had become local leaders. The uniforms, the glorified titles were a means of livelihood
through payoffs and shakedowns for men who otherwise </span>couldn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> hold down a job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More importantly, they
were obedient and loyal cadres who had no qualms carrying out the dirty work,
even against their own neighbors and friends, making them useful to the powers
that be.</span></span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-63212406665547517992013-09-11T23:54:00.002-07:002013-09-22T15:02:28.462-07:00Sừng tê giác, răng cọp và tại sao người Châu Á ăn động vật hoang dã đến tuyệt chủng<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;">(<a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2013/08/rhino-horn-tiger-tooth-and-why-asians.html"><span style="color: blue;">English version of this post</span></a>: </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rhino horns, tiger teeth and why Asians eat wildlife to extinction.)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;">Cơn sốt của em trai sơ sinh của tôi không </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hạ nhiệt</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"> với
thuốc thông thường. Vì vậy, mẹ tôi quyết định sử dụng một loại thuốc </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">mà</span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"> bà tin
rằng đã </span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">có</span></span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"> hiệu quả cho bốn người con lớn của bà. Bà mài răng cọp trong
một cối thuốc </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">đá</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> nhỏ, thêm một vài muỗng cà phê nước, sau đó cho em tôi uống
chất lỏng màu trắng sữa.</span></div>
<div align="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yo-sl7dM5Hg/UjFudLNYRWI/AAAAAAAAGEU/mEfTRW0GSik/s1600/tigerclaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yo-sl7dM5Hg/UjFudLNYRWI/AAAAAAAAGEU/mEfTRW0GSik/s400/tigerclaw.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Răng và móng cọp bán như bùa hộ
mệnh để xua đuổi ma quỷ<br />
Nguồn: <a href="http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/ideas_lab/Buyers,_Beware!"><span style="color: blue;">Wild Asia</span></a></span><br />
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Em trai <span style="background-color: white;">út</span> tôi chết vào ngày hôm sau. <span style="background-color: white;">Nổi
xung</span>, ba tôi lấy răng cọp và ném nó xuống sông sau nhà.<i style="font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Răng cọp <span style="background-color: white;">đó</span> là một vật gia truyền, món quà cưới mà
ông bà ngoại tặng cho ba mẹ tôi khi hai người kết hôn. <span style="background-color: white;">Ông</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span>bà ngoại <span style="background-color: white;">lúc đó</span> <span style="background-color: white;">là chủ trại</span> cưa <span style="background-color: white;">tương đối giàu tại
thị trấn Rạch Sỏi,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">tỉnh Kiên Giang.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Chính</span> tôi <span style="background-color: white;">đã đeo</span> răng cọp này lên đến hai tuổi. Người ta tin rằng răng cọp không
chỉ có tính chất dược liệu,
mà còn có <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">cả</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> sức mạnh để tránh khỏi "linh hồn ma quỷ," mà tôi cần bảo <span style="font-family: inherit;">vệ</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">v</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">ì tôi là </span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;">con trai </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">đầu lòng</span><span style="line-height: 14.25pt;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Theo truyền thuyết, rừng tràm U Minh, <span style="background-color: white;">giữa hai tỉnh Cà Mau và Kiên Giang</span>, <span style="background-color: white;">ngày<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">xưa</span> <span style="background-color: white;">có rất nhiều
</span>cọp và răng đó đến từ một trong những con cọp </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;">ấy</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">. Trong thực tế, răng </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">cọp</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> đó có thể </span><span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">là chiếc </span>răng <span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">của</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> một con trâu, heo
rừng, hoặc thậm chí là một con chó lớn. Không ai bao giờ hỏi lý do tại sao
những con </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">cọp</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> đã bị giết </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">và</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> như thế nào, hoặc </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">thật sự n</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">ó </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">có tồn tại</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">hay không.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; line-height: 14.25pt;">Khi chúng tôi chuyển đến một ngôi làng nông thôn bên
ngoài <span style="background-color: white;">Rạch Giá, chúng tôi phát hiện ra</span> <span style="background-color: white;">một vài cặp cò </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">trắng</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">di cư đã xây dựng tổ trong một
cụm</span> <span style="background-color: white;">cây tràm trên đất của gia đình
tôi. Hàng ngày tôi và em trai tôi không thể chờ đợi để kiểm tra tổ cò.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Chúng tôi chộp lấy những quả trứng ngay sau khi cò đẻ.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Một vài lần hai anh em </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;">tôi</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">đã</span><span style="background-color: white;"> bắn hạ một vài con </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;">cò </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;">bằng</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;"> súng cao su.</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;">Sau
một vài năm, chúng tôi nhận thấy </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;">các </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;">cặp cò không còn trở lại, nhưng không hiểu tại sao.</span></span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xt4tmmxb3UI/UjF9CZ0sd8I/AAAAAAAAGFY/dnKPLiuqlWg/s1600/egrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xt4tmmxb3UI/UjF9CZ0sd8I/AAAAAAAAGFY/dnKPLiuqlWg/s400/egrets.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa;"><span style="background-color: white;">Vườn Quốc Gia Tràm Chim</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa;">Đồng Tháp Mười</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Gia đình tôi là g</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">ia đình </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">nông dân nghèo </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">chủ yếu sống</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">nhờ vào</span></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">các loại rau </span><span style="text-align: justify;">cải</span><b style="text-align: justify;"> </b><span style="text-align: justify;">và cá.</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Chúng tôi nuôi gà và heo, nhưng<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>nó<span class="apple-converted-space"> là</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">khoản</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>đầu tư, </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hay</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> tiết kiệm của gia đình</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; text-align: justify;">.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Những quả trứng chim và các loài chim<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>rừng,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>rắn và rùa thường<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>bắt được, thậm chí<span class="heading1char"> chuột đồng, là<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>những món ăn<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>đặc biệt. Khi chúng tôi đánh bắt cá,
chúng tôi bắt </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">và ăn</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">tất cả, </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">từ lớn đến</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> nhỏ.</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Trong mùa lũ,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>một loại<span class="apple-converted-space"> cá
được đánh giá cao là những cá con bởi vì nó không có xương, đặc biệt<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>là cá lóc con.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mlyMVZ-j6Qs/UjFvkKvHYOI/AAAAAAAAGEg/FCXX5Q1h0Iw/s1600/babysnakehead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mlyMVZ-j6Qs/UjFvkKvHYOI/AAAAAAAAGEg/FCXX5Q1h0Iw/s400/babysnakehead.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Cá lóc con được nuôi cho các trang trại cá</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nguồn:</span> <a href="http://nongnghiep.vn/nongnghiepvn/72/45/45/100306/Giong-nuoi-la-quan-trong.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">Nông Nghiệp Việt
Nam</span></a></span><i style="font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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Để làm cho một bữa ăn bao gồm </span><span style="background-color: white;">cá lóc con</span><span style="background-color: white;">, gia đình của tôi quét
sạch bốn hoặc năm </span><span style="background-color: white;">bầy </span><span style="background-color: white;">cá lóc</span><span style="background-color: white;"> tương lai.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4BhyjgY_wUk/UjFv9qzwmtI/AAAAAAAAGEo/zpKkvU5o9as/s1600/adultsnakeheads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4BhyjgY_wUk/UjFv9qzwmtI/AAAAAAAAGEo/zpKkvU5o9as/s400/adultsnakeheads.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Cá lóc</span><br />
Ngu</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ồn: </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://bannhanong.vn/danhmuc/NQ==/baiviet/Ky-thuat-nuoi-ca-loc-bong-trong-ao-dat/MjE0Mg==/index.bnn"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">B</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://bannhanong.vn/danhmuc/NQ==/baiviet/Ky-thuat-nuoi-ca-loc-bong-trong-ao-dat/MjE0Mg==/index.bnn"><span style="color: blue;">ạn</span> <span style="color: blue;">Nhà</span> <span style="color: blue;">Nông</span></a></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Chúng tôi</span> <span style="background-color: white;">cũng</span> <span style="background-color: white;">ăn nhiều </span><span style="background-color: white;">thứ</span><span style="background-color: white;"> vì mới lạ, vì hiếm có của chúng.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Quan
trọng hơn, chúng tôi không hiểu làm thế nào không ăn trứng </span><span style="background-color: white;">cò</span><span style="background-color: white;"> hoặc bắt </span><span style="background-color: white;">cá lóc con</span><span style="background-color: white;"> sẽ có lợi cho chúng
tôi.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Chúng tôi nghĩ
rằng nếu chúng tôi không bắt, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">thì</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">người khác sẽ bắt.</span><br />
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K</span>hái niệm về bảo vệ động vật hoang dã hoặc bảo tồn thiên nhiên không
phải là một phong tục, thói quen trong <span style="background-color: white;">đời sống </span><span style="background-color: white;">hàng ngày</span>. <i style="font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sau gần 11 năm </span><span style="background-color: white;">sinh sống tại</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Hoa Kỳ</span><span style="background-color: white;"> tôi trở về Việt Nam lần đầu tiên trong</span> <span style="background-color: white;">năm 1992</span> <span style="background-color: white;">và tìm thấy</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">kinh tế</span><span style="background-color: white;"> gia đình tôi </span><span style="background-color: white;">tương đối khá giả, </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">k</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">hông còn phải bám vào</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">đất</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">để sống</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Không
lâu sau khi tôi </span><span style="background-color: white;">về đến nhà</span><span style="background-color: white;">, cha tôi </span><span style="background-color: white;">nhắn với những người</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">bán hàng</span><span style="background-color: white;"> trong chợ </span><span style="background-color: white;">gần nhà</span><span style="background-color: white;"> ông đang tìm kiếm </span><span style="background-color: white;">món</span><span class="Heading1Char"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">lạ, </span><span style="background-color: white;">đặc biệt, ví dụ như
rùa, rắn, chim và cá lớn.</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ông đã khá thất vọng khi tôi nói <span style="background-color: white;">tôi chỉ</span> muốn </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">ăn</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">rau muống luộc</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">và </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">cá rô kho</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">tộ</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. T</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">ôi
muốn hương vị bữa ăn đơn giản nhất mà tôi nhớ khi còn nhỏ.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Gia đình
tôi không hiểu rõ lý do tại sao một người đàn ông trở về từ một quốc gia giàu </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">chỉ</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> muốn ăn như</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">nông dân nghèo</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HmhoKogB2Ts/UjFxB8RASCI/AAAAAAAAGE0/JcBae0FKD_w/s1600/carokho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HmhoKogB2Ts/UjFxB8RASCI/AAAAAAAAGE0/JcBae0FKD_w/s400/carokho.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">Cá rô kho</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">tộ</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Cuối cùng họ từ bỏ cố gắng để hiểu </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">tâm lý</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">tôi và tôi </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">không biết</span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">làm</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"> sao </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">để</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">giải thích cho họ rằng các loại </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">thức ăn ngon</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> không nhất thiết
phải đắt tiền hoặc kỳ lạ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Bất cứ nơi nào tôi đi trong </span><span style="background-color: white;">những ngày sau</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">đó</span><span style="background-color: white;">, tất cả mọi người muốn tôi ăn thức ăn "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ngon</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> nhất,"
mà luôn luôn bao gồm rắn, rùa và chim.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Quan
điểm cho rằng động vật hoang dã có giá trị trong </span>thiên<span style="background-color: white;"> nhiên hơn trên </span></span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">đĩa</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> không dễ hiểu bởi vì nhiều người
đã không nhìn thấy chính mình trực tiếp, hoặc thậm chí gián tiếp, chịu trách
nhiệm về đánh bắt hoặc giết chết động vật hoang dã như vậy.</span> <span style="background-color: white;">Họ chỉ thấy mình là người tiêu dùng,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">lý giải</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> rằng nếu họ không mua rắn, chim và rùa,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">thì</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">những người khác sẽ mua.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Tôi hồi tưởng lại với em trai tôi
về thời thơ ấu của chúng tôi và khi tôi giải thích cho </span><span style="background-color: white;">nó</span><span style="background-color: white;"> lý thuyết của tôi về lý do tại sao những con cò đã
không quay trở lại </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">cụm</span> <span style="background-color: white;">cây</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> tràm của gia đình </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">mình</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><span style="background-color: white;">nó</span><span style="background-color: white;"> đã khó tin, nhưng tôi có cảm
nhận </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">cậu ấy có chút </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;">cảm giác</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> tội lỗi.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tôi
cảm thấy <span style="line-height: 115%;">áy náy v</span>ì</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> những gì chúng tôi có thể đã vô </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">tình</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">làm </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">khi còn nhỏ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nhiều người thân của tôi ngày hôm
nay, bao gồm cả thế hệ trẻ, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">tận hưởng</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">các cơ hội xa hoa mình
với thuốc trường sinh và </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">thịt rừng</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">, </span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">n</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">hững gì</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">năm</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">mười</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">năm trước</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> khi chỉ những người giàu
có thể mua được.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">Họ có một ý niệm
mơ hồ rằng</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">thuốc trường sinh</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">có thể không có gì
huyền diệu, nhưng tin rằng nó sẽ không làm tổn thương để thử chúng. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuy nhiên, họ sẽ không cảm thấy hoài cổ, hoặc sẵn sàng
vi phạm luật pháp </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">đối với</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> động vật kỳ lạ nếu và khi </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">chúng</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> không còn được bán trên thị
trường.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">Đối với họ, </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">chỉ đơn giản muốn
làm một cái gì đó khác đi</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">thay vì một bữa ăn </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">ba món</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> hàng ngày mà họ có thể đủ khả năng </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">bỏ tiền ra mua</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">Không
hơn không kém.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FciY01L1CVo/UjFzB-WHbjI/AAAAAAAAGFE/VhIVfz9Pqvs/s1600/cambamon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FciY01L1CVo/UjFzB-WHbjI/AAAAAAAAGFE/VhIVfz9Pqvs/s400/cambamon.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Cơm bình dân</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">Có thể mất thời gian cho giáo dục bảo tồn đi sâu vào đời sống, để trở thành một phần của nền văn hoá, và thậm chí còn </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">lâu hơn</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">cho pháp luật hiện hành được thực thi mà không bị </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">vi phạm. </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">Đáng buồn thay, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">đã quá muộn để bảo tồn</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">con </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">tê giác</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> và </span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 14.25pt;">voi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> hoang
dã </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cuối cùng</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">của Việt Nam. Hiện tại nhiều loài đặc hữu của Việt Nam và</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> c<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">ác</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">nước
láng giềng Đông Nam Á </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">đang nằm trong</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 14.25pt;">danh sách </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">có </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 14.25pt;">nguy cơ
tuyệt chủng</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.25pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sự thèm </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">muốn</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> vô độ của <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">n</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">hững </span><span style="background-color: white;">người mới giàu</span> của Việt Nam đối với các </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">thứ</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> kỳ lạ đã không </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">gây hại đến </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">di sản thiên nhiên của </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Việt Nam mà còn đe dọa đến những loài động vật ở
một lục đia xa xôi là </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Châu Phi. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thật là kinh khủng khi</span></span><span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">587</span> con <span style="background-color: white;">tê giác </span></span>của Nam Phi<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">, và</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">35 con ở Kenya</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, đã bị giết </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">từ đầu</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> năm</span> 2013 </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">đến nay</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">để</span><span style="line-height: 16px;"> lấy</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>sừng, hầu hết trong số đó được nhập lậu vào Việt Nam, nơi một bộ
sừng </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">của</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> một con tê giác có thể </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">được</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">bán với giá</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> US</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">$ 1.000.000</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fel70uC_JSk/UjF0A5l6zjI/AAAAAAAAGFI/uiyFgdQg0aY/s1600/rhino-no-horn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fel70uC_JSk/UjF0A5l6zjI/AAAAAAAAGFI/uiyFgdQg0aY/s400/rhino-no-horn.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rhinos-horns-worth-more-than-gold-2012-5" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;">Business</span></a> </span>Inside</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rhinos-horns-worth-more-than-gold-2012-5">r:</a></span><b style="font-size: small;"> </b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Giá </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">sừng tê giác</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: white;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">đắt hơn</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> cả </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">vàng</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Chỉ cần tưởng tượng: trên trung bình,
hai con tê giác đang </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">bị giết</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> mỗi ngày vì một</span> tin đồn rằng sừng
của </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">nó</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, tuy </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">là chất</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> keratin
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">giống như ngón tay và ngón chân của bạn và tôi, đã chữa khỏi bệnh ung thư.</span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-69940522370159689562013-08-19T00:33:00.001-07:002014-02-12T16:40:02.276-08:00Rhino horns, tiger teeth and why Asians eat wildlife to extinction<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(This post is also in <a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2013/09/sung-te-giac-rang-cop-va-tai-sao-nguoi.html"><span style="color: blue;">Vietnamese</span></a>: </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Sừng tê giác, răng cọp và tại sao người Châu Á ăn động vật hoang dã đến tuyệt chủng.)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My weeks-old youngest brother’s fever was not
responding to conventional medicine. So my mother decided to use what she believed had worked for her four older children. She ground the tiger
tooth in a small stone mortar, added a couple of teaspoons of water, then spoon-fed my brother the milky-white liquid.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJNanncrZPE/UhHGS96rVgI/AAAAAAAAF94/Y3OLC5K5et0/s1600/tigerclaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJNanncrZPE/UhHGS96rVgI/AAAAAAAAF94/Y3OLC5K5et0/s400/tigerclaw.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tiger teeth and claws sold as amulets and charms to ward off evil spirits</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Source: <a href="http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/ideas_lab/Buyers,_Beware!"><span style="color: blue;">Wild Asia</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He died the next day. In a fit of rage, my
father took the tiger tooth and threw it into the river a few meters from our
back door.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The tiger tooth was a family heirloom, given to
my parents<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>by my r</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">elatively rich saw mill-owning </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">maternal
grandparents in the Mekong Delta town
of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rach_Gia"><span style="color: blue;">Rạch Giá</span></a> as a wedding present. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">I wore this very tiger tooth
around my neck the first two years of my life. It was believed to not only possess</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://www.singlevisioninc.org/tiger_body_parts_sold.html"><span style="color: blue;">medicinal properties</span></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">, but also the power to ward off ‘evil spirits,’ from which I needed
protection as the first-</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">born son.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to legend, tigers once roamed the
forested swamps of the Mekong Delta region and the tooth came from one of those
tigers whose spirits now lorded over the underworld. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%;">In reality, that ‘tiger’ tooth could have come
from a water buffalo, a wild boar, or even a big dog. No one ever asked why or how those tigers were killed, or if they ever
existed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we moved to a rural village outside <span style="background-color: white;">Rạch Giá, we discovered </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">a few pairs of migrating white egrets had built nests in a cluster of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca"><span style="color: blue;">melaleuca</span></a> trees (cây</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: #f1ffff; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #f1ffff; line-height: 150%;">tràm)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">on our land</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">. Everyday m</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">y brother and I couldn't wait to check on the nests. We </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">would snatch the eggs as soon as they were laid. W</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">e even managed to shoot down a few birds with a slingshot. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">After a few years we noticed the egrets no longer came back, but didn’t understand why.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I-aYXli8O1A/UhJSOdeNf2I/AAAAAAAAF-U/J6gzyc4wCBc/s1600/egrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I-aYXli8O1A/UhJSOdeNf2I/AAAAAAAAF-U/J6gzyc4wCBc/s400/egrets.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Egrets in <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">Tràm Chim National Park, Vietnam Mekong Delta<br />Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram_Chim_National_Park"><span style="color: blue;">Wikipedia</span></a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">We
were poor farmers whose diets consisted mostly </span><span style="background-color: white;">of vegetables and
fish. </span><span style="background-color: white;">We raised
chickens and pigs, but they were</span><span style="background-color: white;"> investments, our savings</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> The bird eggs and the occasional birds, snakes and turtles, even <a href="http://www.aroundvn.com/2013/06/traveling-to-vietnam-and-enjoying-rat.html#.UhLkwNLVB2A"><span style="color: blue;">field rats</span></a>, were a real treat. </span><span style="background-color: white;">When we caught fish, we caught and
ate everything, big and small. Durin</span><span style="background-color: white;">g the flooding season, the most-</span><span style="background-color: white;">prized fish were the baby ones: no
bones. The most sought-after baby fish were the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakehead_(fish)"><span style="color: blue;">snakehead</span></a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWFpYDwGbgA/UhJYp0N-GrI/AAAAAAAAF-k/0tsatizD8Q0/s1600/babysnakehead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWFpYDwGbgA/UhJYp0N-GrI/AAAAAAAAF-k/0tsatizD8Q0/s400/babysnakehead.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Baby snakehead fish -- these are raised for fish farms</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Source: <a href="http://nongnghiep.vn/nongnghiepvn/72/45/45/100306/Giong-nuoi-la-quan-trong.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">N</span></a></span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://nongnghiep.vn/nongnghiepvn/72/45/45/100306/Giong-nuoi-la-quan-trong.aspx"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">ông Nghiệp<b>/</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: blue;">Agriculture Vietnam</span></span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">To make a meal
consisting of baby snakeheads, our family would essentially wipe out four or five
broods of future snakeheads, the salmon of the Mekong Delta.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jo0cY1QKQ14/UhJc35LGwuI/AAAAAAAAF-0/BEq_psommHk/s1600/adultsnakeheads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jo0cY1QKQ14/UhJc35LGwuI/AAAAAAAAF-0/BEq_psommHk/s400/adultsnakeheads.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Adult snakeheads -- salmon of the Mekong Delta<br />Source:<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://bannhanong.vn/danhmuc/NQ==/baiviet/Ky-thuat-nuoi-ca-loc-bong-trong-ao-dat/MjE0Mg==/index.bnn"><span style="color: blue;">B</span><span style="border: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">ạn N<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">hà N</span></span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">ông/Farmer's Friend</span></span></span></a></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">We </span><span style="background-color: white;">also </span><span style="background-color: white;">ate many things for novelty’s sake,
for their rarity. Importantly, we didn’t understand how NOT taking the egrets’
eggs or catching the baby snakeheads would be beneficial to us. We thought
if we didn’t, someone else would. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">T</span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;">he concept of wildlife protection or nature conservation was not part of the culture. The terms were not even common words.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">A</span><span style="background-color: white;">fter
nearly 11 years in the U</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><span style="background-color: white;">S</span><span style="background-color: white;">., </span><span style="background-color: white;">I went back to Vietnam for the first time in </span><span style="background-color: white;">1992 </span><span style="background-color: white;">to</span><span style="background-color: white;"> find my family much
better off, n</span><span style="background-color: white;">o longer subsisting off </span><span style="background-color: white;">the land. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Not long after my arrival, my father put word out
among the vendors at the local wet market that he was looking for exotic fare,
i.e. turtles, snakes, birds and prized big fish.</span><em><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></em></div>
He was quite disappointed when I told him all I wanted was steamed<a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2011/04/water-spinach-revolutionary-vegetable.html"> <span style="color: blue;">water spinach</span></a> and cá rô kho tộ (<a href="http://en.bdfish.org/2010/02/climbing-perch-anabas-testudineus/"><span style="color: blue;">anabas</span></a> or climbing gourami cooked in a clay pot) for dinner. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">I wanted to taste the simplest meals that I remembered growing up with.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span>My family didn’t quite understand why a man coming back from a rich country would want to eat nothing but peasant fare.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qifoPnpM6c0/UhJfcxpO9UI/AAAAAAAAF-8/Hro6bOeR6gE/s1600/carokho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qifoPnpM6c0/UhJfcxpO9UI/AAAAAAAAF-8/Hro6bOeR6gE/s400/carokho.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cá rô kho tộ -- <span style="text-align: start;">anabas
in clay pot: One of the humblest dishes of<br />
</span><span style="text-align: start;">Vietnamese </span><span style="text-align: start;">cuisines that defines our agrarian roots<br />
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">Source: </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://monngoncuoituan.blogspot.com/2012/07/mon-ong-que-ca-ro-kho-to.html"><span style="color: blue;">Món Ngon Cuối Tuần/Delicious Dishes for the Weekend</span></a></span></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">They eventually gave up
trying to understand me and I on explaining to them that comfort foods were not
necessarily expensive or exotic. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Wherever I went on that first
visit, everybody wanted to feed me the ‘best’ food, which invariably included wild-caught snakes, turtles, and birds, among others. The notion that wildlife is
worth more in the wild than on the plate was not easily understood because many
did not see themselves directly, or even indirectly, responsible for the catching or
killing of such wildlife. They simply saw themselves as consumers, rationalizing that if they hadn’t purchased the snakes, birds or turtles, others would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I reminisced with my brother about our childhood and when I explained to him my theory of why those birds
didn’t come back to our melaleuca trees, he had a hard time believing it, but I could sense his feeling of guilt. I felt bad for telling him what we, as kids, may have unwittingly done.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Many of my relatives today, including those of the younger
generation, relish the opportunity to lavish themselves with potions, elixirs and wild game that once only the rich could afford.
They do have an inkling that the </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">potions and elixirs</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> may not possess anything magical,
but believing it wouldn't hurt to try them anyway. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;">However, they won't feel nostalgic, or be willing to break the law for exotic animals if and when they’re no longer sold in the market. For them, it has everything to do with the novelty, with a break from the everyday’s Vietnamese three-course meal now that they can afford it. No more no less.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DjZ1Z807v9c/UhK0auyLetI/AAAAAAAAGCM/xgeectJrnWs/s1600/cambamon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DjZ1Z807v9c/UhK0auyLetI/AAAAAAAAGCM/xgeectJrnWs/s400/cambamon.jpg" height="208" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vietnamese working
man's lunch-- cơm bình dân -- soup, stew (salty)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing">
and
stir-fried vegetable dishes.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It may take time
for conservation education to take hold, to become part of the cultural mindset,
and even longer for existing laws to be enforced without being corrupted.
Sadly, time already ran out on Vietnam's last<span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15430787"><span style="color: blue;">Javan rhino</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span>and<span style="background: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/454118/20130405/vietnam-elephant-mutilated-beheaded-disemboweled-quang-binh.htm"><span style="color: blue;">elephant</span></a> recently and many other species
endemic to Vietnam and neighboring Southeast Asian countries are now on<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.earthsendangered.com/continent.asp?ID=3"><span style="color: blue;">endangered list</span></a>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The</span> insatiable appetite of <span style="font-family: inherit;">Vietnam's newly-rich for the exotic has not only put their natural heritage at risk, but also endangered animals a continent away in Africa. A shocking <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26081168"><span style="color: blue;">1004 </span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26081168"><span style="color: blue;">South African</span></a> </span>rhinos were killed in 2013 for their horns, most of which are believed to have been smuggled into Vietnam where a set of horns from a single rhino can fetch up to <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/14/181587969/Vietnams-Appetite-For-Rhino-Horn-Drives-Poaching-In-Africa"><span style="color: blue;">$1 million</span></a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx8NAB4WaaQ/UhsMHP8Ay8I/AAAAAAAAGDU/u8kBN-0nZ8w/s1600/rhino-no-horn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx8NAB4WaaQ/UhsMHP8Ay8I/AAAAAAAAGDU/u8kBN-0nZ8w/s400/rhino-no-horn.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rhinos-horns-worth-more-than-gold-2012-5"><span style="color: blue;">Business Insider:</span></a> The Price Of A Single Rhino Horn Now Rivals Gold</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just imagine: on the average, two
rhinos are now killed each day because of a</span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/25/cure-cancer-rhino-horn-vietnam"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">rumor that their horn</span></a><span style="background: white; color: blue; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">s</span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, which are made of</span> <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061106144951.htm"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">keratin</span></a><span style="background: white; color: blue; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">just like<span style="color: blue;"> </span>your and my finger and
toe nails, had cured cancer.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
(Special thanks to</span> <a href="http://chrisgalvinwriter.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chris Galvin Nguyen</span></a> <span style="background: white;">for going through my writing with a scalpel like a
heart surgeon.)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-50521511552157773542013-07-28T17:39:00.001-07:002014-08-07T00:19:50.991-07:00Kap Yuon: Cambodia's Deadly Anti-Vietnamese Rhetoric<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>(Warning: Graphic photos and descriptions.)</b><br />
<br />
“Kap Yuon! Kap Yuon!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother grabbed me and my younger siblings by the collar, dragging
us out of bed in the middle of the night. We were half asleep, bare-footed, crying hysterically
as we ran to the back of the house towards the corn field.<br />
<br />
There together with
a few cousins, my paternal grandparents, aunts and uncles, we stayed until
morning when it was clear that it was safe to go back into the house. This was the summer of 1977. I was 12 years old. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This year’s
Cambodia general election rhetoric, particularly from <a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/border-rainsy-plays-old-tune"><span style="color: blue;">Sam Rainsy</span></a>’s Cambodia
National Rescue Party, has brought my long-suppressed childhood memory flooding back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The villages and towns along Cambodia-Vietnam border, Takeo
Province on one side and An Giang Province on the other, have been home to my
father’s large extended family since the mid-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Cambodian"><span style="color: blue;">19<sup>th</sup> Century</span></a> or so. I
grew up hearing Vietnamese and Khmer greetings interchangeably. Both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prahok"><span style="color: blue;">prahok</span></a> and <a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/mekong-delta-fish-sauce-elixir-of-life.html"><span style="color: blue;">fish sauce</span></a> course through my veins. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYXHsoHPugU/UfXSeSjDtjI/AAAAAAAAF9g/Tjn8ciaDdd8/s1600/BridgetoCambodia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYXHsoHPugU/UfXSeSjDtjI/AAAAAAAAF9g/Tjn8ciaDdd8/s400/BridgetoCambodia.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge to Cambodia<br />
This bridge spans the canal dug in 1977 to prevent<br />
Khmer Rouge border incursions. I took this photo in the mid-1990s.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were farmers and fishers native to the region. We crossed
the border without passports. Ethnically we were Vietnamese, but many also self-identified
as<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmers"> <span style="color: blue;">Khmers</span></a>, either by birth or through marriage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Growing up I would occasionally hear the adults used the
phrase “kap <a href="http://erikwdavis.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/comment-yuon/"><span style="color: blue;">Yuon</span></a>,” but never quite understood what it meant until the spring of
1970. All of a sudden we were forbidden to go to the river. For kids the river
was an endless source of fun, from fishing to taking a dip on a hot day. (Kap
means cut or chop and Yuon refers to ethnic Vietnamese, often in derogatory
manner, akin to the ‘N-word’ in the US.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course we snuck down to the river to find out why we
couldn’t. There we saw bodies, headless and dismembered, including women and
children, floating down from Cambodia. Many had been tied together to long bamboo
sticks. Some even had stakes driven through their bodies like a <a href="http://thegioif5.com/ca-loc-nuong-trui/"><span style="color: blue;">snakehead fish</span></a> ready
for grilling.<br />
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WRBLZcAjWHc/UfW6dcFD8lI/AAAAAAAAF8E/bHY7MIuWxYw/s1600/LonNol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WRBLZcAjWHc/UfW6dcFD8lI/AAAAAAAAF8E/bHY7MIuWxYw/s400/LonNol.jpg" height="367" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source:<a href="http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/banyan2.htm"> <span style="color: blue;">www.mekong.net</span></a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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At the same time relatives began to arrive by boats in large
number. They had either been forced out or run for their lives as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Civil_War"><span style="color: blue;">Lon Nol</span></a>
regime’s crazed soldiers went on Vietnamese killing sprees or kap Yuon. All
told, thousands were killed and some 200,000 were expelled. The majority of
these Vietnamese, like my relatives, had been born and grew up in Cambodia, the
only country they knew.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Prior to the summer of 1977, the border village next to
Cambodia had been evacuated after repeated raids by the <a href="http://blog.andybrouwer.co.uk/2010/10/ba-chuc-memories.html"><span style="color: blue;">Khmer Rouge</span></a>,
who killed everyone and burned everything to the ground, including livestock –
cows, pigs, chickens. All by machetes. My grandparents’ village was another 15
minutes away on motorbike, but a canal separating Cambodia from Vietnam had
been dug, creating a buffer zone between villagers and the machete-wielding
marauding Khmer Rouge.</div>
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<br /></div>
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However throughout the summer there had been raids in the
middle of the night that Vietnamese soldiers couldn’t stop. The Khmer Rouge would
hide submerged in large<a href="http://www.molon.de/galleries/Vietnam/South/Scenery/img.php?pic=7"> <span style="color: blue;">hyacinth</span></a> flotillas, floating down the Mekong, then
randomly came ashore and killed everyone and everything. They’d burned the villages
to the ground then disappeared back into the Mekong.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7EheT5AfCGk/UfW2K02lpYI/AAAAAAAAF7k/MixqgAFGPpI/s1600/BaChucMassacre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7EheT5AfCGk/UfW2K02lpYI/AAAAAAAAF7k/MixqgAFGPpI/s400/BaChucMassacre.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.andybrouwer.co.uk/2010/10/ba-chuc-memories.html"><span style="color: blue;">Ba Chuc</span></a> (An Giang Province) Massacre, 30 April, 1978<br />
(Source: <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%E1%BA%A3m_s%C3%A1t_Ba_Ch%C3%BAc"><span style="color: blue;">Wikimedia</span></a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Without roads and automobile, waterway was our only escape
route, but now that was no longer available. We were ready to abandon our land,
with crops not yet harvested, and livestock that no one wanted to buy anymore.
We lived in terror not knowing if our village would be next. The thought of
being hacked to death was the most terrifying prospect. This was terrorism at
its core.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Luckily that night turned out to be a false alarm. A night
fisherman thought he had spotted someone emerging from of those hyacinth piles.
However, we eventually had to abandon our land because the fighting soon broke
out between Vietnam troops and the Khmer Rouge, with bullets and guns.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The 20<sup>th</sup> Century wasn’t so kind to the people of
Cambodia. Unspeakable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Fields"><span style="color: blue;">atrocities</span></a> visited this beautiful and peaceful kingdom. The history between the Vietnamese and the Khmer people reminisces that of many
between the conquering and the vanquished throughout human history.
Unfortunately, the Khmer people’s pain and suffering have been manipulated for
political gain, whipped into xenophobic rhetoric. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6pBNQyr-TI/UfW4bDIAaaI/AAAAAAAAF70/18gWaig5J5M/s1600/VietnameseFishingVillage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6pBNQyr-TI/UfW4bDIAaaI/AAAAAAAAF70/18gWaig5J5M/s400/VietnameseFishingVillage.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.890625px;">A Vietnamese floating village in Siem Reap, Cambodia<br />(Source: <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Cambodian"><span style="color: blue;">Wikimedia </span></a>)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Cambodian"><span style="color: blue;">Vietnamese people</span></a>,</span> whether native to Cambodia or recently
arrived, have become scapegoats, part of the Khmer people’s victimhood narrative.
It’s time for the people of Cambodia, especially the post-Khmer Rouge
generations, to expect more from their leaders and demand substantive changes
to address their daily needs and concerns instead of blaming the Yuon for everything
that ails Cambodia.<br />
<br />
The Vietnamese in Cambodia today have nothing to do with
what happened more than <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://khmerconnection.com/topic/kampuchea-krom-facts-behind-the-friction-71620/"><span style="color: blue;">400 years ago</span></a>.</span><br />
<br />
[This was also published in the<a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/analysis-and-op-ed/time-stop-rhetoric"> <span style="color: blue;">Phnom Penh Post</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span>of Cambodia.)<br />
<br />
A followup to this post: <span style="background-color: #fefdfa; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2014/01/draft-in-editing-mode.html"><span style="color: blue;">Cambodia Can't Move Forward With Historical Grievances</span></a></span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-59246323644792476832013-05-07T12:17:00.000-07:002014-10-22T23:00:59.952-07:00Petty corruption: The bane of Vietnamese existence<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stepping up to the counter, I placed my passport in front
of the green-khaki uniformed customs officer at <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tân Sơn Nhất Airport</span> in <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Hồ Chí Minh City</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, formerly </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Sài Gòn.</span> He leafed through
it, then gave me a cold stare in silence for about five seconds. Instead of stamping
it, as I had seen him done with others’ in line before me, he set it to the
side and signaled the person behind me to come up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xXwy_8NhIrA/UYl8REuJhbI/AAAAAAAAFxo/XfOyQ-2W6YQ/s1600/VietKieu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xXwy_8NhIrA/UYl8REuJhbI/AAAAAAAAFxo/XfOyQ-2W6YQ/s400/VietKieu.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Overseas Vietnamese: Shakedown Target </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">at <span style="text-align: start;">Tân Sơn Nhất Airport (Photo: <a href="http://vnexpress.net/gl/xa-hoi/2013/02/nguoi-viet-tu-nuoc-ngoai-do-ve-que-an-tet/"><span style="color: blue;">VNExpress</span>)</a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After stamping the passports of two others, he waved me
to come up to the counter only to stare at me some more, then, again, signaling
another in line to come up. After the ritual went on for the 3<sup>rd</sup>
time, my fellow overseas Vietnamese in line became irate at me for holding up
the line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Đụ mẹ, sao <span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">mày</span> <span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="color: black;">không cho</span> </span><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">nó </span><span style="background: white;">năm mười <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">đồng</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;"> </span></span>để đi nhanh?/Fuck,
why don’t you just give him $5 or $10 so we all can get out of here?” </i>one man,
a fellow o<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Vietnamese"><span style="color: blue;">verseas Vietnamese,</span></a> </span>said to me in my face. (The $5 or $10 bill would have been slipped into the passport where the visa affixed.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After about twenty minutes, the customs officer decided
to stamp my passport and literally tossed it back to me. This was my first trip
back to<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2010/11/escape-from-viet-nam-my-life-in-america.html"><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="VI">Việt Nam</span><span lang="VI"> </span>in 1991,</span></a> </span></span>after eleven years abroad
as a refugee. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prior to this trip I had met a few and read the accounts
of those who had been accosted by </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Việt</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Nam’s airport customs and police upon
returning home for the first time. It was understood that everyone was expected
to pay bribes, jokingly referred to as penalty for having fled <span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><b><span lang="VI"> </span></b>in
the first place. As an activist in America, I was determined not to be part of it,
giving into corruption.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EVERYBODY EATS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Growing up in <span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><b><span lang="VI"> </span></b>I often heard the
adage <i>“small fish eats less, big fish eats more,”</i> meaning everybody has to
eat, it’s just a matter of portion. For as long as I could remember, petty corruption
was a constant reminder of life in South <span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span>. It even played
a role in my parents’ quarrels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the small Mekong Delta town of <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tân Châu</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 6.5pt;"> </span></span>where I was born, my
father had risen to a relatively influential level in the county police department.
Men in his position were considered powerful who could potentially enrich
themselves. But our family was far from rich. We lived in a modest rented house
facing a noisy street.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The neighbors across from us were much better off. The
head of that family happened to be my father’s colleague in the police
department. Their house was about three times bigger than ours. It also had a garden
and even a tiled outdoors area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out of frustration of having to live on my father’s
rather meager salary, my mother at times would say to my dad, <i>“Why can’t we
have a comfortable house like theirs?”</i> My dad would snap back <i>“You want me to
do what he does?” </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1pQzPcFpWM/UYlRBxO4FnI/AAAAAAAAFv8/2pxpS3uzaic/s1600/MotherFather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1pQzPcFpWM/UYlRBxO4FnI/AAAAAAAAFv8/2pxpS3uzaic/s400/MotherFather.jpg" height="247" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My Mother and Father, Now In Their 70s, in 2009.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I got older, all around me, corruption or bribery was part
of life, the necessary evil that all South Vietnamese had to bear in order
to survive war time's chaos. To get anything done one had to <i>“c<em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">hạy </span></em></i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">l′<em>affair</em></span></i><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">”
or </span></em><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“</span></em><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">chạy tiền.”</span></em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> In
Vietnamese, the verb </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><i>chạy</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">, meaning run,
has been transformed into a term meaning to take care of, to facilitate. In the
case of </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><i>chạy
tiền</i> -- <i>tiền</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> means money –
it’s to use money to take care of matters. </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C</i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><i>hạy l'</i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">affair</i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">,
borrowing a French word, means to take care of business. A ‘fixer’ is a person
who<i> </i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">c<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">hạy</span><span style="background: white;"> l′affair</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">,
which my father's fellow police officer was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To get better treatment at the hospital, one needed to <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><i>chạy tiền</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> with the attending doctors and nurses. Even the nurses
who gave injection took bribes, if you wanted </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>"better"</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> medicine.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">To avoid the
military draft, the family of the draftee had to </span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">chạy tiền</span></em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> with the various authorities, from hospital to certify
disability, from the local military command to obtain waiver and from the
police for protection from arrest for draft-dodging. Everybody had to eat.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Most seats on the
buses were sold out, you’re told, but the ticket agent would be more than happy
to</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> “inquire” </i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">to see if anyone had resold their seats. If you didn’t like the
seats you had paid for, the conductor could try to find better seats for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Even the petrol
station attendants took bribes, to help you avoid your motorcycle engines being
flooded with low grade petrol. Nothing was worse than a busted engine in the
middle of nowhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">And yes, my
father was also a fixer, but instead of taking money, he was wined and dined and
often came home with gifts, usually in the forms of food like candies </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“for the
kids”</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;"> or special garments </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“for the Mrs.”</i><i style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE
AND BY THE PEOPLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">When the war
ended on April 30, 1975, everyone, even those who were part of the former
US-backed South </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><b><span lang="VI"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">regime,
breathed a sigh of relief believing without the chaos of war, life would be
better and hopefully, without corruption. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Ironically, corruption,
or the lack thereof, may have saved my father’s life. During his early career
with the police and later the military, it seemed the local National Liberation
Front’s undercover agents had kept tabs on him. Unlike many of his former
colleagues, who were sentenced to hard labor camps, my father had to be </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeducation_camp"><span style="color: blue;">re-educated</span></a>”</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">
for less than two years. On many occasions, he simply had to report to the
local “political re-education” cadres. He was told his records were clean, that he
did not commit </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“crimes against the revolution.”</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;"> He was not as corrupt, in other
words.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh6J7ilEu1M/UYlSkpqHXBI/AAAAAAAAFwI/iRAXiPYzXh4/s1600/Reeducationcamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh6J7ilEu1M/UYlSkpqHXBI/AAAAAAAAFwI/iRAXiPYzXh4/s400/Reeducationcamp.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Post-reunification Re-education Camp </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Photo: <span style="background-color: white;">Int'l Christian Concern-Montagnard Foundation)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Reunification
honeymoon did not last long. The US-led economic blockade and embargo and post-reunification
mismanagement resulted in a broken economy while the prospect of war with China
and the Khmer Rouge were looming large. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">After my father
came back from re-education camp, to get away from the prying eyes of the local
police, we relocated to an isolated area in the Mekong Delta and became farmers
among strangers who didn’t know who we were.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">CHECK POINTS EVERYWHERE <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">By 1977, not all
was well in the new </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The US-led blockage and economic embargo had taken a
toll on the economy. More and more Vietnamese began to flee the country by</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DeEUyPPPoE4/UYls1NK9muI/AAAAAAAAFww/Cjg9llA9dEQ/s1600/BeggersOutSideSaigonChurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DeEUyPPPoE4/UYls1NK9muI/AAAAAAAAFww/Cjg9llA9dEQ/s400/BeggersOutSideSaigonChurch.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Beggars in front of <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 15.828125px;">Notre Dame Cathedral, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 15.828125px; text-decoration: none;" title="Ho Chi Minh City">HCM Cit</a>y, <span style="line-height: 15.828125px;">1980</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">(Photo: </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 1.2em; text-align: start;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Jones_Griffiths"><span style="color: blue;">Philip Jones Griffiths</span></a>)</span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">boats or
on foot through Cambodia. Re-education camps, new economic zones, epic floods,
wars with China and the Khmer Rouge, once again </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><b><span lang="VI"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">found itself in chaos. Many resorted to buying peace
and a sense of normalcy.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
</div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many former guerrilla fighters now found themselves in positions of power and were eager to
provide their families material comfort. All the fish up and down the food
chain now needed to be fed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">The new economic
zone in the Kien Giang Province where we had relocated was considered a
sensitive border town for it was less than thirty kilometers from Cambodia. Our movements were not restricted but it did seem so because
every village, hamlet and town in this area had set up their own check points.
Most check points were nothing more than a flag planted along the river bank
and a shack with a hammock and a few chairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Due to petrol
shortage and the lack of spare parts for old motorcycles and busses, the
primary form of transportation at this point was boats and canoes fitted with
outboard motors.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">I often accompanied
my father on trips, transporting our farm produce, from watermelons to sweet
potatoes, to sell at nearby markets. We had learned by now to stop at every red-and-yellow-star flag we spotted along the river bank. There were never any
attempts to inspect our cargo or see our family identification papers. The
stops would usually go like this: <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">We
pulled over at the flag</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Invariably
we would be met by a teenager who hung around as a gofer for free </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cigarettes and coffee</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Every
check point had a coffee shop attached to it</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">My
father would come ashore and tried to say hello to the “Commander,” the man in </span>charge who was often found playing cards in silence or dozing off in the
hammock<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">The
Commander never responded or acknowledged my father’s presence or greetings</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">My
father would be speaking to no one in particular, reporting what we were
carrying and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">our destination</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Then
he would take out a brand new pack of packaged, rolled cigarettes, which had </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">become scarce due to rationing, and plopped it on the coffee table, acting as
if he would </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sit down to smoke</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">He
then called out to the coffee shop lady, almost always a lady and who was more
than </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">likely the Commander’s wife, to order a round of coffee for everyone present</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">He
asked the coffee shop lady to tally up the bill and paid for it before any
coffee was </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">being served</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Finally, he then would say we were in a hurry to leave
and said goodbye to no one in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">particular.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">We’d leave behind
a brand new pack of cigarettes and paid for a round of coffee at every stop. I
could sense the humiliation and rage swelling up in my father as we headed
back to our boat. And this went on for a number of years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">We struggled as
farmers in the mosquito-infested new economic zone, though we voluntarily
relocated to ourselves, not forced, unlike millions other former South </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><b>’</b>s<b> </b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">city dwellers. Crippled economy also meant </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><b><span lang="VI"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">could no longer produce enough fertilizers and insecticides
for farming, even seed stocks were being rationed.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb2xvrfEYGk/UYlkwy8pq3I/AAAAAAAAFwg/Di6H4cfZxfk/s1600/RuralSchoolHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb2xvrfEYGk/UYlkwy8pq3I/AAAAAAAAFwg/Di6H4cfZxfk/s400/RuralSchoolHouse.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rural Schoolhouse -- 1980 (Photo: <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 1.2em; text-align: start;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Jones_Griffiths"><span style="color: blue;">Philip Jones Griffiths</span></a>)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Each family was
issued a<i> ‘</i></span><i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">hộ khẩu,’</span></i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> which was essentially a combination
of household registration and identification papers. However, <i>hộ khẩu</i> also served other authoritarian
purposes: Controlling and monitoring the populace movements, land and property
ownership for taxing purpose, limiting hoarding through rationing of stable
foods, including salt and sugar and lastly seeds, fertilizers and insecticides
based on total land ownership. (<i>Hộ khẩu</i>
or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hukou_system"><i><span style="color: blue;">hukou</span></i> </a>in Chinese was/is in place in
all Communist Asian nations.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Through
<i>hộ khẩu</i> the local functionaries controlled the rationing of everything. However, bribe money
helped determined how much your family was allowed to buy. Many of these local
functionaries were put in power based on the number of years they had spent in
the jungle fighting the <i>“American imperialists and their puppet regime," </i>not
ability or skills. Many were illiterate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
petty and blatant corruption exerted by local functionaries became more and
more aggressive and dehumanizing as the conditions worsened amidst raging wars
with the Khmer Rouge and China. Once again, however, corruption also enabled
hundreds of thousands of people like me to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people"><span style="color: blue;">flee </span></a></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people"><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></a><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people"><span style="color: blue;">as refugees.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CAPITALISM WITH A SOCIALIST FACE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">No questions life is much
better now. The general quality of life in rural </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span lang="VI" style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">has improved dramatically, comparing to five, ten
years ago, even before 1975 under the US-backed South </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span lang="VI" style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">government. No more war, better access to clean water,
electricity, transportation and all other everyday necessities of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">However, petty corruption
is still the bane of the Vietnamese existence. Not sure if the Vietnamese
government is aware, but the most visible sign of what’s perceived to be the
biggest source of corruption are the local tax collectors or </span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">cục thuế</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, especially in small towns. Outside all the major cities and
the capital, the only edifice that stands out like a sore thumb is almost
always the provincial or local tax collection agency. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Unlike the new high rises in </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hà Nội</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Hồ Chí Minh </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">City and </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Đà Nẵng</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, which are gleaming ultra-modern glass and
steel structures, these buildings seem to hark back to
the blocky socialist architecture. They're</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ostentatious, garish structures that dominate the surroundings.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6s5Y4jyCubo/UYl5xqnpiGI/AAAAAAAAFxQ/cQPcO9FKD90/s1600/CucThueBaRiaVungTau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6s5Y4jyCubo/UYl5xqnpiGI/AAAAAAAAFxQ/cQPcO9FKD90/s400/CucThueBaRiaVungTau.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu</em><em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"> </em>Department of Taxation</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Vũng Tàu is the vacation coastal town north of HCM City.)</span></em></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local residents often derisively pointing
at these buildings saying, “<i>look at what our hard-earned money paid for” </i>as
they pass by.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jOsA_W-rdBU/UYl6jwyc3dI/AAAAAAAAFxc/cIGdtU7FMAE/s1600/CucThueThanhHoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jOsA_W-rdBU/UYl6jwyc3dI/AAAAAAAAFxc/cIGdtU7FMAE/s400/CucThueThanhHoa.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thanh Hóa Department of Taxation</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">Thanh Hóa is the north central coastal province.)</span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Giving the bureaucratic incompetence, compounded
by corruption, the whole tax collecting enterprise in rural </span></span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">borderlines theater of the absurd. No one pays his or her
fair share. People either pay too little or too much or nothing at all,
depending on one’s station in life and the influence one has.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Today my father is a
retailer of construction materials and farming supplies, including fertilizers
and insecticides. It’s a good business, which now has extended to the families
of all of my three younger siblings in </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background: white;">. I am the only one, the oldest among four, who had
fled </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background: white;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-JsYEVVjt8/UYlvQ7xgiPI/AAAAAAAAFw0/lkWWQ-mGe2k/s1600/BrotherCenter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-JsYEVVjt8/UYlvQ7xgiPI/AAAAAAAAFw0/lkWWQ-mGe2k/s400/BrotherCenter.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Center: My younger brother (with instant camera) and sister</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">with two cousins and me on my 2nd trip in 1992.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Small retail businesses in rural </span></span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, especially those that cater to the
farming public, everything can be bought on credit (not the type of credit backed by banks).
Trust is the most important currency. When farmers buy supplies on credit, it
is never certain they will be able to repay after the harvest because each and
every crop is dependent on weather conditions, now more than ever due to climate
change and top-soil degradation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lm0H_zXE0wk/UYlwQXMebQI/AAAAAAAAFxA/7BqGvwELKAM/s1600/SistersAndSisterInLaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lm0H_zXE0wk/UYlwQXMebQI/AAAAAAAAFxA/7BqGvwELKAM/s400/SistersAndSisterInLaw.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Left to right: My sister in-law and younger sisters (late 1990s)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On many occasions tax collectors would
force my father to pay taxes on sales receipts knowing full well he hasn’t
collected a penny and that he may not be able to collect all the debts even
after a good harvest. On other occasions, he has been forced to pay taxes based
on inventory of overstock during bad years when farmers hedge their bets whether
to let go of the crops or pump more fertilizers to boost yield; therefore not
buying fertilizers in large quantity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, corruption does offer small
business owners temporary reprieve, to get the tax collectors off their backs.
Likewise, it offers ordinary citizens the same reprieve when faced with abusive
local functionaries. Despite all this, my father is rather philosophical about
it, like many educated Vietnamese of his generation. He keeps up with the
various laws and decrees put in place by the central government. In fact, he
sounds rather sympathetic towards the central government and even praises its
anti-corruption effort, albeit acknowledging shortcomings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I’ve come to understand his perspective
giving his life in the former South </span></span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> whose
seven-day president (21 April to 28 April, 1975) </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Van_Huong"><span style="color: blue;">Trần Văn Hương</span> </a>once famously said,<i>
“If corruption was to be eradicated, we would have no one left to run the
government.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">He
often rails against the pettiness of the local cadres more so than the central
government. He believes the only way corruption could be lessened was for the local
government bureaucracy to be occupied by trained, skilled employees, not
political appointees. Furthermore, the lack of transparency in taxation, fees
and salaries contribute to abuse of power. His joke is that it’s easier to deal
with corrupt officials who are strangers than those who are related to you or
those whose families you’re acquainted with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ONCE A VIETNAMESE,
ALWAYS A VIETNAMESE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
was able to visit </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> more regularly after that first trip in 1991, both
personal and for work, sometimes at least once a year. My stand-off with the
unsmiling </span>green-khaki uniformed customs officers at <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tân Sơn Nhất Airport happened a few more
times. The friend who usually came to pick me up at the airport knew the
pattern, as I was often the last passenger to emerge from the arrival hall. <i>“Forgetting to leave $5 or $10 in your passport again, I see,” </i>he would say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
once had an epic episode with not only the customs officer who stamps the
passports, but also the one who goes through your luggage. After a
back-and-forth for about twenty minutes, I was told to go see an inspector in
order to go through my arrival paperwork. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
was taken to a private room where I was promptly berated by a female customs
officer for not having the paperwork in order. I professed that I did everything
accordingly and that this wasn’t my first trip back to </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">. She
insisted that I filled out new customs declaration form, including stating my
reason for visiting </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">. And so I did. And she still found that it was <i>“improperly”</i>
filled out, but refused to tell me what and where. So she said to me, in
frustration, <i>“Let me fill it out since you keep making mistakes.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I
handed her my passport and visa. First she had written down "</span><i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Trần’" as </span></i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">my last name even though the passport and visa said my last name was<i> “Lê</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">.” When I pointed it out to her, she yelled at me then pulled
out another form to fill out. This time she had written down my middle name as
“</span></span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Văn” </span></em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">but it’s </span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“Minh”</span></em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> on my
passport.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">She got so mad
when I pointed this out to her. She gave up and simply said, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Why don’t you
fill it out yourself.”</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;"> And so I did, ending up leaving the airport nearly two
hours after I had landed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">I did, however,
one time decided not fight because it was my fault. As I was checking in for
departure, I couldn't find the customs declaration form that I had arrived with. After noticing me searching my entire luggage for a good ten minutes to no
avail, the custom officer bluntly said to me, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“You must have some US dollars
left on you.” </i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Yes I did. A $20 bill did it.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">To avoid the
headaches I subsequently decided to fly into </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hà Nội</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">’s </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Nội Bài International
Airport</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> instead
of Hồ Chí Minh City and used my time to see friends in </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hà Nội</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> or
schedule meetings from the north down. Other times I would stay a few days in
Hong Kong or Singapore and fly into </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Hồ Chí Minh City</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">
on flights that would be less likely to be full of overseas Vietnamese.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Even after twenty,
thirty years living in the </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>“free world,”</i></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;"> many overseas Vietnamese, whether out
of misplaced fear or paranoia, resorted to the old habit of feeding those in
positions of power. As soon as the captain announced the approach to</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Hồ Chí Minh City</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">, nervous energy could be felt among overseas
Vietnamese on many flights that originated from the US. Many passengers could
be seen stuffing money into their undergarments because they may have brought
more cash into </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt Nam</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> than allowed. Many also began to look for $5,
$10 or $20 bill and inserted them into their passports to <i>“quicken”</i> the
processing time. This was more common among those going back to </span><span lang="VI" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: VI; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Việt
Nam</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Petty
corruption among Vietnamese is not cultural, but rather a by-product of chaos
and uncertainties borne out of war and desperate poverty where people had to
hustle to survive and daily bread wasn’t easy to come by with honest labor. It persists
in different forms, at home and abroad, in part due to fear of those in power. Now
that there’s no more war, due process and the rule of law need to be applied.
But they are not effective unless the citizenry is educated and informed and the
government functions are carried out by those who possess actual skills and
talents, not political connection.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tu70YR9aO5I/UYmAQLqNaUI/AAAAAAAAFx4/09_lv2Qq03Q/s1600/SieuThiBenTre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tu70YR9aO5I/UYmAQLqNaUI/AAAAAAAAFx4/09_lv2Qq03Q/s400/SieuThiBenTre.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Many
ordinary Vietnamese like my father are more vexed by the everyday petty abuse
of power which they perceive as symptomatic of an entrenched patronage system that has no regard for the general well-being of society at heart. They do appreciate the
improvement in the quality of life that peace has brought. They want to be
productive, but most of all, they want to be free from the bane of petty abuse
of power by incompetent government bureaucrats.</span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-83678666996706229222012-10-24T23:16:00.000-07:002013-09-04T22:16:36.193-07:00Mekong Delta Fish Sauce -- The Elixir of Life<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">Like forest fires and volcano eruptions, the devastating floods that have killed more than </span><a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/death-toll-from-floods-nears-1000/story-e6frf7lf-1226190452391"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">1000</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"> in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are also the life forces of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_river"><span style="color: blue;">Mekong River</span></a>, </span></span><span class="apple-style-span" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">Asia’s seventh-longest and the world's tenth-</span>longest river, respectively.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">The floods’ rich silt deposits fertilize the soils of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: blue;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-13/thailand-may-give-up-role-of-biggest-rice-exporter-to-boost-rural-incomes.html"><span style="color: blue;">Thailand and Vietnam</span>,</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> turning them into the world’s number one and number two rice exporters, respectively. The floods also stock and feed the fishes of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, the world’s richest freshwater fishery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-color: white;">Growing up in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, the floods were not only the source of endless fun, but also a great time for fishing. One particular fish was the humble minnow, or </span></span><em><span style="background-color: white;">cá linh</span></em><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-color: white;"> in Vietnamese, which was used to make a very special fish sauce. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_sauce"><span style="color: blue;">Fish sauce</span></a>, like olive oil to an Italian family, was</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"> king in the kitchen, then garlic, MSG, sugar, black pepper and, lastly, salt. Herbs and spices were pretty much whatever that grew in the garden or the back of the house.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">For as long as I could remember, we never had to purchase fish sauce. We made our own. Every family did </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">–</span><span style="color: #222222;"> unique to the Cambodians living around the Tonle Sap area and the Vietnamese in the An Giang and Dong Thap provinces. The minnows were plentiful during the monsoonal flooding season, which runs from July to November.</span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bnoBridoH_E/TZL5xLttoDI/AAAAAAAAD4s/yzcnsAyqly0/s1600/calinh.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="224" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bnoBridoH_E/TZL5xLttoDI/AAAAAAAAD4s/yzcnsAyqly0/s320/calinh.bmp" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Fully-grown Mekong River Minnows</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">The humble two-inch minnows, spawned and hatched in the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonle_sap"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Tonle Sap</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"> or Great Lake, the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia, began to move out of the lake in June and followed the flood water into the paddy fields around the lake and downstream in Vietnam, where they fattened up, before heading back up into the Tonle Sap to spawn. Most were caught, but enough made it back up the river to begin the life cycle all over again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The fish was so plentiful that one could literally catch them by placing a net anywhere in the water. Making fish sauce was the primary use, but the minnows, being that small and with tiny bones, were also great for drying, frying, stewing, as well as in the traditional sweet and sour soup. My favorite was battered and deep fried – the Mekong Delta sardines. Eating whole, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">Small families could make do with about 40 kilos of fish – good for one year </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">–</span><span style="color: #222222;"> but large families would need up to 150 kilos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The process began with the fish being washed thoroughly but with the guts, scales and fins fully intact. For 40 kilos of fish, about 12 kilos of salt would be used. Fish and salt were roughly mixed together, but with about 3 - 5 kilos of salt was left to top the fish off, packing them down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Typically large glazed earthen jars were used, ones that are similar to those used for pickling kimchee. Some folks swore by their own secret ingredients, which was nothing more than either one or two pineapples, cut up but unpeeled or a couple of kilos of the rice paddy mud crabs, or both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">The jars then would be left out in the sun, and the mixture would be stirred with large wooden ladles or chopsticks every few days. Pretty soon a pungent aroma began to waft through every town and village in the region. Since everyone was making their own fish sauce, nobody was bothered by the overpowering aroma.</span><br /><br />The mash was left out in the sun for about a month or two depending on the size of the fish. The two-inchers typically took about a month to break down. By now what had sunk to the bottom of the jars was essentially highly salted decomposed fish, taken on a grayish-green color.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The big pots or cauldrons would be set out on improvised stoves, outdoors, of course, for the smoke and the pungent aroma would be too much for indoors. Then the mash was transferred into the pots. The cooking process could take up to three or four hours or until all the bones and other secret ingredients completely broken down into tiny bits.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The pots, and the fire, had to be constantly tended to, especially to scoop out the heads or impurities that floated to the top. This was key because what rose to the top could essentially ruin the finished product if not scooped out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next, fine cheese cloth would be placed on top of pots, pans, jars or whatever type of holding container available. Slowly the cooked mash would be scooped out of the pots and poured over the cloth. The elixir of life slowly squeezed its way through the fine mesh, dripping into the containers below. This slow, painstaking process yielded a crystal clear golden brown liquid, nothing but pure fish sauce. Each 40 kilos of fish yielded about 30 liters of fish sauce.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This fish sauce, called <em><span style="background-color: white;">nước mắm cá linh</span></em>, if done right, was rather fragrant, devoid of any fishy smell. It was salty, but had a pleasant after taste, not a burning sensation. Another way to tell if it was artisanal was to drop in a grain of cooked rice at room temperature. The rice should float to the top. <span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span>And folks, that is the Mekong Delta minnow fish sauce, the Vietnamese elixir of life.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><i><span style="color: #222222;">(</span></i><em><span style="background-color: white;">Nước</span></em><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">means water or liquid</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></i><em><span style="background-color: white;">Mắm</span></em><span style="color: #222222;"> means pickled</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></i><em><span style="background-color: white;">Cá linh</span></em><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">is the Vietnamese name for the minnows</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></i><span style="color: #222222;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-40184646445556942872012-08-22T17:31:00.002-07:002012-11-18T17:06:11.812-08:00American Foreign Policy: Bomb First, Talk Later<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-07-29/romney-israel-iran/56580386/1"> <span style="color: blue;">let's-bomb-Iran</span></a><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-07-29/romney-israel-iran/56580386/1"> </a>drum beat gets louder as we get closer to November. For the chicken hawks on the right, this seems to be the only way they know how to talk foreign policy, not necessarily having to go fight or enlist their sons and/or daughters, as is the case with <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cynthia-wachtell/romney-military_b_1477134.html"><span style="color: blue;">Mitt Romney's five able-bodied sons</span>.</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just in case war-drum beating is not enough, Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan even boasted <span style="background-color: #f8f8f2; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/paul-ryan-on-foreign-policy-credentials-i-voted-to-send-people-to-war/"><span style="color: blue;">“I voted to send people to war”</span></a> as if that proved he has some sort of foreign policy and/or military decision-making experience. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mitt Romney and Sons -- Fit to Fight</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bragging about one's wanton desire to bomb other countries whose policies or leaders one doesn't agree with seems to have become the mindset of modern American politicians, left and right. The ability to <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/on-the-pilot-s-mind-1.267395"><span style="color: blue;">drop bombs from 30,000</span></a> </span>feet<span style="color: blue;"> </span>without a care as to the destruction on the ground has furthered desensitized politicians, and their supporters, from the consequence of war or the loss of lives. </span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">America's air supremacy may have begun with the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the scale of America's war machine was put on full display during the Viet Nam War, where one bombing run after another became routine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It’s Just Another Operation</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though “shock and awe” was a phrase uttered by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during the invasion of Iraq, its doctrine was put into good use during the Viet Nam War. The American military even came up with great names for the various bombing campaigns, the most infamous of which was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rolling_Thunder"><i><span style="color: blue;">Operation Rolling Thunder.</span></i></a> It was designed as “a method of strategic persuasion” to get the North Vietnamese to stop fighting. That went really well there, didn’t it? The bombing began on March 2, 1965 and did not end until November 11, 1968. This was the grand-daddy of the <i>“shock and awe.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the end of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>“Operation Rolling Thunder,”</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>a total of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>“more than a million sorties were flown and three-quarters of a million tons of bombs were dropped”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>on Viet Nam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were also<span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_the_United_States_in_the_Vietnam_War#Americanization"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Operation Barrel Roll</i>,</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Operation Steel Tiger </i>and<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Operation Commando Hunt</i>, all took place in Viet Nam. Even our Judeo-Christian tradition could not stop us from bombing Viet Nam<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>“back to the Stone Age,”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>because there was the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Linebacker</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></i>and, in the best of Hollywood tradition,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Bombing"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Linebacker II,</span></a></i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>otherwise known as the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Christmas bombing. </i>It was so named because the US Air Force kept on bombing during and past the Christmas holidays.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Christmas bombing, which lasted for 12 days, from December 18 to December 29, 1972, was notable for many things. The <span style="background-color: white;">B-52 Stratofortress</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">bombers</span>, the backbone of the main attraction of the Viet Nam War, were modified to carry up to 60,000 pounds (27,215 kg) or 108 bombs</span>. By the end of the 12 days, 15,237 tons of bombs were dropped on North Viet Nam, mainly <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Hanoi</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Haiphong</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you are not going to believe this? the so-called<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>“carpet bombing”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of Cambodia began with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Menu"><i><span style="color: blue;">Operation Breakfast,</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>which was decided by President Richard Nixon and his staff in the Oval Office, right after church service on Sunday, March 16, 1969. Church service!?!?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the first war with Iraq we had<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Desert_Storm"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Desert Storm</span>”</a> </i>in 1990 and when that did not stop Saddam Hussein’s desire to<span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_and_the_brain"><i><span style="color: blue;">“take over the world,”</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span></span>we moved on to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Desert_Fox"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Desert Fox</span></a> </i></span>eight years later. Then we got serious with Hussein with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Iraqi_Freedom"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Iraqi Freedom</span></a> </span></i>in 2003, but we have now settled in in Iraq with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: black;"><i>Operation New Dawn</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>as of September 1, 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over in Afghanistan we began with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Enduring_Freedom"><span style="color: blue;">Operation Enduring Freedom</span>,</a> </i>which has proven to be long-lasting because we are still there. And because of its enduring quality, we have used it again and again in the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Enduring_Freedom_-_Philippines"><span style="color: blue;">Philippines</span></a><span style="color: blue;">,</span> the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Enduring_Freedom_-_Horn_of_Africa"><span style="color: blue;">Horn of Africa</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and other places in between.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Commenting on what goes through the mind of the fighter pilots and whether they want to acknowledge what their bombs do to people and things on the ground,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/on-the-pilot-s-mind-1.267395"><span style="color: blue;">Giora Rom</span>,</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>a retired Major General and himself a fighter pilot in the Israeli Defense Forces wrote this in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>the Haaretz, Israel’s oldest newspaper, in April of 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Pilots drop bombs. Pilots kill people. Pilots destroy things that took great effort to build. Pilots do all of this without seeing the results of their actions up close.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">And now with the drones, at the press of a button, we can level towns and villages and destroy everything within, all from the comfort of an </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">ergonomic chair in an air-conditioned room, within easy reach of Coca-Cola and pizzas. The drones have furthered eroded our humanity, our innate sense of </i><span style="line-height: 16px;">responsibility</span><i style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"> and compassion for others. How can we when those we kill are nothing but blips and dots on a computer monitor, zeros and ones, not flesh and blood?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unexploded bombs dropped on Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam 35 years ago <a href="http://www.wehelpwarvictims.org/2010/03/vientiane-times-uxo-survey-reveals-victim-accident-figures/"><span style="color: blue;">still kill and maim hundreds</span></a> of innocent people every year, mostly farmers and their children. Viet Nam has estimated that it <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/pages/20120108-us-army-uxo-landmine-decontamination.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">takes up to 300 years</span></a> </span>to clear all the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">unexploded</em> mines and bombs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">This Laotian man lost both of his arms and right eye to an unexplored </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">cluster bomblet while fis<span style="color: #2c2c21;">hing (Photo: </span><a href="http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/" style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;">Cluster Munitions Coalition</span></a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Death and Destruction Sensitization</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peace and security should not be achieved through death and destruction, as in the cases of Iraq and Afghanistan. Diplomacy should not only be employed after a war or threat of an imminent war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the United States, the victims and survivors of every imaginable war and conflict it has ever been involved in since 1940 can be found right here in the good ole’ U.S. of A. Their stories we should know. Their experiences we should learn. Their pain and suffering we should feel. Too often those who are responsible for the policies that take our nation to war do so without empathy and a sense of who the people whose lives we are about to change forever are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faces of the very people who have been affected by our government’s foreign policies are reflected in those we see every day at our local gas stations, hospitals, schools and universities, neighborhood restaurants, churches, dry cleaners, banks, shopping malls and convenience stores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every effort for peace and every policy designed to achieve security, at home and abroad, should have the voices of these victims and survivors of our past wars and conflicts. Maybe, just then maybe, it will help with our effort to achieve peace and security around the world without the loss of lives and treasury, not to mention our own humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Therefore, it should be a national concern whenever our political leaders beat the war drums, especially the candidates for the White House.</span></div>
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-9529982610879512242012-04-30T13:46:00.000-07:002023-11-22T16:58:47.285-08:00My Long Road to America<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Reposting: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_war"><span style="color: blue;">April 30, 1975</span></a><span style="color: #333333;"> –</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: #333333;">the long, brutal war had finally come
to an end.</span> Viet Nam's</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> two-halves reunited, peace at last. Yet, for millions, the
painful journey had just begun. Below is my journey.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My life in America began on a frigid Thanksgiving’s eve 30 years ago. Not unlike tens of thousands of other Vietnamese escaping Viet Nam at the time, my journey to America began on May 12, 1980 and ended in Oakland, California, on November 25, 1981.</span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a cold and rainy night as I and some two hundred other refugees stepped off the chartered Transamerica Airlines’ flight, which took off from Singapore 19 hours earlier and with one refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. The cold was not like anything I had felt before. It was something that seemed to penetrate my whole body, right through the bones – a DNA-changing sensation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Od7ZYDNkS38/TsikZvxc_iI/AAAAAAAAEEI/THMQbLCeMg0/s1600/39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Od7ZYDNkS38/TsikZvxc_iI/AAAAAAAAEEI/THMQbLCeMg0/s320/39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refugees arriving at Hamilton Air Force Base, 1981<br />
(Photo: Mitchell Bonner, UC Irvine Southeast Asian Archives)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The plane was parked away from the passenger terminal where we stepped right onto big coaches that took us to our temporary housing at</span> </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Refugee</span><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"> Transit Center</span> on the now-closed</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, Marin County, north of San Francisco. Because we had arrived on Thanksgiving’s eve, when the immigrant-receiving staff had gone on a four-day weekend, we had to stay on the base until the following Monday, four days later.</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">All I could see of America, from the window of the bus, was that of an endless stream of cars on the highway without sight of humans out and about, unlike where I came from. We arrived at Hamilton quite late, couldn't make out the surrounding landscape until the next day.</span></span></h3>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thursday, November 26, 1981 – Thanksgiving’s Day – my first day in America. There were perhaps several hundred refugees staying in the barracks at Hamilton on this weekend, in addition to those who arrived on our flight. Later in the afternoon we were served our first Thanksgiving turkey dinner, complete with all the fixings. I didn’t like the taste of turkey then and still don’t like it today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lasting impression on that day came from the volunteers and staff of several immigrant and refugee service providing agencies, including some former refugees. The warmth, generosity, attentiveness and welcoming spirit that they exuded were unforgettable. They were the first group of ordinary Americans I met.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Escape from Viet Nam</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a 19-month journey to hell and back, and through two refugee camps, 25 Hawkins Road, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Singapore and Pulau Galang II, Indonesia. It also put me in touch with my Chinese half, taught me the ethics of hard work and how to live off the kindness and compassion of strangers, and completely turned me off from sleeping outdoors for fun and pleasure.</span><br />
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(A former refugee resident of Singapore, Lam-Khanh Nguyen, who has resettled in Germany, has created a wonderful Facebook site dedicated to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=98995200578&v=photos&so=15#!/group.php?gid=98995200578&v=info"><span style="color: blue;">25 Hawkins Road</span></a>.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The victorious North Viet Nam may have won the war and reunified the country, but governing the former two estranged halves proved to be above and beyond the skills and experience of former soldiers and generals. By 1980 Viet Nam was crippled by the US-led economic blockade and boycott, the 1978’s epic floods, failing in its effort to integrate the former North and South Viet Nam into one country and post-war reconstruction, all the while fighting two wars – one in the north against the Chinese border incursion and one in the south again the Khmer Rouge rampaging massacres along the border.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the mean time, political persecution and purges against those associated with the old regime, combined with a campaign to wipe out capitalism by shutting down ethnic Chinese-owned businesses, the backbone of Viet Nam’s economy, had left southern Vietnamese living in fear, paranoia and on the verge of starvation. People were whispering among themselves that “if street lamps had legs, they would have tried to escape as well.”</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="image" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/File:35_Vietnamese_boat_people_2.JPEG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img src="http://www.unhcr.org/thumb1/44a56a724.jpg" height="290" id="il_fi" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the archive of the </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Office of United Nations High </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Commissioner </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">for Refugees (UNHCR), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">which operated the refugee camps </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All kinds of boats, from canoes with outboard motors to coastal fishing boats, from river-going passenger boats to cargo haulers, were used in the desperate attempts to escape Viet Nam by sea. Others chose to cross into Thailand on foot, hacking their ways through the jungles of Cambodia, often fell victim to the Khmer Rouge en route.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sea routes were not much better. The majority, if not all, of those who were escaping by sea had no idea where we were headed. The boats were not sea-worthy. There was neither the fuel nor expertise and experience to get us to the other side of the South China Sea. We just aimed for the open water. It was a mad dash for survival.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thai, Filipino and Malaysian pirates preyed upon us like a pride of lions stalking an injured gazelle on the African savannah. If not fallen into the hands of the pirates, the mighty but deadly Pacific would swallow us whole with waves as tall as ten-story buildings. Others would die from dehydration and starvation adrift at sea days on end. It has been estimated that as many as 1 in 4, and possibly higher, escapees never made it.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going Through Hell Seeking Life</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My voyage began in early May, 1980, in the small Mekong Delta town of Tan Chau, a stone-throw away from the Cambodian border. My father, his two younger brothers and some business associates had been running a people-smuggling ring, selling passage to those who wanted to escape Viet Nam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the exodus was in full swing, both the United Nations and Viet Nam’s Southeast Asian neighbors protested with Viet Nam, demanding that it must stop the waves of boat people that had begun to overwhelm their capacity to house for the arriving stateless refugees. In response, Viet Nam banned all fishing boats from going out to sea and impounded the remaining ones that could be used to smuggle people. If it had not been for the corrupt and disorganized new government, hundreds of thousands would not have been able to escape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father and his associates had modified river cargo carriers, masqueraded as long-distance passenger boats, hundreds of miles away from outlets to the South China Sea to escape the authority’s watchful eye. Three boats were used in the operation. One had left in 1978. Next up was the boat I was on and another was planned for 1982.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My boat looked somewhat like this one, perhaps smaller.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boat had been plying its supposed passenger route for months. Late January, 1980, my father sent for me. I was 16, turning 17, approaching drafting age. The stealth operation was known to only a few, so I was oblivious, assuming that he simply wanted me to join him, working on the boat as a helping hand with my two cousins of about the same age and two other teenagers, one of whom was a gifted marine engine mechanic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During dinner one evening, my father brought out beer and handed each of us a can to toast. The meal ended with a cigarette break where I was also invited to join in. It was a shocking, but a pleasant surprise, because until that night I was never allowed to drink and smoke with my dad and uncles, at least not in front of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That evening, the first event of many more to come that changed my life forever, my father and I had our first father-son adult conversation on the boat deck. He gave me my life manual with a few parting homilies thrown in for good measure. Needless to say, no sleep was to be had the rest of the night. Because of the secretive nature of the operation, there was no goodbye with my mother, my younger brother and two sisters, whom I had not seen for almost five months and not again twelve years later.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most devasting news of all was that I would be escaping Viet Nam alone. My father promised that the rest of our family would go later on the 1982 boat, which ended in failure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We left Tan Chau on Monday, May 12, plying our usual route that would take us past a major outlet to the South China Sea. To escape detection, the scheduled stops were meticulously planned where small groups of passengers would be embarking and disembarking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three days later, the last group of passengers came aboard in a small coastal town of Binh Thoi, about an hour away from the open water of the South China Sea. Three hundred and four people had crammed into a boat about 20 feet by 70 feet, three deeps. More than standing out like a sore thumb, raising suspicion among the locals, was the overwhelming number of Chinese-Vietnamese passengers and families that seemed to carry no luggage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All along the route at each stop, there were so many tell-tale signs that this boat could not have been anything else but about to escape. However, silence had been bought with the local police and authorities and the coastal marine police along the route.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We left Binh Thoi around 10 pm, timed to coincide with the receding tide and a moonless night. When we arrived at the opening to the sea, instead of crossing the channel and up another river to the final destination of Bien Hoa, another 5 hours away, we aimed for the sea full throttle, all lights off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the exception of the crew, which I was a member, the passengers were told to stay down close to the floor and be quiet. Though there had been many trial runs in the river waterways, nobody knew how the engine or the boat would perform in open water at full capacity and maximum speed. The oversized engine sounded as if it was tearing the boat apart; the nuts and bolts seemed to have been rattled loose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soon we were sighted by a coastal patrol boat, which gave chase and ordered us to stop over the roaring engine. Shots were fired, hitting the top cabin. The ensuing chaos in pitch black condition outside and with no lighted markers, our boat ran into and became entangled with fishing nets planted in the open channel; cables strung between wooden poles to hold the nets down ripped the steering house off of the boat, injuring a few, including the skipper and almost pulling those of us inside with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We ran over some of the poles. Smaller boats would have been broken up and sunk. Not knowing if the coastal police were still chasing us, we kept on going at full speed until morning. Without charts and a proper working compass, we had no idea where we were in the vast open ocean. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surveying the damage the next morning, we discovered that the hull, which stored fresh drinking water had been cracked, rendering the water undrinkable. Furthermore, the damage to the engine, which was pushed beyond its limits the night before, was beyond repair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a son of one of the owners, I was made aware of the situation, but the majority of the 304 people on board were not aware of our impending doom. Furthermore, sea sickness had immobilized most of the passengers. Unable to get up and move, most relieved themselves in-situ. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the end of our first full day at sea, the sense of hopelessness had begun to set in, partly due to the lack of drinking water and food, with which we could have cooked rice. We soon settled in for our first night in the open water. Being that far out with no land in sight, our boat was like a grain of sand on a beach. The water, with its deep clear blue color, reflected off the lights from our boat, was sparkling and shimmering. When a coin was dropped overboard, its descent was visible for a long time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the second day, some had either recovered or gotten used to the motion of the sea, but most had already become lifeless. Making matters worse, the shear humanity – 304 unwashed individuals confined to a space the size of a Boeing 737 – combining with the baking sun, which had heated up the cabin to an intolerable condition. The few hundred pounds of jicama, a root vegetable that is mostly water, which had been on board as part of the charade-cargo, the only source of drinking water, were now being rationed with children and the elderly having priority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though the sea was quite calm, the rolling, undulating waves could have destroyed the boat in an instance if the weather had turned for the worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The vast empty ocean with no sights of land and ships, which we had been told there would be numerous about now, began to wreack havoc on our mental state. Furthermore, a few of us spotted what looked like bodies and boat debris, floating in the water. We surmised they probably belonged to the unlucky boat or boats that had run into a storm few days prior. We did not want to think about the unthinkable. Maintaining calm and optimism, however, had become an impossible task. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things began to unravel the second night. People could be heard crying and wailing in the dark corners of the boat. Small children began to suffer – diarrhea and vomiting – crying uncontrollably. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The third day seemed to have spelled the end. The stench from the vomit and human waste had become unbearable. More and more adults now demanded water or slices of jicama. Gold bars and hundred-US-dollar bills seemed to spill out from everywhere; unfortunately they could not quench our thirst or stave off our hunger, nor could they guarantee our safe passage. Death seemed inevitable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first casualty occurred when a two-year-old boy stopped moving, unable to be woken up from his sleep. His mother became distraught and began to wail. The child’s father, though not crying, became crazed. Sometime later in the afternoon, he made his way to the top deck and jumped into the ocean. We were now down to 302 lifeless bodies nearing the gates of hell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stumbled upon a busy shipping lane on the third night, which we later learned was the main sea route between Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, We began to see very large ships passing by. We screamed. We banged on pots and pans. We flashed our lights. None stopped. Each passing ship caused panic because our tiny boat nearly capsized in its wake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A large pot that was used for cooking rice was brought onto the top deck. We started burning the rags off of our bodies and anything we could find in the hopes of attracting attention from the passing ships. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometime after midnight, a night that had our hopes dashed again and again with each passing ship, suddenly a hulking ship stopped and appeared to go in reverse towards our boat. All those who still had voice began to scream more loudly. More people took off their shirts and pants and threw them into the rice cooker to stoke up the fire again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ship stopped. We kept on screaming and burning more of our clothes. We did not know what was going. It may not have been very long, but it seemed to have lasted an eternity. The ship began to move closer to our boat, which nearly rolled over in its wake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blinding floodlights were shone on our boat and a ladder was dropped down. We began to cry with happiness, knowing that we had just escaped death. It took another 3 hours before all 302 of us tired, hungry, sea-sickened, lifeless Vietnamese to come onboard what turned out to be an oil tanker named George F Getty II. The sea unworthy boat that had miraculously carried us across the South China Sea was filled up with water and sunk.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uEpbkn0oLbI/UXrKr0455-I/AAAAAAAAFvc/hnGhXlfoVRQ/s1600/vietnamese-refugees+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uEpbkn0oLbI/UXrKr0455-I/AAAAAAAAFvc/hnGhXlfoVRQ/s320/vietnamese-refugees+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 6.5pt;">About to be
rescued by the US Navy. Photo courtesy of the US Navy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By morning most of us were huddled together in an open area on the top deck of the tanker. Some were able to get washed and a few even managed to learn about who our saviors were. It was an oil tanker en route to Hong Kong. She was Liberian-registered with an Italian captain and a Filipino crew. She belonged to the Getty Oil company of California.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had my first Italian meal of spaghetti and meatballs on May 18, 1980 aboard the George F Getty II, somewhere on the South China Sea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we settled in for another night on the behemoth oil tanker, a familiar Vietnamese voice came on the loudspeaker announcing the good news that the ship had turned around, heading back to Singapore, but the somewhat bad news was that we weren’t sure if the island-state would allow us to come ashore and granted us temporary housing while waiting for resettlement in a third country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amidst cry of joy and silent sobbing, though still not quite comprehending what it all meant, we all knew that our ordeal, for the time being, had ended. We now had been fed, washed and no longer adrift on the South China Sea, but the uncertainty was palpable because we still had no idea where our home would eventually be.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25 Hawkins Road</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We arrived in Singapore on the night of May 19, 1980, anchoring among hundreds of ships and oil tankers in the busy Port of Singapore. Gleaming highrises could be seen in the distance. A truly modern world most of us had never seen coming from war-ravaged Viet Nam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As night fell, this island-state lit up like a sparkling jewel, surrounded by twinkling lights that were the ships in the harbor. Looking back, it was like the Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade, an out-of-this-world experience for someone who came from a country where old combustible-engine automobiles had been converted to run on coal and city and street lamps had become a dreamy distant past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As day light broke, allowing us to see an even more amazing Singapore’s cityscape, the good news came over the loudspeaker that we would be coming ashore sometime before lunch. More crying of joy broke out. Amidst smiles we also learned that somehow one of us had gone missing, may have fallen off the ship. We were now down to 301, from the original 304 leaving Viet Nam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One by one we boarded ferry boats that took us into Singapore harbor, then each was given a bag lunch of sandwich, soft drink and an apple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From boarding the ferry to waiting in the harbor to boarding the busses that eventually took us to 25 Hawkins Road, Sembawang, in the northern suburbs of Singapore, we were all in a daze, marveling at everything we saw. How clean. How modern. How orderly everything was. And to top it all off, almost everyone around us was Chinese with whom some of us were able to communicate. It was a revelation.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s6f-1SX6cNM/TOtQ6rdWBVI/AAAAAAAADMs/DLc88Q--mcM/s1600/Hawkins1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s6f-1SX6cNM/TOtQ6rdWBVI/AAAAAAAADMs/DLc88Q--mcM/s400/Hawkins1.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your truly, at 16, taken 2 or 3 days after arriving at 25 Hawkins Road, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">still with the shirt, on my shoulder, that I left Viet Nam with.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We arrived at 25 Hawkins Road about an hour or so later. It was quite a sight to see hundred of Vietnamese lining the road welcoming our arrival. At this point boat people rescued from 2 to 4 boats were brought into the camp every day, averaging anywhere between 40 and 500 people. Our group was among the largest rescued from a single boat. It was May 20, 1980.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WbhB_9I2y2c/T5XITiND3aI/AAAAAAAAEKo/-zjvgEwKfMo/s1600/TheShirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WbhB_9I2y2c/T5XITiND3aI/AAAAAAAAEKo/-zjvgEwKfMo/s320/TheShirt.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">32 years later -- the shirt -- the only thing I came to America with.</span></td></tr>
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-67636418330329023222012-04-02T15:25:00.000-07:002012-07-03T16:41:03.129-07:00Freedom From Fear: Burma's Baby Step Towards Democracy<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got misty-eyed looking at pictures of </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123178/Myanmar-elections-2012-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-claims-victory-hails-new-era-Burma.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Burmese people</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> waiting in lines to cast their votes on Sunday. Their faces and eyes
conveyed a sense of hope for something better. To be in those lines, they had already
managed to overcome their fear, fear of once again having their voices and
aspirations squashed by a brutal and paranoid military regime, which has lorded
over them <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Burma"><span style="color: blue;">since 1962.</span></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_4c6Gw2ruM/T3ohkLfef9I/AAAAAAAAEIk/oiYh1D7EiiA/s1600/Walkingtothepolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_4c6Gw2ruM/T3ohkLfef9I/AAAAAAAAEIk/oiYh1D7EiiA/s400/Walkingtothepolls.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Myanmar villagers walking to polling stations on Sunday, April 1, 2012. <br />(<a href="http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Myanmar-s-Suu-Kyi-reported-winning-historic-vote-3450162.php#photo-2765103"><span style="color: blue;">Photo: Altaf Qadri/AP</span></a>)</span><span style="background-color: white; border-width: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">As the outspoken </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Burmese
democracy activist Maung Zarni</span> has noted<span style="background-color: white;">, it was
a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/04/01/world-burma-myanmar-byelection.html"><span style="color: blue;">"psycho-social" </span></a>victory for the people of Burma, a resource-rich
Southeast Asian nation of 60 million.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In America the term democracy is often thrown
around like a chess piece in a match between two political parties that essentially
vie for the largess and approval from the ruling class. For the people of Burma, it’s the fundamental
and existential necessity of life. Ordinary people, whether Burmese or
Vietnamese or Americans, just want to have a dignified life, to be left alone
to earn a living in order to feed and clothe their families and, if possible, a nominal
amount of freedom to express their hopes and fulfill their aspirations. They
want to be able to vent their grievances without fear of being detained,
tortured or disappeared.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8mDggyhDlQw/T3okTR46T_I/AAAAAAAAEIs/t4z0UcmuU68/s1600/Ilovedemocracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8mDggyhDlQw/T3okTR46T_I/AAAAAAAAEIs/t4z0UcmuU68/s400/Ilovedemocracy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I Love Democracy. Burma's By-Election, Sunday, April 1, 2012<br />(<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123178/Myanmar-elections-2012-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-claims-victory-hails-new-era-Burma.html"><span style="color: blue;">Photo: European Press Photo/DailyMailUK</span></a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to know that something akin to a "free
and fair" election did actually take place in Burma, a country that not
long ago was considered as closed as that of North Korea, makes one feel
hopeful about the world. Whether it's long-lasting remains to be seen and regardless
of the behind-the-scene machinations, the people of Burma have set an example
for their Asian neighbors, especially Vietnamese and Chinese.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope the world media won’t just take up and
leave right after election for it was a very wobbly baby-step and the people of
Burma, now more than ever, need the world’s help in holding the military regime
accountable while they chart the next course of adventure called democracy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-42201142126710976782012-03-30T16:10:00.000-07:002014-11-30T22:01:42.508-08:00Hip Hop: Americans Don't Own It Anymore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Transcending cultures and languages, when
combined with social media, hip hop is a potent catalyst for social and
political changes in emerging democracies, especially for young women. In this
special edition, I feature a few female voices from Kenya, Brazil, Vietnam,
Mongolia and Mexico.</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mongolia's thriving hip hop scene is much more
socially and politically conscious than elsewhere in Asia. Gennie is a rare
female voice among an almost all-male club.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">It's fair to say that Ana Tijoux is the Manu Chao of hip hop. Tijoux was born to Chilean parents who were exiled in France during the Pinochet military dictatorship. Shock is a tribute to Chilean student protests against education budget cuts that began in May 2011, lasting to the present. </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/177-s44MSVQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">Brazil has a HUGE hip hop scene, 2nd only to the US. Best-known among female rappers is Flora Matos, who is considered a pioneer among many that have emerged from Brasília, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madchester"><span style="color: blue;">Manchester</span></a> of Brazil's hip hop. Mundo Pequeno is one of Matos' big hits.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like rock'n'roll and psychedelic music of the 60s and 70s, hip hop is the musical language that drives youth social and political activism in the digital age.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like the cumbia sound, a Colombian and Panamanian dance music in origin, of this hip hop track from Niña Dioz, the blond Mexican MC from Monterrey, Mexico. La Cumbia Prohibida, with Li Saumet. Dioz is the one in glasses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Here's the queen of Vietnam's hip hop, Suboi Rapper, who was recently featured in Vietnam's 1st hip hop and break dancing film, Saigon Electric. She's got the swagger down.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Below is Muthoni The Drummer Queen, the multi-talented & multi-lingual MC from Kenya. She's known for both her performances and social and political messaging with her music.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female hip hop artists outside the US, especially in emerging democracies, have to overcome not only the male-dominated industry, but also conservative cultural norms and mores.</span></span> </div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-9938380498935239422012-02-15T13:51:00.002-08:002021-10-01T14:15:53.916-07:00Water Spinach – The Revolutionary Vegetable<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, sans-serif">I knew this lowly vegetable had arrived a few years back when a white gentleman, who shared a table with me at a San Francisco Thai noodle shop, commented how much he liked the crunchy “cilantro” in his beef stew noodle soup.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">“What cilantro?” I asked.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">“This,” as he held them up with his chopsticks.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">“Oh, you mean water spinach.”</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">“Water what?”</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VzOcwVJ8PcM/TZTaUjLl5-I/AAAAAAAAD44/y9isuMecIzk/s1600/white+stem.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VzOcwVJ8PcM/TZTaUjLl5-I/AAAAAAAAD44/y9isuMecIzk/s320/white+stem.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Milder & Crunchier White Stem Variety </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_spinach"><span style="color: blue;">Water spinach</span></a> – a member of the Morning Glory family – is also known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">swamp cabbage</i> in the Philippines, <em>trokuon </em>in Cambodia, <em>phak bung</em> in Thailand or <i>pak bong</i> in Laos, respectively, <i>kangkong</i> to all the Malays of Southeast Asia, <em>kolmi </em>in South Asia, especially Bangladesh, <em>ung tsoi</em> or <i>ong choi</i> to Chinese speakers and, finally <i>rau muống</i> to this Vietnamese's ears. </span> <br />
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">As the name implies, it grows in freshwater lakes, ponds and on river banks everywhere throughout Southeast Asia and Southern China. It earns the name cabbage because it is the leafy green that is good for you, as good as cabbage, but cheaper or free. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Even though there are now two different cultivars – white and green stem – that are widely grown on dry land, because of its humble beginning in stagnant water, some people still look down on this <i>heroic</i> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">herbaceous perennial aquatic plant as peasant food worthy only for the pigs and ducks, which it is often used as feed. The wild variety, which is much darker in color, has a somewhat harsher flavor and tougher bite. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-color: initial; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-style: none; border-top: medium none; border-width: medium; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvesting wild water spinach in the Mekong Delta.<br />
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">A heroic plant? You ask. Yes, this lowly vegetable played a very important role in Viet Nam’s fight for independence <span face="Arial, sans-serif">beginning </span>in 1935.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">At Viet Nam’s very first Communist Party Congress, known as the Indochinese Communist Party at the time, which was held in Macau in 1935, as delegates settled in and began their assembly, it was discovered that the man in charge of food and lodging had disappeared with the cash. </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">The resources required to bring delegates to Macao, especially for a group that was operating in clandestine, did not leave much for lodging and food. So, as the story goes, water spinach soup and dried fish were served at the first Indochinese Communist Party Congress.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">Fast forward 30 years later, once again the lowly swamp cabbage played its part in many war stories and memoirs by north Viet Nam’s soldiers, as well as their southern comrades. The most often told stories related to the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_chi_minh_trail"><span style="color: blue;">Ho Chi Minh trail</span></a>. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ho Chi Minh Trail </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo: Viet Nam National Military History Museum)</span></td></tr>
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The<span face="Arial, sans-serif"> trail, the unofficial north-south thoroughfare, which was not much more than a footpath in some areas, served as <em>THE</em> logistical and supply line for North Viet Nam as its troops pushed southward. It was heavily bombed by the U.S. Air Force, day and night. In fact, during the Viet Nam War, many of the <a href="http://25hawkinsroad.blogspot.com/2010/11/bombs-away.html"><span style="color: blue;">cutely-named bombing</span></a> runs were targeting the trail, hoping to disrupt the north’s southward march. </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The bombs left their marks all along the trail in the form of craters. It did not take long for mother nature to reclaim her now defiled body. Rainwater soon filled the craters.</span></span> </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo: Viet Nam National Military History Museum)</span></td></tr>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">The soldiers began to put fish in there and, you got it, dropped in </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">a few stalks of water spinach for good measure. There were no <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_exchange"><span style="color: blue;">PXes</span></a></em> or <em>mess halls</em> along the Ho Chi Minh trail, but plenty of fish and water spinach that did not require shipping or refrigeration. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">They also developed a self-regulating system, taking turns to stock and restock these craters so that there was always a ready supply when needed for the next group of soldiers – market fresh. Where-ever the trail left the jungle and the soldiers had no access to nearby craters, both the fish and water spinach were dried for the road.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UClEPbtJhgM/TuJWACUz2kI/AAAAAAAAEEg/52xSNo8u1ic/s1600/HCMWaterSpinach.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UClEPbtJhgM/TuJWACUz2kI/AAAAAAAAEEg/52xSNo8u1ic/s320/HCMWaterSpinach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Ho tending his water spinach patch.<br />
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">So as you can see, the lowly water spinach did indeed play a heroic role in Viet Nam’s struggle for liberation and independence.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">Here in Northern California, until a few years ago, water spinach was a luxury item, available only in the summer months. Like many other Asian vegetables, due to the explosive demands from the rapidly-growing Asian immigrant populations, it now can be found year-round, albeit a bit more expensive during the winter months.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">Many farmers in California’s Central Valley now grow Asian vegetables in green houses year-round and the Mexican state of Baja California, which borders California, of course, has become the major grower and supplier for almost all of the Asian supermarkets in California, from Orange County to San Jose.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">On a recent drive down to Ensenada along Highway 1, I couldn’t help but noticing the familiar vegetable farms dotting the landscape.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I0pMmPot3w0/TuJZIFRM7GI/AAAAAAAAEEo/D1ikFvobYpI/s1600/Greemstem.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I0pMmPot3w0/TuJZIFRM7GI/AAAAAAAAEEo/D1ikFvobYpI/s320/Greemstem.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">The best way to eat water spinach is a quick stir-fry, with nothing but vegetable or canola oil, garlic, coarse black pepper and a few dashes of fish sauce, of course. Like its name-sake cousin, 2 minutes in a hot wok or frying pan is all it needs. It loses its crunchiness if overcooked. Since it is a utilitarian vegetable of peasant roots, it can be cooked and served in many different ways: salad, soup or just quick-steamed.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">For fancy get-ups, my favorites are ones prepared in Malaysian style, especially the one with dried shrimp paste and chili pepper (Serrano is fine) -- </span><i><span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">kangkung belacan.</span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Kangkung Belecan</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo: mysimplefood.com)</span></td></tr>
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<span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’ve ordered a few packets of seeds, both white and green stem, from an online seed store and plan to grow them in my little plot since I eat so much it. I can hardly wait for the night-time temperatures to rise a bit more so I can begin the planting.</span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-82213678419877922062012-01-27T10:50:00.000-08:002012-10-24T23:15:18.427-07:00Mekong Delta Fish Sauce -- The Elixir of Life<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9pt; text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">Like forest fires and volcano eruptions, the devastating floods that have killed more than </span><a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/death-toll-from-floods-nears-1000/story-e6frf7lf-1226190452391"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">1000</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"> in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are also the life forces of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_river"><span style="color: blue;">Mekong River</span></a>, </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Asia’s 7<sup>th</sup>-longest and the world's 10th-</span>longest river, respectively.</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The floods’ rich silt deposits fertilize the soils of </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-13/thailand-may-give-up-role-of-biggest-rice-exporter-to-boost-rural-incomes.html"><span style="color: blue;">Thailand and Vietnam</span>,</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> turning them into the world’s number one and number two rice exporters, respectively. The floods also stock and feed the fishes of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, the world’s richest freshwater fishery.</span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Growing up in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, the floods were not only the source of endless fun, but also a great time for fishing. One particular fish was the humble minnow, or </span></span><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">cá linh</span></em><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> in Vietnamese, which was used to make a very special fish sauce. Fish sauce, like olive oil to an Italian family, was</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"> king in the kitchen, then garlic, MSG, sugar, black pepper and, lastly, salt. Herbs and spices were pretty much whatever that grew in the garden or the back of the house.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For as long as I could remember, we never had to purchase fish sauce. We made our own. Every family did </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">–</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> unique to the Cambodians living around the Tonle Sap area and the Vietnamese in the An Giang and Dong Thap provinces. The minnows were plentiful during the monsoonal flooding season, which runs from July to November.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fully-grown Mekong River Minnows</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">The humble two-inch minnows, spawned and hatched in the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonle_sap"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Tonle Sap</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"> or Great Lake, the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia, began to move out of the lake in June and followed the flood water into the paddy fields around the lake and downstream in Vietnam, where they fattened up, before heading back up into the Tonle Sap to spawn. Most were caught, but enough made it back up the river to begin the life cycle all over again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fish was so plentiful that one could literally catch them by placing a net anywhere in the water. Making fish sauce was the primary use, but the minnows, being that small and with tiny bones, were also great for drying, frying, stewing, as well as in the traditional sweet and sour soup. My favorite was battered and deep fried – the Mekong Delta sardines. Eating whole, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Small families could make do with about 40 kilos of fish – good for one year </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">–</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> but large families would need up to 150 kilos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The process began with the fish being washed thoroughly but with the guts, scales and fins fully intact. For 40 kilos of fish, about 12 kilos of salt would be used. Fish and salt were roughly mixed together, but with about 3 - 5 kilos of salt was left to top the fish off, packing them down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Typically large glazed earthen jars were used, ones that are similar to those used for pickling kimchee. Some folks swore by their own secret ingredients, which was nothing more than either one or two pineapples, cut up but unpeeled or a couple of kilos of the rice paddy mud crabs, or both.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The jars then would be left out in the sun, and the mixture would be stirred with large wooden ladles or chopsticks every few days. Pretty soon a pungent aroma began to waft through every town and village in the region. Since everyone was making their own fish sauce, nobody was bothered by the overpowering aroma.</span><br />
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The mash was left out in the sun for about a month or two depending on the size of the fish. The two-inchers typically took about a month to break down. By now what had sunk to the bottom of the jars was essentially highly salted decomposed fish, taken on a grayish-green color.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The big pots or cauldrons would be set out on improvised stoves, outdoors, of course, for the smoke and the pungent aroma would be too much for indoors. Then the mash was transferred into the pots. The cooking process could take up to three or four hours or until all the bones and other secret ingredients completely broken down into tiny bits.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pots, and the fire, had to be constantly tended to, especially to scoop out the heads or impurities that floated to the top. This was key because what rose to the top could essentially ruin the finished product if not scooped out.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next, fine cheese cloth would be placed on top of pots, pans, jars or whatever type of holding container available. Slowly the cooked mash would be scooped out of the pots and poured over the cloth. The elixir of life slowly squeezed its way through the fine mesh, dripping into the containers below. This slow, painstaking process yielded a crystal clear golden brown liquid, nothing but pure fish sauce. Each 40 kilos of fish yielded about 30 liters of fish sauce.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This fish sauce, called <em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">nước mắm cá linh</span></em>, if done right, was rather fragrant, devoid of any fishy smell. It was salty, but had a pleasant after taste, not a burning sensation. Another way to tell if it was artisanal was to drop in a grain of cooked rice at room temperature. The rice should float to the top. <span style="color: #222222;"><br />
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</span>And folks, that is the Mekong Delta minnow fish sauce, the Vietnamese elixir of life.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">(</span></i><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Nước</span></em><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">means water or liquid</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></i><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Mắm</span></em><span style="color: #222222;"> means pickled</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></i><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Cá linh</span></em><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">is the Vietnamese name for the minnows</span><i><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></i><span style="color: #222222;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-85264086158333983062011-12-29T15:27:00.000-08:002019-09-11T19:20:41.440-07:00I Dream of Bollywood<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a hormone-raging country pumpkin, the oversized hand-painted pictures of voluptuous women in midriff- baring saris staring down from movie billboards were all it took. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was my introduction to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood"><span style="color: blue;">Bollywood</span></a> song-and-dance films – in Woodlands, at the southernmost corner of Singapore, across from Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This was also where I got my first taste of the real Indian <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine_in_Singapore"><span style="color: blue;">curry, roti prata, teh tarik</span></a></em> or pulled tea,<em> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa"><span style="color: blue;">laksa</span></a></em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine_in_Singapore"> </a>and many other unique Singapore Indian dishes, as well as</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"> the beginning of my discovery of, and love for, world music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The 90s Screen Siren Madhuri Dixit with Rishi Kapoor </span></div>
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Laksa is one type of food that one must try before dying. It's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan"><span style="color: blue;">Peranakan</span></a>'s creation, unique to Singapore and Malaysia. One of laksa's variations, the curry coconut soup, is served with <em>rau răm</em> or Vietnamese coriander, also locally known as <em>daun kesum, </em>which until then I thought only the Vienamese ate this sharp-tasting herb.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though not knowing a word of Hindi, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">music, the dancing and, of course, the midriff-baring saris were intoxicating for a country pumpkin from then-isolated Viet Nam. The ridiculous dancing – quite often in the rain, in the water or on the beach that invariably ends with the hero trying to kiss the girl but misses her lips because she manages to get away by loosening her sari. Talk about anticlimax!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One more memorable element about these films is that somehow many of them find the stars frolicking on <span lang="EN">Edelweiss</span><span lang="EN"> </span>and buttercup flower-covered Swiss Alps. It’s like Gene Kelly’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ"><span style="color: blue;">"Singin' In the Rain"</span> </a><span style="color: black;"><em>Don Lockwood</em></span> <span lang="EN">had married Julie Andrews’ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyS_C4PeBrw"><span style="color: blue;">"The Sound of Music"</span></a> <i>Maria von Trapp </i>and made a movie called “Dancing on the Alps.”</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My love affair with Bollywood ended when I left for America in 1980, or so I had thought. I had all but forgotten about it until I got cable TV some years later. There I was, getting up late on one Saturday morning after a night working at a nightclub in San Francisco – Namaste America!, “the number 1 South Asian Television Network in America.”</span></span></div>
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Juhi Chawla with Anil Kapoor<br />
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s a cable program, from New York, that beams into almost every South Asian’s household in America. It features a HUGE dose of Bollywood’s news and gossip, interspersed with commercials for local Indian American businesses, and, of course, song-and-dance Hindi music films.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To those who are not South Asians or do not know Hindi, the often-ridiculous dance routines and convoluted story-line, as well as the seemingly-bad acting, it’s not like watching French cinema or chopsocky kung fu movies – they don’t really grow on you. But the music. I love the music from these films.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay, especially in the cities of Fremont and Berkeley, there are many “sari palaces” that sell both films and soundtracks. There are also numerous outlets online, both free and for purchase, where one can get one’s Bollywood-fix taken care of. There are now even real movie houses that show first-run hits.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, I was recently surprised to find out that the award-winning <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronos_quartet"><span style="color: blue;">Kronos Quartet</span></a>, the San Francisco-based string quartet, which is better known for contemporary classical music, has recorded an album of Bollywood’s classics featuring the incomparable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_Bhosle"><span style="color: blue;">Asha Bhosle</span></a><span style="color: blue;">.</span> The album, called <em>You've stolen my heart - Songs From R D Burman's </em><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"><em>Bollywood</em></span></a><em>,</em> also earned Bhosle a Grammy nomination, a first for an Indian national.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a must-have album for not only Hindi film music’s aficionados, but also those who are into world music or just plain curious. </span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=rough+guide+to+bollywood"><span style="color: blue;">Rough Guide</span></a> has also put out a number of Bollywood compilations, including one featuring just Asha Bhosle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" title="Dum Maro Dum (Take A Toke) - Asha Bhosle & Kronos Quartet ☺"><br />
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Dum Maro Dum -- The Kronos Quarter Featuring Bhosle <o:p></o:p></div>
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(Footage from the 1971 film,Hare Rama Hare Krishna)<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Bollywood’s song-and-dance films are pure kitsch entertainment, but often with a great soundtrack, not to mention the hipnotically gorgeous stars – both female and male. So if you can overlook the convoluted story-line, or the lack thereof, and the fantastically ridiculous choreography, welcome to Bollywood. </span></div>
Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3701703699526367786.post-74369672545693967862011-09-05T00:29:00.000-07:002015-11-17T19:44:49.432-08:00Repost: Witnessing Vietnam’s Deadliest Fire<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The recent announcement that the Ho Chi Minh City Fire Department “<a href="http://tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/society/city-firefighters-get-modern-trucks-1.42718">has got five modern fire engines to fight blazes in high-rise buildings” </a>and the survey about the Vietnamese youth’s <a href="http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/Pages/20110809135343.aspx">attitudes towards corruption</a> prompted me to dig up this old blog post from 2002.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Fighting fire can be improved with new technology and better training, but civic-mindedness and the willingness to intervene or take action against injustice or to help those in need requires an individual to put aside his/own self-interest and be courageous enough to overcome fear of harm that may come one's way. The survey's results do not make Vietnamese youth look good.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The Saigon International Trade Center or InterShop is located at the corner of </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Nguyen Trung Truc. The fire broke out on Tuesday, 29 October, 2002. To date it was the deadliest fire in Viet Nam in terms of lives lost and the biggest peacetime tragedy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The version below appeared on various web sites, especially those of overseas Vietnamese. A shorter Vietnamese version was published by Saigon Tiep Thi magazine. I received a flood of responses from both in and outside Viet Nam. The responses from those inside Viet Nam were more of a soul-searching nature, very moving.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Witnessing Vietnam’s Deadliest Fire</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I recently spent the longest forty minutes of my life, witnessing people facing death in Viet Nam’s deadliest peacetime tragedy. I had never felt as helpless before as the fire raged through a Ho Chi Minh City’s shopping center on Tuesday, taking the lives of 60 people, including 4 foreigners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Had the fire started two days earlier or 30 minutes later, I would have been one of the victims fleeing for his life or one of the unlucky ones who did not make it. Had help arrived within the first fifteen minutes, many of those who perished would have lived to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As usual, I had gone for a haircut at a salon right across the Saigon International Trade Center or InterShop, as the locals know it, on my last day in Vietnam. This has been a routine on every trip. Intershop was a labyrinth of retail stalls selling souvenirs, jewelry, shoes and other household goods. The seven-story building also housed a mixture of local and international corporate offices, including the American International Assurance Co., an insurance giant, a restaurant and a nightclub.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I had stopped in two days earlier to pick up a few souvenir items and was going to do some more shopping there with my remaining three hours in Viet Nam right after the haircut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At around 2:00 P.M. local time, a salon staff ran in to tell everyone that smoke was rising out of the Intershop. My hair was barely done. The salon manager cut the electricity and told everyone to leave the premise. As we stood outside the salon looking at the thick plume of smoke, we began to see people climbing out onto a small landing area at the rear of the building. As more people jostling for space, some began to jump down to the roof of the adjacent building, the distance of about 30 feet or 9 meters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As the thick black smoke began to engulf the fleeing victims, more slid or jumped down, breaking their legs, arms and bodies in the process. There were no ladders or emergency escapes. Also in their way were the barbed-wire fence and other barriers separating InterShop and the adjacent buildings, which not only slowed them down but also drew their blood. After having landed on the roof of the adjacent building, the victims still had to jump down to the next roof and then another 15 feet or so from the awning to the ground.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I0aUSK7dDEI/TmRx-PodUXI/AAAAAAAAEBo/yNLWEpUqIQ0/s1600/PA280004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I0aUSK7dDEI/TmRx-PodUXI/AAAAAAAAEBo/yNLWEpUqIQ0/s400/PA280004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">People attempting to jump down from a small landing area can be seen at center </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">top of picture. </span></span>Click on photo to enlarge. (Sonny Le, 29/10/02)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The most tragic of all was the sense of hopelessness felt among the bystanders. However, I was most disturbed by the fact that the crowds were not moved to action. For about two minutes I joined the crowds watching the tragedy unfold. Some women in the crowds cried and yelled out, “Why doesn't someone go help those people down? They are being burned.” I sensed the crowds were stunned into helplessness but there was something else rather macabre was taking place. They were watching enthralled and in silence like spectators at sporting events.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Climbing down make-shift ladders. (Sonny Le, 29/10/02)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I ran across the street to join a group of about seven men, one of whom was a tall white man, who was later identified as a Mr. Gillin, an American and a ten-year resident of the city. </span>We joined hands in a circle trying to catch people as they jumped from the awning to the ground. We caught more than a handful. A few more men brought short metal stepladders and a tall, about 12 feet, bamboo ladder. With these ladders, we tried to make a bridge so we could get up closer to the victims. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A good fifteen minutes passed before the first fire engine arrived. The most horrifying specter for me was the firemen did not seem to know what to do. And a few men dressed in security uniforms did not know what to do either. The first group of firemen at the scene had on neither gas masks nor protective gears. They wore knee-high rubber wading boots, the types that one wears to slosh around in the mud, and with no oxygen tanks in sight.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was at the back end of the building so I was not aware of other fire engines at the front side of the building, or on the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0w5Kanxkkt0/TmRy3a0QhJI/AAAAAAAAEBw/fuW8c4d9R-U/s1600/PA280007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0w5Kanxkkt0/TmRy3a0QhJI/AAAAAAAAEBw/fuW8c4d9R-U/s320/PA280007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Policemen and firefighters milling about. (Sonny Le, 29/10/02)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Thirty minutes into the inferno, another fire engine arrived with one small ambulance, a refashioned Toyota minivan. The ambulance had no gurney and there was no Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in sight, who usually is on board in the U.S. The lone driver was all there was. Again, the number of those giving a hand was no more than twenty individuals. </span>At this point, more police was at the scene and began to exercise crowd control. The thick smoke had reached the ground level and the crowds began to withdraw from the area. I began to gag as the smoke was burning up my eyes and nose. It became difficult to breathe as a handful of us tried to catch people and/or holding up the flimsy ladders.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHL553DXgBg/TmRzH84ouYI/AAAAAAAAEB0/QD277APycCM/s1600/PA280009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHL553DXgBg/TmRzH84ouYI/AAAAAAAAEB0/QD277APycCM/s320/PA280009.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">By-stander trying to help. (Sonny Le, 29/10/02)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> I was torn over the decision whether to remain on the scene and help. I contemplated climbing up the ladders so I could get closer to the victims to help break their fall. It was about 2:40 by now and my flight was due to leave Viet Nam for Singapore at 5:30 P.M. I had never felt this helpless before. As I stared at the small crowd of people at the landing of the InterShop building, I saw the terror and desperation in their eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If I had stayed any longer, it would have become impossible to leave the city center, or District 1, for the airport, some 7 kilometers away. Traffic in the surrounding area gradually came to a standstill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I decided to go home even though my heart wanted to stay. When I reached the hotel to pick up my luggage, the doorman pointed out the blood on my arms that I did not realize was there. It was the blood of the few lucky ones who had escaped the inferno. (Sixty victims have now been confirmed dead; another 100 or so hospitalized with a wide range of injuries, from severe burn to broken legs and arms. A good number of the victims suffered severe internal injuries resulted from their leap to survival. Some of the dead bodies have been burnt beyond recognition, awaiting DNA identification, which could take up to one month, for Viet Nam has only one medical lab capable of DNA testing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I walked away from this experience shaken and with an image of the Vietnamese people, however unfair, of being cold and callous in times of tragedies. They seemed to watch the spectacle with amusement as if it’s entertainment. The drivers of taxis and private cars nearby, which there were many, did not volunteer to take the victims to the hospitals. A few victims who had fainted had to wait for the only one ambulance that was shuttling back and forth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Maybe I am naive but I’ve seen fire and a few earthquakes here in California where neighbors jumped in to help with their buckets, garden hoses and shovels. Maybe the Vietnamese watching the InterShop inferno had no means to help put out that fire, their firefighters were themselves under equipped, but they certainly could have helped break the fleeing victims’ fall. The Vietnamese people sure did look like they needed a crash course in what to do in an emergency, besides having some compassion and courage. Maybe they have been trained to take the nonintervention stand until the authorities arrive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As I sat shaken in the back of the taxi on the way to the airport, the dispatch radio was crackling with conversations among the taxi drivers telling each other to go to the fire because it was “fun to watch” or in Vietnamese “coi vui lam.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I did not walk away with a good image of my fellow Vietnamese. As a Vietnamese American, I am both disturbed and confused by what I saw. I can’t help it but keep seeing the faces of many of the victims whom I may have met at the Intershop over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(It is now reported by the State-controlled press that in a city of over 7 million residents, only 20 out of the 600 fire fighters were outfitted with uniforms that include gas masks, oxygen tanks and fireproof gears. There were also problems with the water delivery system, which has not been modernized since 1975. Most fire hydrants nearby did not have water so firefighters had to drive almost 3 miles to the Saigon River to draw water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">One incident illustrated Ho Chi Minh City’s firefighting capability, or the lack of it, was the sadly comical story of one fire engine. On the way to the fire scene this fire engine ran out of gas about three miles away. The driver had to use the telephone of a nearby business to call headquarters to bring gas. Two canisters of gas arrived thirty minutes later. The fire truck still could not move for its engine valve was now gas-flooded.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sonny Lehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231303597575101536noreply@blogger.com8