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Dith was an interpreter and photographer working with New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg, covering horror of what was going on in Cambodia during the 1970s. When it became too dangerous to operate, Dith helped save the lives of many foreign journalists before being sent by the government to a death camp. He survived and his ordeal was the basis for "The Killing Fields" movie and book.
April 2, 2008
RIP Dith Pran, an Inspiration to All
Dith Pran's life was so extraordinary it could be have been a movie, and it was. Dith, who died Sunday at age 65, inspired "The Killing Fields," which chronicled the bloody reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, during which an estimated 2 million died.
The New York Times hired Dith as a photographer in 1980 after he moved to the United States, and in my two years living in New York, I met him a few times and it was an honor every time I shook his hand. He was connected to many activities that helped student journalists and for seeking justice for the genocide victims in his home country and elsewhere.
There's been many articles and obituaries published since Sunday honoring this great man. They are all well deserved. If you don't know about Cambodia's killing fields or Dith Pran, you should. Here are some links to get you started:
Posted by harry at April 2, 2008 12:10 AM
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Sad to hear of his death. He truly embodied the human spirit.
i was so sad to hear this as well. i saw "the killing fields" last year and it is an amazing film, and heard that it only displayed an ounce of the terror that really happened in cambodia around the time that khmer rouge took over. i'd highly recommend anyone who has not seen it to watch it. now i'm wondering if dith has a biography out...
I am glad that the lead actor in Killing Fields was not white..unlike the movie 21! I am sort of surprised that Hyphen has not done a piece on the 21 controversy.
George, there was a post a couple of weeks ago by Alvin about "21."
Sorry Harry. Having difficulty with the new design of the website.
Thanks