Dith Pran, September 27, 1942 – March 30, 2008

Dith Pran and Sydney Schanberg

Dith Pran, who survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia, has died today at the age of 65. Dith Pran was Sydney Schanberg’s photographer and journalistic partner in Cambodia. When Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge in 1975, Schanberg was expelled from the country. Schanberg arranged for Dith Pran’s wife and children to be evacuated to the United States, but Pran stayed behind.

Dith Pran lived through the madness that the Khmer Rouge brought upon the Cambodian people – a forced de-education of the population and a genocide that took two million lives, one third of the country’s population. He escaped to Thailand in 1979 after the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia. Since coming to the United States after his escape, Dith Pran had worked tirelessly to spread awareness of the Cambodian genocide.

Dith Pran’s work remains unfinished. He worked to end the horrors he had suffered and witnessed.

Now, he rests.  Rest in peace.

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4 Responses to Dith Pran, September 27, 1942 – March 30, 2008

  1. Robbie says:

    May Dith Pran be blessed.

    Mash, I hope you’ve been reading Larry Johnson’s blog. In case you haven’t, check out my latest post. I’m very disgusted by his behavior. In fact, I’m so disgusted that I’m trying to calm down so I can write to CNN and let them know about the filth he speads on his blog No Quarter.

  2. Robin Khundkar says:

    Dith Pran was man of honor & integrity! His passing is a great loss to us all particularly journalism

  3. Mash says:

    Robbie, I try to avoid No Quarter. That guy went cuckoo a long time ago. He has no business being on CNN as an “expert”. These guys are completely coming unhinged.

    Robin bhai, agreed. I heard from a personal friend of his last night. It was quite clear how much he meant to his friends. How strong a person has to be to have gone through what he went through, and still get up, keep going, and help others. A remarkable man indeed – and a testament to the human spirit.

  4. Waleed Alzuhair says:

    I was just watching “The Killing Fields” & googled Dith Pran to reach your blog.. Why did you stop writing? Keep this rich blog alive 🙂

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