WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.760 --> 00:00:10.160 ... is worth a thousand words, but at last night's Oscars, F. Murray Abraham and Hang 2 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:14.740 Noor proved that, in Hollywood at least, one picture is worth a great deal more. 3 00:00:15.360 --> 00:00:17.780 Judd Rose, ABC News, Los Angeles. 4 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:22.100 Well both Hang Noor and Dith Pran, the man he played, are among the lucky ones. 5 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:25.780 They survive the killing fields, escaping eventually to a new life in America. 6 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:31.400 In the past 10 years, nearly 115,000 Cambodians have left their homeland to come to this country. 7 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:37.420 Adapting to a totally new culture is never easy, but some of the refugees are getting a head start 8 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:43.020 at a camp along the Cambodian Thai border. ABC's Jim Lorry has been on special assignment. 9 00:00:48.260 --> 00:00:52.420 They will soon be residents of places like California, Minnesota, or Virginia. 10 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:58.960 Cambodians who've waited up to five years in refugee camps in Thailand have been finally screened and accepted 11 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:03.480 and are now being taught what to expect in a totally different way of life. 12 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:05.200 This is my kitchen. 13 00:01:05.460 --> 00:01:06.340 What is this? 14 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:08.120 This is my kitchen. 15 00:01:08.520 --> 00:01:09.420 Yeah, my kitchen. 16 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:15.240 The kitchen, part of a model American home built in the refugee camp for an unusual training program, 17 00:01:15.720 --> 00:01:21.040 funded by the U.S. government and run by three voluntary agencies for the past four years. 18 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.800 For five months, these Cambodians are learning the basics. 19 00:01:25.340 --> 00:01:31.560 When you go to America, okay, America, and you go to Thailand. 20 00:01:34.160 --> 00:01:37.420 You see pictures over here. 21 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:43.660 The refugees here are not under many illusions. 22 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:47.800 They've seen a lot of misery in Cambodia these last 15 years. 23 00:01:47.800 --> 00:01:54.680 Hoxon Savut is a former commando in the American-backed Cambodian army of the early 1970s. 24 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:58.240 He knows it'll be better in America, but it won't be easy. 25 00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:00.080 Oh, not easy, I think. 26 00:02:01.740 --> 00:02:03.540 Really hard, I think. 27 00:02:04.220 --> 00:02:07.500 But I cannot go back to my country. I have to go to America. 28 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:11.760 For all the lessons here, most still know little about where they're going. 29 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:15.880 Where is that? 30 00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:17.880 I don't know. 31 00:02:18.720 --> 00:02:22.980 But the staff of the American agencies which run this program is realistic. 32 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:27.480 So we don't make any illusions of teaching everyone to speak English perfectly 33 00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:31.220 and we'll be well adapted to America. We just want to start the process. 34 00:02:31.760 --> 00:02:36.000 In six months or so, 7,000 Cambodians here will be on their way. 35 00:02:36.200 --> 00:02:39.940 They'll face many problems. Most will go on welfare at first. 36 00:02:40.140 --> 00:02:43.260 Few will have jobs. The older ones will have it hardest. 37 00:02:43.260 --> 00:02:46.860 Their hopes will lie, as always, in their children. 38 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:53.660 They are already learning fast. With a little luck and some help, 39 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:58.940 they'll become, as the millions of immigrant children before them, the real Americans. 40 00:02:59.700 --> 00:03:03.180 Jim Laurie, ABC News, Panathongkamp, Thailand. 41 00:03:05.540 --> 00:03:06.440 We have an update tonight. 42 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:34.300 New Host 43 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:40.180 Very tough. 44 00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:41.500 The first part is about to start. 45 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:41.900 First, it's Li Li's children shop. 46 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:42.680 First, we'll decide if they need to drink Yeah! 47 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:43.220 Yeah! 48 00:03:45.700 --> 00:03:46.260 Okay. 49 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:48.980 Hey, come on, Holly. 50 00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:51.240 All right, little girl. 51 00:03:51.720 --> 00:03:52.760 We'll show them how it's done. 52 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:54.840 Go ahead and show them. 53 00:03:55.060 --> 00:03:55.820 You want to play? 54 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:57.700 You know what we're going to do here? 55 00:03:59.660 --> 00:04:01.160 Downstage, down center. 56 00:04:01.720 --> 00:04:06.260 Okay, now, if I went to my right center, 57 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:08.480 what if I went here? 58 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:09.360 Up right. 59 00:04:09.820 --> 00:04:10.940 Up right, okay. 60 00:04:10.940 --> 00:04:16.400 So there are nine spots in the stage, and that's more, Holly, look here. 61 00:04:16.820 --> 00:04:32.340 Down left, down center, down right, right, center, stage left, up left, center. 62 00:04:35.760 --> 00:04:37.040 Good night. 63 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:39.980 Say goodbye. 64 00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:40.740 Do you high? 65 00:04:41.240 --> 00:04:41.360 High. 66 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:42.340 How you say? 67 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:04.860 Yeah! 68 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:07.880 All right. 69 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:09.380 Up here, along here. 70 00:07:57.980 --> 00:07:59.380 Oh 71 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:29.960 Oh 72 00:08:51.260 --> 00:08:52.660 Oh 73 00:08:52.660 --> 00:08:54.020 It's a money 74 00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:05.240 Real money 75 00:09:09.380 --> 00:09:11.380 I got that money you got 76 00:09:13.380 --> 00:09:20.520 Everybody else let me do next time. Yeah 77 00:09:20.520 --> 00:09:21.580 The 78 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:49.860 I can't put it on 79 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:51.540 You reach this 80 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:02.860 Baby 81 00:10:31.400 --> 00:10:32.800 Hello 82 00:10:32.800 --> 00:10:33.680 Okay switch 83 00:10:39.380 --> 00:10:39.380 84 00:13:06.520 --> 00:13:07.960 I'm going to be a little bit of a 85 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:08.660 little bit of a 86 00:13:08.660 --> 00:13:08.660 87 00:13:08.660 --> 00:13:09.320 little bit of a 88 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:09.360 little bit of a 89 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 90 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 91 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 92 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 93 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 94 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 95 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 96 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 97 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 98 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 99 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 100 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 101 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 102 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 103 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 104 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 105 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 106 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 107 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 108 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 109 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 110 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 111 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.360 112 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.340 little bit of a 113 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:58.900 little bit of a 114 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.580 beautiful dancing. What do you think of American dancing? 115 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:31.940 The break dancing? You like it? 116 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:32.100 117 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:37.180 Do you go to dances at school? 118 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:43.500 Sometimes. Who do you think is the best dancers in America? 119 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:47.340 I think Malik. The black? Yeah, I think Malik. 120 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:49.060 Yeah? Yeah. 121 00:15:15.300 --> 00:15:17.040 That's how he gets around town. 122 00:15:17.540 --> 00:15:23.520 Okay, what was, let me practice. How do you say I'm happy? Koi DJ. 123 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:26.700 Koi DJ. Right? 124 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:30.280 No, I'm sad I forget. 125 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:40.700 Koi SOK SAO. How do you say I like Shukong? 126 00:15:41.520 --> 00:15:44.440 Yeah, something in it that there's some food in it. 127 00:15:44.920 --> 00:15:46.720 You take it? Yeah, but it's very light. 128 00:15:47.280 --> 00:15:50.320 It makes me feel it's very light. Full of rice. 129 00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:53.560 I don't know how to act. Like I was doing. 130 00:15:53.560 --> 00:15:57.360 Hi. He was never high. 131 00:15:57.760 --> 00:16:00.240 They wear the same suit like our parents. 132 00:16:01.300 --> 00:16:07.480 Then the old man go in Wisconsin and the old man asked him, 133 00:16:08.540 --> 00:16:15.000 you see my cousin in Washington? And he said, oh, then you know I had. 134 00:16:16.260 --> 00:16:20.700 How did you know it was a ghost? What did you think of your school? 135 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:25.980 You like it? Not really. Why not? 136 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.820 I want to come back to my friends. Where do you go to school now? 137 00:16:31.160 --> 00:16:33.920 The upper. Not the same. 138 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:54.700 Yeah. In the United States. Are you married? 139 00:16:55.040 --> 00:16:58.160 No. How old are you? 140 00:16:58.460 --> 00:16:59.620 18. You're 18? 141 00:17:43.760 --> 00:17:45.320 I'm 18. 142 00:18:05.080 --> 00:18:09.200 Pretend is in here is some feathers. Right. 143 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:12.240 You hear feathers. You know what feathers are? No. 144 00:18:12.560 --> 00:18:17.700 You know, like bird feathers, very light. You know what feathers are? 145 00:18:18.580 --> 00:18:21.020 Like on a bird. You know? 146 00:18:21.580 --> 00:18:24.840 Or how about this? How about rice? It's a bag full of rice. 147 00:18:25.760 --> 00:18:28.920 Okay. Very light. Okay. You know rice. 148 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:17.140 Okay. 149 00:19:31.820 --> 00:19:33.220 Okay. 150 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:48.620 Okay. 151 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:04.020 Okay. 152 00:20:32.520 --> 00:20:33.920 Okay. 153 00:20:51.120 --> 00:20:52.520 Okay. 154 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:07.580 Okay. 155 00:21:07.580 --> 00:21:07.580 156 00:21:35.580 --> 00:21:35.620 Okay. 157 00:21:53.760 --> 00:21:57.700 It was scary. Americans are really shocked by what they saw. 158 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:02.040 But somebody said the movie really wasn't as bad as it really was. 159 00:22:02.260 --> 00:22:03.580 Yeah. Yeah. It was true. 160 00:22:05.280 --> 00:22:10.000 What was worse? I mean, why wasn't it real? Why do you think it was? 161 00:22:10.080 --> 00:22:13.000 There was shots. Some of them they cut head out. 162 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:17.940 The only shot they showed was they shot people. 163 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:19.280 In the movie, the only shot. 164 00:22:19.340 --> 00:22:22.280 Yeah. But some other they cut head out. 165 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:23.580 And they didn't show that? 166 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:26.120 Yeah. Some other they used electric. 167 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:46.320 Okay. 168 00:23:04.060 --> 00:23:05.460 Okay. 169 00:23:08.320 --> 00:23:09.760 That's okay for me. 170 00:23:10.380 --> 00:23:11.840 You don't wear a hat? 171 00:23:12.560 --> 00:23:15.000 But it's too cold. Yeah, it's too cold. 172 00:23:15.780 --> 00:23:16.560 You don't wear gloves? 173 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:19.160 I don't need gloves. 174 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:25.020 Do your friends in high school wear hats and gloves? 175 00:23:25.820 --> 00:23:27.880 Not really. No. Not much. 176 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:29.860 Don't they get caught up? 177 00:23:29.860 --> 00:23:34.580 I don't know. They just don't like the way they're dressed. 178 00:24:04.040 --> 00:24:05.740 It's hard to say. 179 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:14.860 There are a lot of points that need to be clarified, need to be pinpointed. 180 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:27.220 In the long run, of course, we probably go back. 181 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:32.980 If Cambodia settles down, the war will be over. 182 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:39.860 And then at that time, if the Cambodians have the opportunity to get education and technology, 183 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:44.920 probably they are willing to go back and rebuild the country. 184 00:24:45.520 --> 00:24:50.620 But in the meantime, there is nothing to do with that yet. 185 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:58.060 What they try to do are to try hard themselves, to build themselves, 186 00:24:59.280 --> 00:25:08.560 and to be good people or to be productive to the society while they are here already. 187 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:19.000 But I can say that most of the parents are expecting their children to be knowledgeable, 188 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:27.560 to be technical, I mean to learn as much as possible what they have to learn or what they will have to know. 189 00:25:28.560 --> 00:25:35.020 Most of the parents are dreaming to go back to Cambodia as soon as they can, 190 00:25:35.820 --> 00:25:38.900 as Cambodia restore peace again. 191 00:25:40.780 --> 00:25:47.900 But it's hard to stop them to think about the hope of returning home. 192 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:51.520 I can say that... 193 00:25:51.520 --> 00:25:58.660 One of the critical issues facing the youth right now is that there's no way to bridge the gaps. 194 00:25:59.140 --> 00:26:03.780 I mean, when they go to school, they are learning how to be an American. 195 00:26:03.780 --> 00:26:06.980 But when they go home, they have to be Lao. 196 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:11.900 But there's nothing that can help them bridge those two gaps or bring those cultures together. 197 00:26:12.360 --> 00:26:13.360 There's no program. 198 00:26:14.080 --> 00:26:20.260 The parents feel so inadequate because they cannot help the kids with their homework. 199 00:26:21.280 --> 00:26:27.160 And they are still trying to make a living here, trying to make money. 200 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:31.400 And because of that, they cannot really... 201 00:26:31.400 --> 00:26:38.560 They lack service team, they lack confidence to provide the right type of guidance that will help bridge those gaps. 202 00:26:39.380 --> 00:26:44.660 That's what we see the role of the center to do, to be the one who has to provide that type of services, 203 00:26:45.060 --> 00:26:48.580 but we don't have the funds to carry such a program. 204 00:26:50.840 --> 00:26:53.620 It's very hard with the American children. 205 00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:59.060 They try to adjust with the parents at the same time. 206 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:04.620 So, as you know, the children of that age are very skeptical. 207 00:27:05.040 --> 00:27:10.380 They try to learn a lot, they try to ask the question a lot, they want to know a lot. 208 00:27:10.780 --> 00:27:14.720 And as you know, they don't have any training. 209 00:27:15.260 --> 00:27:17.640 They don't receive any training at home. 210 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:23.040 While they arrive here, they must be trained by the teacher at school. 211 00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:27.420 And receive the training here at school. 212 00:27:28.300 --> 00:27:36.500 That's one of the problems that the parents are not really happy with the school system right here, 213 00:27:36.820 --> 00:27:42.580 because the school system in Cambodia is completely different from the school system in America. 214 00:27:42.580 --> 00:27:51.560 And the parents are allowed to sometimes to hit the children, you know, the parents can hit the children with no problem. 215 00:27:52.020 --> 00:28:01.020 And they can tell the children whatever they want to do, if they don't do, or they don't respect or they don't obey them. 216 00:28:01.260 --> 00:28:06.320 They can hit them and to make them respect or follow the advice. 217 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:10.440 But right here, the parents cannot touch the children. 218 00:28:11.300 --> 00:28:17.380 And the parents cannot really tell the children what they want to. 219 00:28:18.340 --> 00:28:24.720 The children kind of resent to their orders or to their words. 220 00:28:25.340 --> 00:28:29.960 So there is a problem right there between parents and the children. 221 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:34.360 Sometimes there are misunderstandings between parents and children. 222 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:41.500 The children tend to learn the system, new system in America. 223 00:28:42.300 --> 00:28:51.500 But the parents that are illiterate and came from the rural area, they tend to warn the children just to be controlled. 224 00:28:52.280 --> 00:28:54.760 To follow the old system in Cambodia. 225 00:28:55.560 --> 00:28:58.640 So there is a gap right there. There is agreement right there. 226 00:28:59.500 --> 00:29:01.880 Some of the children didn't listen to the parents. 227 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:08.620 Some of the parents abuse since they stick to their traditional custom. 228 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:14.560 So one of the shortcomings of the center at this time is that we are funded by the federal government. 229 00:29:14.560 --> 00:29:19.040 The federal government needs to provide the services to the adults. 230 00:29:19.760 --> 00:29:22.340 But nothing can be offered to the youth. 231 00:29:23.020 --> 00:29:29.020 So we have to think about some program trying to use the center after business hour. 232 00:29:29.020 --> 00:29:32.020 And that's what we like. 233 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:40.980 I need some money so I can assemble material expertise and put it together for them. 234 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:49.960 And we have been successful in some sort of way by being able to get some money from the Chicago Council of Fine Arts. 235 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:54.940 My name is Chris Naha-Be. 236 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:57.480 My real full name is Chris Naha-Be. 237 00:29:58.040 --> 00:30:02.360 And I'm the executive director of the Lao Service Center. 238 00:30:04.580 --> 00:30:16.100 The center was set up by the Lao Association to help the refugees of the population in the town with adjustment problems. 239 00:30:17.600 --> 00:30:22.340 Or the problem they have here in the town area. 240 00:30:23.360 --> 00:30:30.400 Why have so many Lao left the country and come to America? 241 00:30:33.420 --> 00:30:35.800 The main reason is political. 242 00:30:36.800 --> 00:30:47.900 The country right now is governed by a group of people who are aligned with the government of Hanoi and Moscow. 243 00:30:47.900 --> 00:31:03.080 And because of that, a lot of the Lao want very much to go back to Laos and live over there. 244 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:17.000 But at this point it's quite impossible because of the new regime that is implementing the new policy of integrating the Vietnamese population with the Lao. 245 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:27.320 It's like a slow takeover of the Lao and the Lao culture and the Vietnamese culture are totally different and that creates a lot of conflict. 246 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:31.380 Why for the young? It's a different story. 247 00:31:32.460 --> 00:31:39.840 Some of them was born in the camp or have been here long enough that they didn't even remember how the country looked like. 248 00:31:39.840 --> 00:31:57.580 So they may as well stay here as far as their view that they have received because they have access to much more consumed goods than they would have access at home. 249 00:31:57.580 --> 00:32:20.960 So they become more and more Americanized at this point in time and that do create some problem in terms of family structure and relationship between parents and child because old value is being discarded for new value while the parents are still hanging on their own value. 250 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:30.460 Does uptown present special problems for refugee children adjusting to life in America? 251 00:32:31.900 --> 00:32:42.360 I would say so because the view of America right now is limited to what they see in uptown. 252 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:51.880 I don't think this can give them an accurate picture of what life in America is really all about. 253 00:32:51.880 --> 00:33:05.340 There's a lot of crimes here, high crime and this is a place for a lot of safe half way houses and a lot of alcoholic around here. 254 00:33:05.340 --> 00:33:18.020 And they like a lot of programs that can help them learn and adapt to life here. 255 00:33:18.020 --> 00:33:40.500 That's not enough right now from what I know is that there's only as an association we did manage to apply for some grants from the council of fine art on behalf of one old member to conduct a law class in the uptown law house. 256 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:53.600 And that's been going on for the last two years and this is the only program geared to the law children that I know of at this time besides the one that the child is in. 257 00:33:56.300 --> 00:34:14.680 Some of the areas that I feel that there's a really strong need is in terms of more programs, not in terms of cultural programs like dances but even in terms of educational programs for design especially for them. 258 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:18.440 And that's the center we like to work in.