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1969: Nixon approves of a four-year bombing campaign throughout Cambodia’s countryside borders, killing over 600,000 and crippling their political system. 1975: Communist regime Khmer Rouge seizes the country and announces Year Zero. For the next five years, over 2 million people lose their lives in the “killing fields.” 1979: US accepts thousands of refugees into some of the poorest communities across America. As a result, 70% of refugees failed to complete high school and inevitably turned to the streets, gangs, and crime.

Aftermath: DEPORTATION WITHOUT TRIAL. After failing to conform to a system they were never meant to succeed in, these individuals are being deported back to a country most have never seen. Get involved, visit DEPORTED DIASPORA now.

PLUS: “SENTENCED HOME” is a gripping documentary exploration that humanizes the United States’ tragically flawed immigration policy. The film follows the story of 3 Cambodian-American immigrants living in Seattle (who came as children in the early 80s, when a multitude of Cambodian refugees were given housing in the city’s projects) whose teenage rebellions catch up with them in a horrific way. The confluence of their non-citizenship (they are “permanent residents”) and post 9/11 anti-terrorism laws lead to their immediate deportation.

Bokator is an ancient Khmer martial art designed for combat fighting and includes a combination of Khmer traditional wrestling (Jap Bap Boran Khmer), kick boxing (Bradal or Pradal Serey), and weapons. In true Bokator fights, you don’t wear gloves and you can fight on the ground, with bouts ending in submissions or chokes (or death!). Click here for some wiki action.

GOLD KRAMA + BOKATOR = GRAND MASTER SAN KIM SAEN! Thanks for saving a 1000 year old art from disappearing!