On May 29, 1981, Sithy Yi’s family was approved for travel from the Chonburi refugee camp in Thailand to Long Beach, California. Their uncle, Tran Anh, who lived in Long Beach, had sponsored them.
Sithy Yi and her family at the Kampot Refugee Center waiting to board the bus going to the Chonburi Refugee Center, Thailand, where they were processed for travel to the U.S. Friends came to say goodbye. From left to right are Touch (nickname); unidentified boy; Thivuth; Sithy’s sisters, Sitheavy and Sithea; Sithy’s mother, San Thi Tran; Sithy; Srey; Ravida Ma (wearing orange blouse); dancer, Mach (nickname); music teacher, Seoun; dancer, Noy.
Sithy Yi performing the Fishing folkdance with Chhean Sreng Ngive at the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp in Thailand, in 1981. In the Fishing dance boys flirt with girls who are busy gathering fish for their family’s dinner. The basket Sithy is holding is designed to catch a specific kind of fish along the shore. Sithy and the other dancers in the group have stayed in touch over the years. There were about fifty who are now living in Belgium, France, Cambodia, Australia and the U.S. Chhean lives in Minnesota.
Sithy Yi at the Kampot Refugee Center, Thailand, 1981. Sithy is dressed to perform in the Wishing Dance, one of the first dances novices learn to perform. During the Khmer Rouge all forms of traditional dance and music, which were a central part of Cambodian life, were forbidden and performers were executed. It is estimated that 90% of all artists died during that time. The recreation of Cambodian music and dance was extremely important to the survivors. Music and dance troupes were formed in many of the refugee camps and children spent their days learning, practicing, and performing.
Sithy Yi (right) with her sister, Sithea in a garden at the Kampot Refugee Center, Thailand, 1981. They were maybe 13 and 12 years old. The pants they are wearing were probably made from sarongs.
Yi family in their room at the Kampot Refugee Center in Thailand, 1981. Mats were hung as walls to separate the area into rooms. From left to right are Sithy’s mother, San Thi Tran; Sithy; her sister, Sithea; and Sitheavy. Sithy was about 12 or 13 at the time. Her mother hired a photographer so they could send photos to an uncle in the U.S. and family members in Vietnam letting them know they were alive.
