Dith Pran dead...

[El Mudo]

of pancreatic cancer...survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia (http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4552161)


I could only watch the movie "The Killing Fields" once, and that was too much for me (although Dr. Haing S. Ngor was really good in it, even though Homer Simpson for some reason ended up with his Oscar which he then tried to flush down the toilet because he felt he didn't need it any more)


A true survivor...Godspeed sir...at least he outlived Pol Pot

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ded8ed7a-4c4c-4578-a3d6-29a6b4b0a9d7_ms.jpg

[A.J.]

Yerdaddy is probably getting the day off.

[Tall_James]

His name was an anagram for Hand Trip.

RIP.

[FUNKMAN]

first saigon, now really gone

RIP

[Fezticle98]

In death, he has a name....Anquetil Brewer!

[PapaBear]

At least as sad, was the death of Haing S. Ngor, who played him in the movie. He was a doctor who had absolutely NO acting experience, when he played the part of Dith Pran in "The Killing Fields" (for which he won an Oscar). He was murdered in 1996 by three Asian-American thugs during a mugging. He had given them his gold Rolex, but refused to give them a locket that held a photo of his dead wife.

[sailor]

poor random dead person (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=68223).

[PapaBear]

poor random dead person (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=68223).
When a movie is made about your life, that wins three Oscars, and is nominated for three more, I don't think you qualify as "random".

[sailor]

When a movie is made about your life, that wins three Oscars, and is nominated for three more, I don't think you qualify as "random".

i think that's exactly what he is. it's not a value judgment on the person, but he's not a "big name." no offense intended.

[Yerdaddy]

Yerdaddy is probably getting the day off.

Actually I caught the story last night when I was editing the Mekong Times here. One of our journalists had been in contact with Sydney Schanberg who told him a couple days ago this was coming soon, so we got out a full-page story. But the story broke about an hour before we went to press so I think if I hadn't been screwing around on the internet we might not have got the story in time.

He still worked at the NYT until recently so they've got a good piece on his life (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/31/nyregion/31dith.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin)by people who no doubt knew him well, and they put together a really moving gallery of photos (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/03/31/nyregion/20080331_DITH_index.html) of and by him.

To me Dith Pran, (and Dr Haing Ngor), pretty much epitomize courage.

He said that the one thing he wanted more than anything else was for the perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge genocide to be brought to justice. There are five of the top leaders in jail here and in the preliminary stage of the trials that probably none of them will live long enough to see the end of. I'm afraid it's just too little and too late for Dith's last wish to come true.

[PapaBear]

Those are great photos. Thanks Yerdaddy!

[scottinnj]

From the NY Times:

For years there was no news of Mr. Dith, except for a false rumor that he had been fed to alligators. His brother had been. After more than four years of beatings, backbreaking labor and a diet of a tablespoon of rice a day, Mr. Dith escaped over the Thai border on Oct. 3, 1979. An overjoyed Mr. Schanberg flew to greet him.

[Mike Teacher]

If you lived down the NJ Shore you would see Dith around taking pictures, most Sundays his NJ shore snaps were in the NY Times New Jersey Section.

And yeah, I think when they make a movie about your life you move a bit about random.