The death and life of Dith Pran : [the original account on which the film The Killing Fields is based

Recounts the experiences of Dith Pran, a Cambodian reporter who worked for the New York Times, and who was captured by the Khmer Rouge when they took over Phnom Penh The US journalist's account of his colleague's struggle to survive the Cambodian genocide—the basis for the Oscar–winning film The Killing Fields. On April 17, 1975, Khmer Rouge soldiers seized Phnom Penh—the capital of Cambodia—and began a brutal genocide that left millions dead. Dith Pran, a Cambodian working as an assistant to American reporter Sydney H. Schanberg, was a witness to these events. While his employer managed to escape across the border, Dith Pran fled into the Cambodian countryside—and into the heart of the massacre. The basis for the acclaimed movie The Killing Fields, this is the compelling account of the days before the fall of Phnom Penh. It's the story of one man's struggle for survival in a country that had become a death camp for millions of its citizens—and another man's failed efforts to keep his friend and colleague safe. Written within a year of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, it is a work of both historical and literary significance. Sydney H. Schanberg contributed a moving new foreword to this first eBook edition. Recounts The Final Days Before The Fall Of Phnom Penh And Of Life Under The Khmer Rouge As Seen Through The Eyes Of Two Men Who Shared A Unique Commitment To Each Other, And Was The Basis For The Motion Picture, The Killing Fields. By Sydney H. Schanberg. Elisabeth Sifton Books. Dith Pran is an aide, translator and friend of a journalist who is covering the war in Cambodia. He is eventually exiled to the labor camps in Cambodia's countryside, where he endures four years of starvation, torture and war before escaping to Thailand The article that lead to the making of the academy award winning film "The Killing Fields". The story outlines the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and Dith Prans tale of survival.