CALABASAS : Dith Pran to Speak on Cambodia at Soka

The Cambodian photojournalist whose life was depicted in the movie “The Killing Fields” will be at Soka University next month to discuss life under the Khmer Rouge, the rebel group that overthrew Cambodia’s government, unleashing a reign of terror.

Dith Pran, who escaped from a slave labor camp run by the Communist regime, will appear at 7 p.m. March 1 as part of the school’s lecture series on human rights.

The guerrilla leaders, led by Pol Pot, ousted Lon Nol’s Western-backed military regime in 1975. They then began a campaign of genocide, singling out journalists and other professional people for torture and murder.

Before the guerrilla leaders were ousted in 1979, the Khmer Rouge had killed or starved an estimated 1 million Cambodians. Pran was taken prisoner, tortured and starved for four years until he escaped.

Pran, now in his 50s, estimates he lost about 50 relatives to the Khmer Rouge, including his father, three brothers and a sister.

He has been on the lecture circuit ever since, drumming up support to end the Khmer Rouge’s influence in Cambodia’s affairs and to banish the group from his country forever. While badly weakened and demoralized, what is left of the Khmer Rouge army continues to roam the countryside, waging a guerrilla war against the Phnom Penh government.

Pran, who relocated to the United States, has worked as a photojournalist for the New York Times, and has testified several times before the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives.

The lecture is free, but seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Information: (818) 878-3780.