By Serretta Malaikham
During the Cold War, my parents Manichanh and Khampoon Sonexayarath had chosen to flee their home in Laos, a country that was being treated as collateral damage. The country was neutral until it became a battleground between the United States and the Soviet Union. Today, Laos remains the most heavily bombed nation in history, with more bombs dropped there during the Cold War than all of World War II combined.
Laos is a small landlocked country that is bordered by China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, with the Mekong River flowing on the Western side. The larger countries that sought after Laos found interest in taking control due to the valuable trade route through Southeast Asia that the river provided. By 1975, about a tenth of the country’s population was dead, which equates to 200,000 people. Miraculously, my parents were amongst the few who managed to escape, leaving behind their friends, family, and the life they were beginning to build together.
“I thought I was going to die,” said my mother, Manichanh Sonexayarath. “I didn’t think I was going to become a person. They were killing everyone from left to right.”
Their journey began in the south of Laos, starting in a city called Pakxè. My father moved to the city after graduating from the Royal Lao Airforce academy as an airplane mechanic. There he met my mother and they got married after a few months of knowing each other. Shortly after, foreign invaders began to infiltrate the country, prompting their escape.
They headed north towards Savannakhet through the countryside, traveling only at night to lower the risk of being seen. If the invaders were to catch them fleeing the country, they would be shot on sight.
The two traveled by either car or on foot, hiding in several different safe houses along the way until they got to Savannakhet. Once there, my parents met with a man who helped refugees get to Thailand on the other side of the Mekong River on his houseboat.
“I was crying and shaking so hard because the current was so bad,” said Manichanh Sonexayarath. “The water rose up and flowed so hard which caused tree branches to stick out from everywhere. I thought our boat was going to flood and sink.”
Fortunately they made it to the other side of the river where they were greeted by landscape workers, who gave them shelter for the night before taking them to the Thai Embassy. American soldiers were stationed at the embassy to help relocate refugees to the country of their choice. My parents were both infatuated with the idea of the “American Dream” and decided that was where they would go.
They were sent to a refugee camp in Nashville, Tennessee where they were given housing and whatever support they needed in order to start their new lives. My parents spent about 10 years in refugee housing before they were able to save enough money to buy their own home.
They are fearful of returning to Laos due to the possibility of my father being arrested for treason since he was a former soldier who chose to flee for the safety of his family.
When asked, they both said they are extremely thankful to be in the United States. “Of course I think about Laos but I can’t go home,” said Manichanh Sonexayarath. “Now they are Communists. Everybody. I love it here in America so much.” `
More to Come
Serretta Malaikham recounts her early personal experience with domestic violence. At the age of three, Malaikham’s birth mother, , gathered the courage to leave an abusive relationship with the help of her brother Philip, but it ended in tragedy. Tune in over the next upcoming weeks for more updates.
Serretta Malaikham is a Senior Communications major at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is passionate about photography and has worked as Assistant Photo Editor of the University Echo. She has a love of photography for its ability to capture life in its raw and pure essence, which is why she aspires to become a photojournalist after graduation. You can reach her at Serretta0930@yahoo.com.
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