Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Vivian Ho in Phnom Penh and San Francisco

‘Like becoming a refugee again’: They paid for their crimes. The US deported them anyway

black and white illustration of man's face against barbed wire over the statue of liberty
More than 195,000 Cambodian refugees resettled in the US between 1975 and 1999, escaping the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Composite: The Guardian/Cindy Liu/Getty Images

The yellowed eyes of Phal Pen stared, unseeing, as he lay on his hospital bed, waiting for another scan at the Khmer-Russian Friendship hospital in Phnom Penh.

Since doctors diagnosed him at the end of 2022 with bile-duct cancer, Pen has been struck low by a constant pain in his abdomen. He could barely eat, let alone move.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.