These refugees are a legacy of America's war in Southeast Asia.

Today, more than 300,000 refugees filed into relocation camps for find temporary refuge along the war border with Thailand.

Cambodian refugees are survivors of the massive U.S.

Bombing of the then neutral nation.

Survivors of the ruthless takeover by the communists used in 1975, a full year reign of terror when estimated one third of Cambodia's 7 million people died from execution.

Starvation or disease.

Survivors of the ongoing warfare between Vietnamese troops, which ousted for Canaries and Cambodians fighting to regain their countr.

Until thousands of Vietnamese risked all full freedom, only to find prey to pirates and the elements in the South China Sea from neighboring Alliance for the once loyal U.S. Claims.

Their determination to endure has brought them this far.

They now seek shelter from the storm.

Many hope to find safe harbor in the United States, dreaming of building a better life for their children and starting over in a.

Since 1975, more than 800,000 have come to the United States.

In ten years.

The Dallas area Southeast Asian community has swelled to 30,000.

Nearly one third of the state's Southeast Asian population took some time.

Samuel is a caseworker with the largest resettlement agency in the nation, run by the United States Catholic Conference.

This December ninth, with some of his friends.

He's picking up the mounds of Cambodian family of four.

While the first wave of refugees in the 1970s brought the educated professional class, these newcomers arrived with little schooling and few skills of use in a high tech society.

Comedy and think they don't worry that he's studying, work hard.

You'll feel better.

Yes, I want to get a job tomorrow.

No, the challenge is for third wave farmers like the miners.

Some illiterate Malone language must learn to function.

The world's most technical complex society.

Do you have a headache now?

Are you tired of.

Is it day or nigh?

After we get in the car and go home, I'll give you some medicine.

It's going to make three day trip halfway around the world and not reversed.

Nothing's for me.

With all of their worldly belongings in one box, the mouths of out.

And to be freezing weather.

In Cambodia, the Maoist cooked over a wood fire and drew water from the river and never seen the freeway or electric lights along the way.

From the airplane.

The city lights look like stars.

Just wait until we get closer to Dallas.

They will see all these lights and 70 and 80 story tall buildings.

And called the look at the cars.

These freeway is busy 24 hours.

And you see those lights?

Those are cars that are coming toward us.

So they're coming this way.

Or we're going the other way.

McCuistion they see the city, look at all the buildings who I remember walking out of these buildings are made of glass.

Why don't you look out to.

People, the scene of makes me so happy.

We.

Have never seen anything like this.

It's so exciting.

It's like going up to heaven to see all these two and three and 400 story tall buildings.

And so happy that I'm here.

I'm.

That's why everybody wants to come to America.

It's just like going to heaven.

The U.S. Catholic Conference and other voluntary agencies receive federal funds to help resettle refugees.

But the $250 per person is paid for rent, food, blankets, sheets and kitchenware and 80.

Come on in.

It's warm.

The stove.

Refrigerator, running water and toilet are foreign to demands.

You turn this knob down and make it less hot.

See, it's just like taking some would argue, fire back home.

And you want the water to boil.

Turn it up all the way until the water bubbles up.

Just like this.

It is.

A the water.

Here, I'll show you the bathroom.

And finished using the toilet.

Press this handle.

Is this where you took a bath?

Yes.

This is where you take a bath and I'll buy you a curtain.

You tie it up like this and you hang the towels.

Here.

And you turn the water on.

Remember the left side is hot, so it's.

I want to be close about.

Why don't you sit down and rest?

Well, I'm going now.

Both of you get some sleep.

And remember, the.

Sure and lock the door.

It's important to lock the door.

The relief agency's relocate most of the new arrivals and inner city east violence.

4000 Southeast Asians, most of them Cambodian, live in a one square mile area dubbed Little Asia.

Unlike the rest in East Coast, where large Asian communities have flourished since the 1800s, Dallas has Little Asia didn't exist ten years ago.

Asian Americans are suddenly Dallas third largest minority.

This neighborhood is the most international and ethnically diverse section of the city.

Much of the housing in the low income, high crime area is both substandard and overpriced.

To make ends meet.

Refugees often feel resources as many as three families share a one bedroom apartment.

But there are few apartment complexes willing to rent to large refugee families at all.

The family arrived in Dallas in 1981.

A typical Cambodian family starting over.

In 19.

Their present living quarters are a step up from the one bedroom unit.

The ten member family used to live.

But for the past three weeks, eight of them have been sleeping in the living room waiting for the manager to fix the ceiling.

In one of their two bedrooms.

Water leaking from the apartment upstairs as ruined apartment and mattresses.

Upon leaving once a captain in the Cambodian army now works as a roofer, he's the sole breadwinner and is soon to be 12 member family, insisting that his children go to school rather than the this morning, his wife supported his having labor pain.

The next day, she'll deliver their eighth child.

13 year old champion.

It also surprise to serves as a client's main interpreter.

As in most refugee families, the children shouldered great responsibility dealing with banks, apartment managers and social service agencies for their parents who speak little or no English.

The young boys were time, age 11 and Boom suta, age nine.

Remember little at the country in which they were born.

Let me.

It they most easily adopted American means they regularly underscores unawareness.

Christina and her older brother binary still to somewhat difficult under the Khmer children were separated from their parents and forced to work for many.

Like these two formal education begins in American, the first time I've been to school, I. I didn't know anybody at all, and I didn't speak any, but and I was afraid of like, people in my it because I was scared only Cambodian in.

But now we've been here by four years and I felt comfortable feeling good.

Press.

Love better than I just, you know, been in my.

Mr.

Moon is also faring better.

I mean, $9.20 an hour supervising this Cambodian work crew.

But during the winter, when the work is slow, he's lucky to bring home enough to meet the $350 monthly rent and $1,830 car payment.

One family households, like the news, are the most likely to fall below the poverty line, but $270 worth of food stamps they receive stand between them and hunger.

According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, two thirds of all Southeast Asian refugees hold low wage, low skill jobs, the study found.

The language barrier is a major factor in keeping refugees from advancing.

Yet only 10% of the refugees in Texas are enrolled there.

The players from Ling's boss is typical of the comments made by employers to hire refugees.

It was a very good man.

I would describe them as being a extremely loyal, very hard working and most trustworthy a community in refugees.

Also receive high marks in the classroom and on a city like many immigrant children are driven to excel and to make good on the promise of America and a recent University of Michigan study found that nationwide Southeast Asian refugee children have an academic average, slightly above a B more than a quarter score in the top 10% on national standardized math test.

In the in.

The traditional Asian respectful and learning is matched by a strong dedication to the family.

He married Mary.

Everybody wants to come to America, but it's very difficult.

Most people died trying to come here.

I came to my children, could have a chance to study.

In children, in doing fine.

But I feel so upset that I don't mean anything from a the.

So I'm happy to be here in America.

So my children can gain knowledge, anything they want t. Are you missus Ling's third brother?

And he was born in November.

The sixth, 1985.

She was their third child during this century and the citizen and former the very.

Little listen to in Vietnam veteran Charles Kemp sees the Mrs. Lane and many other refugees receive muted medical attention.

Kent was one of the founders of the East Dallas Health Coalition, which runs a neighborhood clinic for low income families.

They say, and she is at least able to make referrals to.

Has a good.

Yeah.

So that was another thing.

Are you getting enough hours?

With.

73 of you?

That's what we want to hear from.

How many people are working.

Yeah.

You than anybody.

Black.

Yeah.

You make a mistake with a scare.

Yeah.

These people have blessed everything to.

They've given up everything they have not taken the easy road.

Hundreds of thousands of them lost their lives in coming here.

And I feel an obligation.

I feel an honor to be able to spend some time with them, to be able to go the hand.

Okay.

Those students in Texas, Woman's University make weekly runs a middle Asian for language, money and transportation for many of the refugees out of the local health care system.

There, general health is poor.

Their tired, they they went through more than than people can go through.

They've been starved.

They've had a lot of sickness.

They've had a lot of trauma, a lot of physical trauma, a lot of psychological trauma.

And a not in good shape when they arrived, the students have just made a profound difference in they're going from door to door and finding out what the problems are.

If they didn't expect that.

I'm sorry you feel so bad.

The she starts having food or having drainage at the nickel.

She needs to make an appointment sooner because she may be developing a something in the.

None of them were being seen by physicians.

So we're getting them in.

We're getting them taken care of.

And the babies are going to be healthier.

And the mothers are going to be healthier.

And so they're going to have a chance to start out healthy rather than sitting out six.

According to a recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health, 43% of the refugees suffer from severe psychological distress disorder was seen.

Her son of the sole survivors of their family.

She has severe headaches.

She's had them since 1978, when the Khmer Rouge put a plastic soccer over the head and booted.

They thought, until she was dead, but she didn't die.

She's really struggling in this that she had now.

Must be win what she is in the man.

My man to be in the previous that against the learning taken the court at least I feel that you.

To.

And then they kept normally found that him in the when they and the chicken are would come back.

Today and late this afternoon and help you.

You were afraid to complain because there they don't know how much power the sponsor does or doesn't have.

And some people are afraid that they'll be sent back.

What is the case?

When is the case with.

We talked lied to you?

What made you make money?

Do not we in leave?

You at all cytoplasm the way making make.

You don't come with the a beautiful one month.

Looking.

I mean that was like last week that school he was able to still with.

Maybe I in 19.

Okay.

And I'm going to come back this afternoon to help you.

Okay.

So they're sitting in at times unbelievable problems and not saying anything.

When we think about who's reached out in the city, we see that the churches have reached out and the Jewish community has reached out.

Both, both Jews and Cambodians have been through a Holocaust and there's an understanding there that nobody else can help.

Nobody else can understand that I can't earn a nuclear.

And we somebody who's who's seen that the unrelenting horror of it, I thinking and begin to appreciate the strength and beauty of these people that are that are in a city.

17 year old sir.

What Sam grew up during the cataclysm that killed an estimated 2 million of his people.

Each Cambodian family suffers the grief of having lost loved ones to the brutal community under the leadership of Tony Polis.

The black then Donald Rumsfeld left Germany one time I saw the cold pack soldiers taking all the freedom, fight soldiers.

They killed them.

I sometimes hanging them on the trees or when I'm just painting.

Also reminds me of my mother.

When the soldiers took her entitled to a tree and killed her.

Nothing.

Some love both are the reason they killed my mother.

Is.

One time she was walking inside.

Just a piece of red pepper that the cows had stepped in.

She picked it up and the soldiers accused her of stealing it.

That's why they took my mother and tied her up against the tree.

And killed him.

The title of the song.

These ancient temple ruins.

And go watch symbolize the spirit of Cambodia and its people.

So that's memories of tragedy.

And intertwined with memories of beauty.

Some said on the river artist and once fixed to the marketplace.

The closest thing the refugees have found to their own native markets is this metaphoric.

And the body of West Banks.

To immigrants from Asia mingled with those from Latin America.

Together, these new arrivals from the Third World outnumber Europeans, coming from the Old World, making up nearly three fourths of all illegal immigration to the U.S.

It is an historic shift in pattern of immigration to this country, which is changing the face of America today.

Cities like Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles are the destination for this newest wave of immigrants.

The West and Southwest have replaced the eastern seaboard as the region of the future.

For time for caseworker with on Sunday and the other members of his household, this market offers bargain prices just and a taste of honey.

This knot really you can I walked in a all the of you have some kind of mounted like this.

We don't have a big store in like this country and my can't really tell this.

You know the had a market everybody they sell you know some kind of stuff in the same same thing.

I is, you know, and then they like it.

And some loot and 13 other people share this rented house and he starts, you know vacuum that prepare a meal for way using the Cambodian herbs and vegetables that along with especially cleaned chicken.

And in our country, you of women in close to the farms, you know it's we don't grow any kind a vegetable at the backyard is needed became go to the some and not neighborhood to a neighborhood.

And then you will see a lot of things because living in here.

Even, you know, we are a Cambodian and most of neighborhood living on my right hand side.

There, there are more than ever, you know, called me crazy, being the never, you kno, talk to us because as we when they get up on what they just get inside the house and then locked the door in the morning, you know, we open all the doors, you doors, we can go to see the anytime.

For those who survived flood in Cambodia, there is joy and simply sharing with family and friends at every meal.

Some repays homage to his own magic teacher.

His guidance.

He believes, shielded him from harm and time.

When I set aside that pledge from my teacher, used and almost all the time, every day, I did it almost 75 years.

And then I still keep doing you like this until I die.

Southeast Asians use magic amulets and trees and charms to ward off disease experts and the evils of war.

But the rise of the latest repressive regimes, they were also valued as protection against the atrocities of soldiers and police.

That's me.

That's my father.

In the son of former one time at Dulles, Police Department's liaison with the Asian community wants to turn around the fear of people in uniform and their countries.

Persons who spoke out with killing a lesson not easily, forgotten, along with the language barrier.

This reluctance to cause trouble to even report on makes refugees easy prey.

It's a victimization count has witnessed before.

He served at the ninth Infantry Division in Vietnam.

I left Vietnam in 1969.

No one wanted to know your experiences.

No one wanted to know anything at all about Vietnam.

As a matter of fact, they did everything they could to shame you for that.

There was no one to talk to literally about it.

I joined the police department and put it all behind me, and then 15 years later, I noticed the refugee community building up over here.

And as I entered calls in these apartment complexes, I saw the same faces that I had left behind.

And that sounds funny, but you know, my heart just became bigger.

And I thought so many times that would just break from the hardship that these people encounter.

And I felt like I'm part of them.

And they're part of me.

And I also love this police department.

And the here for 17 years, and that I went to see the two entities that I care about from together.

They are coming together with the hiring of three Southeast Asian public service officers, the only SOS ever to undergo regular police training.

I wonder how it supervision they worked to reduce crime and ease their people's transition to this foreign land.

Told God, served with the South Vietnamese Army.

Eating displaced civilians after the fall of Saigon.

He spent five years in Vietnamese labor and concentration camps.

What the women out here in by themselves in the first.

Also, I want you to talk about keeping the doors locked.

And his family fled the killing fields of Cambodia in 1979.

The ten members of his family were spared the fate of many of their traveling companions, killed by landmines, soldiers or exhaustion during their escape across the mountain trails.

But the A Buddhist monk by training, first came to the United States in 1974 to work as a missionary.

He's now the vice president of the Laotian Community Association, and editor of its newsletter.

It was a good idea on this day, there helping out the poets favorite project, the first All Southeast Asian explorers post in the nation.

Teenage refugees, including artist seen and learning about American law enforcement.

One good to put the drills in and the other group will be giving clothing out.

It was their idea in the beginning of to do something about the security in these apartments.

Because of the crime.

And we started going that fitting holes in the doors.

It gave them the chance to speak in their own ethnic languages to a refugee, to a family and tell them we would like to place a peephole in your door so that you can look out the door and see who's there.

So we can better protect you.

Gave them a feeling of self-confidence.

The people that that responded to them felt like these are good boys.

They're not.

Here.

Unhappy.

But life is still difficult for these children.

And war in these Dallas.

They shared faith with others who must struggle or survival.

The recent explosion in immigration, the economic competition with other American workers, and the trade deficit with Japan only fueled racism, which once Asians together and one stereotyped group.

It's a melting pot ready to boil in.

Who.

And I think if you step in taking over, in I you know, the them I guess.

You the game is taken this more than friends like we might need it more.

The then you know you go to the before you come to and then finding.

That's what I like about you.

The everything you because most of the clothes in the skills that they have the ability to in Austin sometime you come I and it's know all round.

No just they don't fit.

They just sit on their hind legs and they have the funny smell that email as he listen to.

And it's, you know too thousand the same change the first time I thought I'd be on news, I looked after them.

I'm have saw him or the side of my rifle.

He might have been one who stopped me.

There's tension between Asians and Hispanics at the apartment complex where the lions live.

There you neighborhood Vietnamese woman spending her second night in America was raped in her apartment by an Hispanic man.

Was everybody's attention.

Ron Coward plays a medium in an attempt to cool the anger on all sides.

Communication is difficult.

Everything must be translated into five languages.

Whether we are Asian or whether we are Spanish, or whether we are Anglo.

We're all victims of a criminal element who is coming out here and burglarizing, robbing, stealing, and raping u.

And together, together we're going to work to eliminate this.

Are we going to do it?

And sometimes a little about a day later, overnight, upon going to cut down a and don't know who a bike of, but I didn't know that I should, I'd like to ask them what some of you before we star, if you have any particular problems that could start us of.

Pardon me, is the first to speak up.

Tell me what the problem is, said before he walked out the door and the Hispanic women hit him down.

And one time the Hispanic tried to get a knife and stab him.

When he went to listen.

No.

Why you in the commission and if you think I'm.

I are a very good understanding.

Okay, let me have everyone's attention.

The problem that I have just received for the Hispanic community that lives here is that they have people that they know of that are coming over here, that are not friends of theirs, who are coming over and making life miserable for everyone.

And they are trying to control this.

And I.

Right?

Yeah, it's very important that you understand this.

Dum dum dum.

No time, no, I would like to have one leader from every group.

One Cambodian, one Vietnamese and one loud and one Hispanic.

I would like for each one of these people to make a list of the great interests and the complaints that they feel for this area.

Here.

If you have a problem that hurts the Cambodian community, I wrote you to find this man and let this man tell the police, thank you.

Now this area here is a is a powder keg.

I think the city of Dallas takes a great amount of pride in showcasing to the rest of the United States the fact that we have not had any serious confrontations racially.

But I think that this area of town, East Dallas, particularly here in the southeast Asian refugees, refugee community, is very ripe for something like this to occur in the future.

The image of refugees is not only economic reasons, but sometimes superiors also stirs resentment.

You have, I think you guys are the agents of take the job.

Up in first because you can see the menu people.

Now that we have in our city, as I was saying earlier, that they're was this wages, you know, a lot of times they'll the American people seem to feel that that that we have a more force because we pay them.

Less.

So that's not true.

And, and I've been to, to say to most of the time they, they actually give us a better day work than what the American person does.

No taking jobs or to take advantage of it.

The Americans of the lower class has been has been it's been has been second fiddle to the second fiddle.

Turn that and there's nothing we can there's nothing they Cando about it.

The fear of cheap foreign labor has reached stretching back to the late 1800s, when Chinese were made scapegoats for the economic depression in the West Coast.

In Texas, a July 1870 edition of the Dallas Herald described the Chinese and Japanese as miserable yellow imbeciles, dwarfs, and many states discrimination against Asians is not only the rule, but the law.

When an Irish railroad worker murdered a Chinese laborer in West Texas, the famous judge Roy Bean found that there was no Texas law, foot against killing a.

Violence against Asians erupted across the nation in 1885.

Miners in Wyoming murdered 28 Chinese and burned hundreds out of their homes, and the riots lasted an entire month.

In Seattle.

It took federal troops to halt the mass murder of the city's Chinese attacks in riots.

Also broke out in Idaho, Colorado and Alaska.

In 1982.

Surgeons of anti-Asian sentiment claimed the life of 27 year old Chinese American Vincent Chin in Detroit, who was beaten to death with a baseball bat by an unemployed auto worker and his stepson, who thought chin with Japanese in Boston, a Cambodian was murdered by a gang of whites after a minor traffic incident.

It was one of a series of violent acts against Asians and Massachusetts.

In 1985, and, along the Gulf Coast of Texas, relations between Vietnamese and Anglo shrimpers remained tense, for six years.

After gunfire first broke out in the continuing to ship dispute.

Ironically, hostility is increasing even though Asian Americans are held as the nation's body minority.

According to the 1980 census, Asian Americans have a higher median income, lower unemployment rate, and a better educated than any other ethnic group in the country.

One third of all adult Asian Americans have four or more years of college, compared to one sixth of adult whites, but the numbers can be deceiving.

Behind the intense statistics is the reality that Asians have more workers per household and thus spread their earnings among more family members and while some excel educationally, the percentage of Asians with less than five years of schooling is twice the national average, many have succeeded, but many still struggle for survival.

This November, the don't they fits into the refugee success story.

America loves to display doctor Falk Gun and his wife Lily died come from the elite, educated class in Vietnam.

They met while both were attending American universities in April 1975.

They were in the first wave to flee their country's besieged capita.

He was the dean of the School of Languages at the University of Saigon.

She taught English at the BI cultural center.

Today, Doctor Dom directs the English as a second language program for the Dallas School District, and Lily van is a teacher for young daughter is a straight-A student at Spelman High School, and the two older daughters attend Southern Methodist University and scholarships at the downs.

Clearly, the advantages they would had.

The public here tends to the indirect the failure rates among the Asian students as an educator here in Dallas, I know that a number of Asians are dropping out of school, out of frustration.

They want to succeed, but their English is inadequate and they don't understand the lessons.

So they get 13 grades and frustration looks to dropping out.

The highest dropout rate is among Malaysians.

The children of mixed planters outcast in the land of their birth.

They have special problems here.

Many of them come here when they are teenagers because you don't have many young people, not leave.

Some.

It's a lot harder for them to learn English as a second language, and then to because of that, looks answer that it becomes a problem within the school.

On campus.

Many of them look for a more like American when Vietnamese.

So the American kids think that they Americans is they start speaking English to them.

And when they find out that they cannot speak English, then they already failed them.

And because of that, that is, people are having a lot of emotional problems at the same time, they are having full problems.

Expense, middle school in East Dallas, where Lily Dong teaches circumstances are forcing refugees to learn how to assert their rights in the American system, the refugee children have had trouble obtaining tickets for federally subsidized school lunches.

Two months into the school year, many are going through the entire day without food.

So just they said they just sit there and watch the others eat.

What can they do?

He said.

What can we do?

From an the Emperor National and the Yoram Solomon.

He said if he doesn't have a ticket to eat, how can he?

After going to with our lunch, the official reason why children were denied lunch tickets is the language barrier.

Parents haven't filled out the application forms correctly or on time, but there was considerable evidence that the problem is much more than red tape.

Well, we've had the problem around here for three years and I was very severely reprimanded last year when I was concerned about students who were not eating.

I was told that that was none of my business with the child in this school.

And hungry.

I was told this by the principal, Jimmy England, and Industrial arts teachers started teaching at Spence in 1957.

Two other teachers and two school employees confirmed refugee children have had serious problems with lunch program for three years.

Another employee was so upset she called news media only England is willing to appear on camera.

The others, through their lives, their jobs.

I say it happened.

I have been in the office for children, walked in and they were screaming, don't come in here and ask me for another ticket.

You have no right to come in here.

Third period.

You know, get out of this place.

The person who takes care of lunch program in the school, that's the only job they have it.

I just, I mean, their name us job description is supposed to be doing this job, and often they're they're out of pocket and they're supposed to be sending can reach them.

And then on the other hand, they might be children feel the power of England has seen refugee children without tickets attempt to go through the lunch line.

Children had gone through the line and gotten a lunch, and I took the lunch away from the child.

The lunch would sit over on the counter because the child was not entitled to it, and then after the lunch period was over, they would take the lunch and scrape it out into the garbage.

All they had on occasion, even then, this close to child could see it.

And this is, this is really terrible.

The kids didn't have the lines.

The public service officers and Ron Coward Luke with school principal Doctor Tony to discuss complaints.

They've received about the lunch program.

I hope him he had said to me that maybe.

The food is take them back and maybe told in the right direction.

They don't.

Why I am sorry, we do not do that.

Excuse me.

My son is also pressure from above a phone call from an assistant superintendent.

Yes, sir.

I have, I think we've got a person who on the Asian Canadian, the unknown office and we have a TV person here as wel.

And we have a to have a meeting with parents tomorrow evening.

We're going to say no, this is this afternoon when it is all a communications problem.

After be to solve that communications problem.

The DiSD had its lunch application forms translated into Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian.

That was three years ago.

But expense the middle school that the largest Southeast Asian population.

Only English, Spanish versions have been used at the beginning of last year, one of our folks from the main office went over to France Field and got some of the applications, which are written in Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian and brought them back into.

This would help in getting the lunch that patients home to the Asian children and they were never used.

And at one point I asked doctor Carlos if we could use them, and he said that we could not use them because they were illegal.

England says she has repeatedly complained to DiSD officials that the problem continued to be.

ISD says it investigated the matter and found no problem.

With a doctor force refused to answer any questions about their charges on or off camera.

He did, however, denied doing anything wrong and threatened to file suit if we broadcast anything negative about him.

The parents meeting held up for the second team was a public event, and you know you, as parents know that I'm speaking about some of our children have not been able to eat during the lunch hour because we did not have applications on the youngsters.

But you down maintains a delicate balance tonight.

The community leader and DiSD administrator represents the school system.

His brother told them, and the other SOS represent a parents doctor, police begins by explaining how to fill out the forms, questions following yesterday's have ticket, and see them to ask the lady are set up.

The meals Sally and she.

So there are the names on the state system that there were all the turn to the cafeteria, and I wanted to do is sign your name.

You the one that occurred to other day.

There was no like she said, that Wednesday last week.

She was.

References.

De know what we're doing now is losing their move to I did not believe that this is worth it.

At all.

If during the turn into a graduation, we are the losers as and silver, I tell me I did believe we should keep our dignity.

To try asked why food trays have been snatched away from children.

You are waiting on you, sir.

I knew saw, but you around what this is against his.

I let you see it.

She had the you said if you're not happen.

So I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that about I am.

I would like to tell you and these parent something I won't believe all that the kids tell us about your home.

If you don't believe everything they tell you about our school.

And this is simply after an hour, the meeting ends with some conciliatory words from Doctor Don.

And I thank you very much for your comments.

Like I said, this is a free country and if your children feel that they're being abused, then it has.

Parents.

You certainly can become an visit concerned.

And we as a community, a school district will have to respond and we thank you for coming here in force like this.

And we hope that we can work together to try solution to this problem.

Thank you very much.

On the Monday following this meeting, an additional 123 children received lunch tickets.

The clerk, who is handling the lunch program has been transferred to the attendance office.

Applications in the Asian languages are available, and a recent check indicates the children are being fed.

It is a victory for the refugee community.

To have that arrived.

Refugees.

And to protect the civil rights of all southeast Asians.

Each of the three nationalities has formed a mutual assistance association in Dallas.

The Vietnamese community is holding its first election.

The refugees are coming of age, but as they adjust to life in America, they face the challenge of holding on to their identity.

We've been telling our children to very should go from both cultures, both cultures.

I would like to offer, and we want them to be proud to be.

Asians and the service Asian heritage and threatening.

If children don't have respect.

Or service team, if they do not value their heritage, and they don't do well in society, they.

I will continue to teach my children a little bit about Cambodia each day, especially at a younger ag.

And maybe even it's important to do this since there are so few Cambodians left.

Now with the United Arab.

Traditional celebrations play a key role in preserving Asian roots.

Some compromises are inevitable.

For example, Cambodian weddings, which traditionally lasted three days now last only one.

And la la la la la.

And sometimes the la la la appellation temple.

Buddhist rituals have maintained a sense of continuity.

La.

And.

The singer, well known in Vietnam, entertains the Dallas Vietnamese community organization in the.

In Southeast Asia, via the is Cambodians a Laotians have been bitter enemies.

Each country has its own language, traditions and customs, and does circumstances had forged an alliance.

We are no longer in Indochina.

We are in a new land and if the are not united, we will make it.

When you are officially.

This sermon opening the first Southeast Asian police storefront in the nation.

Also symbolizes the collaboration of the three refugee communities in Dallas.

From this store in days, the SOS Ron Coward will tackle everything from robberies and assaults to the growing problem of organized Asian crime.

At one of the toughest issues is domestic violence.

The financial and psychological stress of starting over is a strain on refugee families because been harder lot already.

Then if me say like a little extra, these two women have come to a community leaders apartment to call the police.

This woman left home several months ago to stay with a friend because her husband was beating him when he tried to bring her back, they ended up in a fight and he injured both women.

She said that she feels so ashamed.

The he beats her.

Everybody come to her house and looked at her.

A lot of people come to her house, but they cannot be nothing.

That's why she said she feel so ashamed.

I can understand that.

I can understand her being the same.

But what he has done to her is wife.

And I think if he sees that we can put him in jai, that he may change his mind.

I think in some other open for the couple.

Him can get Woolton McCuistion in the last intervie.

Said when she left home, she tried to take some children out with her, but the husband said, if you if you dare to take any any other children, he will shoot her.

He would kill her right there and he.

Just over and talk to this.

I think when he sees what can happen to him, I think he'll have a 25.

Okay?

Not I like Department of.

I would like to know.

Many refugees used to settle in silence, but since the home of the public service offices, they have begun to trust the police to make control.

They came and took the lead and copper year by the late night 90s.

If you don't heard that, she can come back.

And she wants to.

But if you lay one hand on her, and if you hit her one time, you're going to take you out of this apartment and put you in a jail cell by.

It's not like I. I've been able try to put myself a medical about for here.

Of thousands, thousands of monetary policy.

I can go to university United from that the think about because now only if he wants to keep the kids cannot let them keep the kids tonight to think about it.

The they could separate that he may lose by letting from London for the la la la la la la meaningful more of the than 30 years him you give me his word that he will not bother just one that I would come back.

I, I finally got that most how to play with it misunderstood the but okay when you hear that you spend one night away.

Okay.

When I like they.

I felt I'm going to talk about it.

I did not because you see everything you can people.

Okay.

And me you think?

About times have also hit so hard scenes from the weekend after Christmas of fire destroyed their house.

Several hours before the blaze, a man was murdered in the apartment upstairs.

The fire began four hours after the police left the scene.

So what family lost everything that they are survivors of the inferno of war.

They are determined to rise from the ashes of this setback, as they have so many times before.

Thank you.

Use.

Find a miracle.

Despite the difficulties, a haven they are grateful for the refuge.

But like many first generation refugees, they will always think of their home.

I love this country, yes, but sometimes I feel like a strange.

Like an outsider.

But in Vietnam, I would feel that.

I mean, the right environment, like a fish in the water.

I love the area.

I love the landscapes.

I love the friendly Vietnam.

I love the food that the people, people, Vietnam.

I miss everything from you for something very special about your movie flame.

Sometimes you cannot describe it.

You know, just being there makes it happy.

Very pleased to is the vision and the movie family about whether to make the United States their permanent home.

Palmer, you still wants to return and have free time.

Lydia.

From Vietnamese control one time is a beautiful life.

I want to go back and so I can see everything in my country.

And now all my temple in classroom like that at the.

Then when they have 5 billion.

I won't be one of them.

My dad told me that the people here all my grand cousin, my uncle and I.

Told me to go back and defeated them.

That people mean I want to stay on the rest of my life.

You know, because you know, I was afraid.

Like, if in Cambodia and they had, you know, fighting, you know, war.

This happened again of summer at the time.

I'm still here.

You are wonder now has found work at the cost.

Mansion hotel in Dallas.

He has come a long way from that cold night when he and his family saw their first freeway and big city lights.

Documents like I put away.

But I'm still worried about my family or that we don't have enough money for rent.

I think come home.

Rockingham.

And I'm going to work hard and study hard.

And I have hope that my children will have a bright future.

My.

The resettlement of these southeast Asians is the latest chapter in the continuing story of this nation, of immigrants.

Each new wave test or convictions, compassion and memory for most of our ancestors to came seeking safety, freedom and opportunity.

Their lives are an affirmation of the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.

We have much to learn from them.

The fulfillment of the promise of America is our challenge.

As well as theirs.