Khatharya Um

The communist victory in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam in 1975 brought an end
to the Second Indochina War, America's longest war, but it also created
conditions for protracted conflict, political and socio-economic upheaval, and
ultimately, mass refugee exodus. For the Cambodian people, who have little
prior history of overseas migration, 1975 also marked the beginning of the
diaspora that saw to the displacement and resettlement of close to one million
Cambodians. Some 146,346 refugees from Cambodia were admitted to the
United States between 1975 and 1994, constituting approximately 13%, of the
total 1,180,538 Southeast Asians and Amerasians that were resettled in the
United States ( Office of Refugee Resettlement, 1994). At large, Southeast
Asians constitute the single largest category of refugees to be resettled in the US
in the post-1965 period and the fastest growing segment of the Asian-Pacific-
American (APA) population.

The Southeast Asian American community has become much more visible in
recent years for at least two reasons: (1) the community has seen rapid growth,
and (2) the community has concentrated in distinct geographical areas due to
postresettlement or secondary migrations. This increase in visibility has both
positive and adverse consequences. Public perceptions of Southeast Asian
communities are polarized. At one extreme, is the image of refugees as being
helpless and dependent, lacking the necessary requisites for effective transition
into the post-industrial American society and economy. In this sense, the
community is seen to be at risk. At the other extreme are the presumptions of
economic and scholastic achievements, exemplified by the numerous

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