Khmer Rouge survivor shares tale
Pisey Leng came to New Zealand with her possessions in a cardboard box having escaped the killing fields of Cambodia.
Ten years later, she established a career as an anaesthetic technician and owns a bakery in Raglan.
Her story of escape from Cambodia under the murderous Khmer Rouge that claimed the lives of her father, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins will be told at this year’s TEDx event in Hamilton.
Leng is one of 10 speakers at the event held at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at the University of Waikato on September 2.
In 2015, she published her book,
in which
she detailed her journey.
She believes life is like a classroom and meant for learning.
‘‘By sharing my story, I also learn more about myself.
‘‘Each day is a new opportunity to learn and grow to do things just a little better than I did yesterday.
‘‘I enjoy discovering things about myself and my core belief in life gives me the sense of self-worth.’’
TEDx licence holder and event organiser Quentin Weber said the event was about hearing interesting and challenging ideas.
‘‘Every talk will make you think of the world in a different way, or challenge a perception you might have, or increase your knowledge about a certain kind of area in the world.
‘‘That’s what TED is all about – challenging people’s ideas and getting them exposed to something they didn’t know about.’’
The day-long event includes a number of different sessions and there are opportunities for discussions on the various talks.
‘‘It’s about meeting new people, it’s about the network of other people at the event, which you don’t get when you watch the [TED] videos.’’
The calibre of this year’s speakers is exceptional and each one has a key idea they want to get out to the world, he said.
The lineup includes Guy Howard-Wills who invented the Manta5 Hydrofoil bike, the world’s first half-bike, half-plane that can travel on water.
‘‘He’s telling his story about his journey to coming up with the idea.’’