Refugee for abilympics

Press, 30 August 1985, Page 1

Refugee for abilympics

By

DEBORAH

McPherson

A Kampuchean refugee living in Christchurch has been chosen for a New Zealand team to compete at the world abilympics for the disabled in Colombia in October.

Siem Hong Ly, aged 34, is the only Christchurch representative to be selected for the team of eight, which will leave New Zealand on September 28. The abilympics are a series of competitions in job skills for disabled persons. Siem Hong Ly was chosen from among eight Christchurch semi-finalists in trials organised by the Rehabilitation League. She will compete in the dressmaking section of the five-day competitions, which will begin on October 1 in Bogota. Of the 12 categories in the abilympics, the team will compete in six — machine knitting, wood carving, typing, dressmaking, cabinet maldng, and computer programming. The other categories are television, watch and radio repair, metal turning, weaving, and ticket writing. Teams from about 50 countries will compete. Siem Hong Ly has been living in New Zealand for three years. She was educated at a university in Kampuchea but was one of the many expelled from towns and cities under the Khmer Rouge regime and forced to work in the rice fields. The leader of the regime, Pol Pot, embarked on a policy of genocide that has been equated with the Nazi slaughter of the Jews. Siem Hong Ly was shot in

the arm by a Thai soldier while trying to escape from Kampuchea to Thailand. After being injured, she spent the night in a forest, she said. Part of her left forearm and hand subsequently had to be amputated.

Siem Hong Ly was eventually sent to a refugee camp in Thailand where she waited 14 months before coming to New Zealand with a sister.

Their trip to New Zealand was sponsored by a Church here. The rest of Siem Hong Ly’s family is still living in Kampuchea. Siem Hong Ly said she enjoyed living in New Zealand, and that her family would also like to come. However, it would be difficult for them to escape from Kampuchea. After her arrival in New Zealand, Siem Hong Ly spent six months training at the Rehabilitation League in Christchurch. Her former work supervisor, Mrs Lorraine Rodgers, said she was given some dressmaking work.

“Because of her disability, we did not really expect a great deal, but she is a beautiful sewer,” said Mrs Rodgers. “She doesn’t let anything get her down.” “She can even sew satin, which is difficult enough for a person with two hands to hold,” said Mrs Rodgers. After her arrival, Siem Hong Ly had repair surgery to her arm to enable an artificial hand to be attached.

Since her training at the league, Siem Hong Ly has worked for a local clothing manufacturer, Simms Jones, Ltd.

Siem Hong Ly had proven herself to be capable of keeping up with the workload, said the forewoman, Mrs Hilda Pomeroy. “When Siem first came here her head was down a lot, a. sign of unhappiness. Now it’s up all the time and she is smiling,” said Mrs Pomeroy. “It has been a remarkable change.” Some money had been raised already for the abilympics trip by Siem Hong

Ly’s workmates, but a substantial amount was still needed, said the director of the league, Mr Arthur Chapman. Each member has to raise about $4OOO. Raising money for the trip was only one of the headaches which had jeopardised Siem Hong Ly’s travel plans, said Mr Chapman. “She had only been in New Zealand about 20 months, when she was

selected for the trip, so she had no New Zealand passport to get back into the country or to visit any other country,” he said. “We had quite a bit of difficulty at first, as we also had to apply for visas. But everything seems to be coming together now.” Anyone wanting to help sponsor Siem Hong Ly’s trip to the abilympics could approach the Rehabilitation League, said Mr Chapman.