Sorithy Sor: From the Hell of the Khmer Rouge to the Factories of Airbus

In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge seized control of Cambodia and plunged the country into one of the darkest periods of the twentieth century. For Sorithy Sor, a fifteen-year-old boy living peacefully with his six siblings in Battambang, everything collapsed within hours.

Sorithy Sor - Photo supplied

"At first, I was glad to see the Khmer Rouge arrive. We believed in a better future," he recalls today.

The disillusionment was brutal. Summary executions, deportations, enslavement of the population: the Pol Pot regime methodically erased every trace of the old world. Sorithy spent two and a half years in a forced labour camp, from sunrise to sunset, for a daily ration of rice, while the regime set about brainwashing its people.

Seven Nights in the Jungle

In June 1977, at the age of seventeen, Sorithy made the decision to flee with three companions. Seven nights of clandestine trekking through the jungle stood between them and the Thai border. Upon arrival, he weighed no more than 40 kg at 1.78 m tall — starving, exhausted, but alive.

A few weeks later, he was granted asylum in France, where one of his uncles lived. He did not speak a word of French, but threw himself into learning the language with rare intensity. It was a passion for engineering — and the infectious enthusiasm sparked by a visit to Airbus in Toulouse — that would shape his entire professional path.

In barely five years, the man who had still been in a labour camp in 1977 signed his contract with Aérospatiale, the future Airbus, in 1982. A journey nothing short of remarkable.

38 Years at Airbus, Best Craftsman of France

Sorithy Sor spent 38 years of a distinguished career within the European aircraft manufacturer. He worked on several iconic models and received numerous awards for his innovations. In 1997, the Khmer Rouge survivor was crowned Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France) in general mechanics — one of the highest honours in French craftsmanship and industry.

Now retired, he does more than pass on technical expertise: he embodies a life lesson. He speaks at several training institutions — the CFA in Foix, the CFA in Toulouse, and technical secondary schools — to support young apprentices. He also volunteers with the Société des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France and serves as a jury member for the MOF competition in Occitanie.

A Book, A Testimony, A Humanitarian Act

In December 2023, Sorithy Sor self-published Odyssée d'un jeune Khmer — La démonstration que rien n'est impossible (Odyssey of a Young Khmer — Proof That Nothing Is Impossible). Written with the help of his wife and one of his sons, the book retraces his disrupted childhood, his years in the camps, his escape, his integration into French society, and his family life. It has since been translated into English under the title Odyssey of a Young Khmer. In 2024, the book received the MOF Book Prize in the "Perseverance Towards Excellence" category.

But the ambition behind the project goes beyond a personal testimony. All proceeds from sales have already funded the construction of two additional classrooms at the Kampang Keut primary school in the Banan district, Battambang province — his hometown. The funds also contribute to the upkeep of the building, as well as donations to the AER association (Avenir pour l'Enfant des Rizières — Future for the Children of the Rice Fields) and the E-corners Language School in Siem Reap.

"Going through hell helps us transcend and surpass ourselves, bringing out the best in us. I can say with certainty that nothing is impossible. When we set a goal, we unleash an immeasurable force to achieve it."

Suivre le projet et découvrir le livre : odysseejeunekhmer.blogspot.com