Dear Editor,

I deeply respect Theary C Seng and her Voice of Justice column, but I must disagree with some of her statements on August 22, 2008, "The Khmer Rouge Legacy: How Then Shall We Live?"

Theary wrote that "all 14 million [Khmers]" are maimed and broken. She continued using words like fear, mistrust, self-hatred, materialism, superficiality, greed. Of course, I can look at Cambodia and see that some Khmers have these attributes, but Theary said, "Look into the eyes of any Khmer," to see these negative traits.

When I look into the eyes of many Khmers, I see humility, generosity, resilience, fortitude and love. Some people have been able to heal their hearts and are no longer living in the pain and suffering of earlier years. The ultimate message of Theary's article is sound. But the message can be lost when the introduction is full of hostility.

Mariam Arthur

Phnom Penh