CINCINNATI, Ohio ‒ Socheath Phong wants to show you why he’s here, living alone in this small rental house just off West Eighth Street.
His English is improving, but his accent is thick. He worries this might cause confusion, so he wants you to see. He wants you to understand.
At the kitchen table Phong opens a folder and removes some paperwork. He tells you this is supporting material for the application he filled out years ago to come to the United States as a refugee.
He points to an official-looking document from the Cambodian government. It’s the arrest warrant police issued for him in 2017 because of his pro-democracy work for Cambodia’s outlawed opposition party.
“They call us traitors,” Phong says.
