HOF135: Sengsouvanh Sengdeuanepheng

After five years under the Pathet Lao regime, Vientiane school teacher Sengsouvanh Sengdeuanepheng escaped to Thailand with a friend, who had arranged for a boat to take them across the Mekong river under the cover of night. Once in Thailand, the pair was held in a prison cell, in horrible conditions, before they were brought to the Nong Khai refugee camp. There, Sengdeuanepheng was reunited with several siblings and relatives. She volunteered with the Canadian immigration delegation to interview refugees applying to settle in Canada. As a result of her volunteer work, she was granted asylum in Canada within four months. She delayed her departure by another two months to make sure all her siblings made it out before she left.