Ros Mey
Encyclopedia
Venerable
Ros Mey (July 30, 1925 - December 12, 2010) was a Cambodia
n-born American
Buddhist monk
and survivor of the Khmer Rouge
regime
. Mey was the Chov Atika, or head monk, of Wat Thormikaram, the first ethnic Khmer
Buddhist temple in the United States
, which is located in Providence, Rhode Island
.
In 1945, he married Saythun Mey and sired seven children, three boys and four girls.
Mey originally worked as a land surveyor
for the Cambodian government until the Khmer Rouge
took power in 1975, establishing Democratic Kampuchea
.
Mey and his surviving family managed to escape the country in 1979 and fled to the Khao-I-Dang
refugee camp across the border in Thailand
.
of Rhode Island
. After a few years living as refugees, he and his family arrived in Rhode Island on February 12, 1982.
In 1993, Ros Mey was ordained a Buddhist monk at the Wat Thormikaram temple in Providence, Rhode Island, when he was 62 years old. In 1998, he became Chov Atika & President of the temple.
He died at the temple in Providence on December 12, 2010, at the age of 85.
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
Ros Mey (July 30, 1925 - December 12, 2010) was a Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Buddhist monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and survivor of the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
. Mey was the Chov Atika, or head monk, of Wat Thormikaram, the first ethnic Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
Buddhist temple in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which is located in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
Early Life in Cambodia
Mey was born in Svay Rolom, Kandal in Cambodia on July 30, 1925. He was the fifth child born to Ouch Mey (his father) and Soeum Mon (his mother), having four older sisters and a younger brother.In 1945, he married Saythun Mey and sired seven children, three boys and four girls.
Mey originally worked as a land surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
for the Cambodian government until the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
took power in 1975, establishing Democratic Kampuchea
Democratic Kampuchea
The Khmer Rouge period refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea....
.
Tragedy & Escape
An estimated three million people would be killed by the Khmer Rouge, including four of Mey's children - three daughters and one son.Mey and his surviving family managed to escape the country in 1979 and fled to the Khao-I-Dang
Khao-I-Dang
Khao-I-Dang Holding Center was a Cambodian refugee camp located 20 km north of Aranyaprathet in Prachinburi Province of Thailand...
refugee camp across the border in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Relocation to the United States
Mey and his family would ultimately become one of the thousands of Cambodian refugees who would be resettled in the U.S. stateU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. After a few years living as refugees, he and his family arrived in Rhode Island on February 12, 1982.
In 1993, Ros Mey was ordained a Buddhist monk at the Wat Thormikaram temple in Providence, Rhode Island, when he was 62 years old. In 1998, he became Chov Atika & President of the temple.
He died at the temple in Providence on December 12, 2010, at the age of 85.