My parents thought that my brother Hong would be able to stay in Australia permanently with the permanent residency visa. Cambodia is a foreign country to him as we fled the country when he was only eight years of age and he does not have any family members there.
So why is he being sent back?
Hong was only 10-years-old when he arrived in Australia with his family and after calling Australia home for more than 22 years, the government has decided to deport him back to his war-torn country due to some minor crimes.
He’s a loving son and loving big brother who has a big heart and will always care for and protect his family.
We fled Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge to have a better life after his two youngest sisters and relatives died from malnutrition and diseases from the Khmer Rouge genocide.
Hong was only 10-years-old when he arrived in Australia. Source: Ung Family
We came to Australia with only the clothes we had on and all other special belongings were left behind in Cambodia. The terrible memories of the Khmer Rouge still haunt us daily.
My parents immediately found full-time work in Sydney a few months after arriving to Australia in 1981 and were working night shift so that they can feed us and give us a good lifestyle that we deserved. My parents worked very hard.
While my parents were at work and we were being looked after by a family friend, my brother Hong got involved with a group of friends who would introduce him to illicit drugs and that’s when the trouble in his life began... his so-called good friends were supporting his habits and got him involved in some minor crimes like theft.
His crimes were minor and it was all relating to drugs. Drugs ruined his life! And I am sure any family who has any drug affected family members can relate to the stress, problems and how it can affect the family.
Hong Ung lived in Australia for 22 before being deported to Cambodia. Source: SBS Dateline
Drug abuse/addiction is a disease that they need to get help for. We were never offered a drug rehabilitation program to help our brother overcome his drug addiction… maybe things might have been different if he was put through the drug rehabilitation program.
When he received a deportation order in 2004 upon release from his sentence and was detained by the Australian immigration and custom enforcement officers, he was sent directly to the airport with only what he was wearing and he was allowed to make one phone call to his family.
We received a worried and stressful phone call from Hong in Sydney Airport stating that he was being sent to Cambodia now and we (his family) could not see him for the last time to say our final goodbye… how cruel is the law!
We weren’t allowed to even see him at the airport to deliver his clothes or any of his other special belongings to take with him because immigration wouldn’t let us!
Hong's parents worked hard to provide for the family after their arrival in Australia in 1981. Source: Ung Family
It was really hard for my parents to comprehend the deportation because my brother doesn’t have any family members in Cambodia - the war-torn country we left behind.
To this day we are still suffering from the heartache and trauma of my brother’s deportation. We want our brother back in Australia where he belongs with his family. He deserves another chance!!
Video Journalist Dean Cornish interviews Hong in Cambodia for Dateline's story. Source: SBS Dateline
He has finally learnt his lessons and now regrets what he did in the past. What kind of society causes people harm, turns away while they struggle, then uses the criminal justice system or deportation to deal with problems when they arise? This is not a fair justice!
Watch an interview with Hong's parents at the top of the page and see more on Hong's story in .
