The Forecaster: Cambodian community launches fundraiser for center, temple in Westbrook

Watt Samaki Temple, now in Buxton, and Khmer Maine are partnering on a two-phase project that includes a cultural center, monks' residence, traditional temple and worship hall.

Many Cambodian immigrants and refugees arrived in Maine in the late 1970s, fleeing the Khmer Rouge under leadership of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, which killed around 2 million people in a span of four years.

“You see folks arriving as refugees who survived the genocide, or survived and then spent years in the Thai refugee camp until they came to Maine,” Chann said. There is a particular trauma for those who were born in the Thai refugee camps and then brought to America, divorced from their roots and homeland, he said.

“Second and third generations experience the trauma of the genocide through things like domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health abuse,” he said, which is why a community and cultural space is important for coming together and healing. 

“The temple is visible and symbolic of the community’s journey from genocide to Maine, and is a place where our seniors and elders can find some peace, solace and respite,” he said. For younger generations, “it’s building a sense of shared culture and community. The proceeding generations can become isolated from each other if there’s nothing to draw them together.”

“The temple is honoring the past, and the culture and community center is dealing with what do we do in the present and go forward as a community,” he said.