Do you know who I am?

Charles Dittmeier with F4

Last September 19th, a young deaf man was dropped off at the Deaf Development Programme (DDP) house in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. No passport, no identification, no documentation….and no language….no signing, no speaking or lip reading and no writing ability. He appears to be ethnically Khmer, but no one knows where he was born or where he came from or how he got to Cambodia. He is around 19-years-old and currently goes by the name F4 because of a tattoo on his right forearm (likely done by himself, as he is left handed). It reads the English letter ‘F’ written backwards and the number 4.

DDP Director Charles Dittmeier and his staff have patiently worked together for the last seven months to try and fill in the gaps. But without a language to communicate, it has been a real challenge. Through pictures, gesturing and teaching F4 some basic Cambodian Sign Language (which recently began development only 12 years ago), the DDP have been very creative in their ways to find out more information. The challenge now, however, is the time frame in which F4 communicates. When he signs a thought or statement, is he referring to his past, or just using the signs he has learned in imitation?

Searching for symbols of his past, Dittmeier has taken F4 to mosques, temples, and churches to see if that stirs up any familiarity. In December, he showed F4 pictures of Santa Claus to see if that meant anything. But no such luck. It is not likely that F4 is even from Cambodia. He doesn’t like Khmer food and his gesture for “food” is to make the shape of a sandwich or hamburger near his mouth.

The government has been unresponsive to Dittmeier’s requests to take responsibility for this lost identity. For example, when one crosses the border into Cambodia, a photo is taken. Dittmeier has asked the immigration department to search the database for F4’s photo to discover his name and identity. The immigration department has declined, saying it would be too time consuming.

Currently, F4 is living in Phnom Penh and getting along well with the other deaf students. Despite his lack of language, he is friendly and outgoing and well liked by others.

The search for more information continues. Have you seen F4 before? If you have any information, please respond to our blog and we will pass on your comments to DDP.