A former refugee has become the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States.Sokhary Chau was chosen Monday by a majority of city councilors in Lowell, Massachusetts, to serve in the city's top position.He also became the city's first Asian American mayor.The 49-year-old Chau is a federal government employee who works for the U.S. Social Security Administration.After being officially sworn in, Chau said, "God bless America, right? I was a refugee, now I'm mayor of a major city in Massachusetts."He added, "I don't know if that could happen anywhere else in the world. I'm still trying to absorb it."He also spoke about his family's efforts to escape Cambodia under the extreme rule of the communist Khmer Rouge.Chau said his father, who was a captain in the Cambodian army, was executed by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 during the country's civil war.
