Remembering Phal Leakhena – by Lili Sisombat

I met Leak when she decided to part ways with her boyfriend, the son of a powerful tycoon who wanted her to stay home and be pretty. She could have married him, be taken care of, big houses, big cars, branded bags and shoes, fancy travels and parties. In her eyes, it was suffocating. Instead, she decided to work, she felt she could be more than a decorative plant. A daughter of a police chief, she was not afraid of anything. He had raised her like a boy, be yourself, defend your views, stand your ground.

She found a job as administrative staff in a hospitality group. Ten years later, she became their general manager, at the head of the several outlets totaling more than 800 staff. She was everywhere in the…