By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Takeo province
Around 500 villagers have gathered at a former Khmer Rouge prison camp in
Takeo province to watch the performance. The crowd, at Kraing Ta Chan prison
in Tram Kok district, bursts into laughter as a man acting like a monkey
jumps on stage, but soon, the play turns more serious.
In another scene, a man asks a former Khmer Rouge soldier whether she's
heard of any massacres by the regime. She quickly tells him, "No. There were
no killings in this village."
"You are telling lies!" shouts a victim.
The play, "Breaking the Silence," which encourages Cambodians to speak out
about their experiences under the Khmer Rouge-as victims or soldiers-has
begun a second tour.
The play, a series of skits by six performers from Amrita Performing Arts,
depicts the atrocities of the regime and their impact on modern Cambodia.
"As suggested by its title, the play is aimed at calling people to talk,
talk, and talk about what happened during the Khmer Rouge period," said Suon
Bun Rith, country director for Amrita Performing Arts. "We talk not to
retain anger but to reconcile and find ways to live together in harmony for
the sake of the next generation."
The play, sponsored by the Documentation Center of Cambodia, was first
performed last February in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kampong Cham,
Kandal and Takeo, ahead of the trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, by the
UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal.
The second tour, from Feb. 3 to Feb. 12, comes as the tribunal prepares Case
No. 002, with a trial of Duch and four senior leaders of the regime expected
to begin later this year.
Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center, said the play seeks to
encourage more people pay attention to the tribunal.
"All the scenes are from facts, and we want people to better understand that
Case No. 002 is the most important and historical for them," he said. "And
through the court, we want people to look at how they can reconcile with and
forgive low-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres now living next door."
Annemarie Prins, the Dutch author of the play, said she hoped it would keep
people talking about past ordeals and help them deal with psychological
trauma.
"The big trauma is still with the people who survived, and many of them find
it very difficult to talk about what happened," she said. "And to talk about
trauma, especially genocide, is very important in order to work through the
terrible time for both perpetrators and victims; it's extremely important to
heal and to be able say, 'I'm so sorry,' to somebody you harmed in some way
or another."
Soy Ser, a former prisoner at Kraing Ta Chan, said he felt less angry with
former Khmer Rouge soldiers after seeing the play.
"When they performed in a scene where they try to reconcile, my anger calmed
down a bit," said the 52-year-old survivor, who lives in the same
neighborhood as some of the Khmer Rouge he encountered.
Khim Sochanvireak, a 12th grader from Chea Sim Takeo high school, said the
performance had helped him understand better what happened under the Khmer
Rouge, convincing him the regime was murderous.
"The play makes us understand that Pol Pot killed his own people," he said.
"So we should not let the same thing happen again."
Friday, February 19, 2010
Victims to play simpler role at KRT
Wednesday, 10 February 2010 15:04 James O'Toole
A photo supplied by DC-CAM shows Boeung Rai prison, a security centre in Svay Rieng province that was not specifically named among the sites investigated by the Khmer Rouge tribunal for its second case.
AS its critical second case approaches, the Khmer Rouge tribunal is wrestling with the issue of how to expedite proceedings against the ageing leaders set to stand trial, while at the same time giving adequate voice to the regime’s many victims.
On Tuesday, the court formally adopted reforms to civil party participation, including the establishment of a team of lead co-lawyers who alone will represent all admitted civil parties in court. In the first case, that of Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, civil parties were represented by four distinct legal teams.
This change was paired with an expansion of responsibility for the Victims Unit, renamed the Victims Support Section, to include “a broader range of services, as well as a more inclusive cross-section of victims than those who are admitted as Civil Parties in cases before the [court]”, the UN-backed tribunal said in a statement Tuesday.
More than 4,000 civil parties have applied to participate in Case 002, and about 250 had been accepted by the end of December, compared with just 90 who participated for the duration of the first case. Under the old system, this many civil parties could not have been accommodated, court officials say, though observers warn that the newly diminished legal role for civil parties may sow discontent among many victims.
“The judges ... have to balance between the rights of the accused and also respect for the victims,” said Long Panhavuth, project officer at the Cambodia Justice Initiative. “The victims have to have a meaningful way of participating.”
A further concern, aired by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee last week, is the potential disappointment of thousands of civil party applicants whose applications may be inadmissible.
Though the court’s mandate is to investigate crimes committed under Democratic Kampuchea (DK), charges in individual cases are confined to particular crime sites falling under the scope of the judges’ investigation. As such, prospective civil parties with applications pertaining to other sites will be unable to participate at trial.
Although the Case 002 investigation began in 2007, the sites being examined were not publicly revealed until last November.
Theary Seng, the former executive director of the Centre for Social Development and a civil party in the case, acknowledged the court’s need to keep the investigation confidential, but said the delayed disclosure did a disservice to victims.
“To use the blanket of confidentiality to keep the public from being adequately informed generally, and then to keep the victims who could become civil parties from knowing whether they fit into the scope or not is irresponsible,” she said.
After being imprisoned as a child at the Boeung Rai security centre under Democratic Kampuchea, Theary Seng was frustrated to learn that the site, where perhaps 30,000 people were killed, was not named specifically by the court (though it may be included in the investigation of purges in DK’s Eastern Zone). She said she plans to file an investigative request asking judges to examine the centre.
More broadly, Theary Seng said she resented what she views as the court’s diminished engagement with victims and civil parties.
“The fear is that they’re going to really emasculate and water down the concept [of civil parties] to make it completely not meaningful,” she said, calling victim participation essential “to give a larger meaning to this process”.
Defence teams, however, say the increased number of civil party applicants in Case 002 may undermine the rights of the accused.
Richard Rogers, chief of the court’s defence support section, said in a statement following the conclusion of Tuesday’s plenary that the newly established 10-day window for lawyers to appeal decisions about the admissibility of civil party applications is unacceptably small.
“According to international standards, an accused’s right to appeal must be practical and effective. In adopting these amendments, the plenary has left the accused with a right that is merely theoretical,” Rogers said.
Outside the courtroom
Helen Jarvis, head of the Victims Support Section, emphasised the importance of contrasting between “the issue of admissibility in a particular case … and recognition of somebody’s status as a victim”.
“It’s an important distinction. I think it’s a technical distinction, and I think that we have done and certainly will [continue to] bend over backwards to thank people for the information that they have provided,” she said.
Jarvis said her section was developing outreach efforts through “non-legal measures” to ensure that victims who are unable to officially participate nonetheless have their suffering addressed.
These measures notwithstanding, a more limited role for victims is inevitable in Case 002, said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, who called on the court to be open about its reforms.
“If a person can no longer speak, you’re no longer a civil party,” he said, adding: “It’s a bumpy road by having to explain this, and perhaps the fear is of being resented by the victims.”
While he noted the importance of outreach efforts for Khmer Rouge survivors, Youk Chhang said the broader expectations of the Cambodian people are uncomplicated.
“None of the people here expect the court to go down to the villages and record their story on file,” he said. “They expect delivery of justice and a verdict.”
A photo supplied by DC-CAM shows Boeung Rai prison, a security centre in Svay Rieng province that was not specifically named among the sites investigated by the Khmer Rouge tribunal for its second case.
AS its critical second case approaches, the Khmer Rouge tribunal is wrestling with the issue of how to expedite proceedings against the ageing leaders set to stand trial, while at the same time giving adequate voice to the regime’s many victims.
On Tuesday, the court formally adopted reforms to civil party participation, including the establishment of a team of lead co-lawyers who alone will represent all admitted civil parties in court. In the first case, that of Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, civil parties were represented by four distinct legal teams.
This change was paired with an expansion of responsibility for the Victims Unit, renamed the Victims Support Section, to include “a broader range of services, as well as a more inclusive cross-section of victims than those who are admitted as Civil Parties in cases before the [court]”, the UN-backed tribunal said in a statement Tuesday.
More than 4,000 civil parties have applied to participate in Case 002, and about 250 had been accepted by the end of December, compared with just 90 who participated for the duration of the first case. Under the old system, this many civil parties could not have been accommodated, court officials say, though observers warn that the newly diminished legal role for civil parties may sow discontent among many victims.
“The judges ... have to balance between the rights of the accused and also respect for the victims,” said Long Panhavuth, project officer at the Cambodia Justice Initiative. “The victims have to have a meaningful way of participating.”
A further concern, aired by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee last week, is the potential disappointment of thousands of civil party applicants whose applications may be inadmissible.
Though the court’s mandate is to investigate crimes committed under Democratic Kampuchea (DK), charges in individual cases are confined to particular crime sites falling under the scope of the judges’ investigation. As such, prospective civil parties with applications pertaining to other sites will be unable to participate at trial.
Although the Case 002 investigation began in 2007, the sites being examined were not publicly revealed until last November.
Theary Seng, the former executive director of the Centre for Social Development and a civil party in the case, acknowledged the court’s need to keep the investigation confidential, but said the delayed disclosure did a disservice to victims.
“To use the blanket of confidentiality to keep the public from being adequately informed generally, and then to keep the victims who could become civil parties from knowing whether they fit into the scope or not is irresponsible,” she said.
After being imprisoned as a child at the Boeung Rai security centre under Democratic Kampuchea, Theary Seng was frustrated to learn that the site, where perhaps 30,000 people were killed, was not named specifically by the court (though it may be included in the investigation of purges in DK’s Eastern Zone). She said she plans to file an investigative request asking judges to examine the centre.
More broadly, Theary Seng said she resented what she views as the court’s diminished engagement with victims and civil parties.
“The fear is that they’re going to really emasculate and water down the concept [of civil parties] to make it completely not meaningful,” she said, calling victim participation essential “to give a larger meaning to this process”.
Defence teams, however, say the increased number of civil party applicants in Case 002 may undermine the rights of the accused.
Richard Rogers, chief of the court’s defence support section, said in a statement following the conclusion of Tuesday’s plenary that the newly established 10-day window for lawyers to appeal decisions about the admissibility of civil party applications is unacceptably small.
“According to international standards, an accused’s right to appeal must be practical and effective. In adopting these amendments, the plenary has left the accused with a right that is merely theoretical,” Rogers said.
Outside the courtroom
Helen Jarvis, head of the Victims Support Section, emphasised the importance of contrasting between “the issue of admissibility in a particular case … and recognition of somebody’s status as a victim”.
“It’s an important distinction. I think it’s a technical distinction, and I think that we have done and certainly will [continue to] bend over backwards to thank people for the information that they have provided,” she said.
Jarvis said her section was developing outreach efforts through “non-legal measures” to ensure that victims who are unable to officially participate nonetheless have their suffering addressed.
These measures notwithstanding, a more limited role for victims is inevitable in Case 002, said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, who called on the court to be open about its reforms.
“If a person can no longer speak, you’re no longer a civil party,” he said, adding: “It’s a bumpy road by having to explain this, and perhaps the fear is of being resented by the victims.”
While he noted the importance of outreach efforts for Khmer Rouge survivors, Youk Chhang said the broader expectations of the Cambodian people are uncomplicated.
“None of the people here expect the court to go down to the villages and record their story on file,” he said. “They expect delivery of justice and a verdict.”
“Breaking the Silence” Performance at Kraing Ta Chan Prison
Randle DeFalco & Socheat Nhean
On February 5th and 6th 2010, the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) and Amirita Performing Arts hosted two special performances of the play “Breaking the Silence” at the site of the former Khmer Rouge Kraing Ta Chan security prison in Takeo province. Kraing Ta Chan was the largest prison in the Southwest Zone during the period of Democratic Kampuchea (DK) in Cambodia from 1975-1979 and claimed at least 1,000 lives. Kraing Ta Chan is also located near the birthplace of Ta Mok, a major Khmer Rouge figure who was in charge of the Southwest Zone throughout the DK period. All important leaders of the prison were from Mok’s revolutionary base area and several of the prison’s most important figures were familial relations of his.
Over two days, a total of approximately 1,000 people watched “Breaking the Silence,” which is designed to help unravel some of the difficulties Cambodians encounter when trying to address traumatic memories from the DK era. Viewers ranged from young children and Chea Sim Takeo High School students, to older members of the community who are survivors of the DK period. Both days, the audience watched attentively and appeared satisfied with the play’s treatment of the delicate topics of trauma, honesty and reconciliation.
Two attendees were survivors of Kraing Ta Chan prison. After watching the play, both of these survivors offered their thoughts on both the performance and the larger issue of reconciliation in Cambodia. HUN Nhor, who is now 78, said that the play evoked painful memories for her, made even more visceral by watching it where she had suffered so much. Nhor was however, appreciative of the effort of everyone involved and is happy that the play is being shown so that people can learn about and address their history. Nhor mentioned that the play “reminded [her] again of the Khmer Rouge regime” and also remarked the scenarios shown in the play were “just like what happened during the Khmer Rouge.”
SOY Sen was also a prisoner at Kraing Ta Chan and was only freed after the Vietnamese army invaded Cambodia in January of 1979. Sen believes that it is hard to reconcile former prisoners and perpetrators because the latter never want to tell the full truth about their actions during DK. For example, Sen stated that former Kraing Ta Chan workers never voluntarily visited the site or discussed their actions during DK. Sen also believes that former perpetrators generally try to ignore their past actions, rather than admitting or confronting them and thus, avoid activities like watching the play. DC-Cam researcher NHEAN Socheat asked Sen if he was satisfied with the Khmer Rouge tribunal so far and if it could provide him justice. Sen replied “no,” and stated that the Tribunal “will not provide justice to me at all.” Sen then asked, “how can it offer justice, while a perpetrator who is now living 100 meters from me never says the truth?”
After the play, one high school student from Takeo province asked why Cambodians killed their own people. DC-Cam staff member and project facilitator SER Sayana replied that the Khmer Rouge not only killed ethnic Khmer people, but also targeted minority groups such as Vietnamese, Cham and Kampuchea Krom people for especially harsh treatment and extermination. Another student asked why other characters in the play did not want to talk to the character of Chea, who had been under suspicion by the Khmer Rouge. SUON Bunrith, a facilitator from Amrita Performing Arts, responded that during the DK period people avoided connecting with others who were accused of being traitors out of fear. He added that any of Chea’s relatives discovered by the Khmer Rouge would be persecuted, arrested and/or executed, or might simply vanish one day.
A third student asked about the current situation at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh. Bunrith and Sayana replied that the trial of four surviving former senior Khmer Rouge leaders has not yet finished, but that the accused persons are currently being detained and the case is in the investigative phase. A fourth student took the microphone and asked if the DK government had diplomatic relations with other countries, specifically mentioning China. Sayana replied that DK had diplomatic relations with some countries however, other than high-level Khmer Rouge officials, all Cambodians were restricted from travelling during DK. Also, Chinese advisors had freedom to travel and work with Khmer Rouge cadre. The final question of the first evening came from a former resident of Tramkok, a model communal district during DK, who asked why people were starved while they worked so hard in the farmland. Sayana responded that at the time the DK cadre in the local area tried to save face and gain prestige by producing the most rice to give to the DK government. Additionally, the Khmer Rouge traded rice in exchange for weapons to fight Vietnam.
On the second night of the play about 300 people attended, some of whom were 11th grade students from Chea Sim Takeo High School. Although few people asked questions, a woman named KHATT Khorn remained at the site after the rest of the audience had left. Khorn, now 68, said that she has been waiting for Khmer Rouge researchers for a long time and wanted to share her experiences. In 1971 Khorn joined the revolution as a soldier, hoping that she could help liberate Cambodia from American imperialism and corruption. She fought until 1975 when she was suddenly arrested by the Khmer Rouge and sent to a nearby prison. Khorn was unsure what prison she had been sent to, but it appears that she was incarcerated at nearby Security Center 204, established before Kraing Ta Chan prison. Khorn added that she was happy to see the play near her village and hopes that the young generation will learn about the regime by watching “Breaking the Silence.”
Overall, the event was a success. The performance brought together multiple generations of villagers to discuss a painful and controversial chapter of Cambodian history. While these types of discussions are often uncomfortable and sometimes evoke painful memories in participants, they are important to national reconciliation after a national trauma on the scale of that which occurred during the DK period in Cambodia.
END
Independently Searching for the Truth since 1997.
MEMORY & JUSTICE
On February 5th and 6th 2010, the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) and Amirita Performing Arts hosted two special performances of the play “Breaking the Silence” at the site of the former Khmer Rouge Kraing Ta Chan security prison in Takeo province. Kraing Ta Chan was the largest prison in the Southwest Zone during the period of Democratic Kampuchea (DK) in Cambodia from 1975-1979 and claimed at least 1,000 lives. Kraing Ta Chan is also located near the birthplace of Ta Mok, a major Khmer Rouge figure who was in charge of the Southwest Zone throughout the DK period. All important leaders of the prison were from Mok’s revolutionary base area and several of the prison’s most important figures were familial relations of his.
Over two days, a total of approximately 1,000 people watched “Breaking the Silence,” which is designed to help unravel some of the difficulties Cambodians encounter when trying to address traumatic memories from the DK era. Viewers ranged from young children and Chea Sim Takeo High School students, to older members of the community who are survivors of the DK period. Both days, the audience watched attentively and appeared satisfied with the play’s treatment of the delicate topics of trauma, honesty and reconciliation.
Two attendees were survivors of Kraing Ta Chan prison. After watching the play, both of these survivors offered their thoughts on both the performance and the larger issue of reconciliation in Cambodia. HUN Nhor, who is now 78, said that the play evoked painful memories for her, made even more visceral by watching it where she had suffered so much. Nhor was however, appreciative of the effort of everyone involved and is happy that the play is being shown so that people can learn about and address their history. Nhor mentioned that the play “reminded [her] again of the Khmer Rouge regime” and also remarked the scenarios shown in the play were “just like what happened during the Khmer Rouge.”
SOY Sen was also a prisoner at Kraing Ta Chan and was only freed after the Vietnamese army invaded Cambodia in January of 1979. Sen believes that it is hard to reconcile former prisoners and perpetrators because the latter never want to tell the full truth about their actions during DK. For example, Sen stated that former Kraing Ta Chan workers never voluntarily visited the site or discussed their actions during DK. Sen also believes that former perpetrators generally try to ignore their past actions, rather than admitting or confronting them and thus, avoid activities like watching the play. DC-Cam researcher NHEAN Socheat asked Sen if he was satisfied with the Khmer Rouge tribunal so far and if it could provide him justice. Sen replied “no,” and stated that the Tribunal “will not provide justice to me at all.” Sen then asked, “how can it offer justice, while a perpetrator who is now living 100 meters from me never says the truth?”
After the play, one high school student from Takeo province asked why Cambodians killed their own people. DC-Cam staff member and project facilitator SER Sayana replied that the Khmer Rouge not only killed ethnic Khmer people, but also targeted minority groups such as Vietnamese, Cham and Kampuchea Krom people for especially harsh treatment and extermination. Another student asked why other characters in the play did not want to talk to the character of Chea, who had been under suspicion by the Khmer Rouge. SUON Bunrith, a facilitator from Amrita Performing Arts, responded that during the DK period people avoided connecting with others who were accused of being traitors out of fear. He added that any of Chea’s relatives discovered by the Khmer Rouge would be persecuted, arrested and/or executed, or might simply vanish one day.
A third student asked about the current situation at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh. Bunrith and Sayana replied that the trial of four surviving former senior Khmer Rouge leaders has not yet finished, but that the accused persons are currently being detained and the case is in the investigative phase. A fourth student took the microphone and asked if the DK government had diplomatic relations with other countries, specifically mentioning China. Sayana replied that DK had diplomatic relations with some countries however, other than high-level Khmer Rouge officials, all Cambodians were restricted from travelling during DK. Also, Chinese advisors had freedom to travel and work with Khmer Rouge cadre. The final question of the first evening came from a former resident of Tramkok, a model communal district during DK, who asked why people were starved while they worked so hard in the farmland. Sayana responded that at the time the DK cadre in the local area tried to save face and gain prestige by producing the most rice to give to the DK government. Additionally, the Khmer Rouge traded rice in exchange for weapons to fight Vietnam.
On the second night of the play about 300 people attended, some of whom were 11th grade students from Chea Sim Takeo High School. Although few people asked questions, a woman named KHATT Khorn remained at the site after the rest of the audience had left. Khorn, now 68, said that she has been waiting for Khmer Rouge researchers for a long time and wanted to share her experiences. In 1971 Khorn joined the revolution as a soldier, hoping that she could help liberate Cambodia from American imperialism and corruption. She fought until 1975 when she was suddenly arrested by the Khmer Rouge and sent to a nearby prison. Khorn was unsure what prison she had been sent to, but it appears that she was incarcerated at nearby Security Center 204, established before Kraing Ta Chan prison. Khorn added that she was happy to see the play near her village and hopes that the young generation will learn about the regime by watching “Breaking the Silence.”
Overall, the event was a success. The performance brought together multiple generations of villagers to discuss a painful and controversial chapter of Cambodian history. While these types of discussions are often uncomfortable and sometimes evoke painful memories in participants, they are important to national reconciliation after a national trauma on the scale of that which occurred during the DK period in Cambodia.
END
Independently Searching for the Truth since 1997.
MEMORY & JUSTICE
DC-Cam Education Tour: Pre-Trial Hearings of Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan’s Appeals Against Extension of Provisional Detention
February 10-13, 2010
Between February 10-13, 2010, DC-Cam invites 100 villagers from Preah Net Preah commune in Banteay Meanchey province, Sa-Ang Phnom commune in Kandal province and Svay Chek commune in Svay Rieng province to Phnom Penh. This invitation is a part of DC-Cam’s Living Documents project intending to provide a forum for which victims of the Khmer Rouge atrocities learn about the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Since 2006, DC-Cam invited about 10,000 villagers, community leaders and members of the Cham Muslim minority to attend the ECCC hearings and receive basic training on ECCC’s jurisdiction, procedures and biographies of persons charged by the court. The selection of the visitors is based on the relevance of their home villages and community to the Khmer Rouge history and their connection with the particular Khmer Rouge leaders.
Some people in Preah Net Preah commune used to work in the construction of Trapeang Thmar irrigation system in the nearby Phnom Srok district. This project included the construction of a huge water reservoir of 12 kilometer long and 10 kilometer wide with a 10-meter dike on the sides, irrigation canals and water gates to control and distribute water during the dry and rainy seasons. Thousands of people were forced to work on this location from 1976 to 1978. Some of the villagers invited to attend the hearing had experiences working on the construction of the reservoir during the Khmer Rouge. According to Im Chem, district chief of Preah Net Preah district during the Khmer Rouge regime, who DC-Cam interviewed in 2007, said that Khieu Samphan visited the site often. Im Chem supervised a few hundred workers at the site.
Svay Chek commune of Svay Rieng province is a supposed birthplace of Khieu Samphan. Sa-Ang Phnom commune is in Sa-Ang district where Khieu Samphan was a representative during Prince Sihanouk’s Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime. The visit is divided into two main parts. On the first day, the villagers attend a meeting at the Senate Library where they would listen to a presentation on the importance of Case 002 and its details. They would also watch Khmer Rouge documentary films and visit Cheung Ek and Tuol Sleng in the afternoon. On the second third days, the villagers attend the pre-trial hearing and see the performance, 'Breaking the Silence.'
February 10, 2010
08:00 Meeting at the Senate Library
08:15 Mr. William Smith, International Senior Deputy Co-prosecutor
Recent development at the Office of the Co-Prosecutors:
"The Challenges We Faced"
Mr. Dara P. Vanthan, DC-Cam’s Deputy Director
A Presentation on DC-Cam’s Outreach:
Genocide: Who are the Senior Khmer Rouge Leaders to be Judged? The importance of Case 002.
Participants: Villagers from Kandal, Svay Rieng and Banteay Mean Chey
09:15 Q&A session.
09:45 Break
10:00 Film Screening: “Tuol Sleng in 1979” and “Behind the Walls of S-21”
Guest speaker: Him Huy, former S-21 guard
10:45 Leave for Cheung Ek Killing Field
12:00 Lunch
14:00 Leave for Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
15:00 Visit the Royal Palace
18:00 Dinner
February 11, 2009
6:30 Breakfast (Package food)
7:00 Buses pick up participants from hotel
7:30 Depart to ECCC
9:00 Observe pre-trial hearing of Ieng Sary’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
12:00 Lunch
13:30 Observe pre-trial hearing of Ieng Sary’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
18:00 Dinner and Chapei with Singer Kong Nai
February 12, 2009
6:30 Breakfast (Package food)
7:00 Buses pick up participants from hotel
7:30 Depart to ECCC
9:00 Observe pre-trial hearing of Khieu Samphan’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
12:00 Lunch
13:30 Continue observing pre-trial hearing of Khieu Samphan’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
18:00 Dinner and entertainment with Comedian Prum Manh
20:00 Theatre: Breaking the Silence produced by Amrita Performing Arts; Directed by Annemarie Prins of The Netherlands.
Location: The National Institute of Education, near the Independence Monument, Phnom Penh
OPEN TO PUBLIC
February 13, 2009
6:30 Breakfast (Package food)
7:00 Villagers return home.
For more information:
Observing the Hearings, Savina Sirik, Tel: 012 688 046
Performance – Breaking the Silence; Sayana Ser, Tel: 092 763 272 or Suon Bunrith, Country Director of Amirita Performing Arts at Tel: 012 410 044.
Between February 10-13, 2010, DC-Cam invites 100 villagers from Preah Net Preah commune in Banteay Meanchey province, Sa-Ang Phnom commune in Kandal province and Svay Chek commune in Svay Rieng province to Phnom Penh. This invitation is a part of DC-Cam’s Living Documents project intending to provide a forum for which victims of the Khmer Rouge atrocities learn about the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Since 2006, DC-Cam invited about 10,000 villagers, community leaders and members of the Cham Muslim minority to attend the ECCC hearings and receive basic training on ECCC’s jurisdiction, procedures and biographies of persons charged by the court. The selection of the visitors is based on the relevance of their home villages and community to the Khmer Rouge history and their connection with the particular Khmer Rouge leaders.
Some people in Preah Net Preah commune used to work in the construction of Trapeang Thmar irrigation system in the nearby Phnom Srok district. This project included the construction of a huge water reservoir of 12 kilometer long and 10 kilometer wide with a 10-meter dike on the sides, irrigation canals and water gates to control and distribute water during the dry and rainy seasons. Thousands of people were forced to work on this location from 1976 to 1978. Some of the villagers invited to attend the hearing had experiences working on the construction of the reservoir during the Khmer Rouge. According to Im Chem, district chief of Preah Net Preah district during the Khmer Rouge regime, who DC-Cam interviewed in 2007, said that Khieu Samphan visited the site often. Im Chem supervised a few hundred workers at the site.
Svay Chek commune of Svay Rieng province is a supposed birthplace of Khieu Samphan. Sa-Ang Phnom commune is in Sa-Ang district where Khieu Samphan was a representative during Prince Sihanouk’s Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime. The visit is divided into two main parts. On the first day, the villagers attend a meeting at the Senate Library where they would listen to a presentation on the importance of Case 002 and its details. They would also watch Khmer Rouge documentary films and visit Cheung Ek and Tuol Sleng in the afternoon. On the second third days, the villagers attend the pre-trial hearing and see the performance, 'Breaking the Silence.'
February 10, 2010
08:00 Meeting at the Senate Library
08:15 Mr. William Smith, International Senior Deputy Co-prosecutor
Recent development at the Office of the Co-Prosecutors:
"The Challenges We Faced"
Mr. Dara P. Vanthan, DC-Cam’s Deputy Director
A Presentation on DC-Cam’s Outreach:
Genocide: Who are the Senior Khmer Rouge Leaders to be Judged? The importance of Case 002.
Participants: Villagers from Kandal, Svay Rieng and Banteay Mean Chey
09:15 Q&A session.
09:45 Break
10:00 Film Screening: “Tuol Sleng in 1979” and “Behind the Walls of S-21”
Guest speaker: Him Huy, former S-21 guard
10:45 Leave for Cheung Ek Killing Field
12:00 Lunch
14:00 Leave for Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
15:00 Visit the Royal Palace
18:00 Dinner
February 11, 2009
6:30 Breakfast (Package food)
7:00 Buses pick up participants from hotel
7:30 Depart to ECCC
9:00 Observe pre-trial hearing of Ieng Sary’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
12:00 Lunch
13:30 Observe pre-trial hearing of Ieng Sary’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
18:00 Dinner and Chapei with Singer Kong Nai
February 12, 2009
6:30 Breakfast (Package food)
7:00 Buses pick up participants from hotel
7:30 Depart to ECCC
9:00 Observe pre-trial hearing of Khieu Samphan’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
12:00 Lunch
13:30 Continue observing pre-trial hearing of Khieu Samphan’s Appeal against extension of provisional detention.
18:00 Dinner and entertainment with Comedian Prum Manh
20:00 Theatre: Breaking the Silence produced by Amrita Performing Arts; Directed by Annemarie Prins of The Netherlands.
Location: The National Institute of Education, near the Independence Monument, Phnom Penh
OPEN TO PUBLIC
February 13, 2009
6:30 Breakfast (Package food)
7:00 Villagers return home.
For more information:
Observing the Hearings, Savina Sirik, Tel: 012 688 046
Performance – Breaking the Silence; Sayana Ser, Tel: 092 763 272 or Suon Bunrith, Country Director of Amirita Performing Arts at Tel: 012 410 044.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
News from DC-Cam 2/1/2010 Breaking the Silence for Case 002
By
Dacil Q. Keo
Following villagers’ positive reviews and continued interest from the 2009 national tour, DC-Cam and Amrita Performing Arts will be bringing more performances of Breaking the Silence to the countryside in an effort to reach out to as many Cambodians as possible. This outreach effort is even more critical during this round of performances because of Case 002, the second trial of the Extraordinary Chambers involving the four most senior Khmer Rouge leaders still alive today. Given the significance of the Case 002, DC-Cam will expand its project to include daily radio broadcastings of Breaking the Silence and special classroom performances with high school students starting February 2010. Given the impossibility of brining the millions of Khmer Rouge survivors to the courtroom to meet with tribunal officials and attend Case 002 trial proceedings, increasing the number of performances of Breaking the Silence along with an educational component focused on Case 002 ensures that as many Cambodians as possible in the countryside are informed and involved in the tribunal process. The tribunal is after all, seeking justice for the millions of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Breaking the Silence is a play about the lives of survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime, both victim and former cadre, told in seven tragic stories. These stories reveal the heartache and strength of dealing with the horrific experiences under the Khmer Rouge regime. The characters express feelings of guilt, fear, sadness, confusion, and even hope; each in an attempt to confront and reconcile with their troubling past. The themes of the play, forgiveness and reconciliation, are not forced upon audiences, but rather carefully presented to illustrate the difficult and often times conflicting nature of trying moving forward.
During each of these three outreach programs, DC-Cam will take the opportunity to impart information and promote discussions about Case 002. After each performance of Breaking the Silence, DC-Cam will distribute its booklet, Genocide: Who are the Senior Khmer Rouge Leaders to be Judge, the Importance of Case 002, to audiences during the village discussions that normally follow the play. DC-Cam staff facilitating the village discussions will go over the information presented in the booklet and answer questions. The information in the booklet contains a lengthy profile of each of the four senior Khmer Rouge leaders and the crimes they are charged with. It also contains several photographs of each leader, an explanation of international crimes including the crime of genocide, and Khmer Rouge letters and official documents. Since many Cambodians know very little about the backgrounds of senior Khmer Rouge leaders Noun Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, and Ieng Thirith-and even less about international crimes- this booklet along with the village discussions will help villagers to understand the historic Case 002.
The daily radio broadcasting of Breaking the Silence across three radio stations will likewise entail a special segment that will disseminate information about Case 002. This call-in segment will allow listeners and guest speakers to discuss developments of the trial and related topics of forgiveness and reconciliation. The high school performances will also allow more Cambodians to become familiar with the details of Case 002, in addition to discussing the themes of the play. The inclusion of Breaking the Silence in high school classrooms will help to further strengthen the teaching of the history of Democratic Kampuchea in high schools across the country as part of the Genocide Education project implemented by DC-Cam and the Ministry of Education.
Other outreach activities by DC-Cam this year include local teacher trainings (3,000 teachers) on genocide education across Cambodia’s 1,600 high schools, the publication and distribution of Case 002 booklets-500,000 copies in Khmer and 10,000 copies in English, a second national tour of Breaking the Silence in 12 different locations, biweekly Khmer Rouge film screenings and village forums, the distribution of an additional 700,000 copies of the textbook A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), and a small community developmental project called Road of Reconciliation.
For more information about Breaking the Silence tour dates and locations, please contact:
Sayana Ser, Tel: 092 763 272, Email: truthsayana.s@dccam.org
Outreach Coordinator, Documentation Center of Cambodia
Suon Bun Rith, Tel: 012 410 044, Email: rithsb@amritaperformingarts.org
Country Director, Amrita Performing Arts
BREAKING THE SILENCE – Performance Schedule for February 2010
Wednesday, 3 at Wat Noreay, Kampot
Thursday, 4 at Wat Noreay, Kampot
Friday, 5 at Kraing Ta Chan, Takeo
Saturday, 6 at Kraing Ta Chan, Takeo
Sunday, 7 at Wat Trapiang Thom, Takeo
Monday, 8 at Wat Trapiang Thom, Takeo
Tuesday, 9 at Moeung Char Commune Office, Takeo
Wednesday, 10 at Moeung Char commune office, Takeo
Thursday, 11 at Wat Moeung Char, Takeo
Friday, 12 at Wat Moeung Char, Takeo
A letter from youk chhang:
Restoring Cambodian Community and way of life: Breaking the Silence
There has been a long silence in this country regarding the Khmer Rouge era, a silence that has lasted for decades and kept alive by fear, pain, and politics.
In recent years however, there have been solid efforts to end this silence in form of legal justice, outreach programs and forthcoming genocide education in high schools in Cambodia. While each measure is valuable for the country's healing process, there needs also to be measures which focus on the emotional and psychological components of reconciliation and healing. This is where art can make a significant contribution. Cambodian people are very artistic and it is their way of life. The Khmer Rouge have killed many artists but not the artistry of the Cambodian people. It is our soul. This play, "Breaking the Silence" produced by Amrita Performing Arts and directed by Annemarie Prins is the most powerful play since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.
It is a play which seeks to break Cambodia's silence, as evident by its title. It is a play about the Cambodian people, their suffering, anger, and courage to move on no matter the circumstances. Khmer Rouge victims are emotionally broken people living in a broken society; a people without souls or with our souls wandering around. I have found our soul in this play, "Breaking the Silence." This play is very important for all Cambodians to see and hear. It will help restore our dignity and humanity and lift up our morality. It will also help our children to better understand their country. It is my hope that this play, and future plays and radios like it, will have a prominent role in the rebuilding of Cambodian society.
Dacil Q. Keo
Following villagers’ positive reviews and continued interest from the 2009 national tour, DC-Cam and Amrita Performing Arts will be bringing more performances of Breaking the Silence to the countryside in an effort to reach out to as many Cambodians as possible. This outreach effort is even more critical during this round of performances because of Case 002, the second trial of the Extraordinary Chambers involving the four most senior Khmer Rouge leaders still alive today. Given the significance of the Case 002, DC-Cam will expand its project to include daily radio broadcastings of Breaking the Silence and special classroom performances with high school students starting February 2010. Given the impossibility of brining the millions of Khmer Rouge survivors to the courtroom to meet with tribunal officials and attend Case 002 trial proceedings, increasing the number of performances of Breaking the Silence along with an educational component focused on Case 002 ensures that as many Cambodians as possible in the countryside are informed and involved in the tribunal process. The tribunal is after all, seeking justice for the millions of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Breaking the Silence is a play about the lives of survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime, both victim and former cadre, told in seven tragic stories. These stories reveal the heartache and strength of dealing with the horrific experiences under the Khmer Rouge regime. The characters express feelings of guilt, fear, sadness, confusion, and even hope; each in an attempt to confront and reconcile with their troubling past. The themes of the play, forgiveness and reconciliation, are not forced upon audiences, but rather carefully presented to illustrate the difficult and often times conflicting nature of trying moving forward.
During each of these three outreach programs, DC-Cam will take the opportunity to impart information and promote discussions about Case 002. After each performance of Breaking the Silence, DC-Cam will distribute its booklet, Genocide: Who are the Senior Khmer Rouge Leaders to be Judge, the Importance of Case 002, to audiences during the village discussions that normally follow the play. DC-Cam staff facilitating the village discussions will go over the information presented in the booklet and answer questions. The information in the booklet contains a lengthy profile of each of the four senior Khmer Rouge leaders and the crimes they are charged with. It also contains several photographs of each leader, an explanation of international crimes including the crime of genocide, and Khmer Rouge letters and official documents. Since many Cambodians know very little about the backgrounds of senior Khmer Rouge leaders Noun Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, and Ieng Thirith-and even less about international crimes- this booklet along with the village discussions will help villagers to understand the historic Case 002.
The daily radio broadcasting of Breaking the Silence across three radio stations will likewise entail a special segment that will disseminate information about Case 002. This call-in segment will allow listeners and guest speakers to discuss developments of the trial and related topics of forgiveness and reconciliation. The high school performances will also allow more Cambodians to become familiar with the details of Case 002, in addition to discussing the themes of the play. The inclusion of Breaking the Silence in high school classrooms will help to further strengthen the teaching of the history of Democratic Kampuchea in high schools across the country as part of the Genocide Education project implemented by DC-Cam and the Ministry of Education.
Other outreach activities by DC-Cam this year include local teacher trainings (3,000 teachers) on genocide education across Cambodia’s 1,600 high schools, the publication and distribution of Case 002 booklets-500,000 copies in Khmer and 10,000 copies in English, a second national tour of Breaking the Silence in 12 different locations, biweekly Khmer Rouge film screenings and village forums, the distribution of an additional 700,000 copies of the textbook A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), and a small community developmental project called Road of Reconciliation.
For more information about Breaking the Silence tour dates and locations, please contact:
Sayana Ser, Tel: 092 763 272, Email: truthsayana.s@dccam.org
Outreach Coordinator, Documentation Center of Cambodia
Suon Bun Rith, Tel: 012 410 044, Email: rithsb@amritaperformingarts.org
Country Director, Amrita Performing Arts
BREAKING THE SILENCE – Performance Schedule for February 2010
Wednesday, 3 at Wat Noreay, Kampot
Thursday, 4 at Wat Noreay, Kampot
Friday, 5 at Kraing Ta Chan, Takeo
Saturday, 6 at Kraing Ta Chan, Takeo
Sunday, 7 at Wat Trapiang Thom, Takeo
Monday, 8 at Wat Trapiang Thom, Takeo
Tuesday, 9 at Moeung Char Commune Office, Takeo
Wednesday, 10 at Moeung Char commune office, Takeo
Thursday, 11 at Wat Moeung Char, Takeo
Friday, 12 at Wat Moeung Char, Takeo
A letter from youk chhang:
Restoring Cambodian Community and way of life: Breaking the Silence
There has been a long silence in this country regarding the Khmer Rouge era, a silence that has lasted for decades and kept alive by fear, pain, and politics.
In recent years however, there have been solid efforts to end this silence in form of legal justice, outreach programs and forthcoming genocide education in high schools in Cambodia. While each measure is valuable for the country's healing process, there needs also to be measures which focus on the emotional and psychological components of reconciliation and healing. This is where art can make a significant contribution. Cambodian people are very artistic and it is their way of life. The Khmer Rouge have killed many artists but not the artistry of the Cambodian people. It is our soul. This play, "Breaking the Silence" produced by Amrita Performing Arts and directed by Annemarie Prins is the most powerful play since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.
It is a play which seeks to break Cambodia's silence, as evident by its title. It is a play about the Cambodian people, their suffering, anger, and courage to move on no matter the circumstances. Khmer Rouge victims are emotionally broken people living in a broken society; a people without souls or with our souls wandering around. I have found our soul in this play, "Breaking the Silence." This play is very important for all Cambodians to see and hear. It will help restore our dignity and humanity and lift up our morality. It will also help our children to better understand their country. It is my hope that this play, and future plays and radios like it, will have a prominent role in the rebuilding of Cambodian society.
Film on Cambodia sparks forgiveness
Part of documentary on Khmer Rouge is shown at S.L. church
By Aaron Falk
Published: Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010 9:41 p.m. MST
SALT LAKE CITY — Thet Sambath lost his family to the Khmer Rouge but found peace in Cambodia's "killing fields," the site of mass executions in the 1970s.
Now the investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker hopes his personal search for closure can help lift the dark cloud that hangs over his country.
Sambath spent more than a decade making the film "Enemies of the People," a world cinema documentary competition entry at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The watershed work features some of the only recorded accounts from the Khmer Rouge soldiers and officials who committed the atrocities.
"Before I make the documentary, I don't know much," Sambath said Sunday at the Cambodian Christian Reform Church in Salt Lake City. "Now I know the reason. It's good that we have this information."
Sambath and co-director Rob Lemkin shared a clip of the film during the service.
In the video, a group of men point out across a field of green grass and palm trees. This is where we killed them, they say, and this is how we did it.
They recall the smell of blood on their hands and how they piled bodies into ditches.
"I came here only to show you the truth," one of them says.
Story continues below
When the clip was over, Sambath took questions from the handful of Cambodians at the service. A few of the elders in the room spoke in Khmer as they shared their personal stories and feelings.
Sitha Troyer, of Salt Lake City, said Khmer Rouge soldiers in Cambodia shot her in the stomach. "I cried," she said after seeing the clip, "because I remember."
Charlie Phim, the church's pastor, recalled the brutal deaths of his family and his repeated efforts to escape the country.
But Sambath and Lemkin hope the soldiers' willingness to admit what happened will help Cambodians move on.
"It's an unspoken part of the history," Lemkin said. "It's a huge black hole."
In talking to Cambodians in Salt Lake City, the film already seems to be having that effect, Sambath said. "They forgive. They can forgive killers."
By Aaron Falk
Published: Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010 9:41 p.m. MST
SALT LAKE CITY — Thet Sambath lost his family to the Khmer Rouge but found peace in Cambodia's "killing fields," the site of mass executions in the 1970s.
Now the investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker hopes his personal search for closure can help lift the dark cloud that hangs over his country.
Sambath spent more than a decade making the film "Enemies of the People," a world cinema documentary competition entry at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The watershed work features some of the only recorded accounts from the Khmer Rouge soldiers and officials who committed the atrocities.
"Before I make the documentary, I don't know much," Sambath said Sunday at the Cambodian Christian Reform Church in Salt Lake City. "Now I know the reason. It's good that we have this information."
Sambath and co-director Rob Lemkin shared a clip of the film during the service.
In the video, a group of men point out across a field of green grass and palm trees. This is where we killed them, they say, and this is how we did it.
They recall the smell of blood on their hands and how they piled bodies into ditches.
"I came here only to show you the truth," one of them says.
Story continues below
When the clip was over, Sambath took questions from the handful of Cambodians at the service. A few of the elders in the room spoke in Khmer as they shared their personal stories and feelings.
Sitha Troyer, of Salt Lake City, said Khmer Rouge soldiers in Cambodia shot her in the stomach. "I cried," she said after seeing the clip, "because I remember."
Charlie Phim, the church's pastor, recalled the brutal deaths of his family and his repeated efforts to escape the country.
But Sambath and Lemkin hope the soldiers' willingness to admit what happened will help Cambodians move on.
"It's an unspoken part of the history," Lemkin said. "It's a huge black hole."
In talking to Cambodians in Salt Lake City, the film already seems to be having that effect, Sambath said. "They forgive. They can forgive killers."
Thach Chov: A former student of Khieu Samphan
Bunthorn Som
Thach Chov, age 80, was born at North Dai Teung village, Song Lok sub-district, Travinh province, South Vietnam . After the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed, Thach Chov served as a chair of the education department at Svay Rieng province for over two decades. Today as a retired official, Thach assists an orphanage center in Svay Rieng town.
Early life
Thach has four siblings. His father was Thach Long and his mother was Thach Ieng. His father, Thach Long, was conscripted into the French Army and then was sent to Europe to fight during WWI. When he was young, Thach Chov spoke Vietnamese poorly, so it was hard to communicate with the Vietnamese in Vietnam . Because of this challenge, Thach’s father sent him to a Vietnamese school where he studied for three years. Afterward, Thach went to study at a Franco-Khmer school for Ethnic Khmer in Travinh provincial town, South Vietnam . Vietnamese attended a Franco-Vietnamese school that was completely different from the Franco-Khmer school. At the Franco-Khmer class, Thach studied with Son Sen, who later became defense minister during the Democratic Kampuchea era (1975-1979). Thach said that his and Son Sen’s houses are just about one kilometer away from each other. As close classmates, young Thach and Sen packed lunch to eat at school every day; ate together and came home together in the evening. The school was about 6 km from Thach’s house.
Later, the Issarak movement, a resistance group fighting against the French, released propaganda at Dai Teung village. Viet Minh troops arrived at the village shortly after. Fearing his safety, Thach quit school for a short period of time. However, Son Sen did not and after completing Travinh School, he went on to pursue further studies at a pedagogy school in Phnom Penh . The Issarak Movement and the Viet Minh often forced people to join their movement. In order to avoid persecution, Thach was ordained as a monk after quitting school. Later, Thach thought of leaving his monkhood and going back to school, but his French teacher would not readmit him because he had been away from school for a long time already and would not be able to catch up with other students in the class. His teacher told him to go back home to help parents herd the cows and rice farm.
Thach was pretty upset with his teacher. Because he always wanted to study, Thach asked his parent to go to Phnom Penh so that he could continue his studies.
In 1951, Thach left the monkhood and decided to take a boat from South Vietnam to Phnom Penh although he had nowhere to stay. On the boat traveling to Phnom Penh , Thach met a monk from Travinh who went to study Pali in Phnom Penh . The monk offered him a place to stay at Unalom pagoda because he had a friend who was a monk there. Unfortunately, arriving at Unalom, Thach did not meet the monk he had been told to meet. Instead, Thach met with a deputy head of the monastery who would not let him stay at Unalom because there was no room.
Because he had no other options, Thach begged the deputy head for his permission to sleep in the kitchen. The deputy head agreed. One day, Thach accidently met another monk who was also from South Vietnam who came to teach at Dei Ith School in Kien Svay district and who used to stay at Unalom Pagoda. The monk invited Thach to stay with him at Dei Ith School. Thach agreed and he stayed there for one and a half years and studied until he completed 7th grade at Junior High School.
At that time he was 21 and too old to go to high school, as students had to be less than 16 years of age to attend. Instead, Thach decided to attend the Pedagogy School for Primary School level teachers located behind Sisowath High School (Present-day Don Penh Junior Primary School). At this pedagogy school Thach had Khieu Samphan as a teacher during his first year. Thach said that at the pedagogy school Khieu Samphan taught him mathematics around three hours per week. “Khieu Samphan was a thoughtful and serious teacher; he never shared jokes with other students and he was very strict during the exam,” said Thach, “however, he was favored by students; he was quiet, but he explained the lesson so clearly.”
During his second year at Pedagogy School , Thach never saw Khieu Samphan again. Thach assumed that he went to France for further education, although Khieu Samphan didn’t say anything to his students about this. After Khieu Samphan left, a French teacher replaced him in mathematics class. All students complained and were upset because the new teacher did not explain the lesson well and all the students had trouble understanding French.
Thach spent five years at pedagogy school and in 1956 he graduated. He was assigned by the State to teach at Preah Monivong High School in Battambang town. After teaching there for two years, Thach returned Phnom Penh to continue his studies at the National Institute of Pedagogy (present-day National Institute of Education), located near Independence Monument . There, Professor Keng Vansack was the president and his former classmate, Son Sen, was a vice-president. During his first year at the National Institute of Pedagogy, Thach had a chance to visit his homeland in South Vietnam during school vacation. Son Sen did not go, but he asked Thach to send a message to his parents and relatives there. This was the last time Thach met with and the last words he received from Son Sen. When Thach returned to Phnom Penh from South Vietnam to continue his second year at school, he no long saw Son Sen. He was told that that Son Sen left Phnom Penh to join the resistance movement against the Sihanouk government.
In 1961, Thach completed his studies at the National Institute of Pedagogy and then he was assigned to teach at Baphnom High School in Prey Veng province. Thach said that he was very careful in teaching and he always helped needy students. Therefore, he was very much favored by his students and their parents. Soon, Thach was promoted to be the president of Baphnom High School , a position he held until 1970 when there was chaos after the coup, causing students to quit school and join Khmer Rouge movement. The Khmer Rouge took over the village soon afterwards and organized people into mutual aid teams. The school was shut down. Because the situation at Baphnom was not secure, Thach asked the Ministry of Education to transfer him to present-day Svay Rieng High School on the basis that this new place was nearer for him and his children. At Svay Rieng High School , Thach served as the director of the governance office.
He served in that position until the Khmer Rouge achieved victory over the country. After the Khmer Rouge took power, Thach and his family were evacuated to Tasuos village in late 1975. Staying there for seven days, he was separated from his wife and children when Khmer Rouge cadre told him to join a meeting at Chheu Teal village, Svay Chrum district. He could not bring any clothes with him. Instead, the Khmer Rouge cadre brought him to a school located at Prey Beung village, Meun Chey sub-district, Romduol district, and then to study about Communist Party of Kampuchea Party morals and the division of people (New and Old people) for three weeks. After he left Tasuos village, he and his family were separated.
In 1976, Thach was allowed to return to Tasuos sub-district and hoped that he could reunite with his family. However, he did not meet with them and later he found out that all his family members had fled to Vietnam . However, Thach was not persecuted and he was assigned to work in fertilizer making unit in which his team was responsible for collecting human waste to make fertilizer.
Meeting an old friend
One morning at around 10 am, when Thach was walking home from work, he spotted his old friend whom he had not met for a long time. It was Son Sen. Thach said that he saw Son Sen in a Jeep with some bodyguards traveling to the border area to see the troops near Tasuos Pagoda. However, Son Sen did not see him and he dared not call his name. The two did not talk and they were separated again.
Forcing to marry
Thach never stop missing his wife and family who successfully fled to Vietnam . Back in Cambodia , Thach was asked by the Khmer Rouge cadre to marry twice. He refused. Thach tried to convince the Khmer Rouge cadre that he preferred and did not mind living alone. One day when he was walking to the fertilizer making unit, he met with a former student from Baphnom High School who was now a chief of the social affairs unit. The student still respected Thach as his teacher, stopped his bicycle, took his hat off and shouted at Thach, “Teacher! Do you recognize me?” Thach was unable to recognize him because he stopped teaching there six years previously and he had lots of students. Thach replied “I recognize your face, but I forgot your name.” It was this student who save Thach’s life. Thach said, “My student told the group leader and sub-district secretary to look after me and told them that I was a [Khmer Rouge] agent who spied Lon Nol government in Svay Rieng before 1975.” However, his student also said that Thach had to accept Angkar’s request to marry; otherwise, he would be killed. Knowing this, Thach agreed to marry; however, many women refused because he was originally from Vietnam and the women were worried that their lives would be endangered if they decided to marry Thach. Nevertheless, one woman decided to marry him although she knew about Thach’s identity. The couple lives together until today in Svay Rieng provincial town.
After the Khmer Rouge collapsed in 1979, Thach managed to go to Phnom Penh and was asked by the Minister of Education to serve as the president of the education department in Svay Rieng Province . Today at 80 years of age, a retired Thach Chov spends his time teaching French and helping the orphanage center in Svay Rieng town.
Thach Chov, age 80, was born at North Dai Teung village, Song Lok sub-district, Travinh province, South Vietnam . After the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed, Thach Chov served as a chair of the education department at Svay Rieng province for over two decades. Today as a retired official, Thach assists an orphanage center in Svay Rieng town.
Early life
Thach has four siblings. His father was Thach Long and his mother was Thach Ieng. His father, Thach Long, was conscripted into the French Army and then was sent to Europe to fight during WWI. When he was young, Thach Chov spoke Vietnamese poorly, so it was hard to communicate with the Vietnamese in Vietnam . Because of this challenge, Thach’s father sent him to a Vietnamese school where he studied for three years. Afterward, Thach went to study at a Franco-Khmer school for Ethnic Khmer in Travinh provincial town, South Vietnam . Vietnamese attended a Franco-Vietnamese school that was completely different from the Franco-Khmer school. At the Franco-Khmer class, Thach studied with Son Sen, who later became defense minister during the Democratic Kampuchea era (1975-1979). Thach said that his and Son Sen’s houses are just about one kilometer away from each other. As close classmates, young Thach and Sen packed lunch to eat at school every day; ate together and came home together in the evening. The school was about 6 km from Thach’s house.
Later, the Issarak movement, a resistance group fighting against the French, released propaganda at Dai Teung village. Viet Minh troops arrived at the village shortly after. Fearing his safety, Thach quit school for a short period of time. However, Son Sen did not and after completing Travinh School, he went on to pursue further studies at a pedagogy school in Phnom Penh . The Issarak Movement and the Viet Minh often forced people to join their movement. In order to avoid persecution, Thach was ordained as a monk after quitting school. Later, Thach thought of leaving his monkhood and going back to school, but his French teacher would not readmit him because he had been away from school for a long time already and would not be able to catch up with other students in the class. His teacher told him to go back home to help parents herd the cows and rice farm.
Thach was pretty upset with his teacher. Because he always wanted to study, Thach asked his parent to go to Phnom Penh so that he could continue his studies.
In 1951, Thach left the monkhood and decided to take a boat from South Vietnam to Phnom Penh although he had nowhere to stay. On the boat traveling to Phnom Penh , Thach met a monk from Travinh who went to study Pali in Phnom Penh . The monk offered him a place to stay at Unalom pagoda because he had a friend who was a monk there. Unfortunately, arriving at Unalom, Thach did not meet the monk he had been told to meet. Instead, Thach met with a deputy head of the monastery who would not let him stay at Unalom because there was no room.
Because he had no other options, Thach begged the deputy head for his permission to sleep in the kitchen. The deputy head agreed. One day, Thach accidently met another monk who was also from South Vietnam who came to teach at Dei Ith School in Kien Svay district and who used to stay at Unalom Pagoda. The monk invited Thach to stay with him at Dei Ith School. Thach agreed and he stayed there for one and a half years and studied until he completed 7th grade at Junior High School.
At that time he was 21 and too old to go to high school, as students had to be less than 16 years of age to attend. Instead, Thach decided to attend the Pedagogy School for Primary School level teachers located behind Sisowath High School (Present-day Don Penh Junior Primary School). At this pedagogy school Thach had Khieu Samphan as a teacher during his first year. Thach said that at the pedagogy school Khieu Samphan taught him mathematics around three hours per week. “Khieu Samphan was a thoughtful and serious teacher; he never shared jokes with other students and he was very strict during the exam,” said Thach, “however, he was favored by students; he was quiet, but he explained the lesson so clearly.”
During his second year at Pedagogy School , Thach never saw Khieu Samphan again. Thach assumed that he went to France for further education, although Khieu Samphan didn’t say anything to his students about this. After Khieu Samphan left, a French teacher replaced him in mathematics class. All students complained and were upset because the new teacher did not explain the lesson well and all the students had trouble understanding French.
Thach spent five years at pedagogy school and in 1956 he graduated. He was assigned by the State to teach at Preah Monivong High School in Battambang town. After teaching there for two years, Thach returned Phnom Penh to continue his studies at the National Institute of Pedagogy (present-day National Institute of Education), located near Independence Monument . There, Professor Keng Vansack was the president and his former classmate, Son Sen, was a vice-president. During his first year at the National Institute of Pedagogy, Thach had a chance to visit his homeland in South Vietnam during school vacation. Son Sen did not go, but he asked Thach to send a message to his parents and relatives there. This was the last time Thach met with and the last words he received from Son Sen. When Thach returned to Phnom Penh from South Vietnam to continue his second year at school, he no long saw Son Sen. He was told that that Son Sen left Phnom Penh to join the resistance movement against the Sihanouk government.
In 1961, Thach completed his studies at the National Institute of Pedagogy and then he was assigned to teach at Baphnom High School in Prey Veng province. Thach said that he was very careful in teaching and he always helped needy students. Therefore, he was very much favored by his students and their parents. Soon, Thach was promoted to be the president of Baphnom High School , a position he held until 1970 when there was chaos after the coup, causing students to quit school and join Khmer Rouge movement. The Khmer Rouge took over the village soon afterwards and organized people into mutual aid teams. The school was shut down. Because the situation at Baphnom was not secure, Thach asked the Ministry of Education to transfer him to present-day Svay Rieng High School on the basis that this new place was nearer for him and his children. At Svay Rieng High School , Thach served as the director of the governance office.
He served in that position until the Khmer Rouge achieved victory over the country. After the Khmer Rouge took power, Thach and his family were evacuated to Tasuos village in late 1975. Staying there for seven days, he was separated from his wife and children when Khmer Rouge cadre told him to join a meeting at Chheu Teal village, Svay Chrum district. He could not bring any clothes with him. Instead, the Khmer Rouge cadre brought him to a school located at Prey Beung village, Meun Chey sub-district, Romduol district, and then to study about Communist Party of Kampuchea Party morals and the division of people (New and Old people) for three weeks. After he left Tasuos village, he and his family were separated.
In 1976, Thach was allowed to return to Tasuos sub-district and hoped that he could reunite with his family. However, he did not meet with them and later he found out that all his family members had fled to Vietnam . However, Thach was not persecuted and he was assigned to work in fertilizer making unit in which his team was responsible for collecting human waste to make fertilizer.
Meeting an old friend
One morning at around 10 am, when Thach was walking home from work, he spotted his old friend whom he had not met for a long time. It was Son Sen. Thach said that he saw Son Sen in a Jeep with some bodyguards traveling to the border area to see the troops near Tasuos Pagoda. However, Son Sen did not see him and he dared not call his name. The two did not talk and they were separated again.
Forcing to marry
Thach never stop missing his wife and family who successfully fled to Vietnam . Back in Cambodia , Thach was asked by the Khmer Rouge cadre to marry twice. He refused. Thach tried to convince the Khmer Rouge cadre that he preferred and did not mind living alone. One day when he was walking to the fertilizer making unit, he met with a former student from Baphnom High School who was now a chief of the social affairs unit. The student still respected Thach as his teacher, stopped his bicycle, took his hat off and shouted at Thach, “Teacher! Do you recognize me?” Thach was unable to recognize him because he stopped teaching there six years previously and he had lots of students. Thach replied “I recognize your face, but I forgot your name.” It was this student who save Thach’s life. Thach said, “My student told the group leader and sub-district secretary to look after me and told them that I was a [Khmer Rouge] agent who spied Lon Nol government in Svay Rieng before 1975.” However, his student also said that Thach had to accept Angkar’s request to marry; otherwise, he would be killed. Knowing this, Thach agreed to marry; however, many women refused because he was originally from Vietnam and the women were worried that their lives would be endangered if they decided to marry Thach. Nevertheless, one woman decided to marry him although she knew about Thach’s identity. The couple lives together until today in Svay Rieng provincial town.
After the Khmer Rouge collapsed in 1979, Thach managed to go to Phnom Penh and was asked by the Minister of Education to serve as the president of the education department in Svay Rieng Province . Today at 80 years of age, a retired Thach Chov spends his time teaching French and helping the orphanage center in Svay Rieng town.
China Played No Role in Khmer Rouge Politics: Ambassador
By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 January 2010
China’s ambassador to Cambodia told a group Friday that the Chinese had not aided the Khmer Rouge but had sought to keep Cambodians from suffering under the regime.
“The Chinese government never took part in or intervened into the politics of Democratic Kampuchea,” the ambassador, Zhang Jin Feng, told the opening class at Khong Cheu Institute.
The Chinese did not support the wrongful policies of the regime, but instead tried to provide assistance through food, hoes and scythes, Zhang said.
“If there were no food [assistance], the Cambodian people would have suffered more famine,” she said.
The comments come as the Khmer Rouge tribunal prepares for its second trial, of five high-ranking members of the regime.
However, a leading documentarian of the regime said the Chinese may want to revise that statement, given all the evidence that points to their involvement with the Khmer Rouge.
“According to documents, China intervened in all domains from the top to lower level: security, including the export of natural resources from Cambodia, like rice, bile of tigers, bears and animal skins to exchange for agriculture instruments,” said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia.
“In the domain of security, Chinese advisers trained units to catch the enemy, and some of the trainers went to inspect the outcome of the training at the local level,” he said.
China maintained close diplomatic ties with the Khmer Rouge after they came to power. It was one of only nine communist countries to keep an embassy in the country after April 1975.
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 January 2010
China’s ambassador to Cambodia told a group Friday that the Chinese had not aided the Khmer Rouge but had sought to keep Cambodians from suffering under the regime.
“The Chinese government never took part in or intervened into the politics of Democratic Kampuchea,” the ambassador, Zhang Jin Feng, told the opening class at Khong Cheu Institute.
The Chinese did not support the wrongful policies of the regime, but instead tried to provide assistance through food, hoes and scythes, Zhang said.
“If there were no food [assistance], the Cambodian people would have suffered more famine,” she said.
The comments come as the Khmer Rouge tribunal prepares for its second trial, of five high-ranking members of the regime.
However, a leading documentarian of the regime said the Chinese may want to revise that statement, given all the evidence that points to their involvement with the Khmer Rouge.
“According to documents, China intervened in all domains from the top to lower level: security, including the export of natural resources from Cambodia, like rice, bile of tigers, bears and animal skins to exchange for agriculture instruments,” said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia.
“In the domain of security, Chinese advisers trained units to catch the enemy, and some of the trainers went to inspect the outcome of the training at the local level,” he said.
China maintained close diplomatic ties with the Khmer Rouge after they came to power. It was one of only nine communist countries to keep an embassy in the country after April 1975.
Kheum Seum: A teacher of history of Democratic Kampuchea
Som Bunthorn
Kheum Seum was born at Tuol Chambok village, Sangke sub-district, Rumduol district, Svay Rieng province. Seum has been an orphan since he was 13 and his parents and other family members were killed and tossed into a well by Khmer Rouge guards. After the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed he went to stay and study at Wat Peam Ampil called Wat Thmey. In 1989, Seum passed his entrance exam, and then become a history teacher at the primary school level. In 1991, after additional training, he completed another course and was sent to teach at Kampong Chak Junior High School, present-day Kampong Chak high school, which he had previously attended. In 2009, Seum was selected by the Ministry of Education to join the teacher’s training workshop on the history of Democratic Kampuchea.
Seum’s father was Kheum Sieng and his mother was Kheum Pheurn. They were both farmers. He also had six siblings. In the 1960s, Seum attended grade 12th (present-day 1st grade) at Wat Thmey Primary School. During his school vacations Seum never had free time; he needed to help his parents carry water, fertilize rice fields, herd cows and work in the paddy fields.
In 1974, the Khmer Rouge cadre distributed propaganda in Rumduol district to attract villagers to fight against Lon Nol’s Chmar Kmao (black cat) soldiers and Thieu-Ky of South Vietnam. Khmer Rouge soldiers attacked, then captured his and nearby villages shortly after. The Khmer Rouge appointed poor and trusted villagers to be group and village chiefs and organize work into mutual aid teams and protect the village from Lon Nol soldiers’ attack. Teachers were very frightened of the Khmer Rouge and some of them gave up their duties and fled to Svay Rieng provincial town. Since they did not come to teach, Seum had to quit school when he was in grade 10 (present-day grade 3) to help his parents.
When the Khmer Rouge soldiers captured Svay Rieng provincial town in 1975, Seum was 11. During the Khmer Rouge time, he was first assigned to pick up cow-dung to fertilize paddy fields, and later to work in a mobile unit team helping his elder friends carry earth. Seum’s father, who was pretty old, was assigned to be in the “grandfather unit,” weaving ropes and making basket. His mother was assigned to work in “grandmother unit,” where she looked after babies while their mothers were working in the field. Approximately two years after they took power, the Khmer Rouge cadres walked from one house to another to confiscate all private property such as kitchen tools, ox-carts, cows, and buffalos, and store them in the communal hall. After that, all people at Trapeang Run village were required to eat communally.
Seum’s brother, who was a Lon Nol soldier, returned to his home village after the Lon Nol government was defeated without knowing that terrible things would happen to him. Upon his arrival, he was arrested and sent to Svay Rolum security prison located in Peam Ampil pagoda, Kampong Ampil sub-district and Rumduol district. Shortly after, Seum’s brother fled the prison and escaped to Vietnam. However, the cooperative chief did not disclose this information. Instead, he told Seum’s parents that his brother was shot dead by security guards. The news shocked the whole family.
Three month later, because the border was poorly secured, Seum’s brother managed to return to Cambodia to take his wife back to Vietnam. Upon hearing this news, the security guards arrested Seum’s father and sent him to a security prison at Trapeang Run village. He was kept there for several months and charged with hiding the enemy and not reporting to Angkar. However, Seum’s father was well liked by villagers. About 100 villagers printed their thumbprints on a piece of paper to protest again Seum’s father’s arrest. The villagers protested and demanded Seum’s father’s release, reasoning that he was not involved with his daughter-in-law’s fleeing to Vietnam because the two did not live with each other. The Khmer Rouge cadre agreed with the villagers’ request and Seum’s father was released on the condition that if anyone in his family fled again, they would never forgive them.
In the dry season of 1977, Vietnamese soldiers reached Rumduol district. Fearing rocket shelling, Seum’s family was evacuated to Svay Chrum district. Some of those who stayed were taken to Vietnam by the Vietnamese. When the Khmer Rouge soldiers arrived after Vietnamese soldiers retreated, the Khmer Rouge soldiers shot people who had been unable to flee to Vietnamese, accusing them of having “Khmer bodies with Vietnamese heads.” They dropped the corpses in the well. Those who were packing to flee were all killed. The rest of the people were sent to Beung Kek detention center in Svay Chrum district.
At Svay Chrum district, Seum’s family was assigned to live in So Pagoda in Svay Yea sub-district. The group leader distributed four cans of rice per day for his family of seven. The fighting between Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge soldiers continued; his family was told to move from one place to another that lacked proper places to sleep, such as in the bush, near the hills and under the trees.
At that time, one of Seum’s cousins named That who worked at the detention center arrested Seum’s uncle Yon, who was also That’s relative, and another woman and sent them to the detention center. That accused Yon of having an affair with a woman (Yon’s wife told That). Although they knew about this, Seum’s parents dared not ask the guards to release Yon. The next day afternoon, Yon was killed at Angkor Sor by security guards.
During the transplanting season, Seum’s parents and relatives and another five families were evacuated to live in Koh Chey cooperative in Preah Sdech district, Prey Veng province and were given rice to eat communally. A month later, the cooperative chief told all newly arriving families to go to live in the “rich land” in Pursat province.
In Pursat, Seum’s relative and other families were assigned to live at Thlok Sangke cooperative at Damnak Thnong village, Bakan district. Upon arriving, they had no mats, blankets, and mosquito nets, so they slept on hay and sometimes directly on the ground in the hut. While there, Seum was assigned to herd the cows and carry water. His duty was to fill 20 water jars per day. His other five older brothers were assigned to work in a mobile unit. One of Seum’s nephews, who was blind chicken, was assigned to build a dike. Seum feel very much pity; he took his nephew’s hand to and from the worksite and also helped his nephew carry earth.
One morning, Seum saw an old woman with a bad cut on her head who came to live in his cooperative. The group leader gave her rice and then reported to cooperative chief. The cooperative chief arrived immediately and tightly tied her hands behind her back. With pain, the old woman promised not to run away from her cooperative again. She was killed the same afternoon near the puddle where buffalo slept. Then, the killers put the branch of the Sangke tree on her corpse. Seum’s female cousin and her children were also killed by the Khmer Rouge near that village.
In 1978, one hundred new evacuee families living at Thlok Sangke cooperative, as well as Seum’s family and relatives, were called together and the Khmer Rouge cadre told them that old people needed to go to work on the mountain. Seum’s parents knew that the Khmer Rouge would kill all people evacuated from Svay Rieng. Therefore, his parents told him to flee when the Khmer Rouge cadre told people to climb up the mountain. Seum was very frightened after his parents told him this and hid himself behind a tree in the paddy field. Seum stayed until evening, then he saw two young soldiers escorting his siblings and parents and their grandchildren out of the village. Two days later, Seum saw a group leader’s wife wearing his mother’s light blue and three-pocketed shirt, so he concluded that his mother was killed. One day Seum walked to the far end of the village to look for his mother’s body, however, he could not find it. He saw two big wells filled with decomposing corpses. He could not recognize his mother’s corpse.
Seum has been an orphan since then. After his parents were killed, he was assigned to work in the children’s mobile team building a dike in the paddy field without rest. Seum’s injured right leg got worse because he frequently walked across grass and paddy fields without enough protein. However, he was not allowed to take a break and was not given any medicine.
In 1979, the Vietnamese attacked the Khmer Rouge soldiers in the villages and the Khmer Rouge soldiers fled. Seum managed to travel to Pursat provincial town. He helped an old lady named Yong carry some household stuff and walk to Pursat town. By the time he arrived at the town, Seum’s injury was much worse. Fortunately, he was given some medicine by a Vietnamese soldier. After some time, his injury gradually healed.
When Vietnamese soldiers came into Cambodia, Seum’s brother who had fled to Vietnam returned to Cambodia. However, when he arrived in his homeland, he was told that the whole family had been evacuated to Pursat. He managed to go to Pursat in the hope that he could reunite with his family. Seum accidentally found his brother in front of Pursat provincial office. Seum’s brother found out that his parents had been killed and then he and Seum decided to return to Svay Rieng and stay with a monk named Yeng who lived at Kdei Sala pagoda, Svay Yea sub-district of Svay Chrum district. A year later, in 1980, Seum moved to live with another monk at Peam Ampil in Rumduol district.
In 1984, Seum attended school after being away for nine years. He started grade 4 at Peam Ampil primary school and then he went to Kampong Chak Junior high school. Because he was a hard-working student, he passed the exam to pursue higher education at Svay Rieng High School, which is about 30 km away. Every morning, Seum had to get up at 4 a.m. to ride a bicycle to school. Seum worked so hard that he passed his exam and was able to be trained as a history teacher. The training completed in 1989; then he started his career as a teacher right away.
Today, Seum is married and has four children. He has been a teacher for 18 years at Kampong Chak High School. Last year, Seum was selected by the Ministry of Education to be a provincial level teacher for the history of Democratic Kampuchea teacher training.
Like other survivors, Seum often shares experience with his children. He tells what happened during Democratic Kampuchea so that his children can learn more about the history of his country.
Kheum Seum was born at Tuol Chambok village, Sangke sub-district, Rumduol district, Svay Rieng province. Seum has been an orphan since he was 13 and his parents and other family members were killed and tossed into a well by Khmer Rouge guards. After the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed he went to stay and study at Wat Peam Ampil called Wat Thmey. In 1989, Seum passed his entrance exam, and then become a history teacher at the primary school level. In 1991, after additional training, he completed another course and was sent to teach at Kampong Chak Junior High School, present-day Kampong Chak high school, which he had previously attended. In 2009, Seum was selected by the Ministry of Education to join the teacher’s training workshop on the history of Democratic Kampuchea.
Seum’s father was Kheum Sieng and his mother was Kheum Pheurn. They were both farmers. He also had six siblings. In the 1960s, Seum attended grade 12th (present-day 1st grade) at Wat Thmey Primary School. During his school vacations Seum never had free time; he needed to help his parents carry water, fertilize rice fields, herd cows and work in the paddy fields.
In 1974, the Khmer Rouge cadre distributed propaganda in Rumduol district to attract villagers to fight against Lon Nol’s Chmar Kmao (black cat) soldiers and Thieu-Ky of South Vietnam. Khmer Rouge soldiers attacked, then captured his and nearby villages shortly after. The Khmer Rouge appointed poor and trusted villagers to be group and village chiefs and organize work into mutual aid teams and protect the village from Lon Nol soldiers’ attack. Teachers were very frightened of the Khmer Rouge and some of them gave up their duties and fled to Svay Rieng provincial town. Since they did not come to teach, Seum had to quit school when he was in grade 10 (present-day grade 3) to help his parents.
When the Khmer Rouge soldiers captured Svay Rieng provincial town in 1975, Seum was 11. During the Khmer Rouge time, he was first assigned to pick up cow-dung to fertilize paddy fields, and later to work in a mobile unit team helping his elder friends carry earth. Seum’s father, who was pretty old, was assigned to be in the “grandfather unit,” weaving ropes and making basket. His mother was assigned to work in “grandmother unit,” where she looked after babies while their mothers were working in the field. Approximately two years after they took power, the Khmer Rouge cadres walked from one house to another to confiscate all private property such as kitchen tools, ox-carts, cows, and buffalos, and store them in the communal hall. After that, all people at Trapeang Run village were required to eat communally.
Seum’s brother, who was a Lon Nol soldier, returned to his home village after the Lon Nol government was defeated without knowing that terrible things would happen to him. Upon his arrival, he was arrested and sent to Svay Rolum security prison located in Peam Ampil pagoda, Kampong Ampil sub-district and Rumduol district. Shortly after, Seum’s brother fled the prison and escaped to Vietnam. However, the cooperative chief did not disclose this information. Instead, he told Seum’s parents that his brother was shot dead by security guards. The news shocked the whole family.
Three month later, because the border was poorly secured, Seum’s brother managed to return to Cambodia to take his wife back to Vietnam. Upon hearing this news, the security guards arrested Seum’s father and sent him to a security prison at Trapeang Run village. He was kept there for several months and charged with hiding the enemy and not reporting to Angkar. However, Seum’s father was well liked by villagers. About 100 villagers printed their thumbprints on a piece of paper to protest again Seum’s father’s arrest. The villagers protested and demanded Seum’s father’s release, reasoning that he was not involved with his daughter-in-law’s fleeing to Vietnam because the two did not live with each other. The Khmer Rouge cadre agreed with the villagers’ request and Seum’s father was released on the condition that if anyone in his family fled again, they would never forgive them.
In the dry season of 1977, Vietnamese soldiers reached Rumduol district. Fearing rocket shelling, Seum’s family was evacuated to Svay Chrum district. Some of those who stayed were taken to Vietnam by the Vietnamese. When the Khmer Rouge soldiers arrived after Vietnamese soldiers retreated, the Khmer Rouge soldiers shot people who had been unable to flee to Vietnamese, accusing them of having “Khmer bodies with Vietnamese heads.” They dropped the corpses in the well. Those who were packing to flee were all killed. The rest of the people were sent to Beung Kek detention center in Svay Chrum district.
At Svay Chrum district, Seum’s family was assigned to live in So Pagoda in Svay Yea sub-district. The group leader distributed four cans of rice per day for his family of seven. The fighting between Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge soldiers continued; his family was told to move from one place to another that lacked proper places to sleep, such as in the bush, near the hills and under the trees.
At that time, one of Seum’s cousins named That who worked at the detention center arrested Seum’s uncle Yon, who was also That’s relative, and another woman and sent them to the detention center. That accused Yon of having an affair with a woman (Yon’s wife told That). Although they knew about this, Seum’s parents dared not ask the guards to release Yon. The next day afternoon, Yon was killed at Angkor Sor by security guards.
During the transplanting season, Seum’s parents and relatives and another five families were evacuated to live in Koh Chey cooperative in Preah Sdech district, Prey Veng province and were given rice to eat communally. A month later, the cooperative chief told all newly arriving families to go to live in the “rich land” in Pursat province.
In Pursat, Seum’s relative and other families were assigned to live at Thlok Sangke cooperative at Damnak Thnong village, Bakan district. Upon arriving, they had no mats, blankets, and mosquito nets, so they slept on hay and sometimes directly on the ground in the hut. While there, Seum was assigned to herd the cows and carry water. His duty was to fill 20 water jars per day. His other five older brothers were assigned to work in a mobile unit. One of Seum’s nephews, who was blind chicken, was assigned to build a dike. Seum feel very much pity; he took his nephew’s hand to and from the worksite and also helped his nephew carry earth.
One morning, Seum saw an old woman with a bad cut on her head who came to live in his cooperative. The group leader gave her rice and then reported to cooperative chief. The cooperative chief arrived immediately and tightly tied her hands behind her back. With pain, the old woman promised not to run away from her cooperative again. She was killed the same afternoon near the puddle where buffalo slept. Then, the killers put the branch of the Sangke tree on her corpse. Seum’s female cousin and her children were also killed by the Khmer Rouge near that village.
In 1978, one hundred new evacuee families living at Thlok Sangke cooperative, as well as Seum’s family and relatives, were called together and the Khmer Rouge cadre told them that old people needed to go to work on the mountain. Seum’s parents knew that the Khmer Rouge would kill all people evacuated from Svay Rieng. Therefore, his parents told him to flee when the Khmer Rouge cadre told people to climb up the mountain. Seum was very frightened after his parents told him this and hid himself behind a tree in the paddy field. Seum stayed until evening, then he saw two young soldiers escorting his siblings and parents and their grandchildren out of the village. Two days later, Seum saw a group leader’s wife wearing his mother’s light blue and three-pocketed shirt, so he concluded that his mother was killed. One day Seum walked to the far end of the village to look for his mother’s body, however, he could not find it. He saw two big wells filled with decomposing corpses. He could not recognize his mother’s corpse.
Seum has been an orphan since then. After his parents were killed, he was assigned to work in the children’s mobile team building a dike in the paddy field without rest. Seum’s injured right leg got worse because he frequently walked across grass and paddy fields without enough protein. However, he was not allowed to take a break and was not given any medicine.
In 1979, the Vietnamese attacked the Khmer Rouge soldiers in the villages and the Khmer Rouge soldiers fled. Seum managed to travel to Pursat provincial town. He helped an old lady named Yong carry some household stuff and walk to Pursat town. By the time he arrived at the town, Seum’s injury was much worse. Fortunately, he was given some medicine by a Vietnamese soldier. After some time, his injury gradually healed.
When Vietnamese soldiers came into Cambodia, Seum’s brother who had fled to Vietnam returned to Cambodia. However, when he arrived in his homeland, he was told that the whole family had been evacuated to Pursat. He managed to go to Pursat in the hope that he could reunite with his family. Seum accidentally found his brother in front of Pursat provincial office. Seum’s brother found out that his parents had been killed and then he and Seum decided to return to Svay Rieng and stay with a monk named Yeng who lived at Kdei Sala pagoda, Svay Yea sub-district of Svay Chrum district. A year later, in 1980, Seum moved to live with another monk at Peam Ampil in Rumduol district.
In 1984, Seum attended school after being away for nine years. He started grade 4 at Peam Ampil primary school and then he went to Kampong Chak Junior high school. Because he was a hard-working student, he passed the exam to pursue higher education at Svay Rieng High School, which is about 30 km away. Every morning, Seum had to get up at 4 a.m. to ride a bicycle to school. Seum worked so hard that he passed his exam and was able to be trained as a history teacher. The training completed in 1989; then he started his career as a teacher right away.
Today, Seum is married and has four children. He has been a teacher for 18 years at Kampong Chak High School. Last year, Seum was selected by the Ministry of Education to be a provincial level teacher for the history of Democratic Kampuchea teacher training.
Like other survivors, Seum often shares experience with his children. He tells what happened during Democratic Kampuchea so that his children can learn more about the history of his country.
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About Me
- Duong Dara
- Dara Duong was born in 1971 in Battambang province, Cambodia. His life changed forever at age four, when the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. During the regime that controlled Cambodia from 1975-1979, Dara’s father, grandparents, uncle and aunt were executed, along with almost 3 million other Cambodians. Dara’s mother managed to keep him and his brothers and sisters together and survive the years of the Khmer Rouge regime. However, when the Vietnamese liberated Cambodia, she did not want to live under Communist rule. She fled with her family to a refugee camp on the Cambodian-Thai border, where they lived for more than ten years. Since arriving in the United States, Dara’s goal has been to educate people about the rich Cambodian culture that the Khmer Rouge tried to destroy and about the genocide, so that the world will not stand by and allow such atrocities to occur again. Toward that end, he has created the Cambodian Cultural Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, which began in his garage and is now in White Center, Washington. Dara’s story is one of survival against enormous odds, one of perseverance, one of courage and hope.