Mot Ream: A Khmer Rouge Central Artiste

Photo in A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979) Book
By Som Bunthorn

One evening, Mot Ream saw her photo in a book entitled A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), which will be taught in high schools and universities. When first seeing the photo, Ream was not sure it was her because it was in black and white, and she took it in 1973, 38 years ago, at Banteay Srei temple. However, because she also saw her friends—Yav, a Pianist from Eastern Zone, and Comrade Rem, a female artist from Kratie province—in the same row as her, she was sure it was really her. Ream was surprised to see her photo because she has never imagined that she could survive the war during 1980s and also a serious illness she contracted while staying on Thai border.

Mot Ream was born in Prek Angkor Thmei village, Chikreng sub-district, Chikreng district, Siem Reap province. Ream has 10 siblings and her parents were farmers. When Ream reached the age of 10, her aunt, Voeun, a Region 35 deputy of an Artistic Unit, brought her to Sva Laut Artistic Office located in Pongro village, Pongro sub-district, Chikreng district without telling her mother. There, Ream noticed numerous Khmer Rouge soldiers based around the office where she was working.

Ream learned artistry—singing, dancing and music—with about 100 boys and girls. Ream preferred dancing because she did not have talent in singing. Uncle Munh, chief of the Artistic Unit, arranged for boys and girls to live separately. In his spare time he organized Ream and other young people to plant vegetables to supply the whole unit.

Ream had been trained for two months to learn the performance, farming and fighting methods by her relative Voeun Neary, and two male teachers namely Chek and Vuth. After the training, Ream and a group of 50 to 60 artists were assigned to perform at parties celebrated to encourage the soldiers and meetings attended by Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan and Thuch (Kuy Thuon), chief of Zone 304 (North Zone) in different areas such as Banteay Srei district and Kulen Mountain of Siem Reap province, and Kampong Thom province. Ream met some challenges when there was no car to take the group to the performances because of all their equipment such as the stage and clothes. For example, Ream and her group spent two days traveling to Kulen Mountain sleeping in villagers’ houses or the village chief’s house on the way to a performance. The artists usually performed at night guarded by Khmer Rouge soldiers and photographed by a regional photographer. The photos were then sent to Ream’s unit. Ream and her group always spent a month performing in different areas, and then returned to her office.

In 1973 Ream was taking many photos at Banteay Srei temple when she performed for villagers and soldiers there (the photo inserted in A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), page 38, the second from the left). Nonetheless, all those photos were destroyed during the war in 1980s.

After five years of staying in the Regional Artistic Unit, Ream, female Comrade Leang from the singing group, Yav, Ren and another person from the music group were selected to be trained more in 304 Zone (North Zone) situated in Chamkar Leu district of Kampong Cham province. There, Ream was trained with approximately 100 members of the Zone Artistic Unit, supervised by Comrade Thuch, chief of the unit, Comrade Chantrea, a deputy, Comrade Thi, a member of the unit, and other teachers. Sometimes, Thuch came around to see the performance of the group, and told the artists to be gentle so the audience would trust the party. In addition to studying the performance, Ream was ordered to dig and find potatoes. Shortly after that, Ream was appointed to perform at a meeting and a party opening congress at different places in Kampong Cham province.

Two years later, Ream was appointed to return to the Region 35 Artistic Office and was responsible for selecting and teaching 90 artistic students ages 10 to 15. When teaching, it was hard to teach students how to follow rhythms of the music because they were too young. Besides teaching, Ream was also ordered to perform in other areas. Occasionally, Ream and her performance group were given lotion, powder, clothes and other materials from the audiences.

When the Khmer Rouge army defeated the government in April 1975, Ream’s performance group was assigned to perform all day and night for a week at in front of the Angkor Wat temple to celebrate the victory in front of Chinese and Japanese audiences, presided over by Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan and other important figures.

Ten days later, chief of Region 35 chose 10 performers (5 females and 5 females) to work for Central Artistic Office located in Steung Meanchey of Phnom Penh city (today National Radio Station), controlled by Hou Nim. The five female performers were Ran, Leang, Rin, Rem and Ream, while the male performers were Aun, Rin and another three. At the Central Artistic Office, there were around 100 artists, most of who had been selected from Zone 304. Later the artists were divided into different groups—singing, music, performing, and radio. Ream worked for the performance group. In the singing group, Ream knew female Comrades Pech and Mai and another male Comrade Vat. Pech had dark skin and was short; she came from Kampong Thom province. She was the one who sang the song entitled “17 April Wish”. Mai was a singer of a song Couple Dove (a song from the previous regime), and Female Salt Field (when Thuch or Kuy Thuon was in Zone 304, he always went out with Mai).

Female Comrade Tha, a deputy of the Artistic Office from Kampong Cham province, and Comrade Trea, a performance organizer, led Ream’s performance group to perform at Oympic Stadium, and to perform Wishing Dance for King Norodom Sihanouk, Pol Pot, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Hou Nim and other Khmer Rouge leaders at a theatre (today Chaktomuk Hall). Though Ream’s performance group did not have enough materials such as crowns and other make-up, King Norodom Sihanouk sometimes came see Ream’s performances. Additionally, Ream performed for foreigners from China, Japan, Africa and some white skin people. Later, Ream performed at Kampong Som, Kampong Cham and Takeo province and many other places.

After performing, Ream and other artists were permitted to relax. Ream, however, was obligated to arrange food for Hou Nim’s family. One day at 6 in the morning in 1977, Ream called Hou Nim to have porridge as usual, but he refused and stated that “I do not feel like eating; from now on, I may not be able to see you.” In fact, he just received a telephone call informing him that Angkar was going to arrest him. Although Hou Nim had known the news in advance, he did not try to escape because he had not committed any wrong doing against Angkar and the staff in Ministry of Central Arts supported and loved him. Not long after, Ream saw a car stop at the Ministry of Central Arts, and then she saw three guards shackled Hou Nim and drive him away. His wife and children could only cry. A week later, the Khmer Rouge soldiers came and arrested Hou Nim’s mother, wife, two children and another female.

After arresting Hou Nim’s family, Angkar assigned a woman (unknown) from the Southwest Zone to continue his work. The new chief forced Ream and all artists to rehearse the performance everyday even if they were ill. Later some members of the Artistic Unit disappeared whereas the others were arrested one by one including Ream’s cousin, Som Long aka Long and her husband Lin and a daughter aged 8, who were accused of betraying Angkar. A week after arresting Lin’s family, Khmer Rouge cadres drove Ream who had been ill from fever to Wat Sleng re-education camp (west of Phnom Penh), controlled by Ta Ky. Meanwhile, Yut Yat (Son Sen’s wife), who had known and taught Ream about the theory of indoctrination, sent her messenger to meet her. After Yut Yat knew about the arrest of Ream, she called a guard to stop the truck driving Ream, and then brought her to receive treatment at her house near Olympic stadium.

After being cured by Yun Yat, Ream was sent to Wat Sleng reeducation office. First, the Khmer Rouge cadres asked Ream about her mistake and her educators who had ordered her to hind herself in the Artistic Unit. Because no mistake of Ream’s was discovered, Ta Ky sent her to cook rice for 1000 prisoners, most of whom came from the Ministry of Central Arts. Everyday prisoners were ordered to plough and harvest rice. Later, Ta Ky assigned some of them to build a railway while the others were sent to Battambang province.

Ream stayed at Wat Sleng re-education camp until Vietnamese troops liberated Cambodia. Then she escaped to meet the army of Khmer rouge forces at the Khmer-Thai border in Battambang province, controlled by Ta Chiem. There, the Khmer Rouge soldiers selected Ream to work in the Female Transportation Unit, responsible for carrying injured soldiers to be cured. Her unit was moved to many different places such as Kamrieng, Ampil Praidaem, Phnom Koy, Phnom Traing, and last to Malai. Staying there for a short time, Ream was selected by Ieng Sary to look after children at a Th-100 camp located in Chanbory province of Thailand, controlled by Minh (Ieng Sary’s daughter). Ream was responsible for looking after 10 children when their parents went on diplomatic missions in Korea and the US. There, Ream saw Khieu Samphan and other leaders staying and holding meetings.

Later, Ream got a serious fever that left her in bed for a week. Luckily, after obtaining treatment from a doctor, Chuon Choeun, she recovered. In 1982, Ream asked permission from Ieng Sary to live with her friends at Malai. At Malai, Comrade Thun, a chief of publisher, and Comrade Choun, a chief of making prints of photographs, asked Ream to help their work. But this time the request was refused by Ieng Sary. She then was appointed her to work at the Artistic Unit, controlled by Vin. Later, Ream became a performance teacher.

In 1985, Ream asked the permission from her Chief to move to a Transportation Unit. Not long after, Ream married with a Khmer Rouge soldier from Khlar Ngap barrack in Malai district. Three months later, when Vietnamese soldiers captured the Khlar Ngap, Ream and her husband fled to Th-85 camp in Aranh Prathet district, a place that the Democratic Kampuchea Government had bought from the Thai Government. There, she gave birth to her son whose legs could not move later because of a lack of vitamins. Her husband was assign to fight.

After Vietnam soldiers withdrew from Cambodia in 1989, Ream and her son built a house in what is presently called Wat Chas village, Malai commune, Malai district. At that time, Ream was granted small amount of supplies from the Military Unit. Ream had a second son. Due to family’s increased needs, her husband went log trees in the forest. Unfortunately he was shot by a robber. Later she farmed in her village and in Thailand.

Today, Ream owns a small grocery for raising her disabled sons. Ream’s stories demonstrate a struggling of Cambodian women protecting her life and her family with great efforts during and after the civil war. These experiences happened to many women because they had to face the same dangerous and miserable sufferings after the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed. However, the problem that needs to be tackled now is to find out how they feel when they lost loves and supporters.



“...a society cannot know itself if it does not have an accurate memory of its own history.”