Satt Rin

VPA-KT0100

Satt Rin

Male

64

Khmer

Khmer

Tuol Damnakk Village, Chong Daung Commune, Baray District, Kampong Thom Province

Farmer

1976

Chea Sim Kampong Thma High School, Balaing Commune, Baray District, Kampong Thom Province

The arrest and detention of my brother at Baray Chorn Dek Prison:

My cousin, Tech Mao, was arrested and detained by the Khmer Rouge at Baray Chorn Dek Prison, located at Kampong Thmar. By the time this incident took place, he worked in Veal Thom Village, Korky Commune, Baray District, Kampong Thom Province. I do not know who arrested him. I asked him why he was arrested and detained in the prison. In responding to my question, he said he did not know. They accused him of being White Khmer and struggling against the Khmer Rouge. He was jailed for one or two months. He informed me that the food ration was insufficient – sometimes he ate morning glory soup and sometimes he ate Pha-ty, [a kind of edible tree leaf]. He told me that the prisoners kept disappearing every night. I think he was able to survive because he was a base person. If he were one of the new people, he would have been executed.

Family separation:

During the liberation of Phnom Penh city in 1975, I lived in Tuol Damnak Village, Chong Daung Commune, Baray District, Kampong Thom Province. Under the Lon Nol regime, I was a major lieutenant. Under the Khmer Rouge regime, I could only spend one month living with my wife. My wife was put to work in Tuol Damnak Village, while I was put to work far away from that village. I was allowed to visit my wife only once a month for one or two days. Then I had to return to work.

My wife’s name is Chea Thanh. The cooperative chief named Ky (deceased) was the person who assigned me to work far away from the village. If I dared to challenge him, I would be killed. The cooperative chief knew that I had been a soldier.

The execution of my friend, Phan:

In approximately mid-1976, my friend Phan was executed. Phan, his wife La, and his two children were Phnom Penh evacuees who were deported to live in my village. Phan was a university student at Phnom Penh. My mother regarded him as her own son.

In mid-1976, the new people, including Phan and his family, were gathered together and informed that they were allowed to return to their home village. I think the regional level ordered the assembly of the new people and Ky, the cooperative chief, made the announcement to everyone. I saw thousands of new people being assembled and put in Kampong Thmar School, now Chea Sim Kampong Thmar High School. I took the new people to this high school. However, I did not take Phan. I saw thousands of people there. After leaving the new people at the school, I drove an oxcart back to Tuol Damnak Village. I do not know what happened to the new people. But villagers whispered to me that the new people were taken to be killed. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, I saw lots of corpses at Baray Chorn Dek Pagoda. Phan and his family disappeared from that moment on. I think his family must have been exterminated.

Complainant

No;

Not mentioned

No;

20080321

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