Sos Mousteut

VPA-KC0091

Sos Mousteut

Male

Khmer

Cham

Phoum 5 village, Svay Khleang commune, Krauch Chmar district, Kampong Cham province

19600601

Farmer and fisherman

Phoum 5 village, Svay Khleang commune, Krauch Chmar district, Kampong Cham province

1975

Svay Khleang village, Svay Khleang commune, Saoy village, Krauch Chmar district,

The loss of my relatives under the Khmer Rouge regime

One night after the 17th of April, 1975, people arrived in my village. A group of unknown Khmer Rouge militiamen came to arrest my grandfather, Smah, from his house, which was located in village 5, Svay Khleang commune, Krauch Chmar. They tied him up, loaded him onto a cart, and took him away. I did not witness the incident. However, the next morning after the incident, upon visiting his house, I learned from my grandmother, Chao (deceased), that my grandfather had been taken away by a group of unknown Khmer Rouge militiamen.

He was arrested, because he was a well-known senior, and the head of the mosque in the village. As I recall, they [the Khmer Rouge] initially arrested and killed the well-known, senior villagers and intellectuals. Those who were arrested, never returned. At the time, I was 10 or 11 years old, and I do not remember who the chiefs of the village, the unit, or the cooperative were.

The Khmer Rouge arrested, and then made the Cham-Muslims disappear, in that order. The As the situation became intolerable, Cham-Muslims in the village rose up, grabbed their knives and swords, and rebelled against the Khmer Rouge. During the rebellion, at approximately 8 or 9, [people] beat the drum to signal all Cham-Muslims to rise up and rebel against the Khmer Rouge, because [we would] die, no matter if we rebelled or not. Hearing the announcement, my brother grabbed his long knife and went to join with others. At night, we did not hear gunfire. The bloody fight took place about four or five p.m., and of course, the rounds then from rifles and artilleries, broke out one after another. At dusk, when the Khmer Rouge soldiers surrounded our village, we retreated.

During this time, I witnessed the Khmer Rouge soldiers arrest young and elderly men, and walk them to a kiln where they processed tobacco. This was located at the end of the Daem Chrai pagoda of Daem Chrai village, Krauch Chmar commune, Kampong Cham province. My father, Smah Suh, and older brother, Soh Kry-ya, were among those arrested. Children and women were taken to the Daem Chrai pagoda and the Poprek pagoda. My family, consisting of my mother, my fourth sister, Soh Sryfah, who now lives in Prepra, Phnom Penh city, my fifth sister, Soh Mary-yah, who now lives next to my fourth sister’s house, and myself, were brought to the Po Prek pagoda, which was located in Krauch Chmar commune, Krauch Chmar district, Kampong Cham province . Before being deported to another area, we were detained at the pagoda for half a month. By that time, there was no one living in the village. They were all forced to move out. When we were at the Po Prek pagoda, unknown Khmer Rouge cadres ordered us to do nothing. We did nothing, and waited for the day of our deportation. I think that they detained us at that place, because they wanted to starve us to death. I say this, because I saw four jars there. They [the Khmer Rouge] put some watery rice soup into those jars, and then filled those jars with water taken from the river. Then they gave us a ladle of that watery rice soup to eat. I do not know who took charge of the pagoda at the time. I saw one unknown elderly woman drown herself, because [she] was suffering too much, and her husband had been shot dead during the rebellion by Khmer Rouge soldiers.

Next, the Khmer Rouge used a boat to deport my family and other Cham-Muslim families to Raka Khnol village (village 5), Raka Khnol commune, Krauch Chmar district, Kampong Cham province. I recall some families, such as the family of Ly Souky, who now lives in the village with me, the family of Yey Tit (deceased), and the family of Pou Ly (deceased). We lived in Raka Khnol for two years. When living there, I was assigned to take care of cows. My unit chief was Tru (deceased). I do not know who the village chief, the unit chief, or the cooperative chief was. In Raka Khnol village, Cham-Muslims were not forced to eat pork, but they prohibited us from speaking our language, praying, keeping our hair long, and having our religious scriptures.
Speaking of food rations in Raka Khnol village, for the first half year, they gave us enough food to eat. However, later on, they gave us rice cooked with corn to eat. And eventually, they gave us only corn to eat. When living in this village, Sman Him, my cousin, was called upon to get onto a boat, and was deported to a new area, where there would be enough food to eat. The fact is, he disappeared and is still missing today. People who witnessed the incident are Mah (deseased) and his own family, who now live in the village. While I was living in the village [Roka Khnol village], I heard nothing about my brother and father, who were detained after the rebellion in the kiln where they processed tobacco. I think that my cousin must have died, because he has never returned.

Next, my family went to ask permission from the Khmer Rouge, to allow us to move, and live near my aunt, who lived in Saoy village, unknown commune, Krauch Chmar district, Kampong Cham province. At that point, they allowed us to move there. When living in Soay village, my mother was told by someone I did not know, that my fourth brother was living in Tambe district, Kampong Cham province. In 1978, Kry-ay, my brother, escaped from the killing and went to live with our family in Soay village, after he learned that our family was living there. He escaped at night. During the day, we told him to hide in the forest, behind our house. And at night, he stayed inside the house. This went on for a week. One day, two unknown Khmer Rouge [cadres] told us to move to a new village, where enough food would be provided. Since my brother, Kry-ya, had told me, that being taking to a new village meant taking people to be killed, I lied to those two Khmer Rouge cadres, saying that we would go after my mother recover from her illness. After that, they allowed us to stay in the village. Right after this, I went to find my fourth brother, but he had already left. We did not find out what happened to him later on. On the day that they came to deport us to a new area, we had decided to escape to the forest, because if we did not do so, all of us would have been killed. I remember my brother told me, that after the rebellion, those detained in the kiln were they processed tobacco, had all been executed. I think that my father was executed, because they thought he was one of those who joined the rebellion. However, I do not know where he was killed, or who killed him. My brother, Kry-ya is still missing today.

I still wonder if he is alive, or has already died. However, if he were still alive, he would have returned. I think that the Khmer Rouge leaders are responsible for the death of my brother.

Civil Party

No;

School

No;

20091027

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