Born Chheav

VPA-KT0142

Born Chheav

Male

63

Khmer

Khmer

Sam Proch Commune, Stong District, Kampong Thom Province

Village chief

Trach Chrum Village, Sam Proch Commune, Stong District, Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia

1975

Po Pork Commune, Stong District, Kampong Thom Province

Detention and torture:

In late 1975, I was detained in the security center of Ta Treal District for a month and five days because some cows died while I was transporting sheaves of rice to Chamna Krom Pagoda, located in Chamnar Krom in Stong District . I was tortured by O and Veun, security police, while they questioned what I did during the Lon Nol regime. I was desperate as a result of the torture, and I answered that I used to manage ten houses.

Approximately ten days later, I was interrogated again regarding why the cows died while under my care. During the interrogation, the security police made notes of every word I said. Then they shackled me inside the detention center. I saw forty prisoners, all men, being detained there with me. Women were detained in a separate building. I asked other prisoners the reasons for their detention, and most of the answers were the same as mine – destroying Angkar. However, some prisoners were accused of being CIA agents, capitalists, reactionaries, and former civil servants. Most of them died from the extreme torture. A prisoner shackled next to me died after two days of being tortured by the security police.

In January 1976, all prisoners were released and returned to their village to do the farming with other villagers. Before their release, the chief of the detention center (whose name I do not recall) required all prisoners to attend a meeting at which he stated that all prisoners had better tell no one about their experiences in the detention center. It must be kept secret.

Evacuation:

After April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge evacuated me from Kampong Thom to Spean Loek , Po Pork Commune, Stong District , Kampong Thom Province. One month later, I was relocated once again to Kok Snay Village of Sma Proch Commune, along with lots of other people. At that time, the cooperative was not yet created. My task was fishing for the cooperative.

Execution:

In kakdoek [the 12th month of lunar calendar] of 1977, I saw five people from the cooperative being taken by cart to Raksmey Serysophoan High School. The communal security policeman, Monh, and Vorng, the Samproch commune chief, were driving the cart which took those people to the high school. When I asked the villagers about the incident, they said that taking people to the high school meant taking them to grow potatoes. However, I knew that only the carts returned. People were taken away everyday. Suspicious, I asked Kan, a base person, in kakdoek [the 12th month of lunar calendar] of 1977, and Kan informed me that people taken to Raksmey Saophoan High School were taken to be executed. Kan learned that lots of people were killed at Raksmey Saohoan High School from her husband, the group chief. I knew that one reason why lots of people were killed was because they were suspected of being spies for the CIA, KGB, or other enemies. I knew because the Khmer Rouge held meetings for different groups of people: full-rights people (base people who had no relatives who had worked for the former regime), candidates (base people who had relatives who had worked for the former regime but who were tolerated as long as they worked hard to prove their loyalty to Democratic Kampuchea) and depositees (new people who received the harshest treatment). The person who presided over the meeting was Um Boeng, the head unit chief. During the meeting, Boeng stated that if the depositees and candidate people committed any wrongdoing, they would be executed. And it was the truth. I witnessed an incident in late 1976 or early 1977 in which people were being taken to be killed. For instance, some depositees (unknown names) were taken by the security police to be executed in the paddy fields of Sam Proch.

In 1978 (unknown month), a pit (5 meters by 10 meters) was dug at Kok Sok (old village name), Kampong Chen Tbaung Commune, Stong District , for killing people. I learned of this incident from my wife who lived in Sa-thit Sa-the Village. The pit was used for killing people classified as candidates, because new people had already been executed in 1977. However, the pit was never used for burying people because we were liberated in January 1979. My wife, I recall, informed me that she had known of the killing plan of the security police from old people (base people) who worked with her in the dining hall. My wife had said, “We have only twenty more days left. Then we will be executed by the security police.�

Aside from my family, other candidate families were also aware of this plan, but we did not have a chance to escape from the village. When the liberation day of January 7, 1979, arrived, there were ten days remaining before people classified as candidates would be executed. However, we were very fortunate to have survived.

All 17 April people, except Keo, a female, and her mother, were executed at Tuol Phlorng. Keo and her mother survived because the cooperative chief loved her and her mother married a base person.

Witness

No;

Road and statue

No;

20080319

© DC-Cam