Promoting Accountability Keo Sarim

Keo Sarim

Keo Kum

f

Alive

BMI0011, 20101014, Trasek Chrum village, Malai sub-district, Malai district, Banteay Meanchey province. Interviewed by: Long Dany. Interviewed with Keo Sarim, female, 49 years old. None Biography.

[Present age: 49 years old]

060701?? Kampong Thom, Santuk, Beong Lvea, Bangki

1973-74????

Follow her parents

1975, Sarim moved to live in Phnom Penh and work at Technology school as a cook. The school was form

She was a cook at office K-5 and K-6

Central zone(12), Phnom Penh

When Sarim worked as a cook at office K-5 and K-6, Tar Phoum was in charge of the two offices.

Keo Sarim is 49 years old. She was born to a poor family in Bangky Taingreng village, Boeng Lvea commune, Santuk district, Kampong Thom province. Her parents were farmers. She has three siblings. Her father's name is Heang and her mother's name is Sam. After her parents joined the revolution, Sarim joined in 1973 and worked in Office 830. Sarim was introduced by Hong to serve in unit B-20 which was the annex of unit 870. Unit 870 was the former central unit, located in Bit Phnau village, Kampong Cham province. When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, Sarim moved to live in Phnom Penh and to work at the Technology school as a cook. The school was the former office K-5. In 1976, Sarim was assigned to work at office K-6 in Borey Keila. The two offices were under the authority of Tar Phoum at the time. Many of the KR cadres from different villages, communes and regions were to be trained at office 870. Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea were the trainers. In late 1979, the team chief told the workers that they would allow one day a week off, but the plan was never put into practice. When the Vietnamese troops came, Sarim and other workers escaped to the West zone. When the arrived in Tarpaing Chormg commune, Pursat province, the corporative chief stopped them and told that they would be sent to work harvest in Mokk Heun. Saim said people there told her not to reply if she was blamedor she would be killed. Afterwards, the corporative chief assigned her and other two workers to dig three pits. After leaving the worksite, she saw Tar Chiem and other KR soldiers, along with those who worked in ministries, arrive. Therefore, the corporative and their subordinates escaped from the village. Then, Sarim fled to Kamrieng district with those KR soldiers. They met the Vietnamese troops by accident along Taing Suor mountain then they crossed to Thailand for awhile. Sarim returned to Kamrieng and worked in a transportation unit, carrying injured soldiers. Later, the KR told them that if anyone wanted to return home, they were free to go. Because she had been away from home for years, Sarim did not know where she should go. She then decided to rejoin the KR and then fled to Daung village in Malai. After working in a transportation unit for a while, Sarim married a combatant after. When the Vietnamese troops came close to the border, she fled to Thailand and returned to Malai in 1990. Sarim has not visited her home village since she had left for the revolution. Sarim now lives in Trasek Chrum village, Malai commune, Malai district, Banteay Meanchey province. She states that the Khmer Rouge leaders always advised her to be a good person.

Keo Sarim

© DC-CAM