Promoting Accountability Tol Sem

Tol Sem

m

Alive

BMI0021 20101016, Kbal Spean village, Malai sub-district, Malai district, Batambang Province. Interviewed by Long Dany. Note: Interviewed with Tol Sem, male, 50, No Biography.

1960????

08040404 Kandal province, Koh Thom district, Koh T

1973????

Volunteer

D-1 factory

Factory worker

Central zone(12), Phnom Penh

Heanh was the department chief and Cheng On was the factory chief

Vy

Tol Sem, male, is 50 years old. He lives in Kbal Spean village, Malai sub-district, Malai district, Batambang Province. He was born in Po Tonle village, Koh Thom sub-district, Koh Thom district, Kandal province. His father was named Touch and his mother was named Yon. Sem studied only until grade 11 of the old system at a pagaoda. In 1973, Sem joined the revolution at the age of fourteen with his friend, Vy. Sem joined becauseTa Sok, who was chief of the Unit Number 12, asked him to be a messenger of Unit 12, located on the east of Reusey Srok. That unit was supervised by Ta Sok, Ta Nat, and Ta Pin. Sem៌s task was to send letters from one unit to another bymoving from one place to another. Sometimes, he also had to transport refined bombs. When Phnom Penh was defeated in April 17, 1975, Sem was sent to be a messenger of Vorn Vet, who was the minister of Ministry of Industry in Democratic Kumpuchea. Vorn Vet wanted to send ten children, including Sem, to China. However, the plan failed. Later, Sem and seven other children were chosen to work in D-1 factory, which was supervised by Cheng On; the department chief was a man named Heanh. While Sem was at the factory, he heard that Vorn Vet became the deputy prime minister of Ministry of Economy. In the factory, mechanics taught Sem was how to use the lathe, set up machines, peel the kapoks, and set up the threshers. Until 1978, females were the department chiefs while males were the deputy chief. Sem was well-liked by many people at the factory because he was industrious in his work. Sem thought that he had to work hard in order to serve the revolution and the people. All the workers learned this mindset from the Khmer Rouge ruling class. The food rations in the factory were not enough; people ate bread with soup. The upper level at the factory propagandized to the workers that Angkar lacked provisions, and told the factory workers that they had to work hard in order to support those who lived in the collectives. Vorn Vet and Cheng On controlled the work in the factory. However, they did not care about the food rations as long as the work remained fast and productive. When Vietnam entered [Cambodia] in 1979, Sem and the other factory workers were evacuated to the west. They passed through Kampong Chnang province and arrived at Krang Dei Veay. However, because there was nothing to eat, they moved to Pursat province and worked in the fields there for one rainy reason. Later, Sem was evacuated to Bavil. As the war with Vietnamcontinued, Sem fled to Ampil Pram Derm and arrived at Svay Sramor, in the same Batambang province. In late 1979, he returned to Malai district, or District 102. In 1980, he married. Sem served as a soldier in Unit 450 under Sok Pheap. In addition to fighting, the soldiers in this unit cut trees to trade in Thailand. In 1985, Vietnamese troops arrived at the border, and the soldiers៌ families were evacuated to live in the T-85 camp in Thai territory. The soldiers still had to fight occasionally against the Vietnamese and Republic Kumpuchea៌s soldiers at the border. During this time, Sem stepped on land mine and lost his right leg. In 1990, all the soldiers and their families returned to Malai district.

Tol Sem

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