Victim Participation Seng Khom

Seng Khom

Female

Khmer

Khmer

Tbaung Kdei Village, Bar Kou Commune, Kandal Stung District,

Farmer

Tbaung Kdey Village, Bar Kou Commune, Kandal Stung District, Kandal Province

Civil Party

No;

Depend on the judges

Torture: After the arrest of my husband, the cooperative chief, Ta Ham, ordered me to dig up corpses in order to make manure. I was forced to do hard labor, however I received very little to eat. There was only watery gruel at each meal and thus I didn’t have the energy required to meet Angkar’s work requirement. Consequently, I was sent to Chrey O-Peou Security Office, along with my three children Sam Hong, Sam Heng, and Sam Vanny. The Khmer Rouge forced me to work very hard. We were not allowed to arrive late for our work assignment. However, I was often late because I had to take care of my children; thus, the militiamen almost always battered my head with a bamboo stick. I suffered from the injuries, which caused my head to swell. Nowadays, my head still hurts me and I constantly take medicine. I think that if my husband were still alive, I would not have had such a miserable life because he was an educated man. He was arrested by three militiamen (unknown names) at O’ Village, Kakk Commune, and then transferred to Chrey O-Peou Security Office in Kang Pisey District of Kampong Speu Province. He was killed because he wasn’t unable to complete the assigned work tasks. During 1978, a lot of people died at Chrey O-Peou. In three days time, it would have been my turn to be executed, but luckily, Vietnamese troops liberated the country. Part C: My name is Seng Khom and I am currently living in Tbaung Kdei Village, Bakou Commune, Kandal Stung District, Kandal Province. Though I managed to survive the regime, I am still grieving due to the loss of my husband, Sam Phan. My life during the Khmer Rouge regime was a tragedy because the Khmer Rouge forced me to do hard labor and often hit me on the head with a bamboo stick. I now take medicine constantly. In my opinion, if my husband were still alive, I would not be living under such difficult conditions. Additional information: (dated 10 April 2010) My name is Seng Khom and I am currently living in Tbaung Kdei Village, Bakou Comune, Kandal Stung District, Kandal Province. Husband Lost to the Khmer Rouge Regime: My husband, Sam Phan, and I got married in 1969 at Kok Trap Village, Kok Trap Commune, Kandal Stung District, Kandal Province. My husband was a major in the Lon Nol army, based at Thnal Toting Barracks in Takeo Province. I married him when I was 14 years old. After our marriage, I stayed with him in the military barracks. When the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975, our family traveled to my husband’s home village at Ang Kdei Village, Samrong District, Takeo Province. My family had five members: my husband; two sons, Seng Kim Hong, 3 years old, and Seng Theara, 2 years old; a baby Seng Vanny; and me. While we were traveling to my husband’s home village, I asked him if we should go to Battambang instead, but he didn’t want to because he loved his native village. Only one month after our arrival in the village (Ang Kdei Village in Takeo Province), four Khmer Rouge militiamen armed with guns arrived at our home in the afternoon and arrested my husband.