Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Former Khmer Rouge in Pailin reminisce about 17 April 1975

17 April 2007
By Lim Pisith
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Even though they are not commemorating their 32nd victory anniversary over Marshall Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic regime, a group of former cadres and soldiers of the Khmer Rouge regime who are now living in Pailin and Malai met today in small private groups in pagodas and homes, to reminisce about their struggle to topple the then-capitalist regime.

Thong Khorn, a former Khmer Rouge official from region 35 who was in charge of producing documentary films during the Democratic Kampuchea (DK), told RFA during his visit to the Phnom Yat pagoda on 17 April morning, that after offering foods to the monks, he and several former Khmer Rouge army chiefs and soldiers will gather on top of Phnom Yat mountain, to talk about their struggle to take over Phnom Penh, and to topple the imperialist US.

Thong Khorn said: “During that era, on 17 April (1975), soldiers dressed in black, wore (Vietcong) tire sandals, won over the Lon Nol regime, but it’s too bad they lost to the Vietnamese.”

Ven Dara, a niece of Chhit Choeurn aka Ta Mok, reminisced about 17 April 1975 by saying that at the time, she was 17-year-old, and she served as a nurse in the southwest zone which was under the control of her uncle, Ta Mok.

She said: “For me, this day is the victory day for the Khmer Rouge, but the Khmer Rouge committed a mistake by evicting people from their homes. We must bear the responsibility [for this mistake.]”

Professor In Suon Sovann, a former high-ranking official at the DK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is vacationing in his home located in Malai district, next to the house of Tep Khun Nal – the current husband of Pol Pot’s former wife and district governor of Malai district – said: “We are not doing anything officially, there are only small groups meeting each other to eat and reminisce about the victory against Lon Nol.”

17 April 1975 is the day the Khmer Rouge army – dressed in black, their pants rolled up on one leg – took over Phnom Penh city and toppled the Khmer Republic government of Marshall Lon Nol. They then proceeded to evacuate city dwellers and moved them to live in the countryside.

During the 3 years 8 months 20 days Khmer Rouge regime, almost 2 million people die from torture, hunger, overwork and disease.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

All of these khmer rouge members should understand that they have committed of the most deadly crime to their Nation and their own fellow citizen. If Buddhism, people have believed thousand of years already that if parents were lucky, they would have bornt their child with intelligence, with mandkind and humanitarian heart. But if they were full of karma or full of sins, they would have given birth to children like animals. These animal like children would do what all animal do. They barked, they biked and they killed others. They don't used their intelligence to help other for better community, better nation. But they would like to rob and to kill their own fellow citizen. These parents would think that they have given birth animals instead of human being children. In short word, people would blame these parents for having sexed with animal to have animal children.

Anonymous said...

First of all the first poster need to study more about Khmer Rouge and second you need to take a look at who brain wash Khmer people in the jungle and third no body talk about American bombing casualties. So for you stop using propagandas for the benefit of the elite. Here a video of the Anniversary of the Cambodian genocide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_lYGp6LHBg

Anonymous said...

Hello poster 5:43PM, I was one of the victims of that terrible regime. I lost all 90% of my friends of Pharmacy School, Fac lettres and many friends of high schools, thousand of my cousins. I cannot accept any excuse from any idiots at all. In 1975, I was a student of Fac lettres. I understood very well about politic. The problem of Cambodia was "revenge of Sihanouk for his own power" and " people of extrem which cannot compromise to each other for the common interest and the interest of ordinary people". That why, foreigners have always condemned Cambodians as barbarians people. In reality, it was true. All Cambodian leaders are all barbarian. They don't use the teaching of the great Buddha to apply to the administration of their economi, social and education. What the Buddha has said'
-Don't steal
-Don't lie
-Don't kill
-Don't swear
-Don't commit adultery
-Don't drink alcohol
-Don't gamble
Cambodia is a country of Buddhism. Why all their leaders haven't learn a thing from these teaching? that is why Cambodia was almost deserted !!!!!

Anonymous said...

Look buddy 6:12 PM you think you the only one who lost family member? I'm sure that some family has no body alive at all. You need to understand that the Yuon want the world to perceive how barbaric the Khmer people are and this bloodbath is what I call it bad guy work. Khmer are just the victim of another powerful nation and we bare the lost of our stupidity. You need to study about Khmer people and Yuon people and where did Khmer learnt all this killing from. Go back to history and have some reference to it and this is why the Yuon call Khmer stupid idiot. Please don't tell me that you have seen Pol Pot did the actual killing if you did that would be a total lies. Sorry if I was too harsh and sorry to hear that lost someone and I too lost love one.

Anonymous said...

Poster 7.00PM, I don't agreed with your agument at all. First, we have all knew that Vietnam has an enormous ambitous to take our lands, why our stupid king of that time was still falling into Vietnamese trap and trick? What I want to say is that all our stupid leaders KR and Sihanouk, because of their own agenda to take power from Lon Nol, has declared the war and have opened door for the Vietnamese to massacre our people in 1970. Do you know that, without the green light from Sihanouk, Vietnamese cannot used any excuse to kill Khmers during the war 1970-1975. Secondly, after the war finish, who has ordered to kill all national armies and all former goverment officials? Are they not from these stupid leaders KR and Sihanouk? Thirdly, if Cambodian people were not forced by all Khmer Rouge to leave their residences, we won't have these kind of tragedies.
Fourthly, it was all the Khmer rouge leaders who want to kill khmers for their pure revolution. They were so proud of themselve and they were so fanatic. Now their government have collapsed, they look for someone else to blame. Only the monky would believe these monsters Khiev Sam Phann and Nuon Chea and Sihanouk. They were all have to take full resposibility all the death from their killing engine. It is true that you have also lost family. I hope their souls, will blame you who supported their killers. For me I must defence my friends and my families and I blame all of these killing solely to Khmer rouge leaders and Sihanouk for their stupidity !!!!!

Anonymous said...

1-KHMER ROUGE SAID: WE WON THE WAR OVER LON NOL BUT WE HAD LOST TO VIETNAMESE. I USED TO HEAR THIS STORY:

2-AMONG KHMER PEOPLE I'M THE STRONGEST. I'M NOT SURE IF I WAS THE STRONGEST TOO AMONG MY NEIGHBORS.

3-PEOPLE LEARN TO KILL SINCE THEY WERE BROUGHT TO THIS PLANET. DURING WARS IN 926-938 AD MASSIVE KILLING TOOK PLACE WHEN KHMER EMPIRE TROOPS OVERRAN PART OF CHAMPA AND TRIBAL SI-YAM STATES (CURRENTLY PICHNULOK-NAKHORN RACHASIMA, NORTHERN, THAILAND. HUNAM-VIET WERE NO WHERE TO BE SEEN DURING THE PERIOD.

Anonymous said...

2:48 AM how stupid can you get? have you ever heard about the struggle of the Khmer Rouge? I guess not and your view is just a narrow and bias way to look at tragedy's of Cambodian genocide. Maybe it was too kuch American green dollars that fuck up the higher class people and what do yo think the lower class has to suffer? You never thought about that, and please take into consideration about oppression of the ruling class and if you want to study about that just look at the current situation in Cambodia now just like before but more corrupts and a bunch of child rapist. Well what have you learn after the genocide? for you nothing at all but just blame and blame and gee if it was about revolution than why the hell I still see plenty of Chinese people ruling Cambodia in every aspect and the Khmer still being a fucking slaves. Beat that bro. Use your brain not anger.

Anonymous said...

3:00 AM you need to know that Khmer don't just go and kill people or invade other nation unless they provoke to do so. Not like some bunch of loser around Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

Hello poster 3:09AM, with your language of supporting khmer Rouge, I can say that; either you don't know the khmer rouge or you are a child of the khmer rouge leaders such as Ing Vuth etc..
Khmer rouge are worst than animals/

Anonymous said...

1-YOUN COMMUNIST SAID: WE WON THE WAR OVER CAMBODIA BUT WE HAD LOST TO CHINESE IN 1978. I USED TO HEAR THIS STORY

2-AMONG YOUN PEOPLE I'M THE STRONGEST. I'M NOT SURE IF I WAS THE STRONGEST TOO AMONG MY NEIGHBORS.

3-YOUNS LEARN TO KILL SINCE THEY WERE BROUGHT TO THIS PLANET. DURING WAR IN 1954 MASSIVE OF YOUNS KILLED BY THEMSELVES TOOK PLACE WHEN YOUNS TROOPS LEAD BY Mr. HO STARTED COMMUNIST REGIME IN NORTH VIETNAM. MILLIONS OF YOUN DIED BY COMMUNIST HO

Anonymous said...

Hello 3:18 AM I'm not an expert but if you like to discuss this matter I have someone that you might want to discuss with just go to:

http://www.cambodiaforums.com/

and post a topic and someone will reply it. What ever questions you have just post it and see if you can defend your accusation.