Ros Sovanna, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regimeArticle posted by the Khmer Rouge Trial Web Portal
By Oka
Source: Rasmei Kampuchea
Informal Translation from Khmer
Kompong Thom: “I was one out of eight couples who were married during the Khmer Rouge regime,” said Sister Ros Sovanna, 54, lives in Damrei Choan Khla village of Stung Saen district. She was a victim who the Khmer Rouge forced to marry a man who she had never known before. After the marriage, the Khmer Rouge guards observed her closely to find out whether her husband and she loved each other or not. Because of a fear of being killed, she decided to live with her husband. Then her husband and she started understanding each other well and have lived together until now.
She continued by saying that prior to 1975, she was trained to be a Red Cross medical practitioner. On the 17th of April 1975, when she was doing her practicum at the Lon Nol Military Hospital No. 701 in Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge occupied Phnom Penh. Like other Phnom Penh dwellers, she was evacuated by the black-uniformed soldiers outside Phnom Penh. She was separated from her family and she walked with other people without a clear direction until reaching a village which was known as Dang Tong in Dambouk Khpos commune in Chhuk district of Kampot province. She lived with her foster mother who was a base person there. In 1975, she was 21-year-old and worked in a Khmer Rouge mobile work brigade. Because she was a 17th of April person, she could be loved by the 17th of April people only. The base people were allowed to love and to marry the base people only.
Sister Ros Sovann added that she vaguely remembered that it was in1976, there was a 17th of April man whose name was Phea asked village chief and elder villagers to marry her to him. She agreed. One evening, the head of the mobile work brigade asked her to return to Dang Tong village to prepare herself for the next day’s wedding. However, she did not know how many couples would be married at that time but only know that her future husband would be Phea. At the night before the wedding, Angkar gave Phea a piece of string and ordered him to catch a pig for being served in the wedding party. Then he disappeared. Phea’s disappearance led the villagers in a conclusion that Phea was killed. She went back to work in the mobile work brigade as normal the next morning.
She went on to say that she did not know what mistakes that Phea made and why the Khmer Rouge killed him. “Why he was killed at the night before the wedding. I was very concerned that his killing would lead to my killing too,” she added.
Two months later, another man whose name was Tha proposed to her like Phea had done before. The head of mobile work brigade once again told her to return to the village for the wedding. At the night before the wedding, Tha was also killed by Angkar. She was about to return to the mobile work brigade but the villagers stopped her and said that the wedding was not canceled. On the morning of the wedding day, Angkar asked a man whose name was Siv Puth (her current husband) who lived in the same commune with her but in different village to marry her.
Before the wedding started – at 10:00 a.m. – Khmer Rouge cadres gave her and others an consciousness education, telling her, “Angkar really cares of you and want you to have a family [husband], so you should not think about previous people because they have gone.” She said that the wedding ceremony started at about 10:00 a.m. at Dambouk Khpos commune office, located near Chrok Siem Mountain in Chhuk district in Kampot province. The wedding ceremony was held for 8 couples. All couples were sitting in row and listening to a number of elder villagers, Khmer Rouge cadres and village chiefs who were making their compliments to Angkar for organizing the wedding. Her husband and she was a couple who was firstly asked to express commitments like what they had been told by Angkar such as “Commitments to live together, to respect Angkar disciplines and designation and to produce from 3 to 7 tons of rice per hectares of rice paddy and so on.”
Sister Ros Sovann said that the ceremony did not last long. After making the commitments, the party started. She asserted, “I forgot two kinds of food. But I remembered that there were three kinds of food served in the wedding party. The last food was pork soup with a green jackfruit.” After finishing the party, her couples and others were allowed to take a half-day rest at their individual homes, so she went back to her foster mother’s home. At the first night of her wedding, the Khmer Rouge guards hid under his house to observe her. She further said, “To be alive, we have to be patient and to force ourselves to live together even we do not love each other because if Angkar have found out that we did not live together, we would have been killed.
Up to 1979, other seven couples who got marriage on the same day with her were almost killed, separated and divorced. Now only her husband and she have remained living together. During the Khmer Rouge regime, he did not have any children. In 1981, she gave a birth to her first child. In 1982, she learnt that her mother was living in Kompong Thom province. Therefore, she went to Kompong Thom and then has lived there until now.
(informal translation)
Extracted from: Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4245, Sunday-Monday 25-26 March 2007.
She continued by saying that prior to 1975, she was trained to be a Red Cross medical practitioner. On the 17th of April 1975, when she was doing her practicum at the Lon Nol Military Hospital No. 701 in Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge occupied Phnom Penh. Like other Phnom Penh dwellers, she was evacuated by the black-uniformed soldiers outside Phnom Penh. She was separated from her family and she walked with other people without a clear direction until reaching a village which was known as Dang Tong in Dambouk Khpos commune in Chhuk district of Kampot province. She lived with her foster mother who was a base person there. In 1975, she was 21-year-old and worked in a Khmer Rouge mobile work brigade. Because she was a 17th of April person, she could be loved by the 17th of April people only. The base people were allowed to love and to marry the base people only.
Sister Ros Sovann added that she vaguely remembered that it was in1976, there was a 17th of April man whose name was Phea asked village chief and elder villagers to marry her to him. She agreed. One evening, the head of the mobile work brigade asked her to return to Dang Tong village to prepare herself for the next day’s wedding. However, she did not know how many couples would be married at that time but only know that her future husband would be Phea. At the night before the wedding, Angkar gave Phea a piece of string and ordered him to catch a pig for being served in the wedding party. Then he disappeared. Phea’s disappearance led the villagers in a conclusion that Phea was killed. She went back to work in the mobile work brigade as normal the next morning.
She went on to say that she did not know what mistakes that Phea made and why the Khmer Rouge killed him. “Why he was killed at the night before the wedding. I was very concerned that his killing would lead to my killing too,” she added.
Two months later, another man whose name was Tha proposed to her like Phea had done before. The head of mobile work brigade once again told her to return to the village for the wedding. At the night before the wedding, Tha was also killed by Angkar. She was about to return to the mobile work brigade but the villagers stopped her and said that the wedding was not canceled. On the morning of the wedding day, Angkar asked a man whose name was Siv Puth (her current husband) who lived in the same commune with her but in different village to marry her.
Before the wedding started – at 10:00 a.m. – Khmer Rouge cadres gave her and others an consciousness education, telling her, “Angkar really cares of you and want you to have a family [husband], so you should not think about previous people because they have gone.” She said that the wedding ceremony started at about 10:00 a.m. at Dambouk Khpos commune office, located near Chrok Siem Mountain in Chhuk district in Kampot province. The wedding ceremony was held for 8 couples. All couples were sitting in row and listening to a number of elder villagers, Khmer Rouge cadres and village chiefs who were making their compliments to Angkar for organizing the wedding. Her husband and she was a couple who was firstly asked to express commitments like what they had been told by Angkar such as “Commitments to live together, to respect Angkar disciplines and designation and to produce from 3 to 7 tons of rice per hectares of rice paddy and so on.”
Sister Ros Sovann said that the ceremony did not last long. After making the commitments, the party started. She asserted, “I forgot two kinds of food. But I remembered that there were three kinds of food served in the wedding party. The last food was pork soup with a green jackfruit.” After finishing the party, her couples and others were allowed to take a half-day rest at their individual homes, so she went back to her foster mother’s home. At the first night of her wedding, the Khmer Rouge guards hid under his house to observe her. She further said, “To be alive, we have to be patient and to force ourselves to live together even we do not love each other because if Angkar have found out that we did not live together, we would have been killed.
Up to 1979, other seven couples who got marriage on the same day with her were almost killed, separated and divorced. Now only her husband and she have remained living together. During the Khmer Rouge regime, he did not have any children. In 1981, she gave a birth to her first child. In 1982, she learnt that her mother was living in Kompong Thom province. Therefore, she went to Kompong Thom and then has lived there until now.
(informal translation)
Extracted from: Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4245, Sunday-Monday 25-26 March 2007.
3 comments:
I hope we don't allow our mind to
be clowded by too many KR abusive
stories and forget to train the
next generation what is needed to
avoid Chapter 2 - "The Extinction
of the Khmer People."
Well, Cambodia has been going through Chapter 11, liquidiating all natonal assets and herittage.
I never understand why the fucken Khmer Rouge do the thing they do!!!
Cambodian people have culture!
Cambodian people have religion!
Cambodian people have education!Cambodian people have a car!
Cambodian people have a house!
Cambodian people have...
Why Cambodian have to live a simple life like a nomad and dress like the Chinese????Why? Why? Why?
A bunch of fuck up Cambodian leaders that is why!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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