As a history major, I am naturally fascinated with the 1975-1979 period in Cambodia, and after devouring First They Killed My Father and other resources about the Khmer Rouge (KR), I yearned to know more about this blight on human history. After closely following the trials of Duch, taking place as I write this here in Phnom Penh, and visiting the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, my curiosity was peaking. After speaking to a handful of older Khmers, both formally and informally, about their experiences during that trying time, I settled on Dr. Ker Sovuthy to interview because of his candor and amiability. I recently sat down for two hours with Dr. Ker in Phnom Penh to discuss his personal experiences during the brutal Pol Pot regime.
Dr. Ker was born in 1960 into a relatively wealthy family in Phnom Penh, and his father held the title of district chief, a position within the Lon Nol regime. When the KR began a forced evacuation of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, the Ker family remained behind, but when the KR dropped bombs on their house the following day, they had no choice but to join the hundreds of thousands of others fleeing the suddenly dangerous city.
After enduring a forced march that stretched on for over a month, during which KR soldiers frequently shot or bludgeoned those walking too slowly before fifteen-year-old Dr. Ker’s wide eyes, on 20 May he witnessed his father being dragged away by soldiers to a ‘reeducation camp.’ Young Dr. Ker and his family of ten knew all too well the fate of those hauled off to these camps, and sadly enough, as a former official within the Lon Nol regime, it was almost certain that Dr. Ker’s father was mercilessly executed merely hours later.
After diverting course to prevent soldiers from recognizing them as the family of a Lon Nol official, Dr. Ker’s family endured another month of forced marching, after which they were settled in a work camp where everyone worked in the fields from dawn to dusk. Just three months later, his entire family was forced to transfer across Cambodia to Banteay Meanchey province, and during the entire journey Dr. Ker and his family were convinced they were being taken to one of the notorious killing fields or torture houses where they would meet their end. Fortunately, they were moved to another work camp in the dense forest, but unfortunately, the entire family was forced to split up.
Dr. Ker (now sixteen years old) spent the next four years working here, often carrying 120kg bags of rice (the imperial equivalent is 264lbs) through the fields and digging mysterious 16 square-meter holes, which he much later discovered would become mass graves for those who died of exhaustion/malnutrition or execution. In 1976 two of his brothers died from exhaustion-induced sickness, and after months of two meals a day of salt and rice the weight of Dr. Ker’s lanky frame dwindled to dangerous levels, but he says he was sustained by a remarkable desire to live. This zeal served him well when he barely escaped being axed to death by a soldier who disapproved of his pace of digging.
Upon hearing that the Vietnamese had liberated Phnom Penh from the KR, Dr. Ker and his brother located each other and escaped the work camp, along with a group of like-minded others. KR troops pursued them day and night, killing all they could, and Dr. Ker barely escaped a few close encounters where others in his group were executed only a meter away from his hastily-chosen hiding spot in the bushes. After escaping similar situations and being separated from his brother, Dr. Ker walked to Phnom Penh (this is a remarkable distance to traverse on foot), where he waited hopefully for his family, sleeping in the streets and foraging for food in the deserted capital city. Fortunately, after enduring this four-year-long hellish nightmare, topped off by months of anxiously waiting to learn the plight of his remaining family, Dr. Ker was reunited with his family, and together they endeavored to piece together a new life in Phnom Penh.
What struck me most about my interview with Dr. Ker was the matter-of-fact nature with which he related accounts of horrendous crimes perpetrated by KR soldiers. Hearing him describe in vivid detail the last time he saw his father, the death of his two brothers, and myriad near-death situations, I was struck by the calmness and composure with which he recounted his tortured past. When I asked him about what sort of emotions he was experiencing during these traumatic times, Dr. Ker said merely that the overwhelming desire to live superseded all other emotions, and this drive to live helped him stave off numerous encounters with death.
Although redeeming features of this era of Cambodian history elude me, Dr. Ker hopes that Duch will be brought to justice, in the first of several genocide trials by the ECCC in Phnom Penh. The imperative lesson from these dark days is the ease with which ‘civilized’ society can slide into such murderous chaos with no international intervention. For now, the Cambodian government must not run from the ghosts of its past, and as the younger generation of Cambodians tends towards apathy and disbelief (yes, there actually is a substantial contingent of Khmer youth that selectively accepts or outright rejects conventional knowledge on the KR period), schools must focus on educating students in order to ensure that similarly atrocious actions are never perpetrated again.
Dr. Ker was born in 1960 into a relatively wealthy family in Phnom Penh, and his father held the title of district chief, a position within the Lon Nol regime. When the KR began a forced evacuation of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, the Ker family remained behind, but when the KR dropped bombs on their house the following day, they had no choice but to join the hundreds of thousands of others fleeing the suddenly dangerous city.
After enduring a forced march that stretched on for over a month, during which KR soldiers frequently shot or bludgeoned those walking too slowly before fifteen-year-old Dr. Ker’s wide eyes, on 20 May he witnessed his father being dragged away by soldiers to a ‘reeducation camp.’ Young Dr. Ker and his family of ten knew all too well the fate of those hauled off to these camps, and sadly enough, as a former official within the Lon Nol regime, it was almost certain that Dr. Ker’s father was mercilessly executed merely hours later.
After diverting course to prevent soldiers from recognizing them as the family of a Lon Nol official, Dr. Ker’s family endured another month of forced marching, after which they were settled in a work camp where everyone worked in the fields from dawn to dusk. Just three months later, his entire family was forced to transfer across Cambodia to Banteay Meanchey province, and during the entire journey Dr. Ker and his family were convinced they were being taken to one of the notorious killing fields or torture houses where they would meet their end. Fortunately, they were moved to another work camp in the dense forest, but unfortunately, the entire family was forced to split up.
Dr. Ker (now sixteen years old) spent the next four years working here, often carrying 120kg bags of rice (the imperial equivalent is 264lbs) through the fields and digging mysterious 16 square-meter holes, which he much later discovered would become mass graves for those who died of exhaustion/malnutrition or execution. In 1976 two of his brothers died from exhaustion-induced sickness, and after months of two meals a day of salt and rice the weight of Dr. Ker’s lanky frame dwindled to dangerous levels, but he says he was sustained by a remarkable desire to live. This zeal served him well when he barely escaped being axed to death by a soldier who disapproved of his pace of digging.
Upon hearing that the Vietnamese had liberated Phnom Penh from the KR, Dr. Ker and his brother located each other and escaped the work camp, along with a group of like-minded others. KR troops pursued them day and night, killing all they could, and Dr. Ker barely escaped a few close encounters where others in his group were executed only a meter away from his hastily-chosen hiding spot in the bushes. After escaping similar situations and being separated from his brother, Dr. Ker walked to Phnom Penh (this is a remarkable distance to traverse on foot), where he waited hopefully for his family, sleeping in the streets and foraging for food in the deserted capital city. Fortunately, after enduring this four-year-long hellish nightmare, topped off by months of anxiously waiting to learn the plight of his remaining family, Dr. Ker was reunited with his family, and together they endeavored to piece together a new life in Phnom Penh.
What struck me most about my interview with Dr. Ker was the matter-of-fact nature with which he related accounts of horrendous crimes perpetrated by KR soldiers. Hearing him describe in vivid detail the last time he saw his father, the death of his two brothers, and myriad near-death situations, I was struck by the calmness and composure with which he recounted his tortured past. When I asked him about what sort of emotions he was experiencing during these traumatic times, Dr. Ker said merely that the overwhelming desire to live superseded all other emotions, and this drive to live helped him stave off numerous encounters with death.
Although redeeming features of this era of Cambodian history elude me, Dr. Ker hopes that Duch will be brought to justice, in the first of several genocide trials by the ECCC in Phnom Penh. The imperative lesson from these dark days is the ease with which ‘civilized’ society can slide into such murderous chaos with no international intervention. For now, the Cambodian government must not run from the ghosts of its past, and as the younger generation of Cambodians tends towards apathy and disbelief (yes, there actually is a substantial contingent of Khmer youth that selectively accepts or outright rejects conventional knowledge on the KR period), schools must focus on educating students in order to ensure that similarly atrocious actions are never perpetrated again.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteIt's really special that you got to speak with this man and hear his story. It sounds so interesting!
Hope you're safe, having fun, and learning a lot. I enjoy reading your posts!
-Hannah Hunt
Sounds like you are making the most of this summer experience, Matt. I can't wait to talk to you in person about the leadership work you are doing with the students. Your blogs are great- I feel like I'm diving, rock climbing, and eating with you! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteMatt,
ReplyDeleteWhenever anyone asks me about Duke or the BN scholarship you are the first one that comes to mind and I always brag about my friend that is backpacking on foot through Cambodia and Southeast Asia! I hope you are doing well. The stories of the atrocities of Khmer Rouge are indeed painful to read, and I'm sure, more painful to listen to and speak of in person, but it is some small consolation that the perpetrators of these horrible acts are finally being brought to justice.
Best of luck!
Lindsey