
SURVIVORS' STORIES
The Documentation Center of Cambodia believes that one of the most effective ways to preserve the history of Democratic Kampuchea is through the voices of those who survived. Our Promoting Accountability, Research and other teams thus continually seek interviews with, and solicit stories from survivors.

Chea Kim Sreng, Housewife
My mother was a farmer from Tonle Bet, while my father was a goldsmith from Kampong Cham Province. They met at a pagoda. My father

Chaing Chaem, Monk
Chaing Chaem was head of the Tet Mountain Buddhist monastery in Chamkar Leu District of Kampong Cham Province. He was very famous for his black

Mam Bun Lorn, Silk Weaver
Bun Lorn worked near Rorka Kong market in Kandal Province. I used to go there to buy food for my family. He watched me for

Mak Tun, Cyclo Driver
I married two men; both were my relatives. My first marriage was arranged to a farmer from my village in Phnom Penh. After we were

Taing Hai Sang, Truck Driver
I never went to school, but my husband Hai Sang was literate. He was half Chinese and came from Kampong Speu Province. He had relatives

Siv Sokh Kea, Taxi Cab Owner
My wife and I are Cambodian Chinese, but we cannot speak Chinese. We did not meet until our wedding day, even though we are great

Ly Yousep and Ly Smael, Fishermen
When I was young, I lived with my older sister in Phnom Penh, and sold cakes in my spare time. One man often bought my

Meas Sarin, Typist
When I was in high school in Phnom Penh, I liked sports and played basketball. My father supported my love of sports, and at one

Em Phal, Typist Sar Son, Film Technician
My sister was very beautiful and the tallest of the four daughters in our family. My mother loved her the most of her six children,

Chem Hing, Driver
When I was young I did not a chance to get an education. Although my siblings went to school, I stayed at home and worked

Lao Sunthareth, Student
I grew up in a middle class family; we had a car. My father Lao Chheng Sorn worked in a laboratory at a private hospital

Phin Ratha, Student
I was born in Takeo Province, but during the Lon Nol regime, my family fled to Vietnam because it was not safe in my village.

Som Sila and Lam Séna, Students
All of the children in our family studied hard, and we all liked science. My oldest brother Som Sila had a PhD in economic engineering

Mei Monyroath, Student
I was the oldest son in a family of six children. My father Mei Sam Aol was a government nurse at a hospital in Phnom

Lao Um, Teacher
My father was ordained a monk when he was young and taught in the monastery. Sending a son to the monastery was customary among older

Chey Phon, Teacher
My father died of old age before the Lon Nol regime took control of Cambodia, so my mother sold mats to support our family. But

Chhuon Leang Vuoch, Teacher Hok Chhay Sreng, Military Policeman
When my father returned from studying at a military school in Indonesia, he was promoted to the rank of major in the military police. My

Uk Sivutha, Teacher
When I was young, I wanted to study so that I could become a teacher. I had seen that teachers were well educated, dressed smartly,

Lam Som, School Inspector
When we were small, my father liked to play with us, pretending he was an elephant. He would take a big mattress, fold it in

Mong Muon, Nurse
Five of my ten children died during the Khmer Rouge regime. My two oldest boys, Muon and Mut, were executed. My third son, Ty, starved

Hong Kimtry, Nurse
loved studying when I was young, but my parents wanted me to get married. Even when I was pregnant, I kept studying until my belly

Tun Chhum, Doctor
I came from a poor farming family in Takeo Province, and was educated with my older brother who was a monk. There were no schools

Prum Thuch, Doctor
Thuch disappeared during the 1975 evacuation of Phnom Penh. He was born in Prey Veng Province, and after he finished high school, studied medicine in

Sot Neou, Doctor
Of my parents and thirteen siblings, only two of us survived the Khmer Rouge regime. Nearly all of them died in 1977 from starvation and

Ai Va, Food Services Manager
My husband and I were cousins; we grew up together in Kampong Cham Province. Our parents arranged our marriage when he was 25 and I

Buoy Sreng, Newspaper Publisher
Before I was born, my father was a teacher in Pursat Province, where he fell in love with my mother Kang Sophat; she was the

Kong Meardey, Banker
My mother died when I was too young to remember and my father died when I was ten. Thus, I grew up to be a

May Phy, Policeman
During the Lon Nol regime my husband Mai Phy was a policeman in Phnom Penh. He also worked for a humanitarian organization that distributed food.

Chhuon Sopheak, Military Policeman
My mother died when I was young and my father did not have enough money to support my education. So, I moved from Prey Vent

Sum Sras, Army Medic
I was ordained as a monk when I was 12 years old. But after a year, I resigned because I had very little knowledge of

Sek Moeun, Soldier
My husband worked for the civil aviation administration at Pochentong Airport when we met. He was responsible for security at the airport at a time

Kang Nan, Soldier
This picture was taken during the Lon Nol regime in Phnom Penh. I had moved there to live with my younger cousins because I didn’t

Kauv Choa, Soldier
Kauv Choa married me when he was 22 and I was 18. Although we lived in the same village, we had never met before his

Huy Mann, Soldier
was not really ready for love when I was 18. Mann and I first met on the Khmer New Year, when he was on a

Voeng Vorn, Soldier
My husband Vorn had skin the color of a soybean. He was gentle, hardworking, and very likable. We were married when I was 16. About

Heng Sokphanna, Master Sergeant
I was very lucky to marry my husband. If I had married a selfish man, I probably would have died from starvation during the Khmer

Khiev Noeun, Second Lieutenant
Noeun studied in Kandal Province. He was a good student and earned a diploma. During the chaos following the 1970 coup d’état, he volunteered to

Uk Tat, Second Lieutenant
My father Uk Tat was a soldier. He was the only one in his family to be educated; he went to school at a pagoda

Kok Saroeun, Soldier
loved being in uniform. I wore the uniform in this picture only when I was being promoted or having my photograph taken; when I went

Doeur Kim Sier, Lieutenant Colonel
My father was a handsome man. After he fell in love with my mother Makk Ngoy, he had to work very hard to please her

Yos Prim, Soldier
My husband Yos Prim first saw me in 1952 and asked my parents for my hand in marriage. After he graduated from high school, he

Thong Phoeun, Colonel
Phoeun first saw me one evening when I was walking to the river to have a bath. He kept watching me and followed me whenever

Srey Yar, Brigadier General
I still remember my father’s words: “I am a soldier, and will not flee the country. If I die, I want to die in Cambodia.”

Kong Chamroeun, Postal Worker
I moved to Phnom Penh from Kandal Province so I could attend high school, but after I completed the 5th grade [the equivalent of 7th grade

Sam Sin Thai, Agricultural Sector Chief
Thai was a smart man. Before 1970, he studied at the agricultural school in Kampong Cham Province. He rented a house there and fell in

Um Sboang, Cooperative Chief
Among our family’s seven children, Sboang was the luckiest; he had the highest position. He was a clever student and fluent in French. During the

Taing Hang Meng, Forester
My father was the chief of forest and wild animal preservation at the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1973, the Ministry assigned him to monitor along

Meng Chheng, Airport Administrator
I was very lucky to have survived the Khmer Rouge regime. My mother and five of the eight children in our family died, but I

Ing Sopheak, Court Clerk
When he was 18 years old, my husband was ordained a monk. He passed his baccalaureate examination in the Pali language. Chuon Nat, the head

Pon Arun, Provincial Court Clerk
Told by his daughter, Arun Cheat Ponnary My father Pon Arun fell in love with my mother at first sight. She was very beautiful and a

Buth Choun, Member of Parliament
Told by his daughter, Buth Chan Mearadey My father, who was born in 1920, was a real patriot and very active in politics. He was

Buth Choun, Member of Parliament
My father, who was born in 1920, was a real patriot and very active in politics. He was a representative in the National Assembly for two terms, from 1959 to 1967, and was involved in the coup to depose King Sihanouk in 1970.

Pon Arun, Provincial Court Clerk
My father Pon Arun fell in love with my mother at first sight. She was very beautiful and a performer of Basak [a traditional dance]. My father was the son of an Ouknha [a title given to a rich person]. My grandmother, however, didn’t like my mother and constantly tried to find ways to separate my parents.

Ing Sopheak, Court Clerk
When he was 18 years old, my husband was ordained a monk. He passed his baccalaureate examination in the Pali language. Chuon Nat, the head of his monastery, ordered him to teach other monks. But Sopheak was facing financial problems, so he quit and took the entrance exam to work as a trial court clerk. He got the third-highest score and a posting in Phnom Penh.

Meng Chheng, Airport Administrator
I was very lucky to have survived the Khmer Rouge regime. My mother and five of the eight children in our family died, but I lived by lying to the Angkar, saying I was a cyclo [pedicab] driver.

Taing Hang Meng, Forester
My father was the chief of forest and wild animal preservation at the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1973, the Ministry assigned him to monitor along the Koh Kong coastline. He decided to move his family to Koh Kong after the Khmer New Year of 1975, but everything changed on April 17.

Um Sboang, Cooperative Chief
Among our family’s seven children, Sboang was the luckiest; he had the highest position. He was a clever student and fluent in French. During the Sihanouk regime, he passed a civil service exam and became a cooperative chief in Prey Veng. He supervised the agricultural system for the whole province.

Sam Sin Thai, Agricultural Sector Chief
Thai was a smart man. Before 1970, he studied at the agricultural school in Kampong Cham Province. He rented a house there and fell in love with Huot Phannary, the landlord’s daughter. We call her Nary. She is a well behaved and educated woman who taught sports. When King Sihanouk visited our province, Nary greeted him and put a garland of flowers around his neck.

Kong Chamroeun, Postal Worker
I moved to Phnom Penh from Kandal Province so I could attend high school, but after I completed the 5th grade [the equivalent of 7th grade in the west] I took an entrance exam for the postal service. I passed and began working at the post office in 1961.

Srey Yar, Brigadier General
I still remember my father’s words: “I am a soldier, and will not flee the country. If I die, I want to die in Cambodia.” He said this on April 15, 1975 when my mother told him to escape. He probably knew he would be killed, but decided to stay in Phnom Penh anyway.

Thong Phoeun, Colonel
Phoeun first saw me one evening when I was walking to the river to have a bath. He kept watching me and followed me whenever I went to the market. He came to my parents to ask for my hand in marriage. My father didn’t agree at first because he hadn’t brought any elderly people along to act as middlemen. So, he came back a second time with his relatives, and my father accepted his proposal. I was 18 and he was 28. He was a small man, so he looked young.

Yos Prim, Soldier
My husband Yos Prim first saw me in 1952 and asked my parents for my hand in marriage. After he graduated from high school, he entered a military academy and was promoted step by step. He became a colonel in Lon Nol’s army in 1970.

Doeur Kim Sier, Lieutenant Colonel
My father was a handsome man. After he fell in love with my mother Makk Ngoy, he had to work very hard to please her parents so they would agree to his marriage proposal. My father’s older brother had seen her first and also loved my mother. However, my uncle was generous; he thought that if either of them married my mother, she would be part of his family.

Kok Saroeun, Soldier
I loved being in uniform. I wore the uniform in this picture only when I was being promoted or having my photograph taken; when I went to work, I wore civilian clothes.

Uk Tat, Second Lieutenant
My father Uk Tat was a soldier. He was the only one in his family to be educated; he went to school at a pagoda and transported vegetables and fruits to the market to help his family. Then the French government recruited him into the army.

Khiev Noeun, Second Lieutenant
Noeun studied in Kandal Province. He was a good student and earned a diploma. During the chaos following the 1970 coup d’état, he volunteered to join a unit that guarded his school at night because they were afraid the Vietnamese would burn it down. He wore a uniform that was the same color as tree leaves and carried a gun. Although he was paid 500 riel a month for this, it wasn’t enough for food.

Heng Sokphanna, Master Sergeant
I was very lucky to marry my husband. If I had married a selfish man, I probably would have died from starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime. He was a handsome man and many girls were attracted to him.

Voeng Vorn, Soldier
My husband Vorn had skin the color of a soybean. He was gentle, hardworking, and very likable. We were married when I was 16. About a month later, the village and sub-district authorities came to persuade Vorn to join Lon Nol’s army. He didn’t want to, but had little choice. He served in many battles.

Huy Mann, Soldier
I was not really ready for love when I was 18. Mann and I first met on the Khmer New Year, when he was on a short leave from the army. It was love at first sight for him. And when he had his unit chief ask my mother for my hand in marriage, I didn’t have any feelings of love for him. But I had to accept my parent’s arrangement for me. His chief and Lay Sam, a colonel in Unit 554, were at my wedding, but not his parents.

Kauv Choa, Soldier
Kauv Choa married me when he was 22 and I was 18. Although we lived in the same village, we had never met before his parents came to mine to arrange our engagement. My parents asked for a 100 riel dowry; it was a lot of money at that time. But because his parents loved me, they agreed to it. On our wedding day, we killed many pigs for the reception.

Kang Nan, Soldier
This picture was taken during the Lon Nol regime in Phnom Penh. I had moved there to live with my younger cousins because I didn’t want to join the Khmer Rouge. I’m not sure why my friends and I decided to have our picture taken, and we didn’t dress properly. I was wearing a pair of baggy trousers and flip flops.