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 illness. My father was a serious, responsible man who did not talk a lot. He was born to a very poor family with many children, and lived in the pagoda […]
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 Phnom Penh. His met his wife Hao Vanna when he was visiting Battambang Province. After they were married, they rented a flat along Kampuchea Krom Street in the capital. He […]
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 in my area, so I studied at the temple. In 1959, I began studying at a regular school, but it was far from my home, so I rented a place […]
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 became huge. My parents then made me the manager of a business they had renting cyclos [pedicabs]. My husband Hong Kimtry was a nurse at a hospital in Phnom Penh. We […]
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 to death, as did his sister Chrip and my youngest son Aun, who died when he was only a year old. I didn’t know how to get food for my […]
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 half, and put it over his head. Then he would extend his arms, sway, and come after us. He would chase anyone in the house. He inspected schools for a […]
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, and did not have to work very hard. But Cambodian tradition was very strict in those days. My parents were afraid that no man would want to marry me if […]
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 mother was a teacher in Phnom Penh. They met before my father went to Indonesia. After he came home, he proposed to her. In 1974, father was transferred to Battambang […]
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 it wasn’t enough, so two of my brothers went to live at a pagoda where they became monks. When I was five years old, I began living with them at […]
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 people. They felt that becoming a monk was a way to get an education, and that women would easily agree to marry someone who was educated enough to teach at […]