Surviving the Khmer Rouge (2E5 Vanna's Maternal Grandmother)

Interviewer: Chhay Vanna

Date of interview: 14-7-2006

Location of interview: grandmother’s home

Interviewee: Leng Huoy

Present address: West Coast Drive

Birthdate: 20th October 1940

Place of birth: Kandal, Cambodia

This is a life story of my grandmother during the Communist government called Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

          On 20^th of October 1940, my grandmother, Leng Huoy was born. She was brought up in a rich family. She has six siblings consisting of three males and three females. They lived in a villa in a serene village.

At the age of six, she was registered for primary one. She was a very playful little girl. She loved playing tricks on her father. Everyday after school, she would quickly eat her lunch and rush to the river side and play with her friends. Her hobbies were playing hide and seek, swimming in the river, fishing, hunting for insects and playing catching. She  did well in school despite all her mischievous behavior. But unfortunately, she dropped  out of school at the age of eleven for no particular reason. At the age of twenty, she went through a match-making session and later was married to her husband, Tan Jiat Chong who was twenty-three years old. A few weeks later after their marriage, my grandmother opened a provision shop but her business came to a standstill. She decided to sell vegetables instead as it was better and easier. She gave birth to seven children, three boys and four girls.

In 1975, on the morning of 17 April, a civil war broke out as there was a dispute between the high-ranking officials.

Everyone felt very lost. They were forced to leave their homes. Bombing took place in several places in the city, Phnom Penh. Afraid that her family would get injured, my grandmother decided to abandon her home and moved to countryside near the border of Thailand. Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, had overpowered the army. In order to fight, all males aged above sixteen were forced to join the army. Upon hearing this, my father tried to escape. He climbed onto the zinc roof top to hide and later he work at the sewing company because if one worked for the government, he would not be force to join the armed forces.

The situation worsened and the Khmer Rouge captured  the capital. Bombing started taking place in the country side. Again my grandmother kept on moving from one district to another safer district by foot. Her family was captured only after the Khmer Rouge had seized power. Her family was separated into males and females.

After the Khmer Rouge came to power, they set rules for the civilians. The rules were very simple such as no other languages were supposed to be spoken except Khmer. One would be hanged if he or she broke the rules. The females were brought to an endless field with many other families.  During the first few days, they built their own hut with branches they picked.

Life was harsh. The family was not allowed to see each other. Day and night, my grandmother cried as she missed her family. She and her two remaining daughters were forced to work in the paddy field. One of my aunts had managed to escape to America the night before the Pol Pot took over Cambodia. They had to wake up at 5am for roll call and start to work from 6am until sunset. They worked under the hot blazing sun and they were given only a small portion of watery plain porridge without any ingredients twice a day for lunch and dinner. Sometimes during the night, they would secretly catch frogs and rats to eat. Although disgusted by what they ate, they did not have a choice, but to stay alive. One night, my grandmother heard screaming and shouting but no one dared to move. No one could imagine the fear they had. The next morning, a body was hung from a coconut tree for stealing food.

Children were either taught how to operate guns or worked in the padi field. Those who operated guns were treated very well as Pol Pot thought that children are a reliable source. The punishments laid out by Khmer Rouge were death by hanging or being beaten. ‘Peasants’ who were found to be lazy had their finger nails pulled out with a pair of pliers by the children. The Khmer Rouge was very vicious. They treated civilians like toys any way they pleased. All the corpses were thrown into pits without burial. Fortunately, in 1979, the war ended when the Vietnamese army entered Cambodia and freed all the prisoners.

Three days after the war ended my grandmother, grandfather and my mother went to search for my aunt and uncles on foot day and night all over Cambodia. They went their separate ways thinking that it would be quicker to find their children. Unfortunately, my grandfather was never seen again. One of my uncles had died of starvation and the others were looked after by different families. After six months of searching, her family was reunited and settled down at their once again peaceful hometown.