Our group leader Aun tried to make our life as easy as he could without endangering himself. He was the one who told us that the Khmer Rouge killed those considered to have a bad attitude. That could mean failure to produce in the fields or being caught breaking some rule. It was not so much the rule but that it showed disrespect for the government.
Aun said that he had taken two workers to the field himself where he clubbed them to death and threw their bodies in the well. He did not want to do it but he had to follow orders or end up in the well with them.
They (Khmer Rouge) were always polite when they came to take you away. They informed you that the supervisor wanted to see you in her office and they were going to escort you.
The soldiers would tell you, “You remember so and so? What kind of worker do you think he was? I wonder whatever happened to him? You would not like to be like him, would you?
We all loved Aun. Even though he killed for the Khmer Rouge and did whatever they told him to do, he still helped us a lot. He kept us informed to what they had done and what they were planning to do.
After one meeting he attended Aun told us that we would have to suffer for a while longer but the Khmer Rouge would be leaving soon. He told us not to worry but to keep our hopes up and try to do whatever they want us to do. Later on, he was told soon they would be fighting with Vietnamese soldiers on Kampuchean soil.
One purpose of the meetings was to find out what we would do if the Vietnamese invaded. They tried to think of ways to insure our support so that we would fight them (Vietnamese) when this happened. But they knew that the people would not help and that they would soon be defeated.
As the situation got worse for the Khmer Rouge over the last few months, the soldiers treated us worse than ever, making us work more and giving out more punishment. And at the end, our hatred made us stronger.
At the start of 1979 the Vietnamese invaded and quickly captured the country. The Khmer Rouge did not fight. We did not know exactly what happened. They just disappeared from the camp. Word traveled fast from section to section that the Vietnamese were coming in. No one wanted to stay and fight.
There was much confusion the night the soldiers left. We were awakened by people shouting that they had gone. We were excited about our freedom but scared that the Khmer Rouge would return to kill us. We heard shooting in the distance and everybody decided to leave. Someone told us the Russians were helping the Vietnamese.
Then planes flew over the camp and dropped leaflets telling us we were free. We could go any place we wanted. I felt like I have never felt before. For a while we did nothing but walk around the camp. We greeted each other and smiled a lot. Almost four years without smiles but now the people smiled.
We were still not used to the idea of freedom and so there was no restraint in the celebration. Still, there were shouts of joy one moment and a quick look around the next, just to see if anyone would object.
When the Vietnamese entered our camp, they announced that they were here to help us, to free us from the Khmer Rouge. And though the Kampucheans and Vietnamese do not like each other, we were overjoyed that they were here.
The camp officials and soldiers had fled into the woods but many were later captured and kept in one of the long buildings. We were angry. All those years of brutal treatment, the murders of our loved ones, and the joy of living that they took from us was all we could think of. Many of those in the crowd of survivors surrounded the building and demanded revenge.
The Vietnamese did not do much to the Khmer Rouge officials. The Vietnamese captain said they were going to conduct an investigation and obtain proof that these leaders committed such atrocities before ordering any punishment.
But the people of the camp confronted the captain and told him that they did not need a trial because we all knew which ones were guilty. They demanded custody of the prisoners.
My mother and my two remaining brothers watched to see what the Vietnamese would do. The people said if the Vietnamese would not kill the Khmer Rouge, let the people do it. The Vietnamese did not seem to want any trouble and stepped aside. Some of our men went in the building. The first person that they dragged out was the camp supervisor.
His hands were tied behind his back and the people began to beat him with their fists, clubs, or kicked him with their feet until he was covered with blood.
Finally, the crowd stepped back and a man approached, waving a long sword. While the supervisor was standing, the man swung the sword and cut off his head with one blow. The head flew off and rolled across the ground while the body also dropped to the ground. Blood was flowing everywhere and the people moved closer to watch. The man with the sword swung again and again and cut the supervisor in two at the waist.
Three more officials were pulled out and disposed of in the same way. No one wanted to bury the bodies and so they were left where they fell. Before they had finished executing the prisoners, dogs dragged the body parts away and began to eat them. My family and I left after the fourth person was killed.
I did not think about it then but sometimes I wonder about my two brothers who were taken to the field and executed. What if Aun had done the killing? If so, my feelings toward him would be different. I would wish for him the same fate as our camp leaders.
Next: Part 6 Home again?
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