Forced Labor Begins:
The next morning we were awakened by a man blowing on a whistle, an irritating noise that we endured every morning for the years we spent there. It was five o’clock, and the sun had not risen.
The group leader took us to a field to explain the work expected of us. He made a list of each person in the family available for planting rice. Payment would be a little food each day, and only enough for each person who worked.
Our group leader was a farmer who instructed us in the correct procedure for tilling the soil and planting the crops. Our lessons in farming lasted two weeks and the work during this period was not hard. The farmers would show us how to do a task and then observe us until we learned the skill. When the assignments were made. all the members of my family were sent to different work groups.
Our group, which consisted of several families, went to the field and the leader showed us what needed to be done. This was when the real work began. We started about seven in the morning and worked till about five in the afternoon. We brought food from home and ate in the fields.
Farmwork was very hard for the city people and my back hurt constantly from bending over during the rice-planting season. The farm people would talk bad about the city people, saying we should be given more work because of the years we spent doing nothing while they had to toil on the farms.
Everyone had a row to plant. We lined up next to each other and started at the same time. Each person had to keep up with those on either side.
Some of us were slow, especially me. The ones next to me were experienced and so fast that they left me behind easily. They would finish, then sit down and watch me. Lunch time was at twelve that first year and we had plenty of time to eat.
At lunch and after work in the afternoon we would sometimes have meetings in which we criticized others and also ourselves. If you criticized yourself they were pleased but at the same time displeased because you were expected to do better next time.
We had plenty to eat the first year. We could cook whatever we wanted. Those who stayed home could get a pass to travel in the vicinity of the camp to hunt for food. My four brothers and I worked in the fields while my mother and father, who did not sign up for work because of their age, kept busy by catching fish or frogs at the river. They also gathered bananas and other fruit in the forest. The Khmer Rouge let each family grow a small garden in areas beside their house.
We still used gold and other items to trade with other families for things we needed but this was done in secret. If the Khmer Rouge found out, they would come and take what we had.
But it was not unbearable that first year. The soldiers still allowed us some freedoms and were not that interested in watching our every move. After work we went home and ate the evening meal with our families. People could also visit friends at night. We could still socialize. That was important. People were still friendly then.
Usually we got up about five in the morning that first year. We cooked breakfast for the family, rice with dried fish or beans. During the meal we would plan what we would do for the day. We would joke with each other and offer advice for any problems that a member of the family might encounter. Much of the advice from our parents was about how we should deal with the Khmer Rouge. It was important that every person in the house have the same answers in case the soldiers decided to investigate us.
My father used to warn us. “Now that we are under the communist government, we must be careful all the time. Don’t let your mouth run. It could get you in trouble.”
After we cleaned up around the house, we met with the other families in our group and walked to the field. The supervisor took the roll and those who did not show up did not receive their ration for the day. He told us how many fields we had to finish for that day, usually two or three fields of about a half-acre each, and then we started work.
After the rice planting was finished, we spent the rest of the year doing other work, such as building dams and canals to store and carry water. I carried dirt all day in two baskets balanced on a pole across my back. We also chopped down trees and cleared fields for growing rice and other crops.
The worst time was the rainy season when we planted rice. Many people became ill and died from the cool damp air.
Depending on the type of rice, we harvested at the end of either three months or six months. Harvesting, separating and storing the rice took about two months. I didn’t like this time because the husk would stick in my hair and clothes and itch. I could not sleep at all some nights. You could not wash it out. It seemed to get under your skin. Some people broke out in a rash from scratching.
We showered daily from a large storage pot in the house that we kept filled with water. We had a dipper that we used to scoop up water and pour over our heads. I remember once when I went to the well to get some water to take a shower. It was just a hole in the ground with a few rocks around it. I never used a well before and while I was pulling the bucket of water up by a rope, I leaned over too far and fell in.
The well was about fifteen feet deep but the water was low and reached up to my neck. I was frightened and began to yell as loud as I could. A neighbor arrived a few minutes later. Fortunately, she found a ladder and I was able to climb out.
We worked six days a week and had Sunday off, except when the Khmer Rouge wanted us to finish a project somewhere. On days when everything was caught up, we could stay at home. If they had another project, someone would come by your house in the evening and let you know where it was so that you could prepare enough food. Sometimes they let us know several days early because some of these projects were out of town and we would be gone sometimes for up to a week.
During the first year while the rice was growing there was very little to do and so we had a lot of free time. We spent most of this period acquiring food by fishing, gathering fruits and plants, and growing vegetables. My family had a large nylon mosquito net that my father and brothers used to catch prawns and little fish. We traded some of our catch for sugar and salt. We also raised chickens. Mother planted beans and sweet potatoes on our allotted space.
Next: Part 4. Hard Times.
Filed under: Kampuchea
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