Tara Om:
Today, I want to remind the memories of early 79 for those who were not born yet to read. After Vietnam invaded the Khmer Rouge, we, who are refugees from Phnom Penh, left from death in the desert regime, we return to our old village. After over a month of hiking, we arrived in Phnom Penh, probably April. When people were not allowed to enter the city, you came from the east at Prek Leap, you came from north at east bank, I don't know where you came from south and west because there is no information.
My family asked for a boat to cross from Prek Rusey to Chrang Chamre because the land is close to the city, my mother tried to come back to her old house in the city when it was opened. We live in a gathering at Chrang Chamre, some live under the old house, some take old abandoned things as a hut. There, they distribute rice and canned fish once a week, but not our rice, it's wheat rice, maybe it's the help of the Soviet Union, the rice is not sticky like our rice. It's hard to swallow. On the banks of Chamreik, they set up a headquarters in the mosque to coordinate problems with the people and speed up the orphans. Children without parents are registered and taken to the orphanage center, the first and second rose.
With insufficient eating, some people, including me, risked sneaking into Phnom Penh to take the items that the Khmer Rouge collected in the warehouse near the new market. Intruders can't go straight through the street because the Vietnamese army is guarding many drops. They broke in through the gate around Toul Kork until Toul Sangke then Toul Kork and passed through the road behind the hospital to the Red School (at that time Toul Sangke, Toul Kork didn't have a house, mostly lake fields and banana farms planted by the Red Khmer).
We enter in the afternoon and almost night because at night, the Vietnamese army is rarely seen. It is easy to run in each other. If we enter, we don't find the warehouse. We sleep in the empty house until dawn, we can look in the empty house, in case there is something we can use, we can find it and wait for the afternoon to return. On the first day, I arrived around Psar Tmey, but around Psar Tamey, there is Vietnamese army guarding us. We also walk around empty houses, in case there are some leftovers to exchange with the residents at Chamre shore to get rice. There's some house leftovers the owner left from 75 I picked up gold weighing scales goldsmith tools hammer some house left bookshelves most likely bookstore I only collect good books back.
Arrived at Chrang Chamrek, everyone laughed, what not to bring, only heavy books and nothing to change.
Later, I decided to go to the city again, maybe I can find the right thing to replace rice, this time I was beaten by Vietnamese soldiers.
(To be continued)...
Life After the Liberation
Interesting, my house in Toul Kork has a few banana trees - I wonder who planted them, tasty all the same!
I really struggle with the use of the words "Vietnam invaded" though - in this context it implies an unwelcome aggression, but as far as I see it (call me Putin), it was more of a special operation, or liberation. Without Vietnam removing the Khmer Rouge from power, most of these stories would never be heard.
The same as the D-Day landings of WWII, I'm always surprised that most French folks generally don't seem to have any appreciation of the sacrifices of the Allies to liberate their country; in the same way Cambodians still have near zero appreciation for the Vietnamese. What an odd bunch.
"Here's your country back"
"Ah, we would have done it ourselves"
"You really wouldn't.."
"Meh, baguette/nom pain?"
I really struggle with the use of the words "Vietnam invaded" though - in this context it implies an unwelcome aggression, but as far as I see it (call me Putin), it was more of a special operation, or liberation. Without Vietnam removing the Khmer Rouge from power, most of these stories would never be heard.
The same as the D-Day landings of WWII, I'm always surprised that most French folks generally don't seem to have any appreciation of the sacrifices of the Allies to liberate their country; in the same way Cambodians still have near zero appreciation for the Vietnamese. What an odd bunch.
"Here's your country back"
"Ah, we would have done it ourselves"
"You really wouldn't.."
"Meh, baguette/nom pain?"
Meum est propositum in taberna mori,
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
When helping someone we run the risk of being held in contempt. Human dynamics is like the goddam krypton factor sometimesSpigzy wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 9:17 amInteresting, my house in Toul Kork has a few banana trees - I wonder who planted them, tasty all the same!
I really struggle with the use of the words "Vietnam invaded" though - in this context it implies an unwelcome aggression, but as far as I see it (call me Putin), it was more of a special operation, or liberation. Without Vietnam removing the Khmer Rouge from power, most of these stories would never be heard.
The same as the D-Day landings of WWII, I'm always surprised that most French folks generally don't seem to have any appreciation of the sacrifices of the Allies to liberate their country; in the same way Cambodians still have near zero appreciation for the Vietnamese. What an odd bunch.
"Here's your country back"
"Ah, we would have done it ourselves"
"You really wouldn't.."
"Meh, baguette/nom pain?"
I think using the term "Invaded the Khmer Rouge" is even weirder!
Cambodians still don't except it was "Khmer Killing Khmer".
Viets will never truly be excepted in Cambodia. Strange also that the Viets never tell barang they are Viet, as they often speak Khmer. A fridn of mine has a GF, been together for 6 years. I met him and his GF when I was with my wife and she mentioned she was Viet (I guess it's the same as Brits knowing where someone is from in Europe when they speak English).
I asked him once what part of Vietnam his GF is from. "Eh, she is Cambodian!". I didn't push it and let it be. Two weeks later I saw him and he said I was right she is from a village outside of Da Nang. I could not tell he was pissed off or not.
Cambodians still don't except it was "Khmer Killing Khmer".
Viets will never truly be excepted in Cambodia. Strange also that the Viets never tell barang they are Viet, as they often speak Khmer. A fridn of mine has a GF, been together for 6 years. I met him and his GF when I was with my wife and she mentioned she was Viet (I guess it's the same as Brits knowing where someone is from in Europe when they speak English).
I asked him once what part of Vietnam his GF is from. "Eh, she is Cambodian!". I didn't push it and let it be. Two weeks later I saw him and he said I was right she is from a village outside of Da Nang. I could not tell he was pissed off or not.
After entering Phnom Penh for the first time, I could not get any important materials that could be exchanged, so I decided to enter again, this time with another group to a place known as the Khmer Rouge warehouse, collecting materials from various shops left untouched after April 17, 1975.
We followed the old track as the first time, when we arrived in Toul Kork, we also turned to the direction of Kampuchea Krom road because it is said that there are many warehouses there. We ran from the TV tower to the Tuol Kork roundabout, but we ran inland, not daring to run on the main road for fear of being seen by the Vietnamese army. Arriving after Tuol Kork school, the Vietnamese army suddenly intercepted the crowd there. The women were released, the men were boarded in a military truck and transported to Borei Keila at about 5 pm.
In Borei Keila, you can see all the Vietnamese troops and also those who were captured earlier, taken out of the car and made to sit in a row to meet the Vietnamese commander sitting at the table with a Khmer Kampuchea Krom soldier waiting to translate.
The question was, where is the old society before the Pol Pot era? What did you do? After being questioned, those who answered that they were in the province or answered rudely were sent upstairs and not to leave the room, like in prison. During the meal, a few members of the room were brought down to carry the soup to eat in the room. They were allowed out only during political studies, twice a week, with Vietnamese soldiers following them.
As for us, considered as people who sneak into the city to find their belongings, were kept in the ground floor room, as they are not very strict, but can not leave the empty room, can only leave when eating. The members of the room go to carry rice and soup in front of the room, share food, and when they go out, they bend their arms from time to time. The food there is rice, wheat with rice, seaweed, pickles, sometimes fried rice.
We had to sleep on our own and Caro was thirsty, bathing in mosquito bites.
We were told to stay for two weeks before returning, while those upstairs had to stay for four weeks, sent by day to learn politics is to gather in a big factory. The instructor, a Cambodian soldier, was accompanied by a few bodyguards who came to teach every week. He was not in Borei Keila. On the day of the training, he was given a Jeep. He looked friendly.
The lecturer was to disseminate the policy of the Cambodian National Salvation Front.
In the second week, which is the last week, we were told to leave the weeding room in Borei Keila, some to help transport the materials as used. We seem to be freer. On the last day to go back, we were given 3kgs of rice and 6 cans of fish, with a leaflet stating the policy of the Cambodian National Salvation Front with the image of Sam Heng Samrin and Comrade Chea Sim on it.
The person who handed out the leaflets said that when they went back, if the Vietnamese army called to ask them to pass the leaflets, they would open the way for them to go, but they could not go in or out.
This time, we did not escape from the Vietnamese army, but left Borei Keila and walked on the main road back to the bank. Walking on Monivong Road and National Road No. 5, not afraid at all, because the roadblocks saw the Vietnamese army guarding each barricade, they just wanted to be asked to show the roadblock, but they did not call again, they just looked and waved hands and they see bundles of rice and canned fish, only those who have just left the training camp had so were lazy to ask questions.
(End)
We followed the old track as the first time, when we arrived in Toul Kork, we also turned to the direction of Kampuchea Krom road because it is said that there are many warehouses there. We ran from the TV tower to the Tuol Kork roundabout, but we ran inland, not daring to run on the main road for fear of being seen by the Vietnamese army. Arriving after Tuol Kork school, the Vietnamese army suddenly intercepted the crowd there. The women were released, the men were boarded in a military truck and transported to Borei Keila at about 5 pm.
In Borei Keila, you can see all the Vietnamese troops and also those who were captured earlier, taken out of the car and made to sit in a row to meet the Vietnamese commander sitting at the table with a Khmer Kampuchea Krom soldier waiting to translate.
The question was, where is the old society before the Pol Pot era? What did you do? After being questioned, those who answered that they were in the province or answered rudely were sent upstairs and not to leave the room, like in prison. During the meal, a few members of the room were brought down to carry the soup to eat in the room. They were allowed out only during political studies, twice a week, with Vietnamese soldiers following them.
As for us, considered as people who sneak into the city to find their belongings, were kept in the ground floor room, as they are not very strict, but can not leave the empty room, can only leave when eating. The members of the room go to carry rice and soup in front of the room, share food, and when they go out, they bend their arms from time to time. The food there is rice, wheat with rice, seaweed, pickles, sometimes fried rice.
We had to sleep on our own and Caro was thirsty, bathing in mosquito bites.
We were told to stay for two weeks before returning, while those upstairs had to stay for four weeks, sent by day to learn politics is to gather in a big factory. The instructor, a Cambodian soldier, was accompanied by a few bodyguards who came to teach every week. He was not in Borei Keila. On the day of the training, he was given a Jeep. He looked friendly.
The lecturer was to disseminate the policy of the Cambodian National Salvation Front.
In the second week, which is the last week, we were told to leave the weeding room in Borei Keila, some to help transport the materials as used. We seem to be freer. On the last day to go back, we were given 3kgs of rice and 6 cans of fish, with a leaflet stating the policy of the Cambodian National Salvation Front with the image of Sam Heng Samrin and Comrade Chea Sim on it.
The person who handed out the leaflets said that when they went back, if the Vietnamese army called to ask them to pass the leaflets, they would open the way for them to go, but they could not go in or out.
This time, we did not escape from the Vietnamese army, but left Borei Keila and walked on the main road back to the bank. Walking on Monivong Road and National Road No. 5, not afraid at all, because the roadblocks saw the Vietnamese army guarding each barricade, they just wanted to be asked to show the roadblock, but they did not call again, they just looked and waved hands and they see bundles of rice and canned fish, only those who have just left the training camp had so were lazy to ask questions.
(End)
- Mike Farce
- I have Cheap Mobile Internet
- Reactions: 74
- Posts: 446
- Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2023 11:36 pm
It's not just the helping, more having been witness to their weakness.Dylan Quint wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:34 amWhen helping someone we run the risk of being held in contempt. Human dynamics is like the goddam krypton factor sometimesSpigzy wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 9:17 amInteresting, my house in Toul Kork has a few banana trees - I wonder who planted them, tasty all the same!
I really struggle with the use of the words "Vietnam invaded" though - in this context it implies an unwelcome aggression, but as far as I see it (call me Putin), it was more of a special operation, or liberation. Without Vietnam removing the Khmer Rouge from power, most of these stories would never be heard.
The same as the D-Day landings of WWII, I'm always surprised that most French folks generally don't seem to have any appreciation of the sacrifices of the Allies to liberate their country; in the same way Cambodians still have near zero appreciation for the Vietnamese. What an odd bunch.
"Here's your country back"
"Ah, we would have done it ourselves"
"You really wouldn't.."
"Meh, baguette/nom pain?"
I just read this in Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler, of an epileptic friend:
The film version wasn't bad either.“If you tell any of the others you saw me like this, I’ll never forgive you.”
“I won’t say a word to anybody.”
“Swear it.”
I swore it, and sat with him until his body stopped jerking, and he fell into a troubled sleep. But I had been a witness to his cracking and that, dear reader, is how you make enemies.
1
1
I love that name, Mordecai! I had a friend who’s name is Mordecai Pendergrass iii.
He was also an epileptic.
He was also an epileptic.
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