CHHIM Sotheara

Background and Role

Chhim Sotheara was a psychologist and director of the Transcultural Psychological Organisation (“Cambodia TPO”), an organisation that provides counselling services and training to assist people suffering from trauma and educates people about trauma so they can seek appropriate treatments.¹ Chhim testified as an expert witness in Case 001 on the psychological impact of the Khmer Rouge regime.² What motivated Chhim to join the medical profession was the high incidence of trauma and great shortage of healthcare professionals in Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge.³ He studied medicine in Cambodia from 1986 to 1992 and became a surgeon before receiving his training in psychology at University of Oslo in Norway from 1994 to 1998.⁴ In 2000, he became the Director of Cambodia TPO.⁵ He practised psychology for about 15 years before giving his testimony.⁶

General Psychological Impact

The Khmer Rouge regime destroyed the entire infrastructure of the country, as well as every social, familial, and individual aspect of Cambodia.⁷ At the social level, following the destruction of state institutions, Cambodian people could not live in harmony as they were, forced to evacuate, given insufficient food, medical treatment, and shelter, subject to forced labour, and executed.⁸ People were divided into various groups in an environment of fear or mistrust.⁹ The impact of cultural, religious, and ceremonial destruction had a tremendous psychological effect on the people, leading them to feel hopeless and finding it difficult to solve their own problems.¹⁰ At the familial and individual levels, the Khmer Rouge pulled people away from their families and made children spy on their parents.¹¹ This affected the children’s health and wellbeing as they were uncared for and lived in constant fear.¹² Many Cambodians over 18 years old suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.¹³

Intergenerational Harm

The strong bond between family members in Cambodian culture made it possible that trauma could be passed to the younger generation.¹⁴ Secondary traumatisation can be experienced by family members or even distant relatives who were not direct victims of suffering.¹⁵

General Traumas Experienced by Khmer Rouge Victims

Chhim provided therapy to many Cambodian people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.¹⁶ Many of his patients still suffered from traumas, especially the reoccurrence of traumatic events during daytimes.¹⁷ For example, patients suffered from nightmares about the Khmer Rouge tracing them or deceased family members crying out for help from the Khmer Rouge.¹⁸ He added that another factor contributing to the prolonged period of suffering experienced by surviving victims was their inability to arrange religious ceremonies and bury their loved ones, which prevented them from mourning and paying homage to the dead souls.¹⁹ Victims who suffered from depression and no longer wished to live on or parent their children.²⁰ Children had to work twice as hard to support their severely traumatised parents, many became alcoholics and suffered from hypertension and chronic disease as a result.²¹

Trauma Specific to Victims of S-21

The extent and cruelty of the torture methods adopted at S-21 differ from those at other detention centres.²² As a result, family members of direct victims of S-21 suffered from specific secondary trauma, including identification with the suffering of the victim, guilt, helplessness, and psychiatric conditions, among other things.²³ Chhim recounted one of his patients (an S-21 victim) who was tortured together with his wife.²⁴ According to Chhim, the patient felt guilty because he was helpless and could not do anything, sometimes dreaming of his wife coming to appeal for his help.²⁵

Search for Justice and the Truth

Important factors for healing of victims include the disclosure of truth, justice, and the ability to forgive.²⁶ Chhim argued that the psychological healing of victims depends on the honesty and sincerity of the accused and the former leaders of Democratic Kampuchea.²⁷ He also stressed that the absence of responsibility acknowledged by former leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea is an extra burden to all Cambodians, as they do not wish to be denied the truth and justice.²⁸ In Chhim’s opinion, the ECCC also has a role in providing victim support and argued that the tribunal can help deliver symbolic justice and reveal the truth.²⁹ Although the risk of re-experiencing traumatic events is increased by the tribunal, the ECCC can help victims face their trauma as long as adequate help is provided.³⁰

Videos

Testimony
Date	Written record of proceedings	Transcript number
25 August 2009	E1/68	E1/68.1

Relevant documents
Document title Khmer	Document title English	Document title French	Document D number	Document E3 number
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