CHUM Sirath

Chum Sirath testified as a Civil Party due to the loss of his two brothers, Chum Sinaret and Chum Narith, and sister-in-law Ken Sovanary, in Tuol Sleng (also known as S-21). The Trial Chamber found Chum Sirath to be a civil party, having proved his relationship to Chum Sinaret, Chum Narith, and Ken Sovanary who perished at S-21.

Chum Sirath’s narration

Chum Sirath received a scholarship to study in France in 1960 and returned to Cambodia in 1968. During this period, Chum Narith was the breadwinner at his home and studied at Yut Kunthar College where he got a scholarship for Lycee Descortes in France. Chum Narith gave up his scholarship due to the poor living condition of their family and entered the National Pedagogical Institution and later became a primary teacher in 1965. Chum Narith supported his parents and siblings including Chum Sinavi and Chum Sinaret. Chum Narith supported Chum Sinaret until he completed high school and joined the medical faculty. Chum Sirath returned to Cambodia in 1968 and three months after his arrival, Chum Narith, who was a teacher at Balang School in Kampong Thom, was arrested on allegations of being a Khmer Rouge. Chum Narith was arrested by the political police/special police under the leadership of two state secretaries, Sosthene Fernandez for the National Police Force and Um Manarin for Internal Security Affairs, and taken to PS prison. Chum Sirath informed the chamber that Chum Narith who was an educator, had joined either the partisans or the left-ists and that is why he was arrested during this period. Chum Narith was also involved in the movement to oppose the regime. Chum Sirath sought help to get Chum Narith out of prison from the then Minister of Education, Mr. Vann Molyvann, but was not successful. He later met Sam An who was a policeman that helped administer interrogation sessions of those detained at PS prison; this helped Chum Narith from being tortured. Chum Narith was later reintegrated into the school and transferred from Balong School to Chum Chao. In March 1973 there was a demonstration by teachers asking for a pay rise at the Pedagogical Institute next to the historical monument. The police accused Chum Narith of being the ringleader of the demonstration; he escaped to the maquis with Professor Nuon Khoen. In 1974 a bomb was dropped on Cambodia; it was around the same time Chum Sirath was appointed to represent Cambodia in Geneva. He left Cambodia in November 1974. Chum Sirath did research to understand what happened to his brothers. Through Pich Limkhuon, a former pilot for the DK regime, he learned that Chum Narith went back to Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975 with Hu Nim’s group and worked at the propaganda ministry. Chum Sirath learned that on the 29 October 1976, Chum Narith, Chum Sinareth and his wife Ken Sovannary were arrested. The reason for their arrest was in Hu Nim’s confession. Hum Nim was a member of a group that opposed collectivization. Hu Nim stated in his confession that no one was allowed to talk about this issue, but the group allowed Chum Narith to talk about it. Chum Narith claimed that it was because of the collectivization that medicine was insufficient and also that privatization was banned and that it was not good. Hu Nim also said that as a result he had to request Angkar to remove Chum Narith and on the 29 of September 1976 he was removed. In October 1993 when Chum Sirath visited S-21 he saw the names of his brothers and sister-in-law on the prisoner’s list. Under order number 39, the name Chum Narith was entered on 29 October 1976 and stated that he died on the 1st of January 1977, the name Chum Sinaret and Kem Sovannary were also there but neither stated the dates of entry nor the dates they died.

Chum Sirath’s Testimony

Chum Sirath was shown pictures which he described and identified his brothers and sister-in-law, whom he was not sure how she looked as he had never seen her. He further stated that the apology by the accused was not genuine as the accused knew of his brothers and had even responded to a letter he wrote and stated that he had not seen them and if he did he could not assist as they were ordered by Angkar.

Chum Sirath informed the chamber that he did not know the reasons for Chum Sinaret and Ken Sovannary’s arrest. He presumed that Chum Sinaret was arrested because he was the younger brother to Chum Narith and that Kem Sovannary was arrested because she was the wife of Chum Sinaret.

Chum Sirath sought to know the circumstance of his brothers’ death from the accused and the accused stated that most of his friends were arrested and that he pretended not to see the two brothers because he could not dare face them.

The accused made an observation in relation to historical facts involving Pich Limkhuon and that he heard Chum Sirath say that his brothers had gone to the rural areas with Pich Limkhuon, facts of which Chum Sirath reacted by stating that he had not said so and the President stopped this observation.

The accused had no record of the dates when Ken Sovannary and Chum Sinaret were sent in but he believed that Chum Sirath’s research of why they were arrested was plausible.

Videos

Testimony
Date	Written record of proceedings	Transcript number
20 August 2009	E1/66	E1/66.1

Relevant documents
Document title Khmer	Document title English	Document title French	Document D number	Document E3 number
ពាក្យសុំតាំងខ្លួនជាដើមបណ្តឹងរដ្ឋ ប្បវេណីរបស់ ជុំ ស៊ីរ៉ាត់ រួមមានរូបថត របស់ ជុំ ស៊ីណារ៉េត	Civil Party Petition of CHUM Sirath, including photo of Chum Sinareth	Demande de constitution de partie civile de CHUM Sirath, avec une photo de Chum Sinareth	D25/6	E3/502