YOS Phal
Before 1975, the Civil Party was a student and a police officer.
He explained that at the beginning Khmer Rouge soldiers were very nice and nobody suspected anything. He was finally authorized to go to Kampot but he lived in bad conditions and he finished in the commune hospital. After that, he was transferred to District 107 for working in a special unit to carry heavy baskets of earth. In the middle of 1978, the Civil Party was forced to get married because he was considered as a hard worker. He finally accepted after asking if he could get married with the woman he was engaged with but her brother was killed by the Khmer Rouge. The chief of the unit told they were sons and daughters of Angkar and for that reason they could not refuse the marriage. CP stated that some people were allowed to choose who they married, but only men and only if their biographies were compatible. One night, the chiefs called 50 men and 50 women. Each couple had to pronounce an official vow. He didn’t know his future wife. After the ceremony they continued to work but at night they had to consummate their wedding. However, they couldn’t because they were exhausted, skinny and without sexual feelings.
He said they had to pretend that they loved each other like husband and wife, and were monitored to see if they had sex. He said those ceremonies were different than traditional ones because they didn’t ask their parents, who were not here during the wedding, they didn’t know each other and they were threatened with death. For him, it was a really difficult period, like living in hell.
- Witness acronym :
2-TCCP-232
- Age at the time of testimony :
- Appeared as :
- Cases : Case 002, Case 002/02,
- Date(s) of testimony :