Khieu Sophon

Our journey around the village was long but it was not tiring and we gained a variety of new knowledge and experience such as discovering how each of the villagers get on with their daily life and how the life of the people in the village differs from those who live in the city. We made a stop at one of the villager’s house and was amazed by the large woods that were inside his house. He also had gigantic audio speakers used for events under his house, which the volunteers found amusing. One of our bravest volunteers, Norn Sreylen, raised the courage to interview the survivor. Grandpa’s name is Khieu Sophon, and he is 66 years old. He lives in Bak Nim village. He was only 15 years old during the Khmer Rouge regime and he only did what he was told to do as he was under his superior’s order. Grandpa studied until Grade 3 at which time he became one of the soldiers in 1978 to do small work such as guarding and protecting local areas. During the Khmer Rouge period, he lost his father and 2 of his siblings who accused of stealing food. They were killed by the Khmer Rouge. He witnessed people being brought to be educated but they were never seen again.