Pho Sophat

The dusty roads of Bak Nim village were a blur as my team and I made our way towards the small house where the Khmer Rouge survivor was said to live. I was here to interview him, yes, but more than that, I was here to seek answers. I had read about the atrocities committed during the regime’s rule, but reading was one thing – hearing the story from someone who had lived through it was another. When we arrived at his house, he wholeheartedly invited us to sit on a wooden bed as he introduced himself. His name is Pho Sophat, 51 years old, a farmer. During the Khmer Rouge, he mentioned he did not get education until later 1979 when he studied a bit. He was assigned by Angkar to watch cows, pick up cow dung and make fertiliser. Since he was still very young, he was not assigned to dig canals or build dams. He had lost his father and a couple of siblings to the Khmer Rouge; they were taken to ‘re-education’ camps, but they never returned. His voice was laced with sadness as he recounted these events, and the pain was evident in his eyes.Hearing his story had given me a glimpse into the harrowing realities of living under the Khmer Rouge. Even today, the scars remain – etched deep into the very fabric of his soul.