Interview with Khvan Sichan

Dany

What is your name?

 Khvan

Khvan Sichan

Dany

How old are you?

 Khvan

53

Dany

Where were you born?

 Khvan

Phum 3 Village, Rokar Khnor subdistrict, Krauch Chhnar district, Kampong Cham province

Dany

Now where are you living?

 Khvan

Village 3

Dany

What is your husband’s name?

 Khvan

Thou Sarat.

Dany

Where is he living now?

 Khvan

He disappeared during the Khmer Rouge regime.

Dany

When did he disappear?

 Khvan

In the evening of 6 January 1979 [the day before the Vietnamese invaded]

Dany

Just before the day the Khmer Rouge collapsed?

 Khvan

Yes, in the evening, maybe around 4 p.m.

Dany

Where did you separate from him?

 Khvan

At Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh. In that time, it was called P-1 [a Khmer Rouge office]

Dany

How many children do you have?

 Khvan

Three. The first was Vong Leap. She died when she was 5 years old. The second was Vong Lon. She lived through the regime. She was 4 years old during the regime. The third is Vong Vet; she is still alive. She was 1 year old during the regime. [Regime is when the Khmer Rouge first took power].

Dany

Now, how many of your children are still alive?

 Khvan

Only one. Now she lives in Taiwan. She has a husband there.

Dany

What is her name?

 Khvan

Vong Vet.

Dany

And what about Vong Lon?

 Khvan

She is dead now.

Dany

When did she die?

 Khvan

She died in 1990 when she was 19 years old. She died from an illness.

Dany

And now, what do you do?

 Khvan

Now I am retired. But before my daughter married, I was a farmer.

Dany

When did you retire?

 Khvan

In 1997. In addition to being a farmer, I sold sweet fermented fish in the market. I also made cakes.

Dany

What were your parents’ names?

 Khvan

My father was Khvan Lak and my mother was Dy Seng.

Dany

Are they still alive?

 Khvan

They are deceased.

Dany

When did they die?

 Khvan

My mother died in 1975 from illness, and my father died in 1991, also from illness.

Dany

How many siblings did you have?

 Khvan

Five. The first was Khvan Kdaing (male), the second was Khvan Mao (male), the third was me, the fourth was Khvan Kim Song (male), and the last was Khvan Kin Lyn (female). She is still alive.

Dany

Are they still alive?

 Khvan

My eldest brother died after 1980, around 1982 or 1983; he died of illness. The others are still alive.

Dany

When you were are a child, how much education did you have?

 Khvan

I learned literature. I finished grade 7. I wanted to study more, but there was no one at home to help my parents, so I had to quit. But before I gave up my studies, I took my examination. I passed. I expected that I would pass.

Dany

What were the subjects of your examination?

 Khvan

To get into college. I took the examination at Krauch Chhnar.

Dany

During that time, what school did you study at?

 Khvan

At Rokar Khnor.

Dany

When did you stop studying?

 Khvan

In 1967.

Dany

After you stopped studying, where did you go?

 Khvan

I came back home. I helped my father with plowing and tilling the farm. My father owned the farm. My three brothers had already left home. My first brother studied in Phnom Penh. My second brother was a monk, and my third was also a monk. So, I had to help my father. I am a woman, but I worked like a man. I plowed and raked, and rowed a boat. Until 1972, my cousin-in-law sent his nephew to study medicine because they had a medical school at Rokar Khnor. So, he asked my mother to let me study too. When I had studied for five months, the Angkar sent me outside the district to work. They assigned me to work in the region office. They sent me to a place that produced vaccinations at PH-2 at Sre Spey in O’Reang Ov district in Kampong Cham. I stayed there until Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge.

Everyone who worked at Sre Spey was sent to Chrauy Changvar in Phnom Penh. It had been a French hospital called Pasteur. At the hospital, they made vaccines to protect people against cholera and typhoid.

Between 1975 and 1977, but I don’t know the exact month, I was called for a meeting with people from the Eastern Zone. They told us to prepare to move the hospital. After the meeting, they gave us one hour to move. They had a small boat that was waiting for us across the river from in Sre Spey. When the boat reached Phnom Penh, there was a car waiting for us. They put us in the car and dropped us at Building 100 (the CPC building).  In the morning, there was a meeting at this building. They told us that we would work at the factory that produced vaccinations. They told us that, but in truth, they gave us rakes to farming. I worked on the harvest for one season. The next harvest season, when we were transplanting rice seedlings, suddenly, someone told us that a car was waiting for us. The car had 12 seats. They called the people who worked in PH-2 that we had to move to a new place.

Everyone but me and one person that I worked with – Ho – moved. Two or three months before we moved, they sent my husband and nine other people to P-1 hospital (Calmette). They kept me so that I could live together with my husband. They sent me there, too.

After I had been there for one month, my daughter died.

Dany

What was your dead daughter’s name?

 Khvan

Leap. She died from illness in September 1975. Three months later, Angkar told us to leave Phnom Penh.  I don’t know what day it was exactly. My neighbor from the countryside asked me, “You really don’t know?” I told him that I didn’t know. When we stayed in Phnom Penh, it was like being in prison. All the time we had to work. When we finished, I was able to return to my husband and stay with him.  We had different targets. That’s why I didn’t know the day.

1979

When I was working, a boy told me that I should pack my luggage because he saw all the older people but me packing their things. So, I went to meet my husband and hold him to go home now and see if other people were packing. So, when he reached home, he learned that the boy was telling the truth and he began packing. When I finished my work, and was on my way home, I saw the medical staff moving their bags and putting them into cars. So, I walked home fast. When I got there, I saw that my husband had put the luggage downstairs. I wanted to make sure that he had packed everything.

When I came downstairs, my husband had disappeared. I asked the neighbors “Where is my husband?” They said someone had called him to bring merchandise from the warehouse and put it on the train. Then, many people who had packed their luggage were standing in front of the house waiting for someone to pick them up and bring them to the train station.

My second daughter was staying at the children’s unit at that time. I had someone bring her to me. When they arrived with my daughter, I brought her with me. But my husband didn’t know that I had my daughter with me. I didn’t know whether he knew or not. Around 6 in the evening, the train departed. It stopped Romeas Station in the countryside. We slept there for 2 or 3 days. Then, there was the sound of a loud explosion. Perhaps it was in Phnom Penh. Someone said that the tracks were not working and the train could not move. Later, we reached Battambang Station. We stopped there and someone said that the Vietnamese were coming. I was sad that my husband and I were separated.

At that time, I was thinking that Cambodia was at war again.  I didn’t know what would happen next to my children and me. Later, we left Battambang and reached the Thmar Kol station; we stopped there. We stayed there for one night. On that night, there was an explosion in back of our carriage. Many children were killed. After that, the Angkar made us get into cars and we left there on the same night. I sat in the front seat. Then someone pointed a gun at the driver and told the car to stop. The person talked with the driver and they reached an agreement. We moved on.

That night, we slept at Bavel Hospital. The next morning, they did not let us get into the car. Instead, they had us walk. When we walked, I carried the luggage on my shoulder and my head. We stopped in the middle of a field. We stayed at a cooperative; they cooked and boiled water for us. We ate there. After two or three nights, one evening someone told us that because we were medical staff, we would travel again. They told me that because I had a daughter, I would not go. Only the single people would leave.  But I wanted to leave. So, I went later with my daughters.]

The people who went first walked into the forest. But my two daughters and I went into the middle of the field and stayed there. Suddenly, I met a group of handicapped people. They had an oxcart. So, I asked them if I could put my bag into the cart. I then put my two daughters onto the oxcart and hugged the smaller one.

Everyone was trying to flee, so I took my two daughters and started walking. We were all in a line. So, I asked some people to help me. Someone offered to help by carrying my smaller daughter. When we came to a village, a man walked up to the middle of the line of people and told us to stop. The rest went on. My younger daughter was with the people in the front of the line, so she went on with those people. So, that night, I slept with my older daughter.

The next day, I was afraid that I would not be able to find my smaller daughter. Near sunrise, I went out to look for her. I felt pity for my daughter. I found her. I asked the people who cared for her whether she had cried or not. They said she had been ok because there was a soldier with a hammock who let her sleep there. The soldier slept on the ground. So, I took my daughter and we went on.

Dany

You said that in 1972, you had a cousin-in-law who asked if you could study medicine. How many people studied with you?

 Khvan

At that time, there were two people from my village who went to study. But when we studied medicine, there were nearly 100 pupils.

Dany

What was the place called where you studied?

 Khvan

They called it the regional hospital.

Dany

What region?

 Khvan

Eastern.

Dany

Where?

Khvan

At Phum 3.

Dany

So, was the school near your house?

Khvan

Yes.

Dany

At that time, did many people from your village study medicine?

Khvan

No. They collected them from the subdistrict and district. Each subdistrict had two or three people who came there to learn medicine.

Dany

Were there requirements for you to study medicine?

Khvan

No. My cousin-in-law just wanted us to study medicine. And we understood that we would be able to work in the district office. He didn’t ask me; he asked my mother while I was sitting weaving a blanket. My mother agreed and let me go study. I liked this subject too, and wanted to learn it.

Dany

Do you remember the date in 1972?

Khvan

No. I just remember the year.

Dany

Who asked your mother to let you study?

Khvan

My cousin-in-law. His name was Hak Chhun Kry.

Dany

At this time, what did he do?

Khvan

He was deputy chief of the district.

Dany

Which district?

Khvan

Rokar Khnor

Dany

What was your training?

Khvan

At first we learned basic diseases like malaria. We learned the basic symptoms of malaria and fever, and what caused them. We also learned how to cure these diseases. We cured diseases using medicine. This medicine can make us better from fever. 

Dany

And when you studied, who was your chief in the hospital?

 Khvan

I don’t remember, but I know that the chief who took attendance was named Sam On. The chief of the Eastern hospital was named Chan Chhoeung.

Dany

Was Sam on a male or female?

Khvan

Male.

Dany

After your training was finished, did they assign to you work at this village?

Khvan

No. After I learned for 5 months, they assigned me to work in the region. I walked to Bos Svay in Chhouk subdistrict after I was assigned. I reached there at night and on that night, I saw with the nephew of my cousin-in-law. We had dinner together. Suddenly, they assigned us to separate places; one of us went east and one west. They assigned me to work on vaccines.

Dany

Do you know when you were sent away to work?

Khvan

In 1972.

Dany

What was the cousin-in-law’s name?

Khvan

Hor Somealea. We were the same age.

Dany

How old were you?

Khvan

19 or 20.

Dany

So, when they assigned you to work on vaccinations, where did they send you?

Khvan

At PH-2.

Dany

At Sre Spey?

Khvan

Yes.

Dany

Did they manufacture medicines in that place?

Khvan

They produced vaccines, not other medicines. I worked making vaccines.

Dany

How did you produce the vaccines?

Khvan

I made vaccines against cholera and typhoid. We made cultures of these diseases. It took 18-20 hours. Then we changed their food and brought them to another lab. The cultures changed their formation within a week. We had another group that made the food. The others made vaccines against diseases like smallpox and cowpox.

Dany

What did you culture these diseases from?

Khvan

We took them from Vietnam. We had teachers from Vietnam.

Dany

What were the teachers’ names?

Khvan