Trial day 20

Mr. Em Phoeung, a monk, 77, explained that when he was evacuated from Phnom Penh he returned to his home town, at Ang Rokar Pagoda in Tram Kok district. The witness testified that the monks were forced to engage in construction works and that in 1976 he was instructed to leave the monkhood without any Buddhist ceremony. He wa also questioned about forced marriages and his refusal to get married.

Mr. Phneu Yav, 68, from Samraong commune, Tram Kok district, explained that in 1970 joined the revolutionary movement. He was questioned about the living conditions in the Samraong commune. He stated that communal eating started in 1975 along with the banning of private ownership and that people were categorized into three separate units. The witness said that in late 1976 he was given the responsibility to teach base people’s young children how to spell and read the Khmer alphabet.