AUN Phally

Pseudonym: TCCP-2

Cases: Case 002/01

Category: Civil Party

Background and role

AUN Phally was born and lived in Phnom Penh until April 1975. He gave evidence in Case 002/01 describing the deaths of his family after the evacuation of Phnom Penh, and his subsequent suffering as an orphan in a children’s unit being forced to work without food or water and regularly beaten.

The evacuation of Phnom Penh in April 1975 and its aftermath

Aun Phally testified that on 17 April 1975 he saw soldiers wearing black clothes and red ribbons entering Phnom Penh. Khmer Rouge soldiers climbed upstairs to the third story of the building where Aun Phally was staying, pointed their guns at his family members, and asked them to leave. The Khmer Rouge announced to the population that the evacuation was temporary, and that they only needed to evacuate for three or more days, after which they could return. People who disobeyed orders would be shot. Khmer Rouge soldiers forced his family members out from the third story of their building at gunpoint. Aun Phally and his family were evacuated from Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975 and travelled 15 days to Prey Veng Province. During the course of the journey, Aun Phally recalled seeing dead bodies left on the road, which could have been the people who resisted such orders. Both young and old people experienced difficulties of walking long distances due to exhaustion and the lack of food. The Trial Chamber, relying on the evidence of Aun Phally among others, found that the Khmer Rouge, who, having overthrown the previous regime by military force, were in full control of the country at the time, told, threatened or ordered people to move from Phnom Penh in April 1975, who therefore did not have a genuine choice whether or not to comply.

The death of Aun Phally’s family

According to Aun Phally, about 10 days after the family’s arrival in Preaek Pnov village, Preaek Pnov commune, Pea Reang district, Prey Veng province, his father was called for a study session by a Khmer Rouge cadre, and never returned. His mother advised Aun Phally to live with his grandmother in a nearby village and later he heard that his mother and his siblings had been taken away and killed. Probably in late 1976 or late 1977, his grandmother, her other grandchild, and he were evacuated on a motorboat to Phnom Penh. They stayed there overnight and the next day they were forced to board a train heading toward Moung Ruessei district in Battambang province. They were placed to work at a cooperative. His grandmother and her grandchild were forced to work so hard, without much food and consequently, the grandchild died of hunger and his grandmother also died upon the death of her grandchild. He became “an orphan” and was sent to live in the children’s unit at the cooperative at Tracheak Chet Mountain.

Life at the children’s unit at Tracheak Chet Mountain

According to the civil party, he was forced to work hard in the children’s unit without sufficient food. He and other young children were forced to look for leaves to make fertilizer and were beaten. He was under constant watch by the Khmer Rouge cadres while he was working in the work sites in the mobile units. He lived in fear every day that he would be taken away for execution. He was beaten up by Khmer Rouge soldiers and they also forced the children to beat each other up. Some of those children who were moved to the children’s unit later attempted to return to the cooperatives from which they came. Aun Phally testified that children who attempted to escape were chased by militia groups. He heard their screams after they were caught, although he did not know their fate. He himself asked the unit’s chief to return to Preaek Pnov district but his request was denied. The civil party stated that he attempted to escape and was caught by the Khmer Rouge soldiers and forced to go back. After a second attempt, he was spotted by the guards, but he still kept running away and wandered in the huge forest. Fortunately, he met another child and was able to return to the village he came from.

Statement of suffering

The civil party recalled his suffering describing the deaths of the rest of his family and his subsequent suffering as an orphan: “[…] Khmer Rouge took away my siblings and mother and had them executed. Upon hearing this, I was terrified. I would like to go there immediately to see what happened to my family, but my grandmother stopped me and consoled me and asked me to recompose myself because she could feel that I was feeling very terrible already at that time. It was an atmosphere of being so lonesome.” ³¹ “[…] they tempered us, and as a result, the grandchild of my grandmother died of hunger, and my grandmother also died upon the death of her grandchild; they died in front of my eyes […] From the day of the death of my grandmother, I became the lonely person; I did not have any relatives anymore. The pain I received at that time was so extreme and the pain inside was also unbearable as I was forced by the Khmer Rouge to separate from my parents forever.” ³² Aun Phally made a statement to the Trial Chamber during the trial in Case 002/01: “[…] And after the collapse of the regime, only I survived amongst the rest of my family. And from that day onward, I considered myself a strange person that I lived by myself with no relatives and that's as a result of that vicious regime. ³³ […] Finally, I would like to request the Chamber to find justice for those who died during that regime, in particular the justice for my family and also the justice for the survivors, like myself, and the rest of the Cambodian people throughout the country.” ³⁴

Videos

Testimony
Date	Written record of proceedings	Transcript number
27/05/2013	E1/197	E1/197.1

Relevant documents
Document title Khmer	Document title English	Document title French	Document D number	Document E3 number
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