MEY Savoeun
Pseudonym: 2-TCCP-1040
Cases: 002/02
Category: Civil Party
Background and role
During the Regime Mey Savoeun worked as an East Zone soldier in Prey Veng province.
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He testified as a Civil Party in Case 002/02 about the purges in the East Zone, killings of his family members, his forced evacuation to Pursat, his near execution, and his forced marriage.
The purges of the East Zone
In 1978, Mey Savoeun was attached to a military unit belonging to the East Zone in Prey Veng province.
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All soldiers across the East Zone were positioned near Me Bon Bridge along National Road Number 15
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to fight incoming Khmer Rouge cadres from the Southwest and Western Zones, who were sent to purge the East Zone.
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He witnessed many people dying in the battlefield.
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Arrest, executions, and disappearances
Forced evacuation to Pursat
Mey Savoeun and his relatives were evacuated from Svay Rieng to Bakan district in Pursat province,
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as part of the second phase of the country’s population transfers. The Trial Chamber cited his testimony when stating that:
“In contrast to previous displacements taking place across the entire country, the CPK “evacuated” populations from Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham and Kampong Chhnang as a result of the East Zone purges and border clashes. Notwithstanding the cause of their displacement, evidence before the Chamber demonstrates that the effect of these population movements was, much like previous displacements, to put populations to work in cooperatives in Pursat, Kampong Thom, Battambang and Takeo provinces”.
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Killings of East Zone people in Pursat
Three days later, he was placed with others in a cow pen,
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where he was tied up to be executed but managed to escape through the rice fields.
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He saw that some people were killed inside the enclosure and others were shot dead as they fled.
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He learned that all people from the East Zone with him were killed for allegedly colluding with the “Yuon”.
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Forced marriages
He was forced to marry a woman along with 60 other couples in Prey Chhor cooperative in Prey Veng province.
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Mey Savoeun was married at around 25 years of age, while his wife was around five years younger.
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He explained that couples were paired according to their biographies,
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and the Trial Chamber noted this fact when stating that “[i]n the view of the CPK, the selection of a spouse could affect the revolution and it was imperative to select someone with a firm revolutionary stance. Therefore, in pairing couples, certain factors were considered by screening the biographies of individuals, including their age, status or class (New People or 17 April People, Old People or Base People, peasants), location and ethnicity”.
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Once approval for the wedding was obtained from the upper level, individuals were not consulted about their weddings in most cases and were only informed shortly before the wedding took place.
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Mey Savoeun was informed one day in advance of his wedding.
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His marriage was held in the kitchen hall near Preah Theat pagoda.
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There were no family members involved in the wedding.
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The duration of wedding ceremonies ranged from 30 minutes to a few hours.
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In numerous ceremonies, males and females were instructed to stand in separate lines or sit in separate rows and each couple would be called out.
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Mey Savoeun explained that there were two lines of men and two lines of women sitting in the dining hall.
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He learned that couples who did not consummate their marriages were accused of being traitors of Angkar.
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Statement Suffering
“I felt so lonely and painful because I lost everyone on my side. Sometimes I have insomnia because of that. Sometimes my mind is not with me. I seem to get lost and that is the result of the mistreatment I received under the regime that I was in prison, that I was shot, and I felt so disappointed because I became a soldier to liberate the country to join the resistance but as a result I was tortured severely.”
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