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HAUNTING SOULS
Kosal Phat
At mid-night of
July 24, 2000, Patriarch Keo Kosal and two other monks at Ka Koh temple “saw” a
shocking phenomenon of hundreds of Khmer Rouge victims walking out of the grave
site towards the nearby main temple, the former Khmer Rouge prison. Reverend
Kosal believed, by digging accidentally into one of hundreds of mass graves,
that he has opened the home of the Khmer Rouge victims whose souls were
wandering and were asking him to do something for them.
The Khmer Rouge
converted Ka Koh temple into a Security Office 08 and a prison in 1973 and
operated this prison up to the fall of the DK regime in 1979. This prison was in
District 56, Region 33, Southwest Zone. Over 5000 people were estimated to have
been killed at this prison. Reverend Kosal, whose father was also killed at Ka
Koh prison, said, “I saw hundreds of the dead walking, groaning in pain toward
the temple... looking like they are seeking their vengeance....” He explained,
while looking at some emerging bones in the pit, that “The souls of the dead
from diseases are at rest, but the souls of those who were tortured and chopped
to death without knowing their mistakes are restless, thus becoming the angry
souls wondering around....” It is merely superstitious to many of us, but one of
the few survivors from this prison has similarly lived in an annoying puzzle as
raised by the Reverend Kosal when referring to the haunting souls. He is always
wondering why he was tortured unjustly and thousands of those pitiful and
innocent people were cruelly hacked to death.
Mr. Choch, aged
68, one of the six Base People arrested and sent from the village to Ka Koh
prison said, “I was intentionally accused by the village chief of being New
People serving the Lon Nol regime. During the first seven-day interrogation at
Ka Koh prison, he was severely beaten several times a day.” After his real class
status was revealed, I gained trust from the Khmer Rouge security group led by
Comrade Puth and his deputy Comrade Sruoy. Choch did whatever he was told to do
in the prison up to 1979 for his survival. At present, Choch himself lived life
as a handicapped person as a consequence of the Khmer Rouge beating. The worst
thing he saw at Ka Koh prison was a large-scale killing in 1978.
He said, “I saw
Comrade Chim, District Chief (of District 56, Region 33, Northwest Zone) rode
her red CL-brand motorbike to the prison on the day he saw the mass execution.
She asked to see the prisoner lists on a small desk about 20 meters away from
the pits, where Comrade Puth, Security Chief, and his deputy were sitting. Then
without examining, she kept drawing red lines across names in the list as thick
as a book and marked a “x” sign at the end of each name, page after page, and
all red. Then she whisked away and Comrade Puth ordered his ten men to begin to
bring about 30 people each time and asked their victims’ names before they were
blindfolded, their arms tied to the back, and walked to the gravesites. The
victims were then made kneel around the pits, bending their head over the pit
just waiting for the full-force blows from the Khmer Rouge killers. I saw people
in convulsion before death. Not only their parents, but also very young children
were killed. I watched the event with my body shaking. The Khmer Rouge security
men just kicked the dead bodies into the pits.”
To anyone like
Choch, it is clear that village chiefs made their lists of their perceived
Angkar enemies and send them up to Comrade Chim, District chief, who later gave
the red marks “x” as “order-to-kill” to Comrade Puth, Security Chief to slay
thousands of people.
Reverend Keo Kosal
said, “He will give a proper religious ceremony for the remains after washing to
appease the souls of the victims....” But that does not seem an acceptable
answer to Choch and Cambodian people. Choch said, “...I really want to know who
else above Comrade Chim were behind the killing.” Had Ta Mok, then Secretary of
Southwest Zone, ordered Comrade Chim to kill thousands of people at Ka Koh
prison during the DK regime? |
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