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EVENTS ON 17 APRIL 1975
Mony Visal Khouy
17 April 1975 is the day of victory over the U.S.
imperialists. The Khmer Liberation Army, “or the Khmer Rouge army,” was able to
eliminate the pain and suffering of the Cambodian people during a war that
lasted five years, since 1970-1975. 17 April 1975 gave the people of Cambodia
much hope, motivation, and happiness knowing that their country had achieved
peace and prosperity. It became a
peaceful country after people united from their separation from parents,
families, and relatives during the war.
My mother and father, as well as the rest of the people in the city of
Phnom Penh, came out to congratulate and welcome the Khmer Liberation Army that
entered and filled the entire city of Phnom Penh. They felt joyful and happy. My father, like other people in the city
of Phnom Penh, raised a white flag, screaming, “Bravo to victory and peace!”
with a beaming face filled with hope for the future. But it was not too long after people had
become excited and joyful about this peace, that the Khmer Liberation Army, or
the Khmer Rouge, began ordering people out of their homes. For three days they would leave Phnom
Penh. The Khmer Liberation Army
said, “The Americans are going to drop bombs on the city of Phnom Penh. The Khmer Liberation Army will stay to
clear out all the imperialists in the city of Phnom Penh and then you can
return. Therefore, we ask all
brothers and sisters to leave without taking any of your belongings, because you
will only leave for three days.”
With the threats of their guns, the Khmer Liberation Army forced my
family and our neighbors to quickly leave our homes. Anybody or any family that was not
willing to leave, the Khmer Rouge Liberation Army would threaten and if they
remained stubborn and were not willing to leave their homes, they would be shot
and killed.
My family left our home that was north of Tuol Svay Prey School in
Sangkat #5, Phnom Penh. Remorse
mixed with fear. When we left our
home, my father brought a motorcycle to load our clothes, a ricepot, a kettle,
and a small bag of rice. We then
began our journey on Monivong Street that was filled with throngs of people,
pushing and crowding each other.
Children were crying and screaming and people were calling to each other
and asking for their families and relatives that they had lost along the
journey. On the side of the road,
my mother saw corpses that were hit by shrapnel as well as corpses of Lon Nol
soldiers dressed in military uniforms who were shot and lying dead on the
ground. At that time I was six
years old and my mother who was seven months pregnant held on to my hand behind
my father who was straddling his motorcycle among the crowd of thousands of
people. My younger sibling who was
three years old, sat on the motorcycle with a bag of clothing, a kettle, and a
small bag of rice. We walked
forward along the side of Monivong Street without knowing where we were
going. When we reached the circle
intersection at the head of the road, the Khmer Liberation Army asked my father
to give up his motorcycle. At this
time, my family experienced great difficulty on our journey, because my younger
sibling was still very small and my mother was also pregnant. But no matter how difficult things were
we needed to continue our journey forward, because the Khmer Liberation Army
kept yelling at us from behind with a gun always pointed at us. My family crossed Kbal Khnal Bridge and
towards the bank on the far eastern side.
Other evacuees felt exhausted, scared and hopeless. I can not remember every event that took
place in 1975, especially what happened on 17 April 1975, which my
family and the other people throughout Cambodia have experienced in fright and
terror. My mother has told me about
these events and has made me feel pity, compassion, and anger for the people who
have died in innocence. I feel
especially remorseful for the events that have made me an orphan without a
father. 17 April 1975 has remained a day I will always remember.
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