Watt Svay Prokeap, in Battambang

This is a real story told by Somony Sam ..... in 1979 .....

Right after Heng Samrin and Vietnamese took over Battambang along road 13 to Pailin, I was still in my village, Svay Prokeap, Chhoeuteal, Battambang.

It would take about an hour to get to Phnom Sampov where the Vietnamese Soldiers are station along road 13.

After returned from Phnom Thipdey or Tapday, we enjoy our freedome from the Pol Pot regime.Cooking and eating as we please after harvesting some rice from the rice field on the west of the village, where you can see Phnom Sampov.

But because we did not know that, Phnom Sampov was liberated, we just keep hoping that the liberation front, Ranak Se Romdous, getting there soon.

Every day we see the Pol Pot soldiers passing by the village but did not ask us anything.

One day there were gun fired on the rice field west of the village where the big lake between Svay Prokeap and Chhark Po end. About an hour later we saw some Pol Pot soldiers came by with green unifrom, not black.

My Mother's older cousin was also sitting at my house where we were Bok Srov. They ask us what we were doing and left. My uncle was still there and amazed that the new liberated soldiers were coming who actully Pol Pot soldier.

After my uncle left for a while, one of his kid came by and told us that the soldiers when reaching the eastern end of the village decided to demand us to cross the river to where they still control people under Pol Pot regime.

We were so diappointed when we get to the village across the river, when they asked us that why not going to Phonm Sampov where there is free market and liberated zone is.

That night, I was dream that my family were crossing the deep creek with a big one board bridge. After my family get to the other end, that bridge collapsed and broke into two pieces.

In the morning after all the olders people talked over from that night, they decided to cross the river back west and walked thru Chhark PO village across from my village by the lake.

Some people stopped at the eastern end of the lake wanting to cross back to Svay Prorkeap to get some belonging left behind the day before.Those include my uncle's family.

My family did not stop and continue with some other family to the end of the village with destine to Phonm Sompov. When we got to the end of the village, about 30 to 50 dead bodies, including children were scattered in the field, that were shot to death by the same soldiers that sent us across the river.

The rest of the village families that came with my family felt scared and took Svay Prokeap route back across the river into Pol Pot regime again. They stay with Pot Pot soldiers for a couple months as they're moving up along Sanker river with them.

My famliy get to Phnom Sampov safely.

My uncle's family got killed by the same soldiers when they were chasing us acroos the river.

Where we found dead bodies at the end of both village is a newly built temple called Watt Svay Prorkeap now. My mother who already passed away started the foundation of the Vihara building. It is not finished yet, but it is the place that my dream shown as a bridge between dead and alive. I will try my best to finish this building.

Written by Sambath Sim

Sambat Sim is the author of this article and have an exclusive right to the entire article.

Somony is Sambath's wife. He wrote this article for her that effortlessly raising fund to finish this project.

For more info please contact Sambath's Email