More Details Surface About S-24, The “Re-Education Camp”

Today’s session in the trial of Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch) closely resembled yesterday’s proceedings in form and structure. In the morning session a witness was called to give her live testimony while the court continued its practice of reading into the record prior written testimonies of witnesses during the afternoon session.

“No one left to work hard for”

The morning began when the court called 64-year-old Bou Thon to the witness stand. As with several of the other witnesses, the President reminded her of her rights and obligations as a witness. Namely, she has the right to refuse to answer questions that would be self- incriminating and she has an obligation to tell the truth in her entire testimony.

Thon explained that she got married before 1975 and moved with her husband to Phnom Penh. However, when the Khmer Rouge captured the city her family decided to return to their home village. On their way back, they were stopped by Khmer Rouge soldiers and redirected to Phnom Penh where they could be put to work for the cause of the revolution. Her husband was initially assigned to be a driver of a fuel tanker while she cooked for him and staff at the Ministry of Energy where he was assigned. In 1977 Thon gave birth to a newborn baby in a hospital only to discover upon leaving that her husband had disappeared. Sadly, she never saw him alive again. She later discovered his picture at the Tuol Sleng prison (S-21) which confirmed her fears that he had indeed been executed…

Read more: ctm_blog_8-12-2009