Sophal Ear: Escaping the Khmer Rouge

Traducător: Arnold Platon Corector: Anca BV

I normally teach courses on

În mod normal predau un curs despre

how to rebuild states after war.

reconstrucţia statelor dupǎ rǎzboi.

But today I've got a personal story to share with you.

Însǎ azi am o poveste personalǎ de împǎrtǎşit.

This is a picture of my family,

Asta-i o pozǎ cu familia mea,

my four siblings -- my mom and I -- taken in 1977.

cei patru fraţi ai mei, mama şi cu mine, fǎcutǎ în 1977.

And we're actually Cambodians.

Noi suntem cambodgieni,

And this picture is taken in Vietnam.

iar aceastǎ pozǎ e fǎcutǎ în Vietnam.

So how did a Cambodian family end up in Vietnam in 1977?

Totuşi cum a ajuns o familie din Cambodgia, în 1977, în Vietnam?

Well to explain that, I've got a short video clip

Pentru a vǎ explica, am un scurt filmuleţ

to explain the Khmer Rouge regime

menit sǎ explice regimul Khmerilor Roşii

during 1975 and 1979.

între anii 1975 - 1979

Video: April 17th, 1975.

Filmul: 17 Aprilie 1975.

The communist Khmer Rouge

Khmerii Roşii comunişti

enters Phnom Penh to liberate their people

intrǎ în Phnom Penh sǎ elibereze poporul

from the encroaching conflict in Vietnam,

de conflictul ameninţǎtor din Vietnam

and American bombing campaigns.

şi campaniile de bombardament americane.

Led by peasant-born Pol Pot,

Conduşi de Pol Pot, țăran la origine,

the Khmer Rouge evacuates people to the countryside

Khmeri Roşii au evacuat populaţia din oraşe

in order to create a rural communist utopia,

pentru a creea o utopie ruralǎ comunistǎ

much like Mao Tse-tung's Cultural Revolution in China.

asemeni Revoluţiei Culturale din China lui Mao Tse-tsung.

The Khmer Rouge closes the doors to the outside world.

Khmerii Roşii au închis porţile spre lumea externǎ.

But after four years the grim truth seeps out.

Însǎ dupǎ patru ani, adevǎrul sinistru a ieşit la ivealǎ.

In a country of only seven million people,

Într-o ţarǎ de şapte milioane de locuitori

one and a half million were murdered by their own leaders,

un milion jumate au fost ucişi de proprii conducǎtori,

their bodies piled in the mass graves of the killing fields.

corpurile lor ajungând în gropi comune pe câmpiile morţii.

Sophal Ear: So, notwithstanding the 1970s narration,

Sophal Ear: Ignorând povestea din anii '70,

on April 17th 1975

pe 17 aprilie 1975

we lived in Phnom Penh.

locuiam în Phnomm Penh.

And my parents were told by the Khmer Rouge

Iar pǎrinţii mei au primit ordine de la Khmerii Roşii

to evacuate the city because of impending American bombing for three days.

sǎ evacueze oraşul pentru cǎ vor fi bombardamente americane timp de 3 zile.

And here is a picture of the Khmer Rouge.

Asta e o imagine cu Khmerii Roşii.

They were young soldiers, typically child soldiers.

Erau soldaţi tineri. De obicei copii-soldaţi.

And this is very normal now, of modern day conflict,

Iar asta e ceva obişnuit acum, în conflictele moderne.

because they're easy to bring into wars.

Pentru cǎ sunt uşor de bǎgat în rǎzboi.

The reason that they gave about American bombing wasn't all that far off.

Motivul dat, acela legat de bombardamentele americane, nu erau chiar poveşti.

I mean, from 1965 to 1973 there were

Vreau sǎ zic, cǎ între 1965 şi 1973

more munitions that fell on Cambodia

a cazut mai multǎ muniţie peste Cambodgia

than in all of World War II Japan,

decât în Al II-lea Rǎzboi Mondial peste Japonia,

including the two nuclear bombs

incluzând ambele bombe nucleare

of August 1945.

din august 1945.

The Khmer Rouge didn't believe in money.

Khmerii Roşii nu credeau în bani.

So the equivalent of the Federal Reserve Bank

Aşa cǎ echivalentul Bǎncii Federale

in Cambodia was bombed.

din Cambodgia a fost bombardat.

But not just that, they actually banned money.

Nu doar atât, ci au interzis chiar banii.

I think it's the only precedent in which

Cred cǎ este singural caz în care

money has ever been stopped from being used.

banii au fost complet scoşi din circulaţie.

And we know money is the root of all evil,

Şi ştim cǎ banii sunt sursa tuturor relelor,

but it didn't actually stop evil from happening in Cambodia, in fact.

însǎ asta nu a împiedicat rǎspîndirea rǎului în Cambodgia.

My family was moved from Phnom Penh to Pursat province.

Familia mea s-a mutat din Phnom Penh în provincia Pursat.

This is a picture of what Pursat looks like.

Asta-i o pozǎ despre cum aratǎ Pursat.

It's actually a very pretty area of Cambodia,

E o zonǎ chiar frumoasǎ din Cambodgia,

where rice growing takes place.

unde se cultivǎ orez.

And in fact they were forced to work the fields.

De fapt, erau forţaţi sǎ munceascǎ pe câmp.

So my father and mother ended up in

Aşa cǎ tatǎl şi mama mea au ajuns

a sort of concentration camp, labor camp.

într-un fel de lagǎr de concentrare, de muncǎ.

And it was at that time that my mother got word

Şi atunci a aflat maicǎ-mea vestea,

from the commune chief

de la şeful comunei,

that the Vietnamese were actually asking

cǎ vietnamezii ceruserǎ de fapt

for their citizens to go back to Vietnam.

ca cetǎţenii lor sǎ se întoarcǎ în Vietnam

And she spoke some Vietnamese,

şi ea vorbea un pic de vietnamezǎ,

as a child having grown up with Vietnamese friends.

fiindcǎ a copilǎrit cu prieteni vietnamezi

And she decided, despite the advice of her neighbors,

Şi a decis, în ciuda sfaturilor date de vecini,

that she would take the chance

cǎ îşi va asuma acest risc

and claim to be Vietnamese

şi va declara cǎ e vietnamezǎ,

so that we could have a chance to survive,

pentru ca noi sǎ avem o şansǎ de supravieţuire.

because at this point they're forcing everybody to work.

Pentru cǎ deja toţi erau forţaţi sǎ munceascǎ

And they're giving about --

şi li se dǎdea cam--

in a modern-day, caloric-restriction diet, I guess --

în termeni moderni, era o dietǎ restricţionatǎ caloric, cred--

they're giving porridge, with a few grains of rice.

primeau terci de ovǎz, cu câteva boabe de orez.

And at about this time actually

Şi tot cam atunci

my father got very sick.

tatǎl meu s-a îmbolnǎt foarte rǎu.

And he didn't speak Vietnamese.

Şi el nu vorbea vietnamezǎ.

So he died actually, in January 1976.

Aşa c-a murit în ianuarie 1976.

And it made it possible, in fact,

Şi a fost posibil ca noi

for us to take on this plan.

sǎ ne punem în aplicare planul

So the Khmer Rouge took us

Şi Khmerii Roşii ne-au dus

from a place called Pursat to Kaoh Tiev,

dintr-un loc numit Pursat la Koh Tiev.

which is across from the border from Vietnam.

Care era aproape de graniţa cu Vietnamul.

And there they had a detention camp

Şi aveau acolo o tabǎrǎ de detenţie

where alleged Vietnamese would be tested, language tested.

unde presupuşi vietnamezi erau testaţi, dacǎ ştiu limba.

And my mother's Vietnamese was so bad

Şi vietnameza vorbitǎ de mama era aşa rea,

that to make our story more credible,

încât pentru a fi mai credibilǎ povestea noastrǎ,

she'd given all the boys and girls new Vietnamese names.

a dat nume vietnameze copiilor ei.

But she'd given the boys girls' names,

Numai cǎ a dat bǎieţilor nume de fete,

and the girls boys' names.

iar fetelor nume de bǎieţi.

And it wasn't until she met a Vietnamese lady

Doar dupǎ ce a întâlnit o doamnǎ vietnamezǎ,

who told her this, and then tutored her for two days intensively,

care i-a spus asta, şi apoi i-a dat lecţii intensive timp de douǎ zile,

that she was able to go into her exam

a putut sǎ meargǎ sǎ-şi dea examenul

and -- you know, this was a moment of truth.

iar ǎsta era momentul adevǎrului.

If she fails, we're all headed to the gallows;

Dacǎ eşua, ajungeam sǎ fim executaţi.

if she passes, we can leave to Vietnam.

Dacǎ trecea, puteam pleca în Vietnam

And she actually, of course -- I'm here, she passes.

Şi ea, normal, doar sunt aici, a trecut examenul,

And we end up in Hong Ngu on the Vietnamese side.

Şi ajungem în Hong Ngu, pe partea vietnamezǎ,

And then onwards to Chau Doc.

şi de acolo la Chau Doc.

And this is a picture of Hong Ngu, Vietnam today.

Asta este o pozǎ din Hong Ngu, Vietnamul de azi.

A pretty idyllic place on the Mekong Delta.

Un loc destul de idilic, pe Delta Mekongului.

But for us it meant freedom.

Dar pentru noi a însemnat libertate.

And freedom from persecution from the Khmer Rouge.

Libertate faţǎ de persecuţiile Khmerilor Roşii

Last year, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal,

Anul trecut, Tribunalul Khmerilor Roşii

which the U.N. is helping Cambodia take on,

creat în Cambodgia, cu sprijin ONU,

started, and I decided that as a matter of record

a început, şi am decis

I should file a Civil Complaint

sǎ depun o plângere civilă

with the Tribunal about my father's passing away.

la Tribunal, legată de moartea tatǎlui meu.

And I got word last month

Şi acum o lunǎ am aflat

that the complaint was officially accepted by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

cǎ plângerea mea a fost acceptatǎ de Tribunalul Khmerilor Roşii.

And it's for me a matter of justice for history, and accountability for the future,

Iar pentru mine este vorba de dreptate istoricǎ, şi de reglare a conturilor pentru viitor.

because Cambodia remains a pretty lawless place, at times.

Deoarece Camdodgia a rǎmas un loc cu multe fǎrǎdelegi.

Five years ago my mother and I went back to Chau Doc.

Acum cinci ani, eu şi mama mea ne-am întors la Chau Doc.

And she was able to return to a place

Şi a avut posibilitatea sǎ se întoarcǎ într-un loc

that for her meant freedom, but also fear,

ce pentru ea a însemnat libertate, dar şi fricǎ

because we had just come out of Cambodia.

pentru cǎ tocmai ieşisem din Cambodgia.

I'm happy, actually, today, to present her.

Mǎ bucur chiar sǎ v-o prezint astǎzi.

She's here today with us in the audience.

Este aici alǎturi de noi în public.

Thank you mother.

Îţi mulţumesc, mamǎ.

(Applause)

(Aplauze)