Sophal Ear: Escaping the Khmer Rouge

翻译人员: Zheng Zeng 校对人员: Zachary Lin Zhao

I normally teach courses on

平时我讲述关于

how to rebuild states after war.

如何进行战后重建的课程

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

但是今天我有一个亲身经历的故事与您们分享

This is a picture of my family,

这是我全家的照片

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

我的兄弟姐妹，母亲和我在1977年的照片

And we're actually Cambodians.

实际上我们是柬埔寨人

And this picture is taken in Vietnam.

但这是一张在越南拍摄的照片

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

为什么1977年时一个柬埔寨家庭会在越南呢

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

为了更好地说明，我带来了一个短片

to explain the Khmer Rouge regime

来解释1975年到1979年之间的

during 1975 and 1979.

红色高棉统治政权

Video: April 17th, 1975.

视频：1975年4月17日

The communist Khmer Rouge

共产主义者红色高棉

enters Phnom Penh to liberate their people

进入金边市解放他们的人民

from the encroaching conflict in Vietnam,

从而摆脱越南的侵犯冲突

and American bombing campaigns.

以及美国的轰炸

Led by peasant-born Pol Pot,

在农民出生的波尔布特的带领下

the Khmer Rouge evacuates people to the countryside

红色高棉将人民撤退到农村地区

in order to create a rural communist utopia,

这是为了创造共产主义的乌托邦

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

与毛泽东在中国进行的文化大革命类似

The Khmer Rouge closes the doors to the outside world.

红色高棉关闭了通往外部世界的大门

But after four years the grim truth seeps out.

但是四年之后残酷的现实摆在人们眼前

In a country of only seven million people,

在仅有700万人口的国度里

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

150万的人民被他们的领导所杀害

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

他们的尸体被横放在杀戮场的万人坑中

Sophal Ear: So, notwithstanding the 1970s narration,

索帕尔.伊尔：所以，尽管这是70年代的现实

on April 17th 1975

在1975年4月17日时

we lived in Phnom Penh.

我们住在金边

And my parents were told by the Khmer Rouge

红色高棉通知我的父母

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

立即撤出此城市因为美国即将进行三天的轰炸

And here is a picture of the Khmer Rouge.

这是一张红色高棉的照片

They were young soldiers, typically child soldiers.

他们都是很年轻的士兵，主要是孩子兵

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

这在现代的冲突中很常见

because they're easy to bring into wars.

因为很容易就能将他们卷入战争

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

他们所给的关于美国轰炸的理由并不那么充分

I mean, from 1965 to 1973 there were

我的意思是在1965年到1973年间

more munitions that fell on Cambodia

大量的炸弹落在了柬埔寨的上空

than in all of World War II Japan,

甚至比二战时的日本还要多

including the two nuclear bombs

这里还包括了1945年8月

of August 1945.

两枚原子弹的轰炸量

The Khmer Rouge didn't believe in money.

红色高棉并不相信金钱

So the equivalent of the Federal Reserve Bank

所以他们炸毁了在柬埔寨

in Cambodia was bombed.

相当于联邦储备银行的机构

But not just that, they actually banned money.

并不仅仅如此，他们实际上还禁止金钱流通

I think it's the only precedent in which

我认为这是历史上唯一一次

money has ever been stopped from being used.

金钱流通被禁止的案例

And we know money is the root of all evil,

我们知道金钱是罪恶的来源

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

但是事实上这并没有阻止罪恶在柬埔寨的发生

My family was moved from Phnom Penh to Pursat province.

我的家庭从金边搬到了普萨省

This is a picture of what Pursat looks like.

这是当时的普萨的照片

It's actually a very pretty area of Cambodia,

实际上这是柬埔寨很漂亮的地方

where rice growing takes place.

也是有名的稻米产地

And in fact they were forced to work the fields.

事实上他们被强制进行田间劳动

So my father and mother ended up in

我的父母被安排在了

a sort of concentration camp, labor camp.

类似于集中营的劳工营中

And it was at that time that my mother got word

当时我母亲从乡长

from the commune chief

那里得到了一点信息

that the Vietnamese were actually asking

当时越南人正在准备

for their citizens to go back to Vietnam.

将他们的人民撤回到越南

And she spoke some Vietnamese,

而她因为从小与越南朋友长大

as a child having grown up with Vietnamese friends.

能够说一点越南语

And she decided, despite the advice of her neighbors,

因此她决定，尽管她的邻居有异议

that she would take the chance

她决定利用这个机会

and claim to be Vietnamese

承认自己是越南人

so that we could have a chance to survive,

从而我们将会有机会生存下来

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

因为在这个时候他们正在强迫所有人劳动

And they're giving about --

而他们所提供的

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

我想仅仅相当于现在的低热量食品

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

以及含少量大米的粥

And at about this time actually

在那个时候

my father got very sick.

我的父亲得了重病

And he didn't speak Vietnamese.

并且他不会说越南语

So he died actually, in January 1976.

因此他在1976年去世了

And it made it possible, in fact,

所以事实上这让我们

for us to take on this plan.

有可能采用这项计划

So the Khmer Rouge took us

所以红色高棉将我们

from a place called Pursat to Kaoh Tiev,

从普萨省带到岛盖蒂埃夫

which is across from the border from Vietnam.

这是横跨越南边境的地区

And there they had a detention camp

并且他们在此设立了拘留营

where alleged Vietnamese would be tested, language tested.

来对自称的越南人进行越南语测试

And my mother's Vietnamese was so bad

但是我母亲的越南语很差

that to make our story more credible,

为了让我们的故事更加可信

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

他给我们所有的兄弟姐妹取了越南名

But she'd given the boys girls' names,

但是她给男孩取了女孩名

and the girls boys' names.

给女孩取了男孩名

And it wasn't until she met a Vietnamese lady

这直到她后来遇到一位越南女士

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

告诉她这些，并对她进行了两天的突击学习

that she was able to go into her exam

才成功通过了测试

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

你知道，这是残酷的测试

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

如果她失败了，我们都得上绞刑架

if she passes, we can leave to Vietnam.

如果她成功了，我们将会去越南

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

因为我现在在这里出现，所以她成功了

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

我们来到了属于越南的闳嗯蛊

And then onwards to Chau Doc.

之后向朱笃前进

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

这是一张今日越南闳嗯蛊的照片

A pretty idyllic place on the Mekong Delta.

位于湄公河三角洲，田园诗般美丽的地方。

But for us it meant freedom.

但是对我们来说它意味着自由

And freedom from persecution from the Khmer Rouge.

这是逃离了红色高棉统治的自由

Last year, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal,

去年，由联合国协助柬埔寨成立的

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

红色高棉法庭开庭了

started, and I decided that as a matter of record

我决定作为事实的纪录

I should file a Civil Complaint

将陈述一系列关于我父亲过世的资料

with the Tribunal about my father's passing away.

并将资料递交给法庭

And I got word last month

上个月我得到了消息

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

我的申请得到了红色高棉法庭的官方认可

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

这将会为我赢得历史的公正以及未来的问责

because Cambodia remains a pretty lawless place, at times.

因为柬埔寨现在仍然是法制淡薄的国家

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

五年以前我母亲和我回到了朱笃

And she was able to return to a place

并且她也回到了那个曾经

that for her meant freedom, but also fear,

对她意味着自由以及恐惧的地方

because we had just come out of Cambodia.

因为那时我们刚刚逃离了柬埔寨

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

今天我非常高兴能够向大家介绍她

She's here today with us in the audience.

她也来到了现场

Thank you mother.

感谢我的母亲

(Applause)

(鼓掌)