Interviewees : Ms Sochdarith Lim and Ms Phalla Ros
Interviewer: Chakara Lim
Sochdarith Lim and Phalla Ros are cousins who were in their early twenties when the Khmer Rouge forced the evacuation of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975. Having lived together in the city, they were separated during the chaos and each went to different  villages, where they struggled to survive under the Democratic Kampuchea regime.
Phalla recalls being forced into marriage by the Khmer Rouge. Like many young Cambodian women, she had dreamed of a traditional wedding with family, rituals, and a beautiful wedding dress. Instead, she was ordered to marry a man she had never met, dressed only in the black uniform of the regime. Their identities were reduced to brief profiles assigned by Khmer Rouge officials, with no choice, no traditional ceremony, and no opportunity to refuse.
Both cousins lived in constant fear, witnessing neighbours and relatives disappear without explanation. Sochdarith's father had been a respected Member of Parliament and a high school headmaster before the Khmer Rouge came to power. Some of his former students had become Khmer Rouge officials, and out of gratitude for the education and guidance he had given them, they initially helped protect the family. However, that protection could not last. Shortly after Sochdarith saw her father for the final time, he was taken away and never returned.
The cousins were eventually reunited in Christchurch, New Zealand, where they rebuilt their lives.