<>INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION<> - This is the third of five interviews conducted over a three month period with Chetra Keo, a friend of the interviewer. As before, the interview was conducted in Keo's room, late at night. It should be noted that the segments in this interview tend to be rather long.
11/3/1989
Description:
<>SUBJECT BIO<> - Chetra Keo was a lycee student at the time of the Khmer Rouge takeover and had been planning on going to France to continue his studies. Keo was born in Phnom Penh to a middle class family. His father was a jeweler by trade but volunteered to teach reading and writing in adult education classes. Like many Cambodians, Keo and his family were very optimistic that the Khmer Rouge would bring peace. His father was rather well informed and kept abreast of political developments. Initially, he was somewhat supportive of the Khmer Rouge as a result of his respect for and friendship with Hou Youn (known later as one of the "Three Ghosts" of the Khmer Rouge leadership), with whom he worked in a provincial election. <p>Keo's family was evacuated, like all the others in Phnom Penh, and joined the long line of refugees, pushing their automobile, which was laden with supplies and some belongings. They were headed to his father's birthplace in the countryside. Initially, the family stayed with relatives, but after his father and brother were taken away and killed, the family was sent to Takao Village, where a kindly Khmer Rouge woman took care of them. <p>Eventually, they were given a piece of land to work and provided a bamboo hut. <p>Note: There are few details about Keo's experiences during the Khmer Rouge years, nor his eventual escape and experiences in the US.
<>TOPICS<> - KR attack on Phnom Penh; father's state of mind; contact with Hou Youn and Hu Nim lost; sisters help support family; fear of KR; sources of information; evacuation of US troops; family's reluctance to leave;helicopter evacuations by US; bleak prospects for future; KR propaganda; people lose faith in Lon Nol; initial welcoming of KR; no free press; hiding identities; 2nd "new order" cruel; preparation for evacuation;
