Cambodia & History: Seb Reth, former Ta Mok chauffeur who was sent to China for training

Seb Reth, a former driver for Ta Mok, known as "The Butcher" for his brutality as military chief of the communist Khmer Rouge, was recruited by the Khmer Rouge to undergo military training in China.

Seb Reth, a 65-year-old male farmer

Following his training, he returned to Cambodia in 1979 during the Khmer Rouge's conflict with Vietnamese forces along the Thai Cambodian border.

Reflecting on his experiences, Seb Reth detailed his role as Ta Mok's driver and his studies in China, which encompassed chemical training, military tactics, and other related techniques.

Seb Reth, a 65-year-old male farmer, was born in Thlok Yul Village, Sre Knong Commune, Chhouk District, Kampot Province. He currently resides in Chheuteal Chrum Village, Bramoy Commune, Veal Veng District, Pursat Province. Reth is married to Neang Kou, a 54-year-old farmer. Together, they have six children: three sons and three daughters. Reth's father, Pok Set, passed away in 1979, and his mother is Sok Kuon. He is the fourth of eight siblings, consisting of five brothers and three sisters. Tragically, two of his brothers lost their lives during the conflict with Lon Nol forces.

As a child, Seb Reth attended Sre-Knong Pagoda School and studied until ninth grade but was forced to drop out in 1973 due to the war, as his family could no longer support his education. After leaving school, he was recruited by the Khmer Rouge into a children's unit, along with 60 to 70 other children from his village, and placed in a cooperative unit where they lived, ate, and worked together. Reth's responsibilities included clearing wild vegetation, plowing fields, working in rice paddies, and collecting cow dung for fertilizer. As time went on, the Khmer Rouge began recruiting older children for military training, teaching them combat strategies and deploying them to the battlefields.

1974

In 1974, Seb Reth was selected by the Khmer Rouge to lead a group of 30 to 40 fighters in Chhouk District. After about seven months, he was relocated to the Southwest Zone to reinforce the 2nd Division's troops engaged in battles against Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic forces in Takeo Province, from South Trapeang Thom and North Trapeang Thom to the Kampong Speu border. The Southwest Zone comprised three divisions: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. While stationed in Trapaeng An-derk District, Reth worked closely with Touch Pon, the commander of the 2nd Division, and Ren, the division head and Ta Mok's son-in-law, who hailed from Prey Khmao Village. During this time, Reth served as Touch Pon's messenger, a role fraught with danger as he delivered letters to brigades on active battlefields, often facing ambushes and other obstacles. Recognizing Reth's reliability and familiarity, Touch ultimately appointed him as an army leader, trusting him due to their shared village origins and his well-known background.

1975

On April 17, 1975, when the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, they began evacuating residents to the provinces, leaving supplies scattered throughout the city. During this period, Seb Reth was reassigned from his role as head of messengers to a clearing unit of approximately 50 members stationed in Pochentong (currently Phnom Penh International airport) and Chom Chao, led by a commander named Thi.

The unit's daily tasks included clearing debris from roads and highways and collecting abandoned motorbikes, which were then transported to warehouses. While performing these duties, Reth was shot at by remnants of Lon Nol soldiers hiding in the city but was unharmed. A few Lon Nol soldiers, refusing to surrender, concealed themselves in houses during the day and emerged at night to scavenge for food and cooking supplies.

1976

In 1976, Seb Reth transitioned from the clearing unit to serving as a guard for Ta Mok and Touch in the Southwest Zone (Takeo Province). During this time, he became Ta Mok’s driver, transporting him to meetings with Pol Pot, Khieu Samphan, and Committee sessions in Phnom Penh twice a week. Reth recounted that while driving Ta Mok, they would often stop about half a kilometer from Takeo for inspections of cooperatives, rice fields, and rural communities before returning.

Ta Mok frequently disguised himself in old, torn clothing to observe farm activities unnoticed. On one occasion, while posing as an inspector, he was mistakenly arrested by commune and village officials, accused of being a spy, and interrogated, but was released unharmed after half an hour when his identity was revealed.

In mid-1976, Ta Mok assigned key military personnel to oversee the Vietnamese border at Phnom Den (Takeo province). When Ta Mok was occupied with local-level activities and unable to attend Committee meetings, he relied on Reth and two other guards, Soy and Nhoch (Touch’s younger brother), to deliver documents to Office 870, the central office where Pol Pot, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Von Vet, Cheng An, Nuon Chea, and Son Sen held meetings, often at the Olympic Stadium. After the meeting, Nhan, the director of the central office and an associate of Pol Pot and Khieu Samphan, would return documents to the Southwest Zone. These documents included internal party materials and copies of the Revolutionary Flag. Seb Reth recalled that Ta Mok frequently visited cooperatives to assess the living conditions of the people and ensure they had enough to eat. While some cooperatives reported sufficient food, others were lacking because the village chief had sent too much food to the state, leaving the cooperatives with insufficient supplies. Upon discovering this, Ta Mok took measures to ensure that villages and communes only sent rice to the state as planned, allowing the people to have enough to eat. Ta Mok also emphasized the importance of learning to save and eat properly to maintain strength for work. He advised the army not to allow oxen to crossroads during the day, as it could damage the roads and delay grazing.

1977

At the end of 1976 and into 1977, Reth drove Ta Mok to a base in Chhouk District, Kampot Province, where Phen, Phon, and Pon Phon governed. Upon arrival, Seb Reth witnessed the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge massacre on April 17, when many people evacuated from Phnom Penh were killed in the courtyard of Sre Knong Pagoda, located in Thlok Youl Village, which covered about one and a half square kilometers.

These individuals, who did not work in the fields, were accused by the commune spies of being enemies, leading to their execution at the pagoda, where large pits near mango and coconut trees were used for mass graves.

Reth was deeply worried, fearing that his parents and siblings might be linked to the events of April 17 and could be imprisoned or killed. He told Ta Mok that the pits where the massacre occurred were places where he had studied before, but Ta Mok, though aware, took no action. In March 1977, Ta Mok recruited about 300 military personnel from various ministries and units to complete their training in Phnom Penh before being sent to China for further studies. Upon reaching Phnom Penh, Reth attended Tuol Kork School, the Cambodian Soviet Friendship School, where Chinese teachers instructed students in literature. He studied there for an additional six months before arrangements were made for him to continue his studies in China.

1978

In June 1978, Seb Reth was sent to study in Guangdong Province, China, where he learned chemical techniques with the aim of returning to Cambodia to work as a teacher at an oil refinery in Kampong Som. After studying chemistry for three months, Reth was recalled to the military as Vietnamese troops had crossed the Cambodian border.

The Cambodian Embassy in China notified all troops studying there to prepare to return due to the war on the border. As a result, Reth stopped his chemistry studies and shifted focus to military training, where he learned in two divisions: the cavalry and artillery divisions. After a month of training, Reth was sent by ship to the Thai border. Following his deployment there, many troops joined the 2nd Division, led by Ren. Reth spent 4-5 months with the 2nd Division, but due to unresolved internal issues within the division, his group was transferred to the 3rd Division in Thmar Da (Pursat province), which was controlled by Seng.

1985

In 1985, Seng, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, tasked each unit with collecting supplies, including tanks, ammunition trucks, and artillery trucks, from Thailand. Once the materials were gathered, the 3rd Brigade moved from Thmar Da to engage in combat in the Koh Kong, Trapeang Rong, and Andong Terk regions. After the battles, Reth continued to serve with the brigade under Im's leadership for three more years. In 1989, Reth started his own family.

1992

In 1992, Reth resumed his role as a driver for Meas Muth and Ta Mok. While accompanying them on the battlefield, Reth sustained an injury after falling from a 4-meter-high mango tree. The fall resulted in nerve damage, causing severe back pain and paralysis in both of his legs. He was subsequently sent to a Thai hospital, where he received treatment for a month and was able to regain the ability to walk.

1993

In 1993, following the Paris Peace Agreement, people were filled with hope, believing the war had ended and that normal business could resume. However, not long after, a 10-month civil war erupted along the border. After the conflict subsided, Reth and many other military families moved to Chheuteal Chrum village, where they took up farming to make a living. Having lived in the village for six months, Reth was elected head of the Intervention Brigade, tasked with verifying the names of government soldiers. He held this position for three years before retiring and continuing to farm, a profession he still practices today.

One memory that Reth will never forget is witnessing the tragic deaths of many people from the April 17th evacuation in the courtyard of Sre Knong Pagoda in Thlok Yul village, where he had once studied before the war. Reth often shares this painful experience with the younger generation, emphasizing that the war caused immense suffering and loss of life. He urges them to learn from history, so that future generations can prevent such conflicts and avoid the devastation of war.

Chan Narith: Veal Veng Reconciliation Center

Translated by Lim I-Phing