002/19-09-2007-ECCC-OCIJ ЮŲŠ / No: D427
allowed,1407 but monitors and spies1408 at the site would note and report every “lazy” worker,
thus people did not dare to ask for breaks.1409 Leave days were conceded only when children’s
parents were sick.1410
340.
Workers had to live close to the site in communal halls, some sleeping up to 600 people.1411
They were not provided with sleeping mats, blankets, pillows or hammocks, which they had
to make by themselves from rice sacks and were often required to sleep on the ground.1412
Men and women who were not married had to live separately.1413
341.
Although a small number of witnesses state that there was enough to eat,1414 food was
generally insufficient.1415 Some witnesses state they “drank water to fill ourselves” or
“walked around looking for leaves to eat in place of food”.1416 Occasionally dried fish or
meat were provided;1417 nonetheless, even when this food was provided it was insufficient for
the workers.1418 Water for the workers came from nearby muddy ponds.1419 No one dared
complain about the food rations for fear of being killed.1420 Workers at the dam died of
starvation1421 and of exhaustion directly at the work place while carrying the earth.1422
342.
Hygiene was totally lacking.1423 The muddy water that was taken from the ponds was not
boiled.1424 These appalling unhygienic conditions caused many of the workers to become ill
with dysentery,1425 cholera, malaria, etc. Food rations for sick people were reduced.1426 There
were untrained medics who had no knowledge and who had been chosen at random.1427 They
walked around the site providing sick persons with the same herbal medicine, which
resembled rabbit droppings.1428 Children would be recruited to be sent to the social affairs
department for two weeks to return to Trapeang Thma as medics for their respective units.1429
Given these conditions, many people died due to illness1430 with some family lines almost
dying out entirely.1431
343.
“New people” were subjected to harsher working conditions, such as larger working quotas or
unjustified punishments.1432 CPK soldiers and cadres would collect biographies of workers at
the site in order to identify those to be later arrested or killed.1433
344.
Some witnesses give evidence of witnessing or participating in marriage ceremonies at
Trapeang Thma, often with scores of couples being married in mass ceremonies.1434 One
witness states that the couples were forced to marry,1435 and others that marriages would have
to be approved by unit chairmen, and workers would be killed for failing to seek
permission.1436
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, National Road 4, Choam Chao, Dangkao Phnom Penh
Mailing address: P.O. Box 71, Phnom Penh; Tel: +855(0)23 218914 Fax: +855(0) 23 218941.
89
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents