Interview of a survivor

An interview with Mr. Vann Nath, one of the few people to survive a notorious Khmer Rouge prison.

Vann Nath said that the Khmer Rougue prison was like hell, and he would never be able to forget.

My suffering cannot be erased – the memories keep haunting me."

"We were so hungry, we would eat insects that dropped from the ceiling. We would quickly grab and eat them so we could avoid being seen by the guards," said Mr Nath, who lost two children during the four years the Maoist-inspired regime controlled the country. "We ate our meals next to dead bodies, and we didn't care because we were like animals. The conditions were so inhumane and the food was so little. I even thought eating human flesh would be a good meal."

Vann Nath escaped death because of his talent. He was a painter. The Khmer Rougue forced him to draw portraits of Pol Pot.

Vann Nath told about how he was tortured. He was beaten, electrocuted, had his fingernails pulled out, and also underwent a form of "water-boarding". Prisoners, he said, were fed six teaspoons of rice porridge a day.