‘I dream he is looking for his phone’: Mother recalls how Thai shell killed her 13-year-old son

Leng Kimleang, whose 13-year-old son was killed by Thai artillery on December 10, at her home in Banteay Meanchey province’s Kouk Prech village. DC-Cam

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Leng Kimleang, a 45-year-old mother, has described how her youngest son Khum Khim, 13, was killed by a Thai artillery round during the December fighting.

She recalled that when fighting broke out near her home — in Kouk Prech village of Sophy commune, in Banteay Meanchey’s O’Chrov district — on December 8, she wanted to flee. Her eldest son was away, but her husband and youngest son, Khim, wanted to stay near their crops. The family took shelter in a small bunker that they prepared in July, during the first round of clashes, and listened to the sound of drones flying overhead.

It was just two days later, on December 10, that the unthinkable happened.

“My son was charging his phone, and I was sitting on the bed folding clothes. As Khim walked towards me, a shell exploded. A piece of shrapnel tore into my son and he just collapsed. I was in total shock — I stood frozen, unable to see anything, screaming for my husband.

“My ears were ringing, and the smoke was so thick it was pitch black. I was hit by a fragment from the shell, and one of my earrings was torn off. My husband, who was standing in front of the house, ran in, grabbed me, and pulled me into the bunker.

“He asked me where Khim was. When he realised our son had been hit, he ran back into the house and carried him outside. My son had been hit in the stomach — it was torn open — and his entire body was riddled with fragments, including his face. He was barely breathing when my husband carried him in, and he passed away almost immediately,” Kimleang recalled.

The family held a funeral for Khim in Thma Pouk district and did not return home until January 3.

“My home used to be happy and full of joy, but now it is filled with great sorrow. I have lost my son forever, and I cannot get over it. I always thought I would rely on him in the future, but now he is gone. My husband and I are at a loss because we miss him so much.

“The Thai soldiers didn’t just kill my son; they also destroyed my home. The walls are full of holes from the shells. My roof, the pillars, furniture, cabinets and even a thick stone bench was pierced by shrapnel,” she explained.

The damage to her home pales in comparison to the loss of her son.

“Since Khim died, I often dream of him. I dream that he is looking for his phone,” Kimleang said.

“I want peace for the country, and I want justice for my son,” she added.

Note: This story is based on interviews conducted between February 11-13 by the “Project 817 Team for Remembrance, Justice, and Peace” of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam).

-Phnom Penh Post-
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