Bimat--A Vietnamese Adventure

by Robert A Webster

  He watched his squad of five soldiers searching small empty huts for signs of life. Embers of fires still smouldered, a sign that suggested the inhabitants had recently fled into the jungle.

  Lee took a drink from his water canteen and looked at his map of Mekong tributaries in the area and thought. ‘Where did they go and what are they doing here? This tributary shouldn’t be here… unless?’ A chill went through him as he thought about the grisly discoveries he had made many years ago from areas unmarked on any maps. ‘Another legacy from those dark times.’

  He thought about the rotting corpses he had found over the years and shuddered.

  With all maps of Cambodia destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and the current government having no wish to produce new ones and making it illegal for the public to have them, Lee had been fighting an uphill struggle.

  However, although the maps he had were inaccurate, he thought he had found all the areas of the Khmer Rouge’s transit camps.

  ‘Could there still be surviving Vietnamese soldiers or Cambodian holocaust survivors after 17 years? And how have they survived unnoticed?’ he wondered as he walked further into the small village. A soldier came from a hut and shook his head. “There’s no one here sir.”

  ****

  Lee Tangh had fought, lived, and worked in Cambodia since 1978. As a Vietnamese liberation soldier, he had fought many fierce battles with the Khmer Rouge.

  After Cambodia’s liberation in 1979, Lee decided he would serve more of a purpose staying in Cambodia, to help stabilise the war-ravaged country.

  Now at peace, he regarded his job as a peacekeeper not a victor. His main task after the short war was to be a liaison officer between Vietnam and the newly established Cambodian government.

  His first appointed task was to find and record missing in action Vietnamese soldiers, or identify any bodies found, so their next of kin could be informed.

  This seemed an impossible task as most of the fighting had taken place in inhospitable jungle terrain, so many Vietnamese soldiers were unaccounted for.

  After many years, his role changed to one of administration, integrating Cambodia back into the civilised world. His search for Vietnamese soldiers missing in action, M.I.A.’s, ceased in the early eighties, with many bodies still not found.

  Lee, given the Cambodian army rank of Colonel, commanded the new Royal Cambodian Armed forces in Zone 3.

  Now married to a Cambodian, with his wife having a well-paid job, along with plots of land given to him by a grateful Cambodian government for his service to their country, Lee’s life was good, but boring

  In 1996, a report appeared on his desk. Lee read the report written by a survivor of a four-man survey team who had been plotting and mapping along an undocumented small branch of the Mekong River. The man reported that the team saw a woman standing on the embankment and, as nothing was supposed to be there the team pulled their small wooden boat to the riverbank to investigate, but the women ran off.

  The report then said the team found a faint track that they followed through thick jungle. They approached the outskirts of a village but as they went further, the two men leading the expedition stumbled into a shallow pit and impaled on sharp wooden spikes.

  The report then went on to say how the two other men cut them free and dragged the screaming men back to their small wooden motorboat and made it back to Phnom Penh where they received medical attention. However, both men had died a few hours later.

  Lee looked at the casualty report from Kalmet Hospital in Phnom Penh that stated the men had died from severe blood loss.

  The report intrigued Lee, so he decided to investigate the case, which would enable him to spend time away from his desk and get back into field work. He knew that once his promotion to Brigadier came through, his new duties would be to assist with the main government transition. He knew he would be permanently office bound and this would be the last field trip he would have.

  Lee visited the two survivors from the survey expedition and took down the details and location.

  He asked the man who wrote the report to describe the trap that had killed his colleagues, and when the shaken man told him, Lee frowned and thought. ‘That sounds like a Vietnamese punji stake trap.’

  He had a surveillance helicopter fly around the area, but the crew saw nothing beneath thick jungle canopy.

  Lee went with five soldiers who were experts in jungle warfare and Vietnamese booby-traps. He knew these five were the best because it was he who had trained them.

  ****

  Lee, unsure what to expect, docked the wooden motor launch on the small riverbank and the troop made their way up an embankment. They found the faint trail that the expedition survivor told Lee about and they walked into the jungle.

  They slowly and methodically found and avoided several traps along a faint trail until they came upon the deserted village where the troop spread out looking for the inhabitants and more traps.

  After two hours, the five gathered in the centre of the small village and reported to Lee they hadn’t seen or found anyone.

  Lee looked at the still smouldering clay pots outside the communal hut and then looked into the jungle. “Someone has recently been here and they can’t be far away,” he said.

  “They seemed to have vanished into thin air sir,” said a soldier, looking bemused.

  “Sir, that tree moved,” said a soldier pointing at a thick oil palm tree nearby, before they heard rifles cocking and shouting as men women and children appeared. Some jumped down from the cradles of the trees while others pushed out from behind thin layers of tree bark, camouflaged against a tree trunk, and they surrounded the soldiers.

  The soldiers carried side arms, but before they had chance to un-holster them, they all looked into the barrels of old, M1 carbine rifles.

  “Where did they come from?” asked a soldier as the six stood back to back and looked at the thin men women and children glaring back at them.

  Lee saw ten of them carried rifles while the others held crude knives, spears, and bow and arrows.

  “Drop your gun belts men.” Ordered Lee as he removed his gun belt and dropped it to the floor, the other soldiers followed suit.

  Villagers closed in around the soldiers, butting and shoving them into a small group before picking up their weapons.

  The soldiers could not understand the language, as the villagers shouted at them in a screechy, hybrid tongue.

  The six soldiers saw how thin and gaunt their attackers appeared, so felt surprised by the stealthy vicious attack.

  A small frail looking man came to the front of the villagers and spoke to Lee.

  He could see Lee looking confused and realised that he could not understand him. The man thought for a moment, then spoke again in Vietnamese, and asked. “Why are you dressed in a Cambodian uniform, yet you show the Vietnamese red star insignia on your epaulettes... You look Vietnamese, yet your soldiers appear Cambodian, why, and what do you want?”

  Lee looked at the man, who appeared to be struggling to speak his native tongue and realising what he was, smiled, and asked. “What’s your name, soldier?”

  The man frowned and glared at Lee for several minutes before saying. “Hạ sĩ, Nguyen Tho.”

  Lee nodded, smiled, and said. “Well, Corporal Nguyen Tho, the war against the Khmer Rouge has been over now for over 17 years. Cambodia and Vietnam are now peaceful countries who work together.”

  Nguyen looked at Lee and the Cambodian soldiers with suspicion and then translated to the villagers in their hybrid language.

  The villagers gasped, looked at the soldiers, and then at one another.

  Some older villagers stood back from the group and the soldiers relaxed as the elders chattered amongst themselves while the villagers holding the rifles, kept them pointed at the soldiers.

  After ten minutes, as they all frowned and glared at Lee, Nguyen said, “Prove it.”

  Lee, prepared for any encounter they might have, reached into his ba
ckpack and brought out magazines, newspapers, and photographs, both from Cambodia and Vietnam, and handed them around the villagers.

  The pictures showed Vietnamese and Cambodian people together, with cars, street scenes, festivals, and Cambodian wedding photographs, from his and his wife Su-Tee’s happy day.

  Lee waited as the pictures were around, with an M1 carbine still pointed at his face. This unwavering weapon, wielded by a teenage boy with an icy cold stare, made Lee feel nervous.

  After 15 minutes, Nguyen came over to Lee and said. “Okay, so the war is over, thank you for letting us know, but what do you want?”

  Lee thought for a moment and asked, “How many of you are Vietnamese soldiers and how many are Cambodian survivors.”

  Nguyen furrowed his brow and said. “I am the only person here that was from Vietnam, but none of us here now feel either Cambodian or Vietnamese.”

  Lee glanced at the boy holding the rifle, then smiled at Nguyen and said. “It’s up to you Nguyen. I can take you back to Vietnam, find your family and you can return to live with them.” Lee looked at the other villagers and said in Cambodian. “We can arrange boats to come and take you all to Phnom Penh and after getting you some much needed medical aid, we can integrate you back into Khmer society.”

  Lee saw Nguyen glaring at him and looking angry, so he said.

  “Or, you can all remain here and I will organise boats to bring you medical equipment and other supplies you need. I can also arrange for construction materials and communication devices to be brought here so you can contact the other villages and towns nearby and maybe set up a small trade route.”

  The villagers mumbled amongst themselves and Nguyen glared at Lee, and said. “Or you could just leave us alone.”

  Lee furrowed his brow, nodded and said to Nguyen. “Yes, we could just leave and forget about you, but you all look undernourished and I am sure you have a lot of illness here and would benefit from our help.”

  Nguyen stared at Lee for several minutes and then told the people pointing rifles to lower their weapons.

  When Lee saw them lowering the weapons, he breathed a sigh of relief as the boy’s unwavering stare unnerved him.

  “You and your men can relax and speak with the others while the elders decide what to do,” said Nguyen and walked toward the communal hut with several older villagers.

  Lee and his Cambodian soldiers spoke with several of the middle-aged villages who tried to remember their native tongue and now practiced their Khmer; it was a strange, exhilarating feeling for the gathered folk.

  They looked amazed when the soldiers told them about life in Cambodia and things about the modern world.

  Nguyen came over to Lee an hour later and asked him to go with him to the communal hut. Lee and the boy with the rifle walked into the shaded hut.

  While the boy stood, Lee sat surrounded by eight village elders on a straw mat, and Nguyen, looking calm, but sounding sullen, said, “We have no other family, we are family. I have no recollection of my previous life and the others don’t wish to be reminded of what happened all those years ago. We now won’t understand the outside world. We have adapted to survive and thrive here and now have families of our own who we have taught our ways.” Nguyen smirked and nodded at the boy stood with the rifle. “He is my son, Ca, who could have shot the fluff out of your ears; he is that good a shot.”

  Lee smiled and nodded at the boy who gave him an icy stare making him nervous again, as Nguyen chuckled and said. “Oh, and the cold icy stare; I taught him that too.”

  Ca then smiled at Colonel Lee, gave him another icy stare, and then smiled again.

  Over the next few hours, there was a euphoric feeling abounding in the centre of the village. Villagers cooked food while the soldiers told them stories in Cambodian and the older villagers started to understand more as their memories of their native language returned. They explained more about how Cambodia and Vietnam had changed over the years.

  Lee sat with Nguyen and told him how Vietnam had grown into a modern and multicultural society, embracing western music, culture, and tourism.

  Nguyen soaked up all this information with interest, but when Lee said that he could trace his family in Vietnam from his MIA records, Nguyen thought for a moment, but declined his offer and rubbing his face, said. “If I have any family, then they must think that I am dead and would leading new lives now. Besides, I can’t remember them, so to me, they would be strangers. My wife Darah and son Ca are my family now, so please don’t look for them. We will discuss things more tomorrow with the other villagers and get their views, but we do not want anyone to know about our village until we decide otherwise.”

  Lee looked at the haggard-looking skinny man who still had a fire in his eyes. He nodded and said. “Yes, I understand Nguyen, and I give you my word; I will not investigate your past nor let anyone else know about the village.”

  They all chatted until the sun went down and then the villagers went to their huts while the soldiers huddled around the smoking embers of peanut shells that the villagers burnt at night to keep the mosquitoes and other flying bugs away.

  At daybreak, the villagers, along with the soldiers, cooked meals and carried out general chores, and at 8:00 am, the villagers went into the communal shack.

  The five soldiers and younger villagers went off to clear any remaining booby traps while Lee went to the meeting to offer his advice and again give them their options. He told them to discuss the matter, and let him know any alternatives they came up with.

  Lee then left the communal hut to let the villagers talk amongst themselves and went to stand outside in the morning sun.

  He leant against a large tree and looked around the village.

  Nguyen’s son came over and handed him his holstered side arm. Lee smiled and put it around his waist. Ca smiled at him, took a small thin knife from his waistband, showed it to Lee and pointed to a tree.

  Lee looked at the boy with curiosity and then at the tree, as Ca threw the knife, which stuck into the trunk.

  Ca smirked, walked over to the tree, dislodged his knife, and showed it to Lee.

  Impaled on the blade, Lee saw a small lizard which Ca removed and ate, as he walked back over and stared at Lee.

  Lee felt impressed. He’d had years of jungle training and thought he had the eyesight of an eagle and could spot anything moving, but he never saw the now digested reptile.

  Lee looked at Ca and thought. ‘This kid’s special.’

  Nguyen came from the communal hut and walked over to Lee and Ca.

  “We’ve decided to stay as we are. None of the old Cambodians wanted to return to a place that held so many bad memories,” he said. “But we will accept your help Colonel Lee, especially medical help and building tools and materials. We have found no way to purify the river water and dysentery and worms are a problem.

  Colonel Lee nodded and smiled. “I understand Nguyen and if that is your decision to stay, I will see to the things you need.”

  “Thank you, Colonel and maybe we will visit other villages in time.”

  Lee and his small troop left the village and returned to Phnom Penh several hours later.

  The next few days brought a flotilla of small boats, with builders, materials, tools, medical staff, and Lee, along with his five soldiers to the village.

  Doctors and nurses examined the villagers and gave them vitamin injections and pills for dysentery and intestinal worms.

  Over the next few days, villagers and workers mingled as the village became alive with activity.

  The villagers were also brought dried foodstuffs, utensils, and a small boat so they could travel along the Mekong, to visit and trade with the other villages further along the river.

  Lee and his soldiers visited the village most days to chat with Nguyen and, although Lee had witnessed the corpses of the killing fields and the genocide within the country, Nguyen and Darah’s plight touched him deeply.

  Several days later, the village
had enough resources to give them a better quality of life. They had enough medical supplies to last them some time and when they ran out Lee told them the river route to Phnom Penh so they could go get more.

  With the monsoon rains destroying their flimsy wooden shacks each year, the builders constructed strong wooden huts on stilts and with the younger villages helping them, taught them how to construct these simple, but secure homes.

  They were given small generators with a supply of fuel, which they could replenish by trading jungle produce with their new neighbours.

  Lee and the others noticed the change in the village over the next few days and the villagers seemed happier and no longer wary of outsiders.

  It had been ten days since Lee had found the village and, that morning, Colonel Lee and his five soldiers arrived alone by boat.

  The village looked transformed as the villagers and soldiers gathered in the corrugated metal sheet roofed communal centre.

  Lee told the villagers they would now be left alone to get on with their lives, and although the village location would be mapped, it would remain a self-contained community. He then said. “Before I can put the village on the map, it needs a name.”

  The villagers mumbled, looked at one another, and shrugged.

  Lee smiled and suggested. “Sereypheap.”

  The villagers again looked at one another, smiled, and nodded.

  “That’s a good name,” said Nguyen grinning and the other villages nodded and mumbled their agreement.

  Lee smiled, took out his notepad, and wrote, Freedom village.

  The villagers thanked Lee and his soldiers and while some went to prepare them food, others chatted amongst themselves and to the soldiers who they now felt were part of their family.

  Nguyen, Darah, and Ca came over to Lee and looked sullen. Nguyen had a quiver in his voice as he asked. “Colonel, can I ask one more favour?”

  Lee looked at the family, who appeared troubled. He nodded, smiled, and said. “Of course Nguyen. What is it?”

  Nguyen sighed and said. “Will you take Ca with you and have him educated and find him work? He is young and a fast learner. He will have a better future in the modern world.”