30 Years Later, the Remains Reunite with the Family during Khmer New Year Season

By Som Bunthorn

Documentation Center of Cambodia

Mrs. Chea Thida has finally found the remains of her husband, Ing Sokha, after they were lost for over 30 years. His remains were among 464 urns kept in the Urn Library at Wat Langka, preserved by the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). These urns date back to Cambodia's civil war period, spanning the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Ms. Chea Thida shared her story: "I married my husband, Ing Sokha, in 1981. He served as the Director of the National Radio Station in Phnom Penh and was originally from Cha Ao village, Baray district, Kampong Thom province. We had been together for three years when I gave birth to our daughter. Then, in 1984, my husband received a scholarship to study in Bulgaria, while I stayed behind in Phnom Penh to take care our baby.

In late 1987, I received the news that my husband had died in a train accident in Bulgaria. He was only 31 years old and hadn't finished his studies yet. After hearing the news, I asked the National Radio unit to help bring his body back to Phnom Penh by plane. His body arrived in early 1988. My family and his colleagues from the radio station organized a traditional Buddhist funeral at my parents' house near Psar Silep. Later, we held the cremation at Wat Langka. After the cremation, we placed his remains in an urn, attached his photo to it, and protected it with a glass cover. My family and I then entrusted the urn to the monks at Wat Langka to look after.

In 1997, I planned to bring my husband's remains back to his hometown in Baray district, Kampong Thom province. However, I couldn't find them anywhere because the storage area had been moved several times. I tried searching again in 2000 but still had no luck. Because of this, I decided to perform a symbolic ritual: I gathered a handful of earth from Wat Langka to represent his remains and buried that in the family grave at his birthplace instead.

In December 2025, I went to Wat Langka to grant offerings to the monks. There, I met Venerable Chan, who told me about the Urn Library. He explained that the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) had organized this space to store the remains of the deceased in an orderly way, making it much easier for relatives to find their loved ones.

On the afternoon of April 1, 2026, I went to see Venerable Hour Sarith, the Assistant Abbot of Wat Langka, to search for my husband's remains in the Urn Library that Venerable Chan had mentioned. Venerable Huor Sarith contacted Mr. Ros Sampeou, the head of the Urn Library of DC-Cam. Mr. Ros Sampeou brought me the registry list of researched and documented remains to do the search. To my relief, I found my husband’s name, Ing Sokha, listed at number 207. I have then made a request to DC-Cam, and I plan to collect my husband’s remains to finally bury them in his hometown at the end of 2026."