PEAN Khean
Pseudonym: TCW-504
Cases: Case 002/01
Category: Witness
Background, role, and knowledge of the Khmer Rouge leaders
Witness Mr Pean Kham (‘PEAN’) joined the Khmer Rouge revolution in 1966
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when he was about 16 years old.
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The revolution was aimed at liberating the nation,
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particularly the peasants,
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from capitalism
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and the oppressive class.
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PEAN was introduced into the revolution
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by CHIMM Sam Aok alias “Pang”,
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the messengers’ superior in the Northeast Zone.
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PEAN became a messenger
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for the Communist Party of Kampuchea (‘CPK’)
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in Andoung Meas district.
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PEAN delivered letters inserted in bamboo tubes from one base to another, the contents of which were unknown to him since he was forbidden to open them.
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The recipients were also unknown to him as he delivered the letters at designated locations.
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PEAN only knew that the revolution was led by Angkar,
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a term used to refer to the leaders of the ‘revolutionary Kampuchea.’
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Prior to 1975, PEAN learned that the only leader was Pol Pot.
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By 1975 he had heard that Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary,
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and Son Sen were senior leaders,
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determined ‘to fight and liberate Phnom Penh.’
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Policy of the CPK and the ‘liberation’
Lon Nol and his soldiers were regarded as enemies of the revolution.
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While PEAN knew of the fighting between the Khmer Rouge forces and those of the Lon Nol’s regime,
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he was not aware of the evacuation plan.
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PEAN arrived in Phnom Penh late afternoon
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on 17 April 1975, after it was overran by Khmer Rouge forces.
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PEAN stayed at the ‘French House’.
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Later on he met Koy Khuon, who had arrived earlier.
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PEAN saw a large number of people
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leaving the city, most on foot
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looking unhappy.
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He heard people saying that the city had to be ‘cleaned’ from the enemy, Lon Nol’s soldiers,
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and CIA agents.
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Pean assumed that the ‘final assault and liberation of Phnom Penh’
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was planned
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in Chamkar Leu district.
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PEAN knew Koy Khuon,
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alias “Thuch”,
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Secretary of Zone 304
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and the person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce at the time of his arrest,
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late 1975 or early 1976.
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Since 1967
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PEAN had lived and worked for him and his family assisting with housekeeping.
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Koy Khuon was arrested in a place resembling a hotel, 300 meters south of K-1
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- a compound where Pol Pot’s house was located,
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and where Pang also stayed at.
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PEAN brought Koy Khuon some food and returned immediately, on Pang’s instructions.
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Three days after his arrival in Phnom Penh, PEAN was transferred to Chraing Chamres
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where he heard that Koy Khuon had been arrested
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on orders of Angkar, never to be seen again.
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The radio broadcasts by Angkar mentioned that Koy Khuon was a traitor, affiliated with the CIA.
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PEAN ‘heard through the grapevine’ that his subordinates were also be arrested,
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instilling fear in him as the whereabouts of those arrested was unknown.
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After Phnom Penh’s ‘liberation’, PEAN knew Offices K-1 and K-3,
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where he also worked.
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He knew little about Offices K-7
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and K-71
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and did not hear anything about Offices 100,
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102,
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K-5 or B-5.
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While PEAN knew that the senior leaders, including Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, and Khieu Samphan met in K-3, their common office,
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PEAN did not know what was being discussed; he merely assisted with the cooking and food delivery
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and never received any minutes or briefings of the meetings.
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After April 1975,
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Pang, who assisted the senior leaders,
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took charge of Office 870.
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This was the “executive arm” of the Standing Committee’,
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coordinating K-1, K-3, and K-7.
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Pang also taught at the criticism and self-criticism sessions,
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where performance of people’s daily work was discussed.
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Pang warned that the CIA, KGB, the “Yuon” (pejorative for Vietnamese) were enemies of the revolution.
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PEAN heard that Pang was arrested and disappeared before leaving K-1.
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In the period spanning 1975-1979, PEAN was only aware of the disappearances of Pang and Koy Khuon,
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though ‘everybody kept disappearing’.
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Prior to 17 April 1975, PEAN had neither heard of any disappearance nor that people were sent away for ‘re-education’.
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PEAN did not know whether Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, or Ieng Sary provided ‘political education’ during the 1975-1979 period,
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despite also acknowledging that Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan gave high-level political education at Borei Keila .
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‘Political education’ was aimed at rebuilding the country,
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defend it from external interference by preventing an invasion by the Vietnamese
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and ensuring that the ‘American imperialism would not return’,
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establish the cooperatives intended to ‘refashion or temper’ people
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by undertaking the daily work,
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create the collective regime, and encourage people to build dams and canals for the country’s prosperity.
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Three months before the Vietnamese seized Phnom Penh on 7 January 1979,
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PEAN was sent by Yom, the office’s chief at Preaek Pra,
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to the Svay Meas cooperative.
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PEAN did not know where he went wrong.
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He was tempered by being put under surveillance because of his association with Koy Khuon.
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PEAN testified that people were taken out from Svay Meas to unknown locations, however he could not confirm if they had been killed.
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After 1975, the pagodas were removed and PEAN heard that the monks were defrocked or disrobed.
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PEAN witnessed a chaotic situation when he left Phnom Penh.
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