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208. A number of documents from the DK era contain references to a ‘Committee
870’.636 Although the Co-Prosecutors submit that Committee 870 was the CPK
Central Committee, it is equally plausible that Committee 870 was the Standing
Committee, and the Chamber is unable to make a definitive finding in this regard.637
209. In addition to Committee 870, there was a discrete entity known as ‘Office
870’, ‘Political Office of 870’, ‘M-870’ (the ‘M’ standing for ‘munti’, the Khmer
word for ‘office’) or ‘Office of the Standing Committee’ (‘Office 870’).638 As of
October 1975, SUA Vasi alias Doeun was in charge of Office 870.639 KHIEU
Samphan joined Office 870 in or around October 1975.640 In the words of Philip
SHORT, Office 870 functioned as the “executive arm” of the Standing Committee.641
Its tasks were to implement, and to monitor implementation of, Standing Committee
decisions, and to “[make] contact back and forth with each section” of the CPK’s
upper echelons on behalf of the Standing Committee.642 Both Philip SHORT and
David CHANDLER used the phrase “nerve centre” to describe the critically
important role of Office 870 in the transmission of information to and from the
Standing Committee.643
636
See e.g. DK Telegram, E3/932, 12 April 1978, p. 1, ERN (En) 00185199; DK Telegram, E3/245,
29 April 1978, p. 1, ERN (En) 00182759; Committee 870 Instructions, E3/1173, 27 February 1976, p.
2, ERN (En) 00525782.
637
Co-Prosecutors’ Closing Brief, para. 372. Some evidence suggested that Committee 870 was the
Central Committee: see e.g. T. 10 January 2013 (UNG Ren), pp. 67-68; SUON Kanil Interview
Record, E3/74, 21 August 2009, p. 3, ERN (En) 00384690; SENG Mon Interview Record, E3/71, 14
February 2009, p. 19, ERN (En) 00288637. A directive issued by Committee 870 purported to contain
instructions from the “Party Central Committee”: see Committee 870 Directive, E3/740, 24 July 1977.
However, other evidence suggested that Committee 870 was the Standing Committee: see T. 6
September 2012 (NORNG Sophang), p. 95; T. 6 May 2013 (Philip SHORT), p. 64; KAING Guek Eav
Written Answers, E3/359, 20 November 2009, p. 6, ERN (En) 00434339. See also, T. 17 July 2013
(Stephen HEDER), pp. 87-88 (observing that there was ambiguity in the use of ‘Committee 870’ and
expressing no firm conclusion).
638
T. 18 July 2012 (David CHANDLER), p. 121; T. 17 July 2013 (Stephen HEDER), pp. 88-89;
Standing Committee Minutes, E3/182, 9 October 1975, p. 1, ERN (En) 00183393; KHIEU Samphan
Interview Record, E3/37, 14 December 2007, p. 3, ERN (En) 00156754.
639
Standing Committee Minutes, E3/182, 9 October 1975, p. 1, ERN (En) 00183393; T. 29 March
2012 (KAING Guek Eav), p. 23 (clarifying that “Doeun” was SUA Vasi).
640
Book by K. Samphan: Cambodia’s Recent History and the Reasons Behind the Decisions I Made,
E3/18, pp. 65, ERN (En) 00103755. See Section 8: Roles and Functions – Khieu Samphan, para. 390.
641
T. 6 May 2013 (Philip SHORT), pp. 72-73.
642
Standing Committee Minutes, E3/182, 9 October 1975, p. 4, ERN (En) 00183396; T. 8 May 2013
(Philip SHORT), pp. 26-27; Book by K. Samphan: Cambodia’s Recent History and the Reasons
Behind the Decisions I Made, E3/18, pp. 66, ERN (En) 00103756.
643
T. 20 July 2012 (David CHANDLER), p. 21; T. 9 May 2013 (Philip SHORT), p. 94.
Case 002/01, Judgement, 7 August 2014 - Public
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