Nuon Chea

The original name of Nuon Chea is Long Rith. In the Khmer Rouge time, Nuon Chea was generally referred to by the cadre as “Brother” Nuon or “Uncle” Nuon. Some other called him “Ta Pra Hok” (“the old fish-paste man”), as he apparently liked fish paste. Nuon Chea’s birth date remains unknown. However, it is public knowledge that he was born in Battambang Province and went to Thammassat University in Thailand in 1945. In Bangkok, Nuon Chea was a member of The Communist Party of Thailand. In 1951, he was appointed minister of the economy in the United Issarak Front. In 1954, he attended a training course in Hanoi, Vietnam. Some evidence indicates that in 1976, Nuon Chea was appointed as Prime Minister in the Khmer Rouge regime, with Pol Pot taking over the position in October of that year. Nuon Chea was a fullrights member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and its Standing Committee. It is this latter committee that determined the policies of the Khmer Rouge regime that took the lives of millions of people. A number of documents reveal that the policy set for implementation in the bases had to be informed, supported and approved by the Standing Committee. Following are several documentary examples of this fact:
A. Telegram Number 2, dated October 12, 1976, states: “Dear beloved Brother Nuon, we have received your telegram, which included all instructions...with warm revolutionary fraternity, Comrade Laing.”
B. The minutes of a meeting between Comrade Tall, Division 290 and Division 170, dated September 16, 1976, at 16:15 hours, include the following:
“Comrade Duch’s comment: After the meeting, comrade Sokh and comrade Tall reached an agreement proposing [to arrest] 29 persons more...The proposed names come from a decision made by S-21 and Division 170. The number doesn’t include the 11 persons proposed in a meeting held on September 15. Based on the reason confirmed by S-21, the observations of the Division that has witnessed subsequent activities, and on the principles of Angkar...the meeting decides to take the names of [the] 29 persons...[We] must carry out on the basis of our experience, according to which we have subsequently arrested these types of persons. Avoid the situation of chaos in the unit, grasp the unit firmly and keep it secret.