Former Guard Gives Detailed Testimony of Prison Operations, but Court Expresses Some Concern Over His Credibility

Former prison guard Prak Khan was introduced as the Trial Chamber’s next witness today in the trial of prison chief Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch). With questions from Judges Ya Sokhan, Silvia Cartwright, and Jean-Marc Lavergne, the Trial Chamber examined details of Prak’s association with the Khmer Rouge from the time he joined the revolution until the Vietnamese liberation in 1979.

Prak Khan, age 57, initially joined the agricultural section of District 56 at Ta Kamao in 1972. Shortly thereafter he was transferred to the military unit and was moved to Prey Sar, where he helped build dykes, dig canals, and plant rice. A couple months later he was transferred once more, this time to become a guard at S-21, also known as Tuol Sleng prison.

When he first arrived at S-21, Prak was placed with a group of 10 to 12 armed guards under the supervision of Him Huy and Comrade Hor. His group was responsible for monitoring traffic to and from the compound. While working 12-hour shifts near the gate to enter the prison compound, Prak testified that he saw truckloads of victims being brought in. Larger trucks carried 20 to 30 people, while smaller ones carried around ten. And “enemies” were brought in along with their families, so trucks often carried men, women, and children. Some came in handcuffs and were brought directly to the prison, while others had not yet been formally arrested. They were brought to a house where Him Huy and guards under his command would arrest, handcuff, and blindfold the prisoners, then reload them onto the trucks and take them into the prison. Prak also said that he witnessed truckloads of detainees being taken out of the prison at about the same rate as he saw prisoners being taken in, giving one the impression that S-21 functioned with assembly-line efficiency…

Read more: ctm_blog_7-21-2009