DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA: CHAIN OF COMMAND AND SOCIOPOLITICAL STRUCTURE OF THE SOUTHWEST ZONE

http://www.dccam.org/Tribunal/Analysis/pdf/Chain_of_Command.pdf

BY
SOCHEAT NHEAN

ABSTRACT
Patron-client relations created strong socio-political bonds in Democratic Kampuchea
(DK). These relations were even stronger and more stable when members of the networks were
related, as occurs in the Southwest Zone, where cadres were mostly related to Zone Secretary
Chhit Choeun aka Mok either directly or indirectly. Every citizen, both cadres and ordinary
people, were aware that life during DK was fragile, and was even more in the later stage of the
regime, and this caused people to have stronger ties to powerful persons. In the DK
administrative systems, the cadres from each hierarchically administrative unit were closely
interrelated and orders were strictly implemented by chain of administrative command in a topdown
hierarchical system. Orders were issued from the closest higher echelon and from higher to
lower-ranking cadres within each unit. For instance, districts issued orders to sub-districts and
within districts orders were issued from secretary to deputy. Orders were followed without fail.
Cadres of higher and lower echelons respected each other’s decisions.

In the beginning of the regime, when there were many former Lon Nol officials, soldiers and
other obvious “enemies,” and it was clear that there were orders from the top to eliminate them,
cadres at all levels of the structure made the decisions to kill these enemies. As the regime
proceeded, fears among the cadre increased and the number of obvious targets decreased;
therefore, cadres were more submissive to their patrons and orders were implemented more
strictly. Before late 1976 or early 1977, power was based in the village level where village
committees controlled everything in the villages. During this period, village committees played a
very important role in reporting suspected enemies up the chain of command. But then from
1977 until the regime collapsed in 1979, village committees were less powerful as power was
shifted to sub-district committees, who played important roles to oversee people and report
enemies’ activities up to district committees. Orders to kill people were then implemented by
sub-district militia units. Starting from 1977, accused persons were checked in order to look for
other strings of networks before they were executed. Therefore, low-ranking cadres were
reluctant to get rid of those accused and preferred reporting alleged enemies up the chain of
command. This thesis documents this change over time in the Southwest Zone, exploring the
process whereby people lived or died based upon their ties or “strings” to particular patrons. The
thesis elaborates on who were considered “insiders” and “outsiders” by the regime, and how trust
between patrons and loyal clients are keys to understanding the culture of terror inside the DK
regime.

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