| សន្តិបាល | |
.svg) | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | Early 1971 |
| Dissolved | 7 January 1979 |
| Type | Secret police |
| Jurisdiction |  Democratic Kampuchea |
| Headquarters | Security Prison 21, Phnom Penh |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Khmer Rouge |
The Santebal (Khmer: សន្តិបាល, Sântĕbal [sɑnteɓaːl]; meaning "keeper of peace") was the secret police of the Khmer Rouge's Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime in Cambodia.
The Santebal was in charge of internal security and running prison camps like Tuol Sleng (S-21) where thousands of people were imprisoned, interrogated, tortured and executed. It was part of the Khmer Rouge organizational structure well before the Fall of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975. Its name is an amalgam of two words: sântĕsŏkh (សន្ដិសុខ [sɑntesok]) meaning "security" and nôkôrôbal (នគរបាល [nɔkɔːɓaːl]) meaning "police".