April 17–20, 1975 · Phnom Penh, Cambodia Theater
April 17–20, 1975
Within hours of taking the city, Khmer Rouge cadres order the entire population of 2.5 million at gunpoint onto the roads. Hospital patients are driven from their beds — some still connected to IVs, some mid-surgery. The elderly, the disabled, and the very young who cannot walk are left to die on the road. Thousands perish in the first days from heat, thirst, exhaustion, and execution for moving too slowly. The cadres tell residents it will last only a few days — it will be permanent.
Commanders