April 17, 1975: The Khmer Rouge enter Phnom Penh

April 17, 1975: the Khmer Rouge enter Phnom Penh 

Phnom Penh Post

17 April 2025

By Hong Raksmey

How history has changed; today, April 17, 2025, as Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Cambodia to deepen diplomatic and economic ties, the contrast is stark. 

On April 17, 1975, Cambodia witnessed a turning point in its history that would forever change the lives of its people. 

This date marked the fall of the Khmer Republic and the triumph of the Khmer Rouge, as the forces of Pol Pot marched into Phnom Penh, signalling the start of a brutal regime that would claim the lives of millions.

“April 17, 1975, remains one of the darkest days in the nation's history, as it was the day the Khmer Republic, under the leadership of General Lon Nol, officially crumbled and the Khmer Rouge took control of the capital,” explained Youk Chhang, Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). 

Military activities of the Khmer Republic

The Khmer Republic's final moments on April 17 were marked by desperate attempts to negotiate peace with the advancing Khmer Rouge. 

At 1.00am, two jeeps, flying white flags, left Phnom Penh’s boundary with an announcement urging all forces to drop their weapons and engage in talks with the rebels. 

By 1.30am, General Lon Nol ordered a symbolic artillery salute with 105mm cannons, acknowledging the peace process. 

At 2.15am, military personnel along the Phnom Penh front lines began demobilising, placing weapons into designated units.

By 6.00am, helicopters began flying westward, their passengers leaving Phnom Penh as Khmer Rouge forces, led by their ubiquitous black-clad soldiers, took control of the skies. The fate of the capital was sealed.

 The Khmer Rouge takes Phnom Penh

At 6.15am, the Khmer Rouge soldiers entered Phnom Penh. Dressed in black with Chinese-made rifles and tyre sandals, the soldiers marched in a disciplined formation along the streets, positioning themselves towards Wat Phnom, in Daun Penh. 

The Khmer Rouge, following the directives of their party, were everywhere — on foot, on vehicles and in the air.

At 6.45am, the first of several announcements was broadcast over the Phnom Penh Radio Station by the Khmer Rouge from the Southern Zone. 

The broadcast declared, “Our party has gained a hundred per cent victory throughout the country. Our party seeks peace by peaceful means, and we invite all officials, including those from the Khmer Republic, to gather in front of the Ministry of National Propaganda for peaceful negotiations.”

By 7.15am, the Western Zone of the Khmer Rouge issued a second, more chilling broadcast, announcing, “Our party has obtained victory at gunpoint, and no negotiation will take place. Traitors will be defeated, and no one will be held responsible for their loss.”

At 7.30am, a third wave of announcements came over loudspeakers mounted on Lambretta scooters, urging the citizens of Phnom Penh to remain calm, stay inside their homes, and prepare for a temporary evacuation from the city. 

The message was clear: “Move out of the city within three days, but don’t bring too many things.”

 The evacuation: Angkar’s mandate

The evacuation of Phnom Penh was set in motion by the Khmer Rouge under the guidance of the Angkar, the party’s governing body. 

The reasons behind the mass expulsion were rooted in the Khmer Rouge’s desire to consolidate power, expel perceived enemies and prepare the city for an eventual attack by foreign forces, including the US.

At 7.45am, Khmer Rouge soldiers began patrolling narrow alleys, expelling residents from their homes. Those who resisted or refused to leave were shot on sight. 

The evacuation was not just a political manoeuvre but a signal of the beginning of a violent social reordering that would leave no room for dissent.

“The Khmer Rouge's decision to empty the city was justified with a claim of duty to protect the people and secure the future of Cambodia,” noted the DC-Cam director. 

“However, it was also a calculated move to ensure the regime’s absolute control over the population,” he added.

The reason given for the evacuation was the threat of American airstrikes, though many historians now view this as a pretext for a broader purge and a calculated attempt to instil fear and obedience within the populace.

The legacy of April 17, 1975

For the people of Cambodia, April 17, 1975, marked the beginning of an unimaginable nightmare. 

The evacuation led to the forced relocation of millions of Phnom Penh residents to rural areas, where they were subjected to forced labour, starvation and executions. 

“The Khmer Rouge regime would last for nearly four years, during which an estimated 1.7 million people would perish from execution, starvation, and overwork in what is now known as the Cambodian Genocide,” said Chhang. 

The legacy of this day still resonates throughout Cambodia, with survivors and their families carrying the trauma of those years. 

Fifty years later, the memory of April 17, 1975, remains a poignant reminder of the destructive power of totalitarian regimes and the human cost of ideological extremism.

Photo documentary of the Angkar, the Khmer Rouge governing body, evacuating people from Phnom Penh: DC-Cam

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