Fall of Phnom Penh 1975
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 April 1975 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1975 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Location | Cambodia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| Participants | Communist Party of the Cambodia (Khmer Rouge), Khmer National Army, Khmer Republic | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 11.5696, 104.9210 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Fall of Phnom Penh was the capture of Phnom Penh, capital of the Khmer Republic (in present-day Cambodia), by the Khmer Rouge on 17 April 1975, effectively ending the Cambodian Civil War. At the beginning of the month, Phnom Penh, one of the last remaining strongholds of the Khmer Republic, was surrounded by the Khmer Rouge and totally dependent on aerial resupply through Pochentong Airport.
With a Khmer Rouge victory imminent, the United States government evacuated US nationals and allied Cambodians on 12 April. On 17 April, the Khmer Republic government evacuated the city, intending to establish a new government center close to the Thai border to continue resistance. Later that day, the last defences around Phnom Penh were overrun and the Khmer Rouge occupied Phnom Penh.
Captured Khmer Republic forces were taken to the Olympic Stadium where they were executed; senior government and military leaders were forced to write confessions prior to their executions. The Khmer Rouge ordered the evacuation of Phnom Penh, emptying the city except for expatriates who took refuge in the French embassy until 30 April, when they were transported to Thailand.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Fall of Phnom Penh (revision 1380307318), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Browse more: battles in Cambodia · Asia · Post-1945 battles