29 April 1975

@J_Andrew_Boyle @RNbkk My apologies, I had a mistake in my notes. You are correct that this photo was taken at the Thai border. My recommendation for @RNbkk’s book still stands of course. This photo by Sjoberg is at the French embassy and shows civil servants from the fallen government seeking refuge. https://t.co/OFbWXFtZnF

For a brief overview of the history of the Khmer Rouge, please have a look at this thread. Thank you for reading.

https://t.co/gIbzaTpgMG

An employee of the French embassy hands out a cigarette to a Khmer Rouge soldier. In total approximately 800 expatriates and 600 Cambodians took refuge at the French Embassy. ©@RNbkk. You can find many more interesting photos of today’s events in his book “The Fall of PhnomPenh”. https://t.co/zzRPTOdJpl

.@Elizbeckerwrite writes in “When the war was over” that the Khmer Rouge military numbered only 68,000, insufficient to openly control Cambodia. Emptying PhnomPenh of those who were indifferent or openly hostile to them was essential for securing control.©Sjoberg, @GettyImages https://t.co/Z1JJhRf0tE

The Khmer Rouge also evict the Hotel Le Phnom which @ICRC had sought to establish as a neutral zone, and empties the city’s hospitals which contained ~20,000 wounded who were unlikely to survive the walk to the countryside. (look at the cart in the back carrying the sick)©@RNbkk https://t.co/vesIjYikGX

At noon the Khmer Rouge order PhnomPenh’s two million inhabitants to go to the countryside for three days with minimal belongings to “to avoid the imminent bombing by the US”. They don’t know yet, that it will be 3 1/2 years and that many will never see PhnomPenh again. ©DCCAM https://t.co/ttWWObIs0M

When PM Boret finally arrives with 10 members of his family all with heavy luggage, he indicates that he would take another helicopter to not cause further delay. Security soon broke down and later a Khmer Rouge soldier fired a bullet through his kidney and left him to die. https://t.co/DTrkScrUOQ

A man tears down a photograph of the former president. As their first attempt failed, the Cambodian cabinet is now set to leave from the Olympic Stadium in PhnomPenh. Gen. Sak Sutsakhan waits under gunfire for over 15 minutes in a helicopter for Prime Minister Long Boret. https://t.co/aCZUC8YKl6

.@AFP journalist Juvénal describes Dara (here with @nytimes’s Schanberg) as “Ex-Parisian student, married to a Frenchwoman, son of a former interior minister. His bright black eyes and remarkably fine features allow him to call himself a “former playboy.” TheFallofPP © Dith Pran https://t.co/RCck8fQCm6

Monatio celebrates victory on trucks, on jeeps, on foot. They disarm Lon Nol’s troops, particularly near the Phnom Hotel, where most foreign journalists and photographers stay. Then they send the soldiers home. TheFallofPP, ©@RNbkk https://t.co/Ek68MItUZH

Members of MONATIO are greeted by jubilant youngsters. They welcomed the Khmer Rouge upon their arrival in PhnomPenh, Cambodia and were later quickly eliminated. TheFallofPP, onthisday ©Sjoberg, @GettyImages https://t.co/4Y63Cnu90X

Hem Keth Dara’s Monatio was manipulated by Lon Non, the brother of deposed US-backed General Lon Nol who left on 1. April. Monatio had not met resistance and seemed to have subdued the last Republican defenders of the downtown area without the difficulties. TheFallofPP ©@RNbkk https://t.co/OOLhMo5FIc

Members of MONATIO (Mouvement National) were the first to parade PhnomPenh’s Monivong boulevard. Led by Hem Keth Dara with around 200 supporters, many are dressed in black like the Khmer Rouge, but are cleaner, less tired and better fed. © Claude Juvenal, @AFPphoto https://t.co/KFLM6wqeKT

.@RNbkk describes in “The Fall of PhnomPenh” his first contact with Khmer Rouge soldiers. Till today almost none of the western journalists had seen a living Khmer Rouge soldier. At first, they show now fear of being photographed and happily pose for pictures. ©@RNbkk https://t.co/uBgqVjOjTA

Khmer Rouge soldiers enter PhnomPenh. Overnight they surrounded the naval base at Chroy Changvar. When it soon fell, the city was theirs for the taking. Admiral Sarendy, who hours before wanted to flee the country, committed suicide at site. FallofPP © Sjoberg, @GettyImages. https://t.co/xwOmW9lFfw

At 02:00am the Cambodian government concludes that the Khmer Rouge did not accept the peace offer and decides to flee to Oddar Meanchey near the Thai border. The cabinet members meet at 04:00am at Wat Batun, but the arranged helicopters don’t show up. FallofPP ©@usairforce https://t.co/wahwa2P5kY