18 January 1979

Vietnam’s Ambassador to France Vo Van Sung says

“🇻🇳’s Armed Forces are defending our borders but we have not encroached on one centimetre of Cambodia”

“We support Cambodian forces who today scored a victory for humanity over the barbarous regime of Pol Pot” https://t.co/DFqt5Gx168

With little resistance, Vietnamese troops take PhnomPenh ending the three years, eight months and twenty days the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia. At least 1.7 million people died in labor camps, prisons and killing fields due to executions, disease and starvation. https://t.co/meZoO0aJbH

Despite Vietnamese forces arriving in PhnomPenh, Duch tells S-21 staff to work. By 3 p.m., Duch & other staff hurriedly leave S-21, leaving all documents behind. The remaining detainees fled towards Amleang, those at special prison Y-8 were killed.

Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, accompanied by several jeep-loads of bodyguards leave PhnomPenh for Pursat. Khmer Rouge FM Ieng Sary heads to Battambang aboard a special train carrying several hundred Foreign Ministry personnel and the Ministry archives: https://t.co/e3FwOo6jeD