On the morning of April 17, the sun shone proudly on Cambodia, the scorching sun relentlessly roasted coconut groves, villages and bushes, the whole scene was filled with heat and sweat, and people's mood became more restless.
Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, was plunged into extreme chaos and fear, suffering from government artillery fire every day, and the Khmer Rouge cut off all land and water communications, making Phnom Penh the only access to the outside world. The city is as if besieged in a barrel.
President Lon Nol left Cambodia on April 5, purporting to be on an informal visit to Indonesia before going to Hawaii for physical treatment.
People are realizing that the only president in Cambodia's history and the founder of the "Khmer Republic" will leave his homeland forever.
With Lon Nol's departure, most cabinet ministers took their families on planes out of the country and began their journey into exile. Sohako, the newly nominated presidential candidate, also failed to ascend to the presidency and left the country in a hurry by helicopter to begin a life of exile overseas.
On April 12, the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia slowly lowered the American flag, which had been flying over Cambodia for more than 50 years, to the sound of the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner Never Falls."
Two hours later, the last 82 members of the U.S. Embassy were evacuated by helicopter from Phnom Penh and headed for Dongchengbian International Airport. What is left behind is a series of indelible nightmares.
With only a few cabinet members left, the army completely lost its fighting spirit, and an atmosphere of restlessness filled the air, and one could feel that the Lon Nol regime had come to an end.
However, on the morning of April 17, before the sun passed the middle of the day, there was not a trace of wind in the sky, government officials and troops laid down their weapons and hurried away, and the whole city fell into a deathly silence.
Unlike the panic of military and political personnel, Phnom Penh's two million ordinary citizens appear relatively calm, having long run out of food in the city and struggling to survive. For them, the end of the war meant the end of the days of suffering.
Their eyes are focused on the road leading to the outside of the city, waiting with anticipation for the moment when a new chapter in history is about to begin.
Khmer Rouge warriors appeared in the sight of the citizens, dressed in black or olive green military uniforms, grass-green military caps, and small red checkered scarves around their necks. They poured into the centre of Phnom Penh from different directions, armed with live ammunition in tanks, armoured vehicles or in neat queues. The soldiers, who were only fourteen or five years old, were armed with AK-47s, carried machine guns and mortars, and were riddled with bullets. They looked around with indifference and vigilance, unmoved by the enthusiasm of the citizens. The citizens, who had been elated and ready to meet the victorious army, began to fall silent, confused by this strange army.
However, the citizens did not know that an even more tragic fate awaited them. On the day the Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom Penh, an unprecedented plan was launched: all Phnom Penh residents had to evacuate the city and return to the countryside. This is a simple and crude policy, and it is also unprecedented. Before the final victory of the revolution, Pol Pot and his colleagues drew up evacuation plans to evacuate all 2 million urban residents to the countryside and give them a new lease of life in labor reform, while abolishing money and abolishing private ownership of markets and property.
The decision of the provisional government to be broadcast on the radio repeatedly: because the US imperialists were not willing to accept defeat in Cambodia, they would send a group of bombers to bomb Phnom Penh. I hope that citizens will be prepared to evacuate the city as soon as possible. Officers waved pistols, soldiers held submachine guns, shouting for dazed citizens to leave as soon as possible. Soldiers were granted the right to disregard the lives of those who did not comply with evacuation orders.
On the afternoon of April 17, citizens carrying luggage, carrying burdens, and pushing small carts fled the city in a hurry from several directions where the soldiers entered. This evacuation was unplanned, prepared and arranged, and was as chaotic as driving a flock. On the potholed roads, the elderly and children move slowly like ants, and under the hot sun, people constantly fall from heat stroke, and stampede causes countless casualties. From April 17, these evacuated from the city to the countryside were called "new people", which was different from the original "old people" in the countryside.
Under the supervision of the "old man", they purify their souls through hard labor in order to gain a new life. In just a week, Phnom Penh, once known as the "Little Paris of the East," became an empty city. The bustling, crowded streets suddenly quieted, markets were empty, shops closed, schools lost students and factories stopped functioning.
The only thing wandering the streets was the patrolling soldiers, and the sound of car engines became the only roar. The above materials and pictures are from the Internet.