-
The Cambodian's Are Free
Cambodia wins their independence from France. -
New King
Sihanouk abdicates to pursue a political career. His father becomes king and Sihanouk becomes prime minister. -
War has Begun
The Laos government fled to Cambodia as the capital city of Vientiane was engulfed in war. -
A Temple Has Been Built
The Int’l. Court of Justice awarded the Preah Vihear temple, located on the Cambodia-Thai border, to Cambodia, but did not specify where the border should be drawn. -
Cambodia Making Alliances?
Cambodia was receiving military aid from Communist China. -
Getting Involved With Every Country
American troops began the largest offensive of the war, near the Cambodian border. In order to deny the Vietcong cover, and allow men to see through the dense vegetation, herbicides were dumped on the forests near the South Vietnamese borders as well as Cambodia and Laos. -
Aggression
The Stockholm Vietnam Tribunal condemned US aggression in Vietnam and Cambodia -
Chaos In Cambodia
Cambodian triple agent Inchin Lam was murdered. Special Forces Captain John J. McCarthy was accused and later tried for the murder in a court in Vietnam. Murder charges were later dropped. -
Kidnapping in Cambodia
Francois Bizot, French ethnologist, was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. He was released after 3 months by camp commander Kaing Guek Eav (aka Duch). In 2003 Bizot authored "The Gate," an account of his captivity and the Khmer Rouge takeover. In 2012 Bizot authored “Facing the Torturer," an account of his appearance as a witness at Duch’s 2009 trial. -
Bombing in Cambodia
Twenty were killed in Cambodia when a bomb went off that was meant for the Cambodian President Lon Nol. -
Cambodia Causing Chaos with The United States
The White House announced the new Cambodian government had seized an American merchant ship, the Mayaguez, with 39 crew members in international waters. Pres. Gerald Ford sent a company of Marines to rescue the ship. The ship was freed but there were 41 Americans killed or missing and more than 50 wounded -
Photographing
Nhem Ein, photographer, was assigned by the Khmer Rouge to Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng interrogation center called S-21. He proceeded to methodically photograph all the prisoners who arrived before they were tortured and executed. -
Breaking Relationships?
Cambodia broke relations with Vietnam. -
Vietnam Invasion
Vietnam invaded Cambodia and drove the Khmer Rouge into sanctuaries along the Thai border, finally ending the mass genocide depicted in the 1984 film "The Killing Fields." It was the first full-scale war between the two countries since 1917. 400 people were killed in initial clashes. -
Collapse
The Cambodian peace talks in Paris collapsed. -
Peacemaking?
Five permanent members of U.N. Security Council agreed on peace plan for Cambodia. -
Diseases
HIV was first detected in Cambodia. By 1999 some 100 people were being infected with the AIDS virus per day. -
King Again
Sihanouk was reinstalled as king of Cambodia. -
Pol Pot Dead?
In Cambodia it was reported that Pol Pot was gravely ill or possibly dead. -
End of A Legend
Pol Pot (73) died of a heart attack in Anlong Veng, northern Cambodia. His body was cremated. It was later reported that he killed himself with malaria pills and tranquilizers after learning that an aide planned to hand him over to the US. In 1999 it was reported that Ta Mok had Pol Pot executed. In 2001 the place of his death was designated as a historic site and plans were made to make it a tourist attraction. -
Flood Chaos
Floodwaters along the lower stretches of the Mekong have wreaked havoc in Laos, Cambodia (18), Thailand (12) and Vietnam (25), claiming at least 55 lives and leaving thousands homeless across the region. -
Separation?
Thailand sealed its border with Cambodia, recalled its ambassador and sent military planes to evacuate hundreds of terrified Thais after rioters looted and torched its embassy in the Cambodian capital. -
Leader's Falling
Ta Mok (Age 80) dies in Phnom Penh. He died from heart problems. He was one of the top leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime. -
Another Fallen Leader
Former king, Norodom Sihanouk, dies of a heart attack. He was 89. -
Jail Time
A UN-backed court in Cambodia sentences two senior Khmer Rouge leaders to life in prison for their role in the terror that swept the country in the 1970s. The two, second-in-command Nuon Chea, and the former head of state Khieu Samphan, are the first top Khmer Rouge figures to be jailed.