Witness History16 Apr 2025

The Khmer Rouge take power in Cambodia

In April 1975 the four-year rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge began in Cambodia.

Up to two million people are thought to have died - many summarily executed, or starved to death in the communist regime.

In 2013, Mike Lanchin spoke to Youk Chhang, who was just 14-years-old when the Khmer Rouge swept to power.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Credit: PRESSENS BILD/AFP via Getty Images)

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