An Giang commemorates over 3,000 killed by Cambodian Khmer Rouge

The southern Vietnamese province of An Giang held a ceremony on Friday to commemorate the death of 3,157 people who were killed in a massacre by Pol Pot-Ieng Sary during the conflict with the Khmer Rouge 45 years ago.

The southern Vietnamese province of An Giang held a ceremony on Friday to commemorate the death of 3,157 people who were killed in a massacre by Pol Pot-Ieng Sary during the conflict with the Khmer Rouge 45 years ago.

An Giang Province holds a ceremony to commemorate the death of 3,157 people who were killed in a massacre by the Khmer Rouge 45 years ago.

The ceremony was held at the Ba Chuc Tomb and some pagodas in Ba Chuc Town, Tri Ton District with the attendance of local officials and many people who lit candles to pray for the deceased.

On April 18, 1978, Khmer Rouge soldiers attacked people in Ba Chuc Town which lies near the Cambodian border. During their 12-day occupation from April 18-29 in the town, they killed a total of 3,157 civilians. Only three people from the commune survived the killings.

While many of the victims' bodies were recovered by their families, there remain 1,159 skulls at the Ba Chuc Tomb. Many items and documents about the Khmer Rouge are also now kept at the tomb.

In January 1979, the Vietnamese army, along with the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime.