The first time Hout Seng saw the Khmer Rouge up close, they were running past his ground-floor apartment on the southern outskirts of Phnom Penh. They wore black pajamas and sandals made of tires, and had branches tied to their backs as camouflage. All carried AK-47s. It was the morning of April 17, 1975. % After five years of war, the Communist rebels were on the brink of victory. As the government's remaining defenses collapsed, more and more guerrillas poured past Seng's residence into the capital. By midafternoon the war was over, and people were celebrating in the streets.
For thousands,...
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