A solemn ceremony has been held in Ba Chuc in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to commemorate the death of 3,175 local people in a Khmer Rouge massacre in 1978.

The service was organized annually by the provincial authorities on the 15th and 16th days of the third Lunar month, which fell on May 3rd and 4th this year.

Many children were killed by the Khmer Rouge in Ba Chuc
(Tri Ton district of An Giang province). Photo: kienthuc.net.vn

Some 3,157 local people, including children, women and elderly people, were slaughtered when the Khmer Rouge forces entered Ba Chuc commune from April 18th-29th, 1978.

To remember the victims of the massacre, the local authorities built a tomb to keep the remains of 1,159 victims.

The Ba Chuc tomb was recognized as the national historical relic site in 1980.

Upgrades to the 5-hectare tomb started in 2011 with a total investment of VND 30 billion (USD 1.39 million) and are expected to be finished by 2018 to mark 40 years since the massacre.

Source: VNA