An original Associated Press wirephoto documenting the fall and forced evacuation of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975.
The photograph shows a young Khmer Rouge soldier shouting and brandishing a pistol while ordering residents and shopkeepers into the streets. Other armed Khmer Rouge fighters are visible behind him.
This is one of the most recognisable images of the Communist capture of Cambodia’s capital. Modern historical and news archives identify the same scene as a Khmer Rouge soldier waving his pistol and ordering store owners to abandon their shops as Phnom Penh fell.
The contemporary Associated Press caption printed along the left margin states substantially that a “Red Khmer soldier”, shouting and raising his pistol, was driving the population out of their shops on the day Phnom Penh surrendered. It also records that the image was taken from West German television film.
The photograph depicts events on 17 April 1975, although it was transmitted by Associated Press on 7 May 1975 and received by the Shields Gazette Library the following day.
After entering Phnom Penh, Khmer Rouge troops ordered virtually the entire population to leave the city. Residents, refugees and hospital patients were driven into the countryside, beginning a programme of forced population transfer and agricultural labour that became central to the Khmer Rouge regime.
This is a genuine period wire-service photograph produced for contemporary newspaper publication. It is not a modern reproduction.
Good condition for an original working newspaper photograph. There is light age toning, minor surface marking and general handling wear. Small creases and slight edge and corner wear are present. Contemporary black editorial crop lines appear along the lower and right-hand margins.
The reverse has age-related toning, staining and handling marks, together with the faint Shields Gazette Library stamp and the receiving date of 8 May 1975. The original caption remains substantially legible and the main image retains strong clarity and visual impact.
Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
Agency: Associated Press
Original source: West German television footage
Photographer/cameraman: Uncredited
Date depicted: 17 April 1975
Transmission date: 7 May 1975
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Subject: Khmer Rouge takeover and evacuation of Phnom Penh
Provenance: Shields Gazette photographic archive
Size: 27.8 × 17.7 cm
Format: Original black-and-white AP wirephoto
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