34 moments

1. Birth at Prek Sbauv

   1925-05-19 · Prek Sbauv, Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia

   Saloth Sâr, later known as Pol Pot, was born in Prek Sbauv, a village near Kampong Thom. Village-level representative coordinates; Pol Pot's birth year has been disputed in some historical records, but this chronology follows the date used by the cited article.

2. Novice monk in Phnom Penh

   1931-01-01 · Vat Botum Vaddei, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

   As a child, Sâr lived in Phnom Penh and spent 18 months as a novice monk at Vat Botum Vaddei monastery. The article gives his age as six rather than a calendar date; 1931 is inferred from its stated 1925 birth date.

3. École Miche schooling

   1935-01-01 · École Miche, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

   Sâr began formal schooling at the Roman Catholic École Miche while living in Phnom Penh. Coordinates represent central Phnom Penh because the historical school's precise site is not established in the source.

4. Boarding school in Kampong Cham

   1942-01-01 · Kampong Cham, Cambodia

   Sâr attended Collége Pream Sihanouk as a boarder, beginning his secondary education in Kampong Cham. Coordinates represent Kampong Cham because the historical school's precise location is not given.

5. Technical school at Russey Keo

   1948-01-01 · Russey Keo, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

   After leaving Lycée Sisowath, Sâr enrolled to study carpentry at the Ecole Technique in Russey Keo, Phnom Penh's northern suburbs. Coordinates represent Russey Keo district.

6. Arrival for study in Paris

   1949-10-01 · Paris, France

   Sâr arrived in Paris on scholarship and entered the Cambodian student community that helped shape his early communist political activity.

7. Labour battalion near Zagreb

   1950-01-01 · Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia

   During his Paris years, Sâr joined a labour battalion of Cambodian and French students building a motorway in Zagreb. The source specifies summer 1950 but not a month; coordinates represent Zagreb.

8. Khmer Việt Minh headquarters at Trapeng Kroloeung

   1953-01-01 · Trapeng Kroloeung, Cambodia

   Sâr spent several months at Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey's headquarters while assessing Cambodian anti-government forces. Coordinates are a representative point for Trapeng Kroloeung; the source does not provide a more precise site.

9. Meeting in Phnom Penh after return

   1953-01-01 · Phnom Penh, Cambodia

   After leaving Trapeng Kroloeung, Sâr went to Phnom Penh and met fellow Cercle Marxiste member Ping Say. The source gives no month.

10. Arrival in Saigon

    1953-01-13 · Saigon, State of Vietnam

    Sâr arrived in Saigon after leaving France, beginning his return to Indochina and revolutionary activity.

11. Trek through Prey Veng

    1954-01-01 · Prey Veng, Cambodia

    Sâr remained in Cambodia after the Khmer Việt Minh withdrawal and travelled through Prey Veng to reach Phnom Penh. The source places this movement after the October 1954 withdrawal but does not state a more precise date.

12. Teacher and resident in Phnom Penh

    1955-01-01 · Boeng Keng Kang, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Sâr rented a house in Boeng Keng Kang and taught at the private Chamraon Vichea school while remaining active in Cambodia's clandestine Marxist movement. The article places this statement in its 1955–1959 section; the precise year of rental is not specified.

13. Viet Cong encampment near Thboung Khmum

    1962-01-01 · Near Thboung Khmum, Cambodia

    After refusing Sihanouk's summons, Sâr and Ieng Sary left Phnom Penh for a Viet Cong camp near Thboung Khmum, marking his transition to full-time revolutionary work. The preceding text dates the departure to February 1962; coordinates represent Thboung Khmum.

14. Office 100 border encampment

    1964-01-01 · Cambodia–South Vietnam border, South Vietnam

    Sâr established Office 100, his own encampment on the South Vietnamese side of Cambodia's border. Coordinates are a representative borderland point because the source does not locate Office 100 more precisely.

15. Political meetings in Hanoi

    1965-04-01 · Hanoi, North Vietnam

    Sâr walked the Ho Chi Minh trail to Hanoi to meet North Vietnamese leaders including Ho Chi Minh and Lê Duẩn.

16. Journey from Tay Ninh to Office 102

    1967-11-01 · Tây Ninh, South Vietnam

    Sâr travelled from Tay Ninh to the Khmer Rouge base known as Office 102 near Kang Lêng. Coordinates represent Tây Ninh, the documented departure location; Kang Lêng is insufficiently precise for defensible coordinates.

17. K-5 base at Naga's Tail

    1968-01-01 · Naga's Tail, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia

    During the expanding insurgency, Sâr relocated to K-5, a base in the mountainous Naga's Tail area. The source specifies summer 1968 but not a month; coordinates are representative for the broadly described Naga's Tail area.

18. Military-aid mission to Hanoi

    1969-11-01 · Hanoi, North Vietnam

    Sâr travelled to Hanoi to seek direct North Vietnamese military assistance for the Khmer Rouge.

19. Visit to Beijing before the 1970 coup

    1970-01-01 · Beijing, China

    Sâr flew to Beijing shortly before Lon Nol's March 1970 coup in Cambodia.

20. Negotiations in Hanoi after the coup

    1970-04-01 · Hanoi, North Vietnam

    Sâr flew to Hanoi to seek weapons from the North Vietnamese leadership after the overthrow of Sihanouk.

21. Chrok Sdêch base in the Cardamom foothills

    1973-01-01 · Chrok Sdêch, Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia

    Pol Pot travelled to a Khmer Rouge base at Chrok Sdêch on the eastern foothills of the Cardamom Mountains during the civil war. The source specifies autumn 1973 but not a month; coordinates are representative for the eastern Cardamom foothills.

22. Secret arrival in Phnom Penh

    1975-04-20 · Phnom Penh railway station, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Three days after Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh, Pol Pot entered the evacuated capital and based himself with other leaders at the railway station.

23. Beijing and Pyongyang diplomatic trip

    1977-09-01 · Beijing, China

    Pol Pot travelled first to Beijing and then to North Korea during escalating conflict with Vietnam. This card records the Beijing leg of a September 1977 journey.

24. Visit to North Korea

    1977-09-01 · Pyongyang, North Korea

    Following his Beijing visit, Pol Pot went to North Korea, where Kim Il Sung expressed solidarity with the Khmer Rouge against Vietnam. The source identifies North Korea but not the specific city; coordinates represent Pyongyang, the national capital and principal location for leader-level meetings.

25. Meeting Deng in China

    1978-09-01 · Beijing, China

    Pol Pot flew to China to meet Deng Xiaoping as Vietnam prepared its full-scale invasion of Cambodia. The source identifies China but not the city; Beijing is used as the defensible representative location for a meeting with Deng.

26. Relocation to Ta Sanh

    1979-01-01 · Ta Sanh, Battambang Province, Cambodia

    Later in January, Pol Pot and other Khmer Rouge leaders relocated from the Pailin border area to Ta Sanh. The source specifies late January 1979 but not an exact day; coordinates represent Ta Sanh.

27. Retreat to Battambang

    1979-01-01 · Battambang, Cambodia

    After spending two days in Pursat during the Vietnamese invasion, Pol Pot moved on to Battambang. The source supports movement after 7 January 1979 but does not state the exact arrival date.

28. Flight from Phnom Penh to Pursat

    1979-01-07 · Pursat, Cambodia

    As Vietnamese forces approached Phnom Penh, Pol Pot and other senior Democratic Kampuchea officials departed by road for Pursat.

29. Move to Pailin on the Thai border

    1979-01-15 · Pailin, Cambodia

    Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, and Khieu Samphan moved to Pailin after Vietnamese forces reached Sisophon. The article spells the place “Palin”; coordinates use modern Pailin. The wording locates it on the Thai side of the border, so coordinates are representative for the Pailin border area.

30. Office 131 at Mount Thom

    1979-07-01 · Western flank of Mount Thom, Cambodia

    Pol Pot established Office 131, a new Khmer Rouge headquarters, on Mount Thom's western flank and adopted the name Phem. Coordinates are representative for Mount Thom's western flank; the source does not specify the exact headquarters site.

31. Journey via Bangkok to Beijing

    1981-08-01 · Bangkok, Thailand

    Pol Pot travelled via Bangkok to Beijing and met Deng Xiaoping and Zhao Ziyang as Khmer Rouge leaders sought continued Chinese support. This card records the documented Bangkok transit.

32. Meetings in Beijing

    1981-08-01 · Beijing, China

    Pol Pot met Deng Xiaoping and Zhao Ziyang in Beijing during the Khmer Rouge's anti-Vietnamese insurgency.

33. Mass trial near Sang'nam

    1997-07-01 · Near Sang'nam, Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia

    While in Khmer Rouge custody, Pol Pot was brought before a mass meeting near Sang'nam and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge. The source specifies late July 1997 but not a day; coordinates are a representative point for the Sang'nam area.

34. Death in Choam Khsant District

    1998-04-15 · Choam Khsant District, Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia

    Pol Pot died while under Khmer Rouge house arrest in northern Cambodia. Coordinates represent Choam Khsant District because the source gives the district rather than a precisely identified death site.