The Ba Chuc Charnel-house

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The Memorial Site for the Crimes of the Pol Pot Genocidal Regime, formerly located in Ba Chuc Commune and now part of Ba Chuc Town in Tri Ton District, encompasses a of locations that bear witness to the brutal atrocities committed by the Pol Pot genocidal regime against our people.

Ba Chuc, located in the Seven Mountains area and 7 kilometers from the Vietnam-Cambodia border, is a town with a significant Khmer ethnic community. It serves as the center for the Tu An Hieu Nghia religion. Additionally, Ba Chuc has a revolutionary tradition from the two resistance periods against the French and the Americans.

After the liberation of the South, along with the rest of the country, the people of Ba Chuc began to recover from the war, striving to build socialism and a prosperous, happy life. However, on the night of April 30, 1977, the genocidal Pol Pot forces launched a simultaneous attack on 14 border communes of An Giang province, marking the beginning of the Southwestern border war. Nearly two years later, on January 1, 1979, the army and people of An Giang expelled the Pol Pot forces from the province's border, completely ending the border invasion war.

In Ba Chuc, the genocidal Pol Pot forces assembled forces equivalent to entire divisions to attack over 30 times, firing thousands of artillery shells into densely populated areas. Wherever they went, they burned houses, looted property, and committed mass killings. Over 11 days and nights of invasion (from April 18, 1978, to April 29, 1978), the Pol Pot forces massacred 3,157 innocent people in Ba Chuc.

The Charnel-house is built on a piece of land between the Phi Lai and Tam Bửu pagodas, approximately 100 meters east of the Elephant Mountain. The Charnel-house has a hexagonal shape, with each pillar supporting the roof designed in the form of a hand holding a sword, symbolizing vengeance. Inside the Charnel-house, there is an octagonal glass frame containing more than one-third of the collected skeletal remains of innocent civilians who fell victim to the Khmer Rouge genocide from April 18, 1978, to April 29, 1978 (the remaining remains have been buried by their families and fellow citizens). In 2013, the Charnel-house was reconstructed and renovated, featuring a prominent eight-petal white lotus flower design to mitigate the somber and tragic atmosphere. Currently, the Charnel-house houses 1,159 processed and well-preserved sets of remains. The specialized team has also identified the age and gender of 1,017 skulls.

Among the 1,017 victims are:

• Infants under 2 years old: 29, marked BB.
• Children aged 3 to 15 years old: 264, marked IB.
• Females aged 16 to 20 years old: 88, marked JFB.
• Females aged 21 to 40 years old: 155, marked AFB.
• Females aged 41 to 60 years old: 103, marked MFB.
• Females over 60 years old: 86, marked SFB.
• Males aged 16 to 20 years old: 23, marked JMB.
• Males aged 21 to 40 years old: 79, marked AMB.
• Males aged 41 to 60 years old: 102, marked MMB.
• Males over 60 years old: 88, marked SFB.

Every year, on the 16th day of the third lunar month, local authorities, organizations, and residents gather for the memorial ceremony (also known as the "Hatred Memorial") to honor the victims of the massacre.

The Ba Chuc Charnel-house, Tam Buu Pagoda, and Phi Lai Pagoda were classified as historical sites by the Ministry of Culture and Information under Decision No. 92/VH-QĐ on July 10, 1980. This memorial site serves as a stark reminder of the brutal atrocities committed by the Pol Pot - Ieng Sary regime, evoking profound emotions and deep-seated hatred among peace-loving people both domestically and internationally against the genocidal Pol Pot regime.