Vietnamese

The Khmer Rouge initially ordered the expulsion of ethnic Vietnamese from Cambodia but then conducted large scale massacres of large numbers of Vietnamese civilians who were being deported out of Cambodia. The regime then prevented the remaining 20,000 ethnic Vietnamese from fleeing, and much of this group was also executed. The Khmer Rouge also used the media to support their goals of genocide. Radio Phnom Penh called on Cambodians to "exterminate the 50 million Vietnamese."

Additionally, the Khmer Rouge conducted many cross-border raids into Vietnam where they slaughtered an estimated 30,000 Vietnamese civilians. Most notably, during the Ba Chúc massacre in April 1978, the Khmer Rouge military crossed the border and entered the village, slaughtering 3,157 Vietnamese civilians. This caused an urgent response from the Vietnamese government, precipitating the Cambodian�"Vietnamese War in which the Khmer Rouge was ultimately defeated.[117

Reserve(s): Part(s) of the army which were withheld from fighting during a particular battle but ready and available to fight if necessary.

Massacre: The cruel killing of a number of helpless or unresisting people.

Defensive: Resisting or protecting against attack from someone.

Casualty: A soldier who was wounded, killed, or missing in action.

Contrabands: Escaped slaves who fled to the Union lines for protection.