On April 17, the day Phnom Penh fell, it remains a major event in contemporary Cambodian history. Beyond the account of the events and their tragic aftermath, already recounted many times, it is also interesting to know what the French left-wing press said during the capture of the capital…

At the fall of Phnom Penh, on April 17, 1975, the French embassy became an improvised ark for thousands of foreign nationals and Cambodians. For thirteen days, vice‑consul Jean Dyrac had to manage the impossible: protect those under his care without delivering others to the Khmer Rouge killing machine. Between the official narrative, the archives, and the wounded memories of survivors, this is a revisit of a largely forgotten tragedy.