Tradition

National Day of Remembrance

The National Day of Remembrance is Cambodia's annual day, on May 20, for remembering the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime of 1975 to 1979.[1] The regime killed an estimated 1.7 million people, about a quarter of the population, through execution, starvation, forced labor and torture.[1][2]

Candles, lotus flowers and incense at the foot of a white memorial stupa
Illustration inspired by a remembrance at a memorial stupa near Phnom Penh.

The date

May 20 recalls the day in 1973 when the Khmer Rouge began forcing people into cooperatives and doing away with private property in the zones under their control, a policy they imposed across the country in 1976.[2] Collectivization was followed by forced labor, starvation, accusations and executions, and the date is taken as the start of killing on a national scale.[2]

History

The day was first held in 1984 under the People's Republic of Kampuchea as the "Day of Hatred", also called the "Day of Anger".[3][2] It was directed against the Khmer Rouge leadership and also against the government's political opponents of the time.[3]

The observance was renamed the Day of Remembrance. In 2013, acting on a request from the Khmer Rouge tribunal (Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia), the Council of Ministers gave it the name National Day of Remembrance.[2] May 20 was declared a public holiday in 2018 and was taken off the holiday calendar after one year. Ceremonies are held at Choeung Ek on the day each year.[3][1][4]

Observance

The main ceremony is held at Choeung Ek, south of Phnom Penh, where about 2,000 people gathered in 2025.[1] Commemorations include a ceremony attended by Buddhist monks and a re-enactment of Khmer Rouge brutality by students of the Royal University of Fine Arts.[1][5] Researchers at the Documentation Center of Cambodia describe the day as part of remembrance, education and reconciliation for survivors.[2]

See also

References 5
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Euronews, Cambodia commemorates victims of Khmer Rouge genocide on its 50th anniversary (May 20, 2025)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Phnom Penh Post, May 20: recalling pain and resolving to prevent future genocides (May 19, 2025)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 VOA Khmer, Khmer Rouge Victims Push for Continuation of May 20 Commemorations (July 14, 2020)
  4. ↑ Cambodianess, Cambodia has 22 public holidays in 2027 (September 2026)
  5. ↑ Associated Press, Cambodia's Day of Remembrance marks the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge genocide (May 20, 2025)
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This page was last edited on 22 October 2026, at 03:04.