-Before 1975, the Choeung Ek killing field was an orchard and Chinese cemetery located in Choeung Ek commune, Dang- Kor District, Kandal province.
After overthrowing the Khmer Republic Regime during 1975-1979, Ultra Communist Khmer Rouge Regime (UCKRR) converted Choeung Ek commune into the most cruel and barbaric killing field on earth. Choeung Ek Killing Field was the second most important part of the larger Security Prison called S-21 center which included the detention, torture and interrogation center (Tuol Sleng Prison), the first main headquarters.
-1975: UCKRR established the largest Security Center in the country which included:
1) Tuol Sleng Prison for torturing, inter- rogating and deprivation(S-21). 2) Choeung Ek Killing Field for murdering prisoners transported from S-21 and other places of the country. Choeung Ek Killing Field covered over 2 hectares of land.
-1976-1978: about 20 thousand victims including diplomats, foreigners, intellectuals, officers, soldiers, workers, farmers especially children and women were murdered there, nine of whom were Europeans.
-Early 1978: Khmer Rouge soldiers and people accused of betrayal were transported to be exterminated with hands bound behind their backs and blindfolded.
-January 7, 1979: Cambodia was liberated from UCKRR and then the mystery of the killing fields including Choeung Ek were discovered.
-1979-1980: 129 mass graves were found, 86 of which were excavated. 8,985 corpses were exhumed. The largest mass grave was a grave containing 450 corpses.
-1988: A memorial stupa was constructed as a symbol of the cruel and barbaric homicides committed by the Khmer Rouge Communist Regime.
-The Government of Cambodia turned Choeung Ek Killing Field into:
the National Center for preservation of the evidence of UCKRR.
the National Center for recalling and honoring the spirits of victims murdered throughout the country.
-2019: The statue of lady hug the baby was built
-Present: Choeung Ek Killing Field became a historical museum for humankind and is one of the most popular attractions for both domestic and foreign tourists in Phnom Penh. But present, Choeung Ek Killing Field covered about 4 hectares of land because the manager of killing filed bought land from peoples around there to expand the area.