A group exits the French Embassy in Phnom Penh, carefully carrying something on a piece of clothing, in late April 1975. On Jan. 1, 1975, Communist troops led by Pol Pot and Ieng Sary launched an offensive to oust Lon Nol's Khmer Republic. The Lon Nol government in Phnom Penh surrendered on April 17, 1975, after 117 days of intense fighting. Immediately after its victory, the Communist Party of Kampuchea ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns. Many foreigners and some Cambodians who could not or would not flee took refuge at the embassy, from where they were taken by truck to Thailand two weeks later.