Remember A DayKiller rabbits, a lost Peruvian tribe and two-martini lunches: headlines from 40 years ago
- A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history
US President Jimmy Carter being attacked by a rabbit and a house fly being blamed for a fatal freak car accident made the headlines four decades ago this week.
August 26, 1979
● A witness at a Vietnam-backed tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, alleged that soldiers of ousted Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot had killed 13 children by throwing them into a pond full of crocodiles. This was among allegations of mass murders described by witnesses at the hearing.
● Hong Kong and six other countries and regions were mentioned for the exploitation of child labour by the London-based Anti-Slavery Society. India topped the list, which was submitted to the United Nations. The other places were Colombia, Morocco, Taiwan, Italy and Thailand.
August 27, 1979
● An uncontacted tribe of very large indigenous people was discovered in the forests of southeast Peru. The tribe – with an average height of 6ft 4 in (1.93m) – ate raw meat because they had not discovered fire, according to a Lima newspaper.