Cambodia celebrates victory over genocide day

Thousands of Cambodian people, along with officials of ministries and sectors of the Royal Government of Cambodia, gathered at a ceremony in Phnom Penh on January 7 to mark the 40th anniversary of the victory over the genocidal regime.

It was the end of three years, eight months and 20 days of terror that had resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians.

The event saw the presence of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin, foreign guests and representatives of embassies and international organizations. Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh also attended the celebration.

In his speech, PM Hun Sen attributed the victory on January 7, 1979, to the combined strength of two resources: the Cambodian people’s unity under the leadership of the Cambodian People’s Party, and the great, timely and effective support of Vietnam’s volunteer soldiers.

The January 7 victory would not have been achieved without the combination of these two resources, he affirmed.

Vietnamese forces did not leave Cambodian soil until 1989 and during that period installed Hun Sen as prime minister, a position he has retained since 1985.

The Cambodian PM said on behalf of the Cambodian people, he would like to express profound gratitude to the Party, Government, army and people of Vietnam for responding to the appeal of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation during the fight to liberate the country from the Pol Pot genocidal regime, as well as for their assistance in preventing the return of this regime, thereby reviving Cambodia.

This good deed will always be engraved in the history of Cambodia, PM Hun Sen noted.

He added that since the great triumph on January 7, 1979, Cambodia has not only revived but also developed strongly, obtaining numerous substantial socio-economic achievements over the past 40 years.

Particularly, the peace and political stability over the recent two decades have brought about a “golden time” that Cambodia has never had before to attain proud accomplishments, the PM said, noting that Cambodia is currently among the countries with fast economic development, posting an average annual growth rate of some 7 percent.