Common victory of the two nations
The Vietnamese people have a saying “When one enjoys the sweet, he should remember the bitter of life.” Thus, on January 7 every year, Vietnamese and Cambodians together recall the days when Vietnamese volunteer soldiers stood side by side with the brotherly Cambodian people and armed forces in fighting the Pol Pot regime, saving the nation from genocide and restoring the “Country of Temples.”
Shortly after the resistance war against U.S. invaders in 1975, the Cambodians did not have time to enjoy peace because they faced a big tragedy. The Pol Pot regime took power in Cambodia and drove the nation into the most horrible genocide in human history. In three years, eight months and 20 days, the Pol Pot regime killed more than three million innocent Cambodians. They also encroached on the time-honored values of the Vietnam-Cambodian relationship as they waged a brutal war against Vietnamese civilians living near the Vietnam-Cambodia shared borderline, seriously violating Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty.
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People in Phnom Penh bid farewell to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers. |
In the most difficult situation of the Cambodian revolution, according to a story told by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in the historical documentary movie “Marching towards national salvation,” he and many other Cambodian patriots considered Vietnam the sole friend that could render support and assistance to their dying neighboring nation as the Vietnamese had more than once shared difficulties and fought the common enemies for national independence side by side with the Cambodians.
Although Vietnam was suffering big legacies of the war and meeting numerous difficulties due to an embargo imposed by the U.S. at that time, Vietnam still responded to the appeal for help from the Kampuchean United Front. Vietnam not only implemented its legitimate right to defend the country, defeating the armed invasion conducted by the Pol Pot regime, but also did international service, sending volunteer troops to Cambodia who joined the Cambodian forces to stamp out the genocidal Pol Pot regime on January 7, 1979.
The victory on January 7, 1979 saved the nation from the genocidal catastrophe and helped the Cambodian people regain their basic human rights. Since then, the country has entered an era of real independence and freedom, and the Cambodians have been able to rebuild their country and enjoy peace and prosperity.
The victory must be seen as a shared exploit of the two nations. It demonstrates a sense of unity, loyalty and mutual support of the two nations.
The joint victory has also brought the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship into a new period, in which the two nations restored their traditional friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation on the basis of each other’s peace and mutual respect for national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the legitimate interests of each country.
Justice on Vietnam’s side
Addressing a ceremony on January 2012 to inaugurate a historical relic site in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, where Cambodian Revolutionary Unit 125 was formed, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said, Cambodians have the belief “Only Buddha and gods save people in an extremely difficult state.” He went on saying, “At the time when Cambodians were dying and they did nothing but clapping their hands and praying to Buddha and the gods for help, the Vietnamese volunteer troops appeared. So the Vietnamese volunteer troops are Buddha’s Army.”
According to the President of the National Assembly of Cambodia Congress Heng Samrin, no other country in the world, including those who considered themselves the protector for justice, human rights and freedom, extended their hands to the Cambodians when they were suffering numerous pains and hardships. Only the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam voluntarily sent their dear children to Cambodia, helping the nation escape from pain and genocide. “The assistance with bone and blood of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers was the rightful and humane support for a nation with its destiny hung by a thread… The truth is the Cambodians would not have had the historical victory on January 7, 1979 without the noble sacrifice of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in the country… We, the Cambodian people, will forever remember the sacrifice of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers for the survival of our nation, and their uncountable contributions to our country have been imprinted on our history to remind the next generations of the Cambodians of the significant support and the enormous noble assistance from Vietnam. It must be repeated that without the impartial great aid from Vietnam, our country might not have been on the world map,” President of the National Assembly of Cambodia Heng Samrin spoke at the 35th anniversary of Vietnam’s victory at the Southwestern border protection war and Vietnamese-Cambodian joint victory over the Pol Pot genocidal regime held in January 2014.
Cambodian people appreciate Vietnam’s support for not only saving them from genocide but also rebuilding their country. After ousting the Pol Pot genocidal regime, Vietnam continued to stay with the Cambodians to restore the country, bringing real peace and prosperity to the Cambodian people. During the time, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers supported Cambodia in strengthening its armed forces and joined local efforts in rebuilding a new life.
As soon as the Cambodian armed forces were strong enough to prevent the Pol Pot forces from returning to power and the Cambodian people settled down their lives and production, all Vietnamese volunteer troops withdrew from the country in 1989 under the agreement between the two Parties and States. On June 29, 1989 (the withdrawal day of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers from Cambodia), the Procheachun (People) daily, voice of the Kampuchean People’s Revolutionary Party, published an editorial, affirming “In the dark time under the Pol Pot genocidal regime, strong and wealthy countries in the world chose to watch our pains from afar. Only our poor neighbor of Vietnam came to save our nation.”
After a number of trials, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) under the patron of the United Nations ruled that former leaders of the Pol Pot genocidal regime have committed genocide and crimes against humanity.
The ruling has paid justice to victims of genocide and also reconfirmed the justice on Vietnam’s side.
Translated by Thu Nguyen