In response to the provocation of the Pol Pot troops along the Southwestern borderline, the Party and State of Vietnam stayed consistent with the view that Vietnam and Cambodia should sign a border agreement on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country. In April 1976, Vietnam and Cambodia held a meeting in Phnom Penh, and then the Vietnamese side strictly complied with contents agreed at that meeting.
Consistent with the policy of building a borderline of peace and friendship with Cambodia, the Central Military Commission of the Party Central Committee required military regions and military commands of provinces sharing the borderline with Cambodia to refrain from all provocative acts from the other side of the border. At the fourth National Party Congress held in December 1976, the Party and State of Vietnam reaffirmed the view of protecting and fostering the special relations among Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia by enhancing solidarity, confidence, cooperation, and mutual support in all aspects on the basis of equality and respect for national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, interests, and prosperity of each country.
Regardless of diplomatic efforts asserted by Vietnam, the genocidal regime of Pol Pot tried its best to distort history and launched attacks along the Southwestern borderline of Vietnam. The regime mobilized most of its military power with tens of regular divisions and a number of local-level regiments to wage the war along the borderline. They destroyed everything and killed everyone along their way, with no mercy for women, the elderly and children.
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A artillery unit of Vietnam firing to protect the country's the Southwestern border in September 1977. File photo. |
The Pol Pol troops could not be spared for the brutal invasion and genocidal acts in Vietnamese land. In response to the urgent call for help from the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (UFNSK), the Party, State, military and people of Vietnam exercised the legitimate right of self-defense (articulated in the UN Charter’s Article 51) to protect the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and people’s lives and properties. The Vietnamese forces joined hands with Cambodia’s revolutionary armed forces and people to overthrow the genocidal regime of Pol Pot and helped Cambodian people re-embark on the revolutionary path.
At the beginning of the invasion war, Pol Pot troops opened three large-scale attacks on the territory of Vietnam. On April 30, 1977, they attacked 14 out of 16 border communes in An Giang province, destroying villages, schools, production facilities and shelled residential areas along the borderline and further in the territory of Vietnam. The attacks and artillery shelling of Pol Pot troops killed 222 civilian Vietnamese and injured 614 others and destroyed houses and property.
In response to the acts of invasion of Pol Pot troops, border guards, militia and reserve forces of Vietnam’s border communes fought back bravely the enemy. A regiment of Division 330, a waterway regiment and two local battalions of An Giang province jointly killed 300 Pol Pot troops and forced them to withdraw from Vietnam’s territory. On May 23, 1977, the Central Military Commission ordered the armed forces in the South to resolutely protect the national territory and sovereignty, exercise zero tolerance toward any invasion acts, while respecting the sovereignty and territory of Cambodia. The Vietnamese troops were to wear out the provocation plot of the enemy while carrying out dissemination of information for Cambodian people and taking advantage of the public support to rebuild a stable borderline with Cambodia, foiling the plot of undermining the solidarity of the three countries in the Indochina Peninsular.
Under the directions of the Central Military Commission, units of Military Regions 5, 7, and 9 and Army Corps 3 and 4 reinforced troop-strength and vehicles and prepared combat plans. The General Department of Logistics, the Artillery Corps, and signal units deployed forces, ready to fight back the enemy.
On September 25, 1977, Pol Pot troops gathered nine regular divisions and local forces to open the second big wave of attacks on the land of An Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Dong Thap and Tay Ninh provinces, committing a lot of brutal crimes towards the people of Vietnam. In three communes of Tan Bien and Ben Cau districts of Tay Ninh province, Pol Pot troops killed more than 1,000 civilians, particularly women and children.
In response to the development of the war, due to the fact that the defensive line along the Vietnam-Cambodia borderline had yet to be established, the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army decided to maneuver part of the regular forces to push back Pol Pot troops in various areas and recapture occupied areas along the borderline and strengthen forces.
But when spotting Vietnamese regular military units withdrawing from the border, on November 15, 1977, Pol Pot troops opened a fresh attack on Tay Ninh town. In response, Army Corps 3 and 4 and Military Regions 7 and 9 called up eight divisions to counterattack along Road 1, Road 2 and Road 7. They pursued Pol Pot troops around 20-30km further in the land of Cambodia. Five Pol Pot divisions were neutralized and the plan to occupy Tay Ninh town of the enemy was completely foiled.
With the cunning plot of “carrying fire in one hand and water in the other,” the Pol Pot genocidal regime slandered that Vietnam invaded and occupied Cambodia with an official announcement to the world on December 31, 1977. The act aimed to isolate Vietnam in the international arena. On the same day, the Government of Vietnam made the announcement on the Vietnam-Cambodia border issue, clearly defining the view of Vietnam as firmly protecting its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity while respecting the national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia, trying its utmost to protect the friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia. The announcement showed to the world the cunning plot and brutal crimes of the Pol Pot regime against Vietnamese people along the Southwestern borderline.
The Party and State of Vietnam hoped to solve the border issue between Vietnam and Cambodia via peace negotiation on the basis of mutual respect supported by the international community. Despite diplomatic efforts to establish a demilitarized zone and good will of Vietnam, the Pol Pot regime refused to cooperate and continued to wage war along the Southwestern borderline with Vietnam.
(to be continued)
Translated by Huu Duong