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| Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu |
PANO - Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu spent more than 11 years working with, fighting with and supporting Cambodians. Celebrating the Victory Day over Pol Pot genocidal regime (January 7th, 1979) and Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2012, he gave the People’s Army Newspaper an exclusive interview relating to such an event.
Reporter: What does January 7th remind you most of Cambodians?
Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu: I have to confirm that Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have a close long-lasting history during their national construction and defence.
During that historical duration, people of the three countries had been united to build and develop their countries. Especially, in some historical stages, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had to fight the same foreign invaders.
The geographical position, the history of fighting, building and defending the country have bound these three neighboring countries closely together and their fight against common invaders had tightened their ties. As a result, Cambodians stood side by side with Vietnamese and Vietnam People’s Army in the war against common invaders for their national independence and people’s happiness.
Attentively, during the protracted resistance wars of Vietnam, Vietnamese people, Vietnam People’s Army had always received impartial, pure and wholehearted support from Cambodian people. Similarly what Laotian people had given Vietnam in the resistance wars is valuable and respectful.
So, Vietnamese people never forget the great support of Cambodians and Laotians as well. That is the continuity of the traditional relationship of the three peoples of Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia.
Although the development process of each country is different, they keep sharing the common point of desire for peace and in some periods the common invaders.
As regarding the three countries fought against common invaders, the question of who supported who could not be raised because it was the joint responsibility. Vietnamese lent Cambodians a hand and vice versa. Therefore, when Vietnam troops joined battles and worked in Cambodia, Cambodians considered them their brothers and children.
The impartial and pure sentiments of Cambodians to Vietnamese and Vietnam People’s Army are always deep in the heart of not only me, but also of all Vietnamese people who always side by side with Cambodians. It is not just a memory, but a deep gratitude to Cambodian people.
Reporter: More than 30 years has passed, the Vietnam volunteer soldiers' supporting Cambodians to topple the Pol Pot genocidal regime has been distorted by hostile forces. In your opinion, how to understand such a matter correctly?
Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu: To have a sound and objective view on this event, we need to take a broader view. In fact, before April 17th, 1975, Vietnam People’s Army supported Cambodian forces, including Pol Pot to liberate the country from foreign invasion. Vietnam People’s Army, at that time shared all woe and weal with liberation forces of Cambodia. The reason for this fact was explained above.
I must reaffirm that was the impartial and pure assistance of Vietnam People’s Army and Vietnamese people had helped the Cambodian people to gain their national independence and happiness. At that time, Cambodians shared sentiments with Vietnam People’s Army like Vietnamese did. We stayed in civilians’ houses, worked with them and were defended by them.
Cambodians not only supported and fostered, but also sacrificed their lives to protect Vietnam People’s Army and Vietnamese people.
Yet, since April 17th, 1975 when Pol Pot seized power, they made a U-turn and started killing their compatriots. That cruelty was unpredicted and not understandable. It was Cambodian people that stood side by side with forces, including that under Pol Pot and dared to sacrifice their lives and properties to fight against foreign invaders to liberate the country.
The Vietnam People’s Army later, under the very pressing appeal by Cambodian people, drove off Pol Pot. They witnessed Pol Pot’s indignant and disgusting acts against their Cambodian citizens.
The more indignant we felt at Pol Pot’s crimes, the more we love and felt for Cambodian people.
Let’s come back on the day of April 17th, 1975 when the Capital of Phnom Penh was liberated. After that liberation day, while Cambodian people was very happy, Pol Pot force carried out the policy of discharging people, killing their compatriots and building barracks. Especially, Pol Pot applied barbarous killing ways. Next, they started an invasion over all borders with Vietnam. In that circumstance, we could not stand idly eyeing invaders killing our compatriots along Vietnam-Cambodia border line. Especially, we could not accept the barbarous massacre of Pol Pot over Cambodian people.
Therefore, we launched a series of counter-attacks to dislodge the invaders from the border.
Besides, with the sentiments, responsibilities and historical values built up by Vietnam and Cambodia’s people as well as the urgent proposal by Cambodian people, Vietnam People’s Army assaulted Pol Pot forces into a corner. That merit was not only an act to defence our national territory, but also a responsibility of common sense, a desire of Cambodian people and the abolishment of a threat for the mankind. That was an undeniable historical reality.
After the victory on January 7th, 1979 that completely liberated Cambodians, the Vietnam People’s Army continued to lend them a hand to build their new life which they had not experienced during the Pol Pot regime. I would like to make clear that some children started crying as they heard the word “Pol Pot”. Pol Pot-caused frights printed in not only adults’ but also children’s brains. Why could we not support Cambodians to wipe off cruelty? Frankly, in that circumstance, just anybody who had no good sense and were not human being insensibly stood eyeing Cambodians being killed. How ashamed these rascal and dirty thoughts!
Reporter: It is argued that at that time, after supporting Cambodia to overthrow the Pol Pot regime, Vietnam did not need to stay there any later. What is your comment?
Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu: The person giving that opinion just looks at the presence, not the future. On those days, Cambodia was devastated and exhausted by Pol Pot regime. Even when we were present in Phnom Penh, the local people had no intact bowl to use. They used coconut shells as bowls.
Moreover, the revolutionary force led by Cambodian People’s Revolution Party was very young. Thus, if Vietnam People’s Army had returned their home, the disaster that Pol Pot regime put on Cambodians would have been more cruel and savage.
At that time, Vietnam People’s Army kept backing revolutionary force to trace Pol Pot’s remnants while they joined hands in stabilizing local people’s life.
A lot of seeds, domestic animals and even raw devices such as hoe, plough were brought from Vietnam to Cambodia. That was the reason why until 1989 we decided to withdraw all Vietnamese volunteer soldiers from Cambodia. Since then, the solidarity and friendship between the two countries and two peoples has become more fruitful and closer. That solidarity is not taken by chance, but built by historical values and efforts of the two peoples and two armies. That cooperation is faithful, pure, and comprehensive for the noble target of the prosperous development of each country, people’s happiness and national interests.
In my opinion, we could tell and write the whole thing. The development of the two countries is a lively evidence and the correct answer. As Prime Minister Hun Sen confirmed at the inauguration ceremony of the historical relic site where the Unit 125 was established, that was part of the history that could not be fallen into oblivion.
Reported by Ngoc Long and Duy Thanh
Translated by Mai Huong