Cambodian Defence Minister, lawmaker lash out at Singaporean PM’s remarks on Vietnam
Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodia’s Defence Minister General Tea Banh and lawmaker Hun Many of the Cambodian
People’s Party have lashed out at Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
for accusing the Vietnamese troops of invading Cambodia to topple the Khmer
Rouge regime in 1979, according to the Khmer Times.
Lee
mentioned Vietnam’s presence in Cambodia in a condolence letter posted on his
Facebook page on May 31 and sent to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, on
the passing of former Thai prime minister and President of the Privy Council,
General Prem Tinsulanonda.
The
newspaper reported that Gen. Tea Banh brought up the issue with his Singaporean
counterpart Ng Eng Hen while attending the 18th Asia Security Summit’s IISS
Shangri-La Dialogue 2019 in Singapore last weekend.
Speaking
to reporters upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport on June 3,
Gen Banh said he had asked Ng Eng Hen to inform PM Lee to make correction on
his remark.
“His
[Mr Lee’s] remark was not true and not reflective of the history,” Gen Banh was
quoted as saying by the Khmer Times.
“It
is not true at all because he said that Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia. We
want him to make a correction.”
“We
cannot accept what he said. We have already clarified that Vietnamese volunteer
troops came to liberate our people,” Gen Banh said.
“We
still consider that they came to save our people’s lives. It has been
enormously meaningful for us,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, CPP lawmaker Hun Many said people should not forget
the atrocities and crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge.
“Whether it was a realist geopolitical or national interest
perspective of the moment, one should not overlook nor forget the atrocities
and crimes against humanity, especially the genocide committed by the Khmer
Rouge regime,” he said.
“While everyone was playing politics, Cambodians prayed that
it did not matter who and from where the help would come from, but we wanted to
be saved from the genocidal regime of the Khmer Rouge. The help came in the
form of the CPP with the assistance of our neighbouring country, Vietnam,” he
added.-VNA