Undeniable role of Vietnamese soldiers in Cambodia’s victory hinh anh 1Keo Chandara, Deputy General Director of the Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The role of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers in Cambodia’s victory over the Pol Pot genocidal regime on January 7, 1979 was undeniable, journalists have said.

Without the help of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, Cambodia could not have gained the final victory over the Pol Pot genocidal regime, said journalist Keo Chandara, Deputy General Director of the Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) – Cambodia’s news agency.

He made the statement in a recent interview granted to correspondents of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in Phnom Penh ahead of the upcoming 40th anniversary of the victory.

The people of Cambodia and the world have acknowledged that if there would not have been the victory on January 7, 1979, there would not have been the survival of the Cambodian nation, he said.

“And without the assistance of Vietnamese brothers and comrades, Cambodia could not have gained the final victory and achievements today”, Keo Chandara said, stressing that: “This is an indisputable fact”.

While evaluating the role of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers in the victory on January 7, 1979, journalist Teav Sarak Mony, Editor-in-chief of Rasmei Kampuchea (Light of Cambodia), quoted Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen during his recent official visit to Vietnam as saying that Vietnam’s decisive role in assisting Cambodia is an undeniable fact.

Without the victory and the support from Vietnamese voluntary soldiers as well as the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and people during the 1979-1989 period, the Cambodian nation and people could not have survived and developed as today, especially after the liberation day, Cambodia had to face two major matters: rebuilding the nation and preventing the return of the Pol Pot genocide, he said.

Australian journalist Peter Starr, communication advisor of Cambodia’s National Assembly Office, said the victory was considered the most important event of all Cambodian people as it marked the country’s freedom and escape from the genocidal regime. 

He added that without the help of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, there could have been more dozens or even hundreds of thousands of Cambodian people killed under the Pol Pot regime.-VNA
VNA