30th anniversary of Cambodia's Liberation Day marked

The Cambodian Embassy and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations in Ha Noi remembered the 30th anniversary since Cambodia rid itself of the Khmer Rouge on Tuesday. Statue of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Prey Veng, Cambodia "The Cambodia' Liberation Day represents the tradition of the close-knit and friendly relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia", Prime Minister Hun Sen said when he visited Vietnam in November. Vietnamese volunteer soldiers had shed their blood for Cambodia to defeat the Khmer Rouge - one of the most lethal regimes of the 20th Century - on January 7 1979, the Cambodian ambassador, Van Phon, stressed. The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnamese state and people, especially families who lost their children in the fight for Cambodia’s freedom. He hopes the cordial and friendly relationship between two countries will become stronger and ties further developed. On the same day, Ho Chi Minh City's Union of Friendship Organizations, Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Association, and the Consul General of Cambodia held a meeting to commemorate the victory. The Khmer Rouge is remembered for the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million people, one fifth of the country's total population under its regime, through execution, torture, starvation, and forced labor.

By Tuan Son, Tan Thong – Translated by H.Mien