Ke Sovannaroth, Secretary General of SRP, said opposition parties don't consider 7th January as liberation day.Wednesday, 05 January 2011
By Cheang Sokha
Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out at opposition figures on Wednesday who criticised the country’s celebration of January 7 as a day of liberation from the Khmer Rouge, again emphasising the importance of the day in Cambodian history.
Speaking at a high school inauguration in Kampong Cham’s Memot district two days ahead of the national holiday, the premier claimed all criticisms of the event were motivated by politics.
“I would like to say that January 7 liberated everything, including ghosts and evil spirits and even liberated the heads of those who are cursing January 7,” Hun Sen said.
The holiday, commemorating the anniversary of the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge by the Vietnamese army in 1979, prompts an annual debate in Cambodia about the extent of Vietnamese influence that was ushered in by the event.
After Pol Pot’s overthrow, Vietnamese troops remained in Cambodia, battling resistance factions including remnants of the Khmer Rouge, until their withdrawal in September 1989.
But Hun Sen said that if there was no January 7, there would be no Khmer Rouge tribunal and the country would not have made any progress.
“Those who consider January 7 as their enemy, would they dare say if there was a genocidal regime of Pol Pot or not?” Hun Sen said.
Ke Sovannaroth, secretary general of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said that the SRP did not consider the day as one of liberation, seeing it rather as the birthday of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party – the successor of the communist People’s Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea that took power in 1979.
She said the country should instead mark the anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords as the day of the country’s liberation.
“We do not welcome this celebration,” Ke Sovannroth said.
“We consider only the October 23, 1991, peace agreement as the day that brought an end to the country’s disputes and brought development.”
Hun Sen said, however, that without the toppling of the Khmer Rouge, the Paris Peace Accords would never have been signed.
“I would like to put the question at this point: If Pol Pot had continued to have power until 1991, would Pol Pot [have] agreed to sign it?” he said.
Speaking at a high school inauguration in Kampong Cham’s Memot district two days ahead of the national holiday, the premier claimed all criticisms of the event were motivated by politics.
“I would like to say that January 7 liberated everything, including ghosts and evil spirits and even liberated the heads of those who are cursing January 7,” Hun Sen said.
The holiday, commemorating the anniversary of the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge by the Vietnamese army in 1979, prompts an annual debate in Cambodia about the extent of Vietnamese influence that was ushered in by the event.
After Pol Pot’s overthrow, Vietnamese troops remained in Cambodia, battling resistance factions including remnants of the Khmer Rouge, until their withdrawal in September 1989.
But Hun Sen said that if there was no January 7, there would be no Khmer Rouge tribunal and the country would not have made any progress.
“Those who consider January 7 as their enemy, would they dare say if there was a genocidal regime of Pol Pot or not?” Hun Sen said.
Ke Sovannaroth, secretary general of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said that the SRP did not consider the day as one of liberation, seeing it rather as the birthday of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party – the successor of the communist People’s Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea that took power in 1979.
She said the country should instead mark the anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords as the day of the country’s liberation.
“We do not welcome this celebration,” Ke Sovannroth said.
“We consider only the October 23, 1991, peace agreement as the day that brought an end to the country’s disputes and brought development.”
Hun Sen said, however, that without the toppling of the Khmer Rouge, the Paris Peace Accords would never have been signed.
“I would like to put the question at this point: If Pol Pot had continued to have power until 1991, would Pol Pot [have] agreed to sign it?” he said.
4 comments:
good said PM HUn sen, SRP always have somethings to criticise, in globle success either in business or in politice or in organization, criticising was the cheapest commondity on eath, why stupid Sam rainsy try to benifite from that, it only attract ignorance peolpe to you Rainsy, peole with normale interllect they can see it, I ask you Rainsy to stope your critict stratergy, you looke down to yourslfe, you are very cheap human minnery. soooooo stupid all Ransy teams.
Hold on there 2:33AM, you've waking up on the wrong side of bed or something? I don't see anything wrong with constructive criticism by SRP, very democracy to me. Cambodia is a democracy state, correct? Hun Sen wants to glorify and give all the credits to communist Vietnam invader for so-called "HELP" Cambodia. Vietnam helped Cambodia to help itself. If there wasn't any benefit, Vietnam wouldn't be involved. Hun Sen should gives credit and glority Khmer who had put up fierce fightings to drive out the Vietnam invader. If it hadn't been those fighters, Cambodia might have been Kampuchea Krom(south Vietnam) number 2. I agree with Ke Sovannaroth, the true liberation of Cambodia was on October 23,1991. Let us make it clear, Vietnam invasion and occupation of Cambodia from January 7, 1979-September 1989 was not a liberation of Cambodia.
2:33 AM, criticism is a healthy and constructive way of reminding someone to reflect on what they have done wrong. Pol Pot have never accepted criticism and killed nearly 2 million because they criticized his regime, and as a result he led the country to the wrong path and destroyed everything. We must remember that Vietnam was the one who created the Khmer Rouge, helped the KR to come to power in 1975 then helped them to kill nearly 2 million Khmers. Hun Sen, Heng Samrin, Chea Sim etc joined the Khmer Rouge from the beginning, (Hun Sen in 1968). They were high-ranking and important KR leaders until they defected to Vietnam in 1977. But they defected only after they have killed a lot of people under their control and only after Pol Pot wanted to kill them for treason by helping Vietnam to invade Cambodia. So, do you believe that Vietnam came to help liberate Khmers in 1979 after they have killed million of Khmers already? No, Vietnam thought it has killed enough Khmers already and invaded it in 1979 with the aim to take over Cambodia forever, but because of the Resistance fighters like Sihanouk, Son Sann, Sam Rainsy etc..tried to resist along the Khmer-Thai border and on the international stage that's why Vietnamese troops withdrew in 1989 and we achieved peace in 1991. This is the fact.
Ask if hun sen and his communists friends all (former KR) would have signed any peace treaty if there were not VietCongs withdrawal for normalization relationship with the US, and if there were no pressures from the Khmer freedom fighting forces.
hun sen thinks he's smart. Don't forget Prey Nokor (Ho City today). Khmers generosity allowed VCs to camp out in Prey Nokor escaping their wars. The VCs turned around and stole it (for now). We know hun sen education was not above high school, but his children were educated overseas, surely they could lift their father head above the VCs smokes. hun sen and his communist regime was forced by VCs to allow millions of VCs to migrate to Cambodia in the early 1980s, and still to the present with millions of VCs coming into Cambodia special economic zones conveniently in the provinces on the border with VCs. Today, there probably more VCs in Cambodia than Khmers. If hun sen and his regime keep allowing VCs in hanoi to make Cambodia policies, when they all died, there will not be Cambodia on the map...all Khmer will speak VCs with VCs names and VCs cultures like in Prey Nokor today.
Only when Khmers "someky" that Khmers, Khmers lands and cultures will not perish from the earth.
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