Lê Hương*

Cambodian people will never forget the end of the Pol Pot regime 45 years ago and the whole-hearted support and sacrifices made by Vietnamese voluntary troops.

Those efforts have helped create an unbreakable bond between the two nations.

Sok Eysan, speaker of the Cambodia People Party, said the Cambodian people are lucky to have survived the genocidal regime and did so thanks to the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation with the effective support of Vietnamese voluntary troops.

“Though 45 years passed and long after that, the whole Cambodian people will always appreciate January 7 as a milestone for starting our lives for the second time,’’ he told VNEWS.

“Only our neighbour brother offered us timely effective support. Nothing is more valuable than the lives of humans. When the people were on the verge of death, the support was extremely great. The support of the Vietnamese army to liberate the Cambodian people from genocide has a great meaning.”

During the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, the Cambodian people sought international help.

Việt Nam listened and joined the fight for peace.

Cambodian historian Sombo Manara highly appreciated the spirit and patience of Vietnamese troops.

Under Pol Pot genocidal regime, Tuol Sleng Secondary School in Phnom Penh was turned to be a prison named S21 for people who fought against the regime. VNA/VNS File Photo

“For the past 45 years, we have always used the word ‘Vietnamese voluntary soldiers’,” he said.

“'Voluntary’ means they do not ask for anything in return. In Khmer language or other foreign languages, the word 'voluntary' praises 'morality value' from the heart".

Manara said he remembered that when Vietnamese troops came, the Cambodian country had nothing.

“Vietnamese soldiers picked vegetables to cook,” he said.

“Our people were so poor. There were no supermarkets or high-rise buildings. There were so many difficulties but they spared no effort to help us.”

Chhang Youk, the Director of the Cambodian Archive Centre, added: “January 7 is the day of a new page in our nation’s history, which reminds us of people who initiated the new historical page so that Cambodia has peace today.

“I think that was an historic moment. In general, looking back 40, 60, and 75 years since the genocide regime appeared, if there was no military activities, we could not stop the genocide regime. At that time, Việt Nam had enough capability to liberate Phnom Penh from Khmer Rouge.”

Cambodian people flee from the Pol Pot regime to VIệt Nam on National Highway No 22 in Tây Ninh Province. VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Bân

During the years Pol Pot ruled between 1975 and 1979, the people of Cambodia suffered great heartache.

It is estimated that around two million Cambodians were killed.

Senior Colonel Trịnh Vinh Pha was among the voluntary troops in Cambodia. He stressed that the Vietnamese Communist Party made a very timely and correct decision, which was to establish a specialised committee to assist the Party and State in the issue of aiding the Cambodian revolution - the Z Central Working Group, code-named B68, on June 16, 1978.

After its formation, the first task of B68 was to understand that to help, Việt Nam needed Cambodian people.

“We had to go into the refugee camps and places where Cambodian nationals fled to escape the Pol Pot genocide,” he told Việt Nam News.

“We found key individuals there. We helped them establish the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation for them.”

After the establishment of the Front, on December 2, 1978, Việt Nam organised the introduction of the Front to Cambodian people in Snoul district, Kratie Province - an area Việt Nam had just liberated.

The veteran, now in his 80s, still remembers that moment as if it was yesterday.

He said: “At this introduction, the Front appealed to Việt Nam. To help them, not just to save tens of thousands of refugees, but to save an entire nation.

"This was the foundation, responding to the sacred call of the Front, that led us to send troops to liberate Cambodia and overthrow the genocidal regime.”

Cambodian revolutionary soldiers arrive at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on January 7, 1979. VNA/VNS File Photo

B68 then helped establish the People's Radio Voice of Cambodia and the Cambodia News Agency to transmit the Front's message to the Cambodian people and the international community. B68 also helped design the national flag and anthem for the Cambodian government.

Pha said though Việt Nam's economy was extremely difficult at that time, Việt Nam's Government took great care of the Cambodian young authorities.

"We spared the best things for Cambodian friends," he said.

"I remember the Vietnamese army sent seven military aircraft on January 24, 1979, to bring nine key members of Cambodian revolutionary government home to avoid human loss."

Pha said that everywhere in Cambodia at that time, there were many corpses. The whole city smelled so terrible.

He said: “In the house we stayed, there were so many human bones in the water tank. For nearly two years, I just drank coconut milk. I did not dare to drink water.

"We never cooked soup so as not to use the water. Then we returned to Sài Gòn to bring cement to Cambodia. We picked broken bricks, and took sand from the river to build a 10cu.m tank to store rainwater. From that time we can have safe water.”

Cambodia's younger generation is only too aware of the sacrifices their ancestors made.

Sok Sovandeth, one among hundreds of Cambodian students studying in Hà Nội, said these history lessons are taught to the young generation at all school levels.

“My parents also told me a lot about this,” he said.

“I think the peace that Cambodian people are enjoying is very valuable because they had suffered a lot under the Pol Pot regime.

“The peace has brought a stable and happy life to the Cambodian people. This peace can bring along a better life. People can go to school, and develop the economy. They don’t have to worry about the war any more.

“This has made Cambodia a country with sovereignty, independence, and freedom. Its economy and society can be more and more developed.”

Sovandeth is well aware that as a young person, he appreciated the sacrifices made by older generations, who spent their youth fighting for independence.

“I will continue that tradition and contribute to building the country,” he said. “I’ll try my best to study hard.”

Time flies, society has changed, yet the people of Cambodia will never forget the horrors they suffered during those years.

And they will always remember the support and sacrifices made by the Vietnamese to ensure their survival. VNS

*with additional interviews by VNEWS

Locals in Phnom Penh say goodbye to Vietnamese voluntary soldiers in Cửu Long Corps on May 2, 1983. VNA/VNS File Photo