Cambodian
Prime Minister Hun Sen told the press that Vietnam helped rescue Cambodia from
the Khmer Rouge regime at the request of the Cambodian people and that Vietnam
developed fast thanks to President Ho Chi Minh’s right policies.
He gave the interview with Vietnamese
reporters while in Vietnam to attend a ceremony in Dong Nai's Cam My District
to inaugurate the site of a Cambodian resistance movement's foundation in Viet
Nam.
The site in Long Giao Commune marks the spot
where Hun Sen formed and led Fighting Unit 125, a precursor of Kampuchean
United Front for National Salvation, on May 12, 1978.
On January 7, Cambodia will celebrate the 33rd
anniversary of the end of the Pol Pot regime.
Hun
Sen:
There is no better joy than when we were
liberated from the Pol Pot regime. We used to face death and were revived
thanks to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and the Kampuchean United Front for
National Salvation.
Quan
Doi Nhan Dan Newspaper: Recently at the court trial of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon
Chea said something that went against history, made false accusations against
Vietnamese volunteer forces. What is your opinion?
I have heard of the statement of Nuon Chea, a
person of important position in the Pol Pot regime who has been tried in the
past weeks. He did not admit to his wrongdoings but gave lies about the
Vietnamese volunteer forces. I consider those statements lies from a murderer.
There are always excuses the bad guys resort
to so as to dodge their wrongdoings. He said so to lessen his sin so we should
not respond but let the court judge. The reality happened in contrary to what
Nuon Chea said. The truth is that Vietnamese volunteer forces helped free the
Cambodian people from the genocidal Pol Pot regime.
VnExpress:
You once showed anger when someone said that Vietnamese volunteer forces
invaded Cambodia. Why was that?
I have reacted strongly to that kind of
statement because the activities of the Vietnamese volunteer forces in Cambodia
stem from the request of the Cambodian people. Which countries in the world
have helped Cambodian people, especially in freeing them from the genocidal Pol
Pot regime and prevent their comeback? The answer is the people and military of
Vietnam.
Quan
Doi Nhan Dan: Cambodian people called Vietnamese soldiers “Buddha forces”. Can
you share some more information?
Cambodian people believe that only fairies and
the Buddha can rescue people when they are in misery. At the time the Cambodian
people were about to die, when they could only pray for the Buddha, the
Vietnamese volunteer forces appeared. Vietnamese soldiers are military forces
sent by the Buddha.
Tuoi
Tre: In the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship, there are some opinions mentioning a
third party. What is your opinion?
I affirm that the Cambodia-Vietnam relation is
a big achievement built and developed by the two countries throughout different
stages of history, especially in the period of liberating Cambodia from
genocide.
The opposition party alleged that I was under the
control of Vietnam, they then claimed that China influenced Cambodia, sometimes
they said the US was involved. I don’t understand. Is Cambodia a product? We
should not comment but let reality answer.
I think that any country needs to have
relationships with other countries. Vietnam has a need to maintain relationship
with China, the US, Japan, South Korea, EU… Cambodia also needs to have
relationship with other countries in the world. We don’t listen to wrong
information. For example, they sometimes say we should have relationships with
this but not with that country… that is not our policy.
Tuoi
Tre: Do the two words “Viet Nam” have any meaning to you?
I can’t say enough of the meanings associated
with the words “Viet Nam” but I can briefly state that “Viet” is the
revitalization of Cambodia and “Nam” is the development of Cambodia from the
past to now.
Tuoi
Tre: What do you want to say to young people?
I left Cambodia for Vietnam to seek help
against the Pol Pot regime when I was just 25 years old. I became minister of
foreign affairs at just 27. At 32 years old, I became Prime Minister of
Cambodia, one of the youngest Prime Ministers in the world. I think the issue
is not young or old. My experience shows that it is conservative when one
thinks of one’s age and prevents young people [from doing big things]. That is
a mistake.
In the past in Cambodia, people often asked
for a resume and the age of a person before promoting them. I have fought
against this. It is not right that people of 30 years old cannot be ministers
but instead have to wait till 40 or 50 years old. The issue is whether we dare
to promote young people.
Tuoi
Tre: You once worked at a pagoda, became a military officer and then minister
and Prime Minister and lived through the hard times of the Khmer Rouge and had
to seek asylum in Vietnam. You faced death dozens of times. For you, what are
your most memorable moments?
The first thing I always remember is the time
when I was injured. I was unconscious for a week and at 23 years of age, became
a disabled man [blind in the left eye]. That is war and it is luck I survived.
The second thing I will always remember is
when my first-born son died after birth after the nurse dropped it. I pleaded
with the leaders of the Khmer Rouge to let me bring my son’s body for burial
but they did not allow it. A father could not bury his own son. What a grief.
A third thing to remember: on June 20, 1977, I
had to leave my wife who was five months pregnant for Vietnam. If I had been
alone, it would have been less painful. I had to leave behind two lives to face
the Khmer Rouge.
I also remember the date of September 24, 1998
when five B40 bombs targeted my car but luckily only one exploded near me. And
I also remember my marriage. January 5th [today] is the 36th anniversary of the
wedding. We got married with 12 other couples. Under Pol Pot, there were no
traditional weddings, we must follow their arrangement.
I want to share with you that you should never
feel discouraged. The more difficulty there is, the harder you should try.
Never retreat, if you are forced to retreat, do it with a view to advancing
forwards.
VnExpress:
Which Vietnamese foods do you like?
Our two countries - besides the relationship
of friendship and neighborliness - have a food relation. In Cambodia, there are
banh troi nuoc (floating cakes made of white rice flour), banh xeo (rice
pancake), cha gio (spring roll), banh hoi (fine rice vermicelli), nuoc mam
(fish sauce)… I can eat any kind of food.
But the best food in Vietnam for me is rau
muong (spinach) with fish sauce. It is delicious in Hanoi but cannot be found
in Cambodia. In the south of Vietnam, I like ca kho tieu (braised fish). In
Vung Tau, I like oc huong (sweet snail).
Tuoi
Tre: You once said you want to transform Cambodia into a dragon, a tiger in
Asia. Which model do you go after?
I don’t have an ambition to turn Cambodia into
a dragon. A snake is fine. But a big snake, not a small one.
Vietnam targets to become an industrial nation
by 2020 and it is achievable. Cambodia is a different story.
When Cambodia started to open the door, some
journalists asked me: which economic model do you imitate? I replied: I do not
adjust the head to suit the hat, do not trim down the feet to suit the shoes
but produce the hat to suit the head and make the shoes fit the feet.
We draw from experiences and learn from
failure stories. Copying something dogmatically and entirely and not suitable with
our situation will result in failure.
Tuoi
Tre: You are the current longest serving Prime Minister in Asia. According to
you, what is the most important thing to develop a nation?
I have been Prime Minister for 27 years. Two
most important things to develop a nation are policy and human resources.
I sometimes ask why Vietnam developed fast?
Thanks to President Ho Chi Minh’s right policy in attaching importance to
training and developing human resources right after gaining independence by
sending officials to study abroad… that has churned out capable officials.
From a country lacking food, you have become
the world’s second largest rice exporter.
Cambodia is often referred to as “golden soil”
but why is it poor? Because it has made mistakes, wrong policies and lacked
human resources.
Tuoi
Tre: Do you want your sons to follow politics?
My three sons work in the military. I want
them to serve the country but do not want them to be in politics like their
father. My ancestors are farmers, civil servants, doctors, customs officers,
teachers…. There are also objective reasons. History forced me to serve in this
position.
I also want my sons to follow me but don’t
forget that in a democratic Cambodia, we must be elected. If the people do not
elect, if the Party does not support, we can’t do anything.
A ceremony was held in the southern province
of Dong Nai's Cam My District to inaugurate the site of the Cambodian
resistance movement's foundation in Vietnam.
Both Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen were at the event.
The site in Long Giao Commune marks where Hun
Sen formed and led Fighting Unit 125, a precursor of Kampuchean United Front
for National Salvation, on May 12, 1978.
The unit's establishment was a starting point
for the Cambodian people to abolish the genocidal regime and revive the
country.
The site holds the remains of 49 fallen
Cambodian combatants who lost their lives during the fight against the Pol Pot
regime. It has been maintained for the past 33 years and opened when the two
countries celebrated the victory against the Khmer Rouge regime on January 7,
1979.
On the occasion, the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism handed the locality a certificate to recognize the
newly-built memorial as national historical site.
TUOITRENEWS
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