Military Region 7 celebrates Victory Day over the genocide regime in Cambodia

On January 7, the Military Region 7 Command held a ceremony to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the victory over the genocidal regime in Cambodia (January 7, 1979 - January 7, 2014).

Attending the ceremony were Lieutenant General Tran Don, Commander of Military Region 7; Mr. Vu Mao, President of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association, Comrade Van Phal, Vice President of the Cambodia - Vietnam Friendship Association, along with generals, officers, soldiers of Military Region 7 and experts who fought and worked in Cambodia during different periods.

View of the celebration.

In his commemorative speech, Lieutenant General Pham Van Dy, Political Commissar of the 7th Military Region Command, recalled the crimes of the genocidal reactionary group Pol Pot - Ieng Sary, which within 3 years, 8 months and 20 days killed more than 2 million Cambodian people, completely destroyed all social foundations, and put Cambodia on the brink of genocide. The Pol Pot group sent troops to attack and invade Vietnam along the entire southwestern border.

From May 1975 to December 23, 1978, the Pol Pot group killed more than 5,000 Vietnamese civilians, injured nearly 5,000 people, and captured and executed more than 20,000 others. That is not to mention the destruction by the Pol Pot group of many schools, hospitals, churches, pagodas, buffaloes, cows, and fields in the border areas of Vietnam with Cambodia.

In the face of the brutal acts of invasion and genocide by the Pol Pot regime, in response to the urgent call of the Cambodian people, the Party, State, Army and people of Vietnam exercised their legitimate right to self-defense to protect the sacred Fatherland and help the Cambodian people escape the genocidal regime. That was the burning desire of the people of the two countries, in accordance with human conscience and international law.

Lieutenant General Pham Van Dy affirmed: The victory over the Pol Pot group on January 7, 1979 had extremely important significance, first of all for the survival and prosperous development of Cambodia, and was a common victory of the two peoples.

Immediately after the end of the resistance war against the US, the armed forces of Military Region 7 immediately embarked on the task of maintaining political security, protecting the Fatherland on the southwestern border, carrying out international missions, and working with friendly units to save Cambodia from genocide. With 3 years of combat missions and 10 years of international missions in Cambodia, Military Region 7 has affirmed its role as “the spearhead” in a challenging and difficult context, successfully completing the missions assigned by the Party, the Army and the people.

At the ceremony, Mr. Vu Mao, Chairman of the Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Association said: The victory over the Pol Pot group in 1979 opened up a bright future for the relationship between the two countries, promoting strong development in many fields. In the coming time, the Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Association will promote people-to-people friendship activities, including content aimed at people in the border areas of the two countries, helping Cambodian students studying and doing scientific research in Vietnam, etc.

* On the same day, at the Museum of Military Region 7 (Museum of the People's Armed Forces of the Southeast) in Ho Chi Minh City, the Armed Forces of Military Region 7 opened the photo exhibition "Armed Forces of Military Region 7 - Royal Cambodian Army: Solidarity, pure affection", in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the Victory Day of the Southwestern Border Defense War, the 35th anniversary of the Victory Day of the Genocide Regime in Cambodia (January 7, 1979 - January 7, 2014).

The exhibition, which took place from January 7 to February 15, displayed 150 photos and 80 artifacts to review the struggle to protect the southwestern border of the Vietnamese army and people, together with the Cambodian army and people, to defeat the genocidal regime. Thereby, we believe in the development of the relationship of “Good neighbors, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability” between Vietnam and Cambodia, between the armed forces of Military Region 7 and the Royal Cambodian Army as proposed by the two countries’ senior leaders.

According to news