{"id":62254,"date":"2020-01-07T11:37:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T04:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/?p=62254"},"modified":"2020-01-08T11:40:25","modified_gmt":"2020-01-08T04:40:25","slug":"speech-by-samdech-techo-hun-sen-the-41st-anniversary-of-the-january-7-victory-unofficial-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/en\/archives\/62254","title":{"rendered":"Speech By Samdech Techo Hun Sen The 41st Anniversary of the January-7 Victory [Unofficial Translation]"},"content":{"rendered":"

CNV:

Revered Samdech Preah Sangharja and Buddhist Monks,
\nExcellencies, Ladies, Honorable National and Foreign Guests,
\nSamdech, Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Meeting Participants and Compatriots,<\/em><\/p>\n

Today is the 41st<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary of the 7 January 1979 historic victory day overthrowing the genocidal regime of Pol Pot, saving the Cambodian people to survival from mass killing under the perfidious regime in a timely manner, and ended the darkest era of Cambodia, while ushering a new era of independence, freedom, democracy and social progress.<\/p>\n

The Cambodian people from all walks of life, inside the country and abroad, are greeting this anniversary of historic victory day in a memory of gratitude to the brave sacrifices of uncountable cadres, combatants, and compatriots, and those of the Vietnamese voluntary army in the fight to liberate the Cambodian people from the regime of genocide, and defend their revival. We are expressing our profound gratitude to friendly countries, near and far, and peace and justice loving people for their supports to the most brilliant course. Along with this, we are bending to concentrate our hearts and minds in respect of the souls of millions of people who lost their lives unjustly because of war and the genocide. We are praying for their souls to rest in peace forever.<\/p>\n

On this auspicious occasion, we are expressing fidelity and profound gratitude to Preah Karuna Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, and Samdech Preah Mohaksatrei Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, the Heroic Queen Mother of Cambodia in Freedom, Dignity, and Happiness, who are providing shades to the whole people of Cambodia. We wish Their Majesties good health, strengths, intellects, and longevity to stay in throne and fulfill their supreme missions as symbols of national unity, sustainability, and cool and prosperous shade for the Cambodian motherland and people.<\/p>\n

Meeting Participants and Compatriots,<\/em><\/p>\n

Even though our people are living in harmoniously in peace and development, we all are in fresh memories of the suffering and darkest past of our nation caused by the flame of war and the brutal genocide. The coup on 18 March 1970 staged by the Lon Nol clique pushed the \u201cthe island of peace\u201d motherland into a full-swing war burning our beautiful country and causing indescribable sufferings and losses. After the five years\u2019 war, Cambodia rolled into genocidal disaster administered by the butchers Pol Pot bringing the country to nil. Over three million Cambodians brutally massacred and those who were alive then were waiting for their turns to face killing. It is true that were there not the 18 March 1970 coup, there would not be the regime of genocide, national sustainability interruption would not have happened, and the Cambodian people would have lived in peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Under such severe circumstances, unfaltering patriotic forces who escaped the killings of the regime of Pol Pot continued their struggles for a heroic national liberation and mobilized the formation of the National United Front for Salvation of Kampuchea (NUFSK) on 2 December 1978 to lead people to fight and rescue the country from the brutal regime. NUFSK, with strong support from people of every corners and assistances provided by the Vietnamese voluntary army, peace and justice loving people in the world, brought down the regime of genocide scoring the brilliant victory on 7 January 1979. The victory saved our people\u2019s lives in a timely manner, brought back to our people every rights and freedom lost under the regime of Pol Pot reviving the Cambodian national spiritual and material values founded for thousands of years of history. With the victory, the Cambodian people have won back their ownerships of the motherland and destiny. The Cambodian people dubbed the 7 January Victory as their second birthdays. Were there no January 7 victory, we would not have what we have today. The 7-January victory belongs to every Cambodia and humanity who love peace, freedom and justice. That is the historic truth.<\/p>\n

It has been 41 years now since when the country broke off from the regime of genocide. In the 41 years, we have overcome uncountable obstacles and hardships through numerous historical stages to defend national revival, to prevail over hardships in every fields left by the destructive war and the regime of Pol Pot. We have made every efforts to restore, build and develop the Cambodian motherland from ashes, while seeking for peace and national reconciliation. Based on great national solidarity and correct leadership of the Cambodian People\u2019s Party, assistances rendered by friends, near and far, we successfully overcame those obstacles to stabilize the country gradually and to score progress one after the other to get to this stage of current development.<\/p>\n

As former victims of war and the genocide, we take pride for joining hands to create every historic achievements transforming Cambodia completely beyond expectation. Cambodia has moved from a killing field of the regime of genocide, battlefields of protracted wars, absence of freedom, national and territorial divisions, to become a land of peace, stability, freedom, democracy, rule of law, and development in every fields. People are living peaceful lives with hope to the future under the Constitution and cools shade of the supremely revered HM the King. Meanwhile, Cambodia fully integrated itself with international community and participated with equal right and footing in regional and world affairs.<\/p>\n

Such were great transformations in the last four decades stemming from the correct leadership and patriotic participations of people of all classes, ethnicities, religious faiths, civil servants, the armed forces, peasants, workers, traders, businessmen, students, intellectuals, monks and other circles in the course of restoring, building and defending the motherland. We could not thank enough faithful assistances provided by friends \u2013 near and far, development partners, and international community to the just course of the Cambodian people.<\/p>\n

Meeting Participants and Compatriots,<\/em><\/p>\n

In the past year 2019, overall situation of Cambodia has had a positive evolvement bestowing a favoring upon our efforts to realize socio-economic development goals, though international situation continues to be uncertain. In this specified period, the Royal Government of the sixth legislative National Assembly implemented steadfastly its political platform and the rectangular strategy phase 4 that I set out in September 2018 scoring major new achievements:<\/p>\n