Yim Ghechse's Poem: Pram Pi Makara (07 January)

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Hun Sen: 07 January must not be forgotten

Saturday, January 05, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

With the approaching of the celebration of 07 January, the 29th anniversary of the (more than one decade-long occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam and) the liberation of the country from the genocidal regime, prime minister Hun Sen (one of the persons who owed his power to Vietnam) reminded the people not to forget 07 January, the day which allowed the liberation from the yoke of the genocidal black-shirt regime (to which Hun Sen was one of its commanders also). On Thursday, Hun Sen declared: “Forgetting 07 January is like forgetting one’s parents, because if we look at ourselves, the grandfathers and grandmothers, everybody during that time, if they were not liberated on time, will they live today or not? No, they wouldn’t live.” 07 January is considered as a national holiday by the government, as such, all government and private company workers have a day off. There are diverging views regarding this date: the CPP supports the fact that 07 January is a day that toppled the Khmer Rouge regime, and is a day that provide new birth for the people who were freed from the killing by this regime, but for the opposition, 07 January is considered a day of Vietnamese aggression on Cambodia.