Tuesday, January 08, 2008Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who in the past several years used to strongly oppose the 07 January – a day which saved the lives of Cambodians from the genocidal KR regime – seems to soften his stance, by recognizing that 07 January was indeed a day for the liberation of Cambodia from the mass killing of the Pol Pot black shirts soldies.
Speaking to the Rasmei Kampuchea on 05 January, 2-day prior to the official 29th anniversary of the historical day, Sam Rainsy said: “We welcome 07 January because it put an end to the KR.” Sam Rainsy added that 07 January saw the toppling the Pol Pot regime and the liberation of Cambodian people from the oppression and the mass killing. He considers this fact as a positive side of 07 January. Nevertheless, while recognizing this fact, he still sees 07 January as a day of foreign aggression in Cambodia. He said: “If they came to liberate us, they would go back, and we would be thankful to them. But, they toppled the KR and they ruled over us. This is not good at all.”
He explained that 07 January saw Cambodia losing her independence and sovereignty, and was ruled by the Vietnemese army. To the ruling CPP, 07 January is a very important day, because it was able to participate in this event, and thus allowing it to win all numerous elections since 1993.
However, Sam Rainsy said that during the past 29 years, 07 January has lost its meaning when someone wants to use it to proselytize to win votes. He believes that 07 January is not a threat to his party. He explained that during the upcoming 2008 election, the number of Cambodian youths is increasing significantly, and these youths do not know what 07 January was.
Sam Rainsy said that 50% of Cambodians are under 20-year-old, 2/3 of them are less than 30, they do not remember what 07 January was, and they look only into the future. He added that Cambodian youths, just like youths all over the world, are looking far ahead of themselves, and they think about jobs, about salaries, and about justice, etc…
To the CPP officials, they still believe that Cambodians will continue to support their party because nobody can denigrate that 07 January was a day of their second birth.
Speaking to the Rasmei Kampuchea on 05 January, 2-day prior to the official 29th anniversary of the historical day, Sam Rainsy said: “We welcome 07 January because it put an end to the KR.” Sam Rainsy added that 07 January saw the toppling the Pol Pot regime and the liberation of Cambodian people from the oppression and the mass killing. He considers this fact as a positive side of 07 January. Nevertheless, while recognizing this fact, he still sees 07 January as a day of foreign aggression in Cambodia. He said: “If they came to liberate us, they would go back, and we would be thankful to them. But, they toppled the KR and they ruled over us. This is not good at all.”
He explained that 07 January saw Cambodia losing her independence and sovereignty, and was ruled by the Vietnemese army. To the ruling CPP, 07 January is a very important day, because it was able to participate in this event, and thus allowing it to win all numerous elections since 1993.
However, Sam Rainsy said that during the past 29 years, 07 January has lost its meaning when someone wants to use it to proselytize to win votes. He believes that 07 January is not a threat to his party. He explained that during the upcoming 2008 election, the number of Cambodian youths is increasing significantly, and these youths do not know what 07 January was.
Sam Rainsy said that 50% of Cambodians are under 20-year-old, 2/3 of them are less than 30, they do not remember what 07 January was, and they look only into the future. He added that Cambodian youths, just like youths all over the world, are looking far ahead of themselves, and they think about jobs, about salaries, and about justice, etc…
To the CPP officials, they still believe that Cambodians will continue to support their party because nobody can denigrate that 07 January was a day of their second birth.
