Wednesday, 05 January 2011
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out at opposition figures on Wednesday who criticised the country’s celebration of January 7 as a day of liberation from the Khmer Rouge, again emphasising the importance of the day in Cambodian history.
Speaking at a high school inauguration in Kampong Cham’s Memot district two days ahead of the national holiday, the premier claimed all criticisms of the event were motivated by politics.
“I would like to say that January 7 liberated everything, including ghosts and evil spirits and even liberated the heads of those who are cursing January 7,” Hun Sen said.
The holiday, commemorating the anniversary of the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge by the Vietnamese army in 1979, prompts an annual debate in Cambodia about the extent of Vietnamese influence that was ushered in by the event.
After Pol Pot’s overthrow, Vietnamese troops remained in Cambodia, battling resistance factions including remnants of the Khmer Rouge, until their withdrawal in September 1989.
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