Phnom Penh meeting marks victory over Pol Pot regime

A grand meeting took place in Phnom Penh on January 7 to celebrate the 34 th anniversary of the overthrow of the Pol Pot genocidal regime (January 7, 1979-2013).

Attending the event were President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and Senate President Chea Sim, CPP Honorary President and National Assembly President Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen, together with 13,000 CPP members and local people.

Vietnamese Chargé d' Affaires Lai Xuan Chien was also present at the meeting.

Addressing the ceremony, after recalling the unprecedented crime of the Pol Pot regime in the 1975-1979 period, Heng Samrin stressed that the victory over the genocidal regime that helped the country revive was the fruit of the struggle of Cambodian people and armed forces under the leadership of the Cambodian United Front for National Salvation as well as the great assistance of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers.

The triumph ended one of the darkest periods in the Cambodian history, laying a foundation for the national restoration, construction and development over the past 34 years, he said, adding that Cambodian people always take January 7 as their second birthday.

Cambodia recorded an economic growth of 7 percent in 2012 and expects to maintain this rate this year. The country’s per-capital income increased to nearly 1,000 USD in 2012 from 760 USD in 2008, while its poverty rate was reduced to 20 percent in 2012 from 22.9 percent in 2009./.