Battle of Bach Dang River
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On January 7, Cambodia will celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the end of the Pol Pot regime.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gave the interview with Vietnamese reporters while in Vietnam to attend a ceremony in Dong Nai's Cam My District to inaugurate the site of a Cambodian resistance movement's foundation in Viet Nam.
Hun Sen:
There is no better joy than when we were liberated from the Pol Pot regime. We used to face death and were revived thanks to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation.
Quan Doi Nhan Dan Newspaper: Recently at the court trial of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon Chea said something that went against history, made false accusations against Vietnamese volunteer forces. What is your opinion?
I have heard of the statement of Nuon Chea, a person of important position in the Pol Pot regime who has been tried in the past weeks. He did not admit to his wrongdoings but gave lies about the Vietnamese volunteer forces. I consider those statements lies from a murderer.
There are always excuses the bad guys resort to so as to dodge their wrongdoings. He said so to lessen his sin so we should not respond but let the court judge. The reality happened in contrary to what Nuon Chea said. The truth is that Vietnamese volunteer forces helped free the Cambodian people from the genocidal Pol Pot regime.
VnExpress: You once showed anger when someone said that Vietnamese volunteer forces invaded Cambodia. Why was that?
I have reacted strongly to that kind of statement because the activities of the Vietnamese volunteer forces in Cambodia stem from the request of the Cambodian people. Which countries in the world have helped Cambodian people, especially in freeing them from the genocidal Pol Pot regime and prevent their comeback? The answer is the people and military of Vietnam.
Quan Doi Nhan Dan: Cambodian people called Vietnamese soldiers “Buddha forces”. Can you share some more information?
Cambodian people believe that only fairies and the Buddha can rescue people when they are in misery. At the time the Cambodian people were about to die, when they could only pray for the Buddha, the Vietnamese volunteer forces appeared. Vietnamese soldiers are military forces sent by the Buddha.
Tuoi Tre: In the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship, there are some opinions mentioning a third party. What is your opinion?
I affirm that the Cambodia-Vietnam relation is a big achievement built and developed by the two countries throughout different stages of history, especially in the period of liberating Cambodia from genocide.
The opposition party alleged that I was under the control of Vietnam, they then claimed that China influenced Cambodia, sometimes they said the US was involved. I don’t understand. Is Cambodia a product? We should not comment but let reality answer.
I think that any country needs to have relationships with other countries. Vietnam has a need to maintain relationship with China, the US, Japan, South Korea, EU… Cambodia also needs to have relationship with other countries in the world. We don’t listen to wrong information. For example, they sometimes say we should have relationships with this but not with that country… that is not our policy.
Tuoi Tre: What do you want to say to young people?
I left Cambodia for Vietnam to seek help against the Pol Pot regime when I was just 25 years old. I became minister of foreign affairs at just 27. At 32 years old, I became Prime Minister of Cambodia, one of the youngest Prime Ministers in the world. I think the issue is not young or old. My experience shows that it is conservative when one thinks of one’s age and prevents young people [from doing big things]. That is a mistake.
In the past in Cambodia, people often asked for a resume and the age of a person before promoting them. I have fought against this. It is not right that people of 30 years old cannot be ministers but instead have to wait till 40 or 50 years old. The issue is whether we dare to promote young people.
Tuoi Tre: You once worked at a pagoda, became a military officer and then minister and Prime Minister and lived through the hard times of the Khmer Rouge and had to seek asylum in Vietnam. You faced death dozens of times. For you, what are your most memorable moments?
The first thing I always remember is the time when I was injured. I was unconscious for a week and at 23 years of age, became a disabled man [blind in the left eye]. That is war and it is luck I survived.
The second thing I will always remember is when my first-born son died after birth after the nurse dropped it. I pleaded with the leaders of the Khmer Rouge to let me bring my son’s body for burial but they did not allow it. A father could not bury his own son. What a grief.
A third thing to remember: on June 20, 1977, I had to leave my wife who was five months pregnant for Vietnam. If I had been alone, it would have been less painful. I had to leave behind two lives to face the Khmer Rouge.
I also remember the date of September 24, 1998 when five B40 bombs targeted my car but luckily only one exploded near me. And I also remember my marriage. January 5th [today] is the 36th anniversary of the wedding. We got married with 12 other couples. Under Pol Pot, there were no traditional weddings, we must follow their arrangement.
I want to share with you that you should never feel discouraged. The more difficulty there is, the harder you should try. Never retreat, if you are forced to retreat, do it with a view to advancing forwards.
VnExpress: Which Vietnamese foods do you like?
Our two countries - besides the relationship of friendship and neighborliness - have a food relation. In Cambodia, there are banh troi nuoc (floating cakes made of white rice flour), banh xeo (rice pancake), cha gio (spring roll), banh hoi (fine rice vermicelli), nuoc mam (fish sauce)… I can eat any kind of food.
But the best food in Vietnam for me is rau muong (spinach) with fish sauce. It is delicious in Hanoi but cannot be found in Cambodia. In the south of Vietnam, I like ca kho tieu (braised fish). In Vung Tau, I like oc huong (sweet snail).
Tuoi Tre: You once said you want to transform Cambodia into a dragon, a tiger in Asia. Which model do you go after?
I don’t have an ambition to turn Cambodia into a dragon. A snake is fine. But a big snake, not a small one.
Vietnam targets to become an industrial nation by 2020 and it is achievable. Cambodia is a different story.
When Cambodia started to open the door, some journalists asked me: which economic model do you imitate? I replied: I do not adjust the head to suit the hat, do not trim down the feet to suit the shoes but produce the hat to suit the head and make the shoes fit the feet.
We draw from experiences and learn from failure stories. Copying something dogmatically and entirely and not suitable with our situation will result in failure.
Tuoi Tre: You are the current longest serving Prime Minister in Asia. According to you, what is the most important thing to develop a nation?
I have been Prime Minister for 27 years. Two most important things to develop a nation are policy and human resources.
I sometimes ask why Vietnam developed fast? Thanks to President Ho Chi Minh’s right policy in attaching importance to training and developing human resources right after gaining independence by sending officials to study abroad… that has churned out capable officials.
From a country lacking food, you have become the world’s second largest rice exporter.
Cambodia is often referred to as “golden soil” but why is it poor? Because it has made mistakes, wrong policies and lacked human resources.
Tuoi Tre: Do you want your sons to follow politics?
My three sons work in the military. I want them to serve the country but do not want them to be in politics like their father. My ancestors are farmers, civil servants, doctors, customs officers, teachers…. There are also objective reasons. History forced me to serve in this position.
I also want my sons to follow me but don’t forget that in a democratic Cambodia, we must be elected. If the people do not elect, if the Party does not support, we can’t do anything.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gave the interview with Vietnamese reporters while in Vietnam to attend a ceremony in Dong Nai's Cam My District to inaugurate the site of a Cambodian resistance movement's foundation in Viet Nam.
Hun Sen:
There is no better joy than when we were liberated from the Pol Pot regime. We used to face death and were revived thanks to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation.
Quan Doi Nhan Dan Newspaper: Recently at the court trial of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon Chea said something that went against history, made false accusations against Vietnamese volunteer forces. What is your opinion?
I have heard of the statement of Nuon Chea, a person of important position in the Pol Pot regime who has been tried in the past weeks. He did not admit to his wrongdoings but gave lies about the Vietnamese volunteer forces. I consider those statements lies from a murderer.
There are always excuses the bad guys resort to so as to dodge their wrongdoings. He said so to lessen his sin so we should not respond but let the court judge. The reality happened in contrary to what Nuon Chea said. The truth is that Vietnamese volunteer forces helped free the Cambodian people from the genocidal Pol Pot regime.
VnExpress: You once showed anger when someone said that Vietnamese volunteer forces invaded Cambodia. Why was that?
I have reacted strongly to that kind of statement because the activities of the Vietnamese volunteer forces in Cambodia stem from the request of the Cambodian people. Which countries in the world have helped Cambodian people, especially in freeing them from the genocidal Pol Pot regime and prevent their comeback? The answer is the people and military of Vietnam.
Quan Doi Nhan Dan: Cambodian people called Vietnamese soldiers “Buddha forces”. Can you share some more information?
Cambodian people believe that only fairies and the Buddha can rescue people when they are in misery. At the time the Cambodian people were about to die, when they could only pray for the Buddha, the Vietnamese volunteer forces appeared. Vietnamese soldiers are military forces sent by the Buddha.
Tuoi Tre: In the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship, there are some opinions mentioning a third party. What is your opinion?
I affirm that the Cambodia-Vietnam relation is a big achievement built and developed by the two countries throughout different stages of history, especially in the period of liberating Cambodia from genocide.
The opposition party alleged that I was under the control of Vietnam, they then claimed that China influenced Cambodia, sometimes they said the US was involved. I don’t understand. Is Cambodia a product? We should not comment but let reality answer.
I think that any country needs to have relationships with other countries. Vietnam has a need to maintain relationship with China, the US, Japan, South Korea, EU… Cambodia also needs to have relationship with other countries in the world. We don’t listen to wrong information. For example, they sometimes say we should have relationships with this but not with that country… that is not our policy.
Tuoi Tre: What do you want to say to young people?
I left Cambodia for Vietnam to seek help against the Pol Pot regime when I was just 25 years old. I became minister of foreign affairs at just 27. At 32 years old, I became Prime Minister of Cambodia, one of the youngest Prime Ministers in the world. I think the issue is not young or old. My experience shows that it is conservative when one thinks of one’s age and prevents young people [from doing big things]. That is a mistake.
In the past in Cambodia, people often asked for a resume and the age of a person before promoting them. I have fought against this. It is not right that people of 30 years old cannot be ministers but instead have to wait till 40 or 50 years old. The issue is whether we dare to promote young people.
Tuoi Tre: You once worked at a pagoda, became a military officer and then minister and Prime Minister and lived through the hard times of the Khmer Rouge and had to seek asylum in Vietnam. You faced death dozens of times. For you, what are your most memorable moments?
The first thing I always remember is the time when I was injured. I was unconscious for a week and at 23 years of age, became a disabled man [blind in the left eye]. That is war and it is luck I survived.
The second thing I will always remember is when my first-born son died after birth after the nurse dropped it. I pleaded with the leaders of the Khmer Rouge to let me bring my son’s body for burial but they did not allow it. A father could not bury his own son. What a grief.
A third thing to remember: on June 20, 1977, I had to leave my wife who was five months pregnant for Vietnam. If I had been alone, it would have been less painful. I had to leave behind two lives to face the Khmer Rouge.
I also remember the date of September 24, 1998 when five B40 bombs targeted my car but luckily only one exploded near me. And I also remember my marriage. January 5th [today] is the 36th anniversary of the wedding. We got married with 12 other couples. Under Pol Pot, there were no traditional weddings, we must follow their arrangement.
I want to share with you that you should never feel discouraged. The more difficulty there is, the harder you should try. Never retreat, if you are forced to retreat, do it with a view to advancing forwards.
VnExpress: Which Vietnamese foods do you like?
Our two countries - besides the relationship of friendship and neighborliness - have a food relation. In Cambodia, there are banh troi nuoc (floating cakes made of white rice flour), banh xeo (rice pancake), cha gio (spring roll), banh hoi (fine rice vermicelli), nuoc mam (fish sauce)… I can eat any kind of food.
But the best food in Vietnam for me is rau muong (spinach) with fish sauce. It is delicious in Hanoi but cannot be found in Cambodia. In the south of Vietnam, I like ca kho tieu (braised fish). In Vung Tau, I like oc huong (sweet snail).
Tuoi Tre: You once said you want to transform Cambodia into a dragon, a tiger in Asia. Which model do you go after?
I don’t have an ambition to turn Cambodia into a dragon. A snake is fine. But a big snake, not a small one.
Vietnam targets to become an industrial nation by 2020 and it is achievable. Cambodia is a different story.
When Cambodia started to open the door, some journalists asked me: which economic model do you imitate? I replied: I do not adjust the head to suit the hat, do not trim down the feet to suit the shoes but produce the hat to suit the head and make the shoes fit the feet.
We draw from experiences and learn from failure stories. Copying something dogmatically and entirely and not suitable with our situation will result in failure.
Tuoi Tre: You are the current longest serving Prime Minister in Asia. According to you, what is the most important thing to develop a nation?
I have been Prime Minister for 27 years. Two most important things to develop a nation are policy and human resources.
I sometimes ask why Vietnam developed fast? Thanks to President Ho Chi Minh’s right policy in attaching importance to training and developing human resources right after gaining independence by sending officials to study abroad… that has churned out capable officials.
From a country lacking food, you have become the world’s second largest rice exporter.
Cambodia is often referred to as “golden soil” but why is it poor? Because it has made mistakes, wrong policies and lacked human resources.
Tuoi Tre: Do you want your sons to follow politics?
My three sons work in the military. I want them to serve the country but do not want them to be in politics like their father. My ancestors are farmers, civil servants, doctors, customs officers, teachers…. There are also objective reasons. History forced me to serve in this position.
I also want my sons to follow me but don’t forget that in a democratic Cambodia, we must be elected. If the people do not elect, if the Party does not support, we can’t do anything.
