Four decades after Vietnam defeated the Khmer Rouge regime and installed Hun Sen’s party, neighborly relations hit a snag after Vietnam unilaterally installed piles at the “delimited” maritime boundary.
In an address following a grand performance with traditional Khmer dancers and other performers, the premier hammered home the long-standing political message that his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) defeated the “genocidal regime” of Pol Pot and has brought peace and development to Cambodia since it was installed by Vietnam in 1979.
Meanwhile, in Vietnam, state-controlled media also commemorated the anniversary of the invasion – which was followed by a decade-long, bloody occupation – as a just “people’s war” that liberated Cambodians and secured lasting friendship between the neighboring countries.
