| On January 7th 1979, the UFSK forces (United Front for the Salvation of Kampuchea) and Vietnamese troops took Phnom Penh, thus putting an end to the Khmer Rouge regime which lasted a total of 3 years, 8 months and 20 days. But after having acclaimed the neighbouring country's intervention, Cambodians gradually started developing hostility toward the occupying forces, which were to stay on the Cambodian territory for ten years. For Cambodians today, the date of January 7th marks the end of Pol Pot's hell regime. However, many of them are irritated by the political hijacking of the event: January 7th still fuels debates, opposing the governmental clan, for whom it is a day of liberation, to the opposition side, for whom it means the start of Vietnamese occupation.
Local squabblings over January 7th
On May 20th last year, as Hatred Day was celebrated and with the upcoming legislative elections in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen once again defended “the legacy of January 7th”, reminding his detractors that “without January 7th, we would not be able today to bring Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan before a tribunal”. The fashion in which the symbolical date was celebrated on Wednesday January 7th confirmed the importance that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) sees in it.
On January 1st, Sam Rainsy, leader of the parliamentary opposition, wrote in a letter addressed to the English language newspaper The Cambodia Daily, that “when the Vietnamese communist army invaded Cambodia to 'liberate us' from the Khmer Rouge, we soon realised that we were sailing between Scylla and Charybdis [escaping a danger only to encounter another one, often worse]”. Instead of saying that without January 7th 1979, no achievements would have taken place, Sam Rainsy continues, it would be better saying that “without April 17th 1975, there would have been no need for January 7th 1979”, two dates which he sees as “inextricably linked together”.
The debate seems like a never-ending issue between the two sides. Many wish to see historical truth preserved, without any political resonance in it.
A “liberation” first and foremost?
Mr. Lim, a lecturer at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, remembers January 7th 1979: “It was the pleasure of having solid food to eat at last, the regained freedom to walk around, being reunited with family or looking for them... We did not fully understand what was going on [...] Even if the Vietnamese have always been our traditional enemies, they still showed us kindness. It is only after that we started hearing about stories of looting, rapes and crimes committed by their soldiers. It is true that we were still somewhat suspicious about them.”
He is exasperated by the fact that January 7th is now at the heart of political quarrels and that the memory of it is being hijacked to serve the interest of politicians. “The meaning of that day must only be historical”, he pleads. “I am not against celebrations but they should remain neutral.”
Calling for tolerance
In the eyes of Chea Vannath, a political life observer and the former president of the Centre for Social Development, “January 7th must remind Cambodians that they should not be divided”. “I respect people's opinions about the way this event should be read and I do not wish to decide upon it, since what is important here is to show each other mutual respect. We must learn to live together despite our differences. January 7th should not be an issue: on that day, millions of Cambodians came out of the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime. The problem is the fact that the Vietnamese troops extended their stay on our territory. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past!”
Facts, bare facts
Liberation or invasion? It is a simple question of interpretation, says Dy Khamboly, author of A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), published in 2007 by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam). In the book, he explains that he refused to decide on which stance to side with and carefully chose his words. “What is written is that the Vietnamese troops “entered” Cambodia on that day. It is neutral.”
Very often, he continues, “we notice that Cambodians experienced that day as the end of Pol Pot's regime, whereas those who lived abroad were more inclined to think that it marked the beginning of Vietnamese occupation”.
“Let us not make all things political! It is important to recount this period of history to the younger generations, but as being historical truth, and by sticking to facts!”, the historian reckons, adding that back then, few Cambodians knew that these events happened on the 7th of January, since they had lost all notion of time...
Also on Ka-set  - Multimedia slideshow about “Hatred Day”, organised on May 20th 2008 (20-05-2008)
- 30th anniversary of January 7th marked with celebrations sounding like praise to the CPP (07-01-2009)
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