Source: FN
Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly reacted to the statement of H.E. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore, dated 31 May 2019, expressing his condolences on the passing of General Prem Tinsulanonda.
Lee said “His [General Prem] time as PM coincided with the ASEAN members (then five of us) coming together to oppose Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia and the Cambodian government that replaced the Khmer Rouge…”
The kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday, considered Lee’s statement reflects Singapore’s position then in support of the genocidal regime and the wish for its return to Cambodia.
“Singapore was the host of the tripartite meeting that led to the formation of the coalition government of the Democratic Kampuchea, which had prolonged the war and the suffering of Cambodian people for another 10 years. It is an act against the survival of the Cambodian people,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The statement is also an insult to the sacrifice of the Vietnamese military volunteers who helped to liberate Cambodia from the genocidal regime,” the ministry added.
On 6 June, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen asked whether H.E. Lee Hsien Loong consider the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders legitimate?”
A Vietnamese spokesperson said Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loongs statement over Vietnams position in the Khmer Rouge fight did not recall history right.
Le Thi Thu Hang, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Vietnam “regrets” that the statement did not reflect history objectively, causing negative public opinion, local media reported.
She said Vietnams contribution and sacrifice in helping Cambodian people end Khmer Rouge genocide is true and widely recognized.
The U.N.-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia found two leaders of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge guilty of genocide on November 16 last year, almost four decades after the regime which oversaw the “Killing Fields” was overthrown. As a responsible member of ASEAN, Vietnam will continue working with other members to build a strong and solid community that plays central roles in the region, Hang said on Tuesday.