AS the people of Cambodia observed the National Day of Remembrance on May 20 to honour the hardships endured under the Khmer Rouge regime, Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the protection of the present peace that prevents its return.
In a May 20 social media post, Hun Sen noted that the day was an opportunity for all Cambodians to reflect on the dark period of Democratic Kampuchea, which lasted from April 17, 1975 to January 7, 1979.
“On this day, we mourn for the souls of the more than three million innocent victims of the genocidal Pol Pot,” he said.
“In order to ensure the cruel regime never returns, we all play our part in protecting the peace, because it provides us with the opportunity to bring prosperity to our families, our society and the nation,” he added.
All state institutions marked the National Day of Remembrance to remember the souls of those who died during the “darkest three years, eight months and 20 days” of the Kingdom’s long history.
In Phnom Penh, the Central Committee of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party invited 180 monks to pray for the souls of the victims at the Choeung Ek Genocide Centre in Dangkor district’s Choeung Ek commune.
The event was presided by governor Khuong Sreng and attended by about 6,000 members of the Central Committee, civil servants and members of the public.
The event also staged re-enactments of scenes that took place in the Choeung Ek killing fields, with actors playing the roles of Khmer Rouge soldiers who perpetrated a genocide on their own people. — The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
