Hun Sen led Vietnamese forces into Cambodia’s capital in 1979 to expel the murderous Khmer Rouge regime. (EPA Images pic)
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen today called for a new law to label anyone who attempts to topple his son’s government as “terrorists”, as the country marked the anniversary of the ousting of the Khmer Rouge.
The ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, installed a reign of terror in 1975 that left 2 million Cambodians dead from starvation, hard labour, torture and mass executions.
It ended on Jan 7, 1979, when Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge cadre, led Vietnamese forces into the capital to expel the murderous regime.
Former prime minister Hun Sen stepped down in 2023 and handed the leadership baton to his eldest son, Hun Manet.
At a ceremony to mark the 46th anniversary of the end of Khmer Rouge rule, Hun Sen hailed the day as Cambodia’s “second birthday” and told authorities to protect the country’s hard-won peace.
Sitting alongside his son, he called for a new law to define people who wanted to overthrow Hun Manet’s government as “terrorists”.
Hun Sen said the law would “define any person or group who plans or conspires to create an extremist movement, cause chaos and insecurity in society, provoke conflicts with other states and attempt to overthrow the legitimate government as terrorists who must be brought to justice”.
Hun Sen’s ruling party commemorates Jan 7 as “Victory Day”, marking the liberation of the country from the Khmer Rouge, but opposition activists and politicians describe it as the start of Vietnam’s decade-long occupation of Cambodia.
Rights groups have accused Hun Sen – who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades – of using the legal system to crush any opposition to his rule.
Scores of opposition politicians and activists were convicted and jailed during his time in power.
A UN-backed tribunal found two top Khmer Rouge leaders guilty of genocide in a landmark ruling in 2018.
Khmer Rouge regime chief Pol Pot, known as “Brother No 1”, never faced justice, dying in 1998 before the court was established.
