Happy ‘Victory Over the Genocidal Regime’ Day
Jan 7th, 2009 by Jinja
Today is a government/bank holiday which has an interesting history.
http://everydaysaholiday.org/2008/01/07/victory-over-the-genocidal-regime-day/
In 1979 Khmer and Vietnamese forces claimed victory in seizing back a large chunk of Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge. The following ten years saw a strong Vietnamese presence in Cambodia, and a protracted war against the Khmer Rouge and allied factions.
Some see January 7 as rather positive, others mark it as the beginning of a client-state dependency on Vietnam.
Above is the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship monument. Its chunky socialist realism style is so massive that it survived a dousing with gasoline and damage by protesters in 1998.
Despite a wide range of opinions, I haven’t seen anyone turn down a vacation day in protest.
Andy Brouwer notes a huge celebration at Olympic Stadium – broadcast early this morning. This evening, fireworks.
