Deputy Parliament Speaker Vong Soth Inspects Site for Anti-Pol Pot Resistance Monument

Deputy Parliament Speaker Vong Soth, a permanent member of the Cambodian People's Party's Central Committee, has inspected the proposed site for a monument commemorating the resistance movement against the Pol Pot regime. The inspection aimed to conduct a practical study for the monument's construction. Participants in the meeting and activities included His Excellency Dr. Sim Ka, Royal Counselor and a figure who joined the resistance movement against the genocidal regime; His Excellency Sar Sokha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; His Excellency General Lieutenant General Sar Thet; and numerous former resistance fighters. The monument will be built on a 120-hectare plot of land located in Krabao Commune, Kanchaymar District, Prey Veng Province, near the former resistance area of Prey Ta Tuk (currently a rubber plantation owned by residents). This area stretches from Krabao Commune in Prey Veng Province to Kok Commune in Ponhea Krek District, Tboung Khmum Province. The monument is intended to honor the noble contributions and brave heroism of former cadres, soldiers, and the people of the Eastern Region who fought against the Pol Pot regime from May 1978 to January 1979. The events of May 1978 marked a significant historical turning point when the people rose up to fight the genocidal regime after it launched a campaign of purges and mass killings against cadres in the Eastern Region. By the end of May 1978, approximately 20,000 cadres, soldiers, and citizens, filled with anger and pain, fled into the Prey Ta Tuk forest area to escape the killings and bravely rose up to resist the genocidal Pol Pot regime. The resistance movement that emerged in the Prey Ta Tuk area was organized, with Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin as president and Samdech Akka Moha Thammapotisal Chea Sim as vice-president, along with several other members. This resistance movement became a crucial force that, alongside the resistance forces of Samdech Techo Hun Sen and other regional resistance forces, formed the "December 2 Movement" which led to the overthrow of the Pol Pot regime on January 7, 1979, with the support of the Vietnamese Volunteer Army. The Prey Ta Tuk resistance area is referred to by the monument construction committee as "Area 578," signifying the May 1978 event, the starting point of the people's uprising in the Eastern Region to fight against the genocidal Pol Pot regime. It is noteworthy that His Excellency Vong Soth was appointed by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Paditecho Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian People's Party and President of the Senate, as the chairman of the committee responsible for compiling documents and constructing the monument for the resistance movement against the Pol Pot regime between May 1978 and January 1979 in the Eastern Region, Prey Ta Tuk (Committee 578). Committee 578 includes four sub-committees responsible for history, construction, environment, and culture, to ensure the monument's construction is comprehensively successful, inclusive, and sustainable. This monument will not only serve as a cultural asset showcasing historical evidence and honoring the contributions of fallen heroes and cadres but also transform the area into an attractive ecotourism center. According to His Excellency Vong Soth, he expects Committee 578 to complete the study of the monument's construction blueprint and other related structures, allowing for the groundbreaking ceremony to be held in early 2027.