Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said on June 6 that Singaporean leader’s comment on “Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia” is against the revival of the Cambodian people.

The ministry’s spokesperson expressed regret for Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Facebook post on May 31, saying that the remarks show that Singapore supports the genocidal regime and wants the genocidal regime to return to Cambodia. 

Singapore was the host of the tripartite meeting that led to the formation of the coalition government of the Democratic Cambodia, which had prolonged the war and the suffering of Cambodian people for another 10 years. It was an act against the survival of the Cambodian people, he said. 

The spokesperson said the statement is also an insult to the sacrifice of the Vietnamese military volunteers who helped liberate Cambodia from the genocidal regime. 

Earlier on June 4, Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said Vietnam regrets that some contents in the remarks of PM Lee at the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue and on his Facebook page did not objectively reflect the historical truth, causing negative impact on public opinions. 

The contribution and sacrifice by Vietnam in the joint efforts with Cambodian people to end the Khmer Rouge genocide regime have been widely recognised, Hang said.

On November 16, 2018, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) issued a verdict on the crime against humanity committed by the Khmer Rouge.

The ruling reflected objectively the historical truth, enforcing justice and making fair restitution to the victims, which was welcomed by the international community and the United Nations.