Kien Giang(VNA) – A ceremony was held in southern Kien Giang province on December 24 tomark the 40th anniversary of the Ta Lon landing-by-sea campaign – a milestonein the victory against the Pol Pot genocidal regime in Cambodia.

After the resistance war against the US imperialistssucceeded in 1975, the three Indochinese countries entered a new revolutionaryperiod. 

However, in Cambodia, the Pol Pot regime incitedhostility inside the country and towards Vietnam and carried out a brutalgenocidal policy. From 1975 to 1978, they imprisoned and killed millions ofinnocent civilians and thousands of revolutionists, attacked Phu Quoc and ThoChu islands of Vietnam, repeatedly infiltrated Vietnam’s border, and triggeredarmed conflicts with Vietnam.

In response to the call for internationalassistance from the United Front for National Salvation, people andrevolutionary forces of Cambodia, in December 1978, the Politburo and theCentral Military Commission of Vietnam decided to launch a general offensive tohelp free Cambodia from the genocidal regime.

The Ministry of National Defence assigned the VietnamPeople’s Navy to act as the core of the Ta Lon landing-by-sea campaign to seizethe Kampong Som Port and Ream military port, eliminate Navy Division 164 andBorder Guard Regiment 17 of the Pol Pot regime, and destroy its southerndefensive line.

The campaign began at 22:00 on January 6, 1979.Vietnamese forces attacked and occupied the beach at the foot of Ta LonMountain, also known as Bokor Mountain in Kampot province of Cambodia.

After five days of fierce fighting on both seaand land, the Navy Service of Vietnam eliminated the Pol Pot regime’s Navy Division164 and Border Guard Regiment 17, and liberated Kampong Som town and the Reammilitary port that is located in the coastal southeastern gateway of Cambodia.

The Ta Lon campaign was the first successfullanding-by-sea campaign of the Vietnam People’s Navy. It created chances forVietnamese forces to move on to the next stage to liberate over 3,000sq.km. ofland from Kampong Som to Koh Kong and the sea and island area of Cambodia,thereby contributing to the triumph of the struggle to completely eradiate thePol Pot administration and protect Vietnam’s south-western border.

At the ceremony held in An Thoi town of Phu Quocisland district, Vice Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy,said the success of the Ta Lon campaign was significant to the fight. It was ademonstration of the Vietnamese Party and State’s viewpoint of “helping thefriend means helping ourselves” and the disinterested international solidaritypolicy. It also affirmed the time-honoured friendship between the two nations.

The campaign also reflected the politicalfirmness, resolve, bravery and creativity of Vietnam’s naval soldiers, headded.

Also on December 24, the High Command of theNaval Region 5 held another ceremony in the sea off the coast of An Thoi townto offer incense and float wreaths to commemorate soldiers who laid down theirlives during the campaign.-VNA