Pol-Pot Addresses the Genocide Accusations &
What the Future for Kampuchea Would Have Been
– Pol-Pot, 1978

Your Excellency, your Government has been accused of genocide.
What is your comment on these accusations?

A. In all past epochs, at present as well as in the future, the enemies of the revolution oppose resolutely the
revolution. The great leaders of the world revolutionary movement such as Lenin, and the great Revolution
of October have also been assailed, slandered, disparaged, attacked and accused by the international
enemies of the revolution, who have gone so far as to form a coalition in order to perpetrate barbarous
acts of invasion and aggression. However, the revolutionaries and the peoples the world over, who form
the overwhelming majority, are for the revolution. As for the revolution of Kampuchea, it has also been
cruelly and barbarously slandered, disparaged, attacked, interfered with and aggressed by all kinds of
enemies of the revolution. But the revolutionaries and the progressists in the world, in general, have supp
-orted the Kampuchean revolution and expressed their satisfaction and sympathy with it. The aggressors,
expansionists, slaughterers of the peoples the world over, whose victims number several tens of thousands
and millions, and who have massacred and are massacring the Kampuchean people, these are the colonialists,
neo-colonialists, imperialists and international expansionists. In deeds, the US imperialists and their lackeys
have massacred more than 1,400,000 people of Kampuchea just during the past 5-year war (1970-1975).
And the Vietnamese and their supporters are aggressing and annexing Democratic Kampuchea, aiming at
exterminating at the same time the people and the race of Kampuchea. Consequently, those who accuse
Kampuchea, these are enemies of the revolution, the imperialists, expansionists, annexationists and inter
-national reactionaries, who are united in order to overthrow the Kampuchean revolution and subjugate
Democratic Kampuchea. And those who support and express their sympathy with the Kampuchean people
are the innumerable revolutionaries and peace- and justice-loving progressists throughout the world.

The people are the fundamental and determinant factor of the victory of the revolution. The Kampuchean
revolution has won over the US imperialist aggressors during the past five-year war of aggression for the
whole people have participated in the war and made the revolution. At present, Kampuchea can be sufficient
in food and has crushed the interferences, subversions and aggressions of the enemies of all kinds, particularly
the Vietnamese aggressors, annexationists and swallowers of territories, for the whole people have
participated in the struggle and made the revolution.

Your Excellency, given the possibility of peaceful construction, how do
you think Kampuchea will look at the turn of the century? What kind of
society would Kampuchea then have become in twenty years time?

A. The Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea in May 1975 and the
Fourth Congress of the Communist Party of Kampuchea in January 1976 have defined a strategic
plan of building up the country, that is to transform Kampuchea from a backward agricultural country
into a country with a modern agriculture within 10 to 15 years and from an industrially under-developed
country into a country with all basic industries within 15 to 20 years (from 1977). We have all necessary
conditions to achieve the objectives of this plan by abiding by the position of independence and sov
-ereignty and thanks to the correct line of the Party, to our dynamic, industrious and creative people,
to the collectivist socialist society of Kampuchea, to the important natural agricultural wealth and other
natural resources, on the ground, underground and in the sea. The experiences of the revolutionary
movement in building up the country during these more than 3 years have also clearly shown the poss
-ibilities of achieving our strategic plan for national construction. We would like to build up our country
in favorable conditions and in peace. We do our utmost to create these favorable conditions and peace.
But the enemies of all kinds, particularly the Vietnamese aggressors, annexationists and swallowers
of territories and their supporters have made so that we cannot have peace. They have mobilized
their efforts to carry on their aggression and attempts at annexing and swallowing our territory. Our
position is to have a peace in full independence and sovereignty and not a peace in slavery, in losing
the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our people will do their utmost to build up their
country in conformity with this strategic plan in all circumstances and eventualities whatever.