Jan Myrdal Interviews Pol-Pot, 1978

First question: Your Excellency, what do you consider to be the main achievements during the three and a
half years of Democratic Kampuchea? Answer: During these past 3 years and a half, the prominent result
achieved by Democratic Kampuchea is that Democratic Kampuchea has successively smashed the schemes
and activities of interferences, subversions, attempts at coups d’état and aggressions perpetrated by the
enemies of all kinds, especially the Vietnamese enemy aggressors, annexationists and swallowers of terr-
itories.The monolithic union of the people and the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea under the leadership
of the Communist Party of Kampuchea has successively crushed all attempts at coups d’état and large-scale
aggressions perpetrated since the end of 1977 by Vietnam which aimed at taking possession of Democratic
Kampuchea at once, so that Kampuchea and her people would become Vietnamese. That is a grand victory
of far-reaching and historic significance won by the people of Democratic Kampuchea in defending the ind-
ependence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country, their national honour and dignity and their
race.Indeed, the Vietnamese are not only as barbarous and cruel as the colonialists, neo-colonialists or
imperialists, but they are even a thousand times more than the latter. In conformity with its strategy of “Indo
-china Federation”, Vietnam wants to take possession of the territory and people of Kampuchea at once
so that they become Vietnamese, that is to eliminate the race of Kampuchea. The other prominent results
are as follows: In the economic and financial fields, Democratic Kampuchea is independent and sovereign
and can entirely supply herself. On one hand, Democratic Kampuchea has completely abolished the exploiting
and oppressive economic and financial regime of imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism and all exploiting
classes. On the other hand, the Kampuchean people have built up a new economy in full independence,
sovereignty and self-reliance and have totally solved the food problem.

Everyone receives on average 312 kilograms of paddy per year and there is a surplus for exportation. Agri-
culture has now a strong foundation thanks to small, medium and big hydraulic projects that our people have
achieved and are carrying out everywhere in the country in conformity with well-defined annual plans. In
1978, almost 700,000 hectares of lands have already been irrigated. A new agriculture was born and is in
full development. The landscape of the new countryside is changing from year to year. The cottage industry,
industry, technics and sciences, having a people’s mass characteristic, have begun to progressively take
a new shape in conformity with the principle of being independent, sovereign and self-reliant and in relying
fundamentally on the people’s forces. The conditions of living of the people have also greatly changed in all
fields. On one hand, the people have totally eliminated depravity, debauchery, delation, banditry, prostitution,
starvation and toxicomania. A new and sound atmosphere has been created in conformity with the genuine
traditions of the nation and people, without exploited and exploiting classes. On the other hand, the whole
people have eaten their fill, have clothes and housing. Everywhere, they profit by medical care and have at
their disposal doctors and medical centers, especially in each cooperative. More than 90 per cent of the pop
-ulation know how to read and write. Illiteracy has been fundamentally eliminated. The whole people are
developing their knowledge. We are perfectly aware that we have to overcome all kinds of obstacles, to
carry on solving many other problems in order to defend and build up our country, and to improve the living
conditions of the people. But we are also perfectly aware that all the results achieved during these past
three years and a half are important results of far-reaching significance in the history of our country, and
which have never been achieved since many centuries.

Second question: Your Excellency, your Government has been accused of genocide. What is your comment
on these accusations? Answer: In all past epochs, at present as well as in the future, the enemies of the rev
-olution 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 supported the Kampuchean revolution and expressed their satisfaction and sympathy with it. The aggre
-ssors, expansionists, slaughterers of the peoples the world over, whose victims number several tens of thou
-sands 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
international 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 rev
-olution 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. Third question: Your Excellency, there is in fact war on the frontier
between Democratic Kampuchea and Vietnam. What is the cause of this war and how does it affect Demo-
cratic Kampuchea? Answer: The cause of the present war between Kampuchea and Vietnam is as follows:
On one hand, in conformity with its strategy of “Indochina Federation”, Vietnam wants to annex and swallow
at once Kampuchea and the Kampuchean people, to make them disappear and form then with Vietnam only
one Vietnamese country and people. Following this strategy, the Vietnamese have carried out all kinds of
manoeuvres, interferences and subversions, fomented successive coups d’état aiming at overthrowing by
force the Kampuchean revolution and Democratic Kampuchea, making Democratic Kampuchea their satellite
and definitively disappear and transform her into an integral part of Vietnam. Since they could not achieve
their ambition through these manoeuvres and activities, the Vietnamese and their masters have then mobil
-ized a great number of their armed forces, up to 14 divisions, to launch attacks of invasion against Kampuchea
at the end of 1977 aiming at destroying and swallowing her at one go, following their strategy of “lightning
attack, lightning victory”.

But the heroic Kampuchean people, endowed with an ardent patriotism and rich in traditions of struggle to
win the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country, who have inflicted on the US imp
-erialist aggressors the heavy and ignominious defeat of April 17, 1975, in any case, whether during this
present generation or the generations to come, will never allow the Vietnamese to aggress, annex and
swallow the Kampuchean territory. The people and the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea have counter-
attacked the Vietnamese enemy aggressors, inflicted on them ignominious defeats, totally crushed their
strategy of aggression “lightning attack, lightning victory”, and driven them into a strategy of protracted
struggle in which they are splashing hopelessly. Therefore, on one hand, the present war between Kam-
puchea and Vietnam is a war provoked by the Vietnamese who have aggressed and tried to annex and
swallow the Kampuchean territory, aiming at destroying the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Kampuchea. On the other hand, the Kampuchean people have struggled to defend and hold aloft the
banner of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country against the Vietnamese aggre
-ssors, annexationists and swallowers of territories. By their aggression, the Vietnamese have indeed
caused some difficulties to the Kampuchean people. But the favorable aspect for Kampuchea is that she
has succeeded in defending her territory and defeating the Vietnamese. The Kampuchean people have
further discerned the nature of the Vietnamese aggressors, annexationists and swallowers of territories
and the peoples the world over have been further aware of the face of the Vietnamese aggressors and
annexationists. All these facts have proved that the Vietnamese have faced numerous and great difficulties
in all fields, military, political, economical, social, diplomatic, both at home and abroad.

Fourth question: Your Excellency, what are, according to your Government, the preconditions for a peaceful
settlement of this conflict? Answer: Democratic Kampuchea does not impose any condition at all in order to
solve this conflict. It is Vietnam — aggressor, annexationist and swallower of territories, behaving like Hitler
— that has imposed conditions to Democratic Kampuchea. Hitler had threatened and aggressed the countries
of East Europe and exerted pressure so that they entered into negotiations with him, accepted to comply with
him and let him take possession of their territories. Vietnam has acted in the same manner. It has openly
aggressed Kampuchea in the barbarous, cruel and fascist way and after it has said that “Democratic Kam
-puchea has to negotiate with Vietnam”. These are conditions. On one hand, Vietnam wants to force Kam
-puchea to kneel down and accept to be subjugated by it, and on the other hand, Vietnam wants to mislead
the public world opinion on its true nature of aggressor, annexationist and swallower of territories. Democratic
Kampuchea and her people think that if Vietnam immediately stops its aggression against them, then the war
would automatically cease. If Vietnam really respects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Kampuchea through concrete acts and in conformity with the principles of non-alignment, Pancha Sila,
United Nations Charter, then the friendship between the two countries and peoples, Kampuchea and Vietnam,
would be automatically established, surely developed and strengthened. In June 1975, during the visit of the
high-ranking delegation of the Communist Party of Kampuchea in Hanoi, the Kampuchean side has officially
proposed to the Vietnamese side to conclude a friendship and non-aggression treaty between Kampuchea and
Vietnam. But the Vietnamese side did not respond to this goodwill of Kampuchea. In spite of this, if now Viet
-nam ceases its aggression against Kampuchea and accepts to really respect the independence, sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Kampuchea through concrete acts, the Government of Democratic Kampuchea
would propose once again to conclude a friendship and non-aggression treaty with Vietnam.

The top leaders of Kampuchea would then put their signatures on this treaty either in Phnom Penh or in
Hanoi, if Vietnam has shown that it really wants to have friendship with the Kampuchean people. Fifth
question: 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? Answer: 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-dev
-eloped 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 sovereignty 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 rev-
olutionary movement in building up the country during these more than 3 years have also clearly shown
the possibilities 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.