Pol-Pot Interview with the Vietnamese Tran Thanh Xuan, 7/20/1976

Question: Could you give us some idea of the overall situation in Democratic Kampuchea since the complete
liberation of your country, and how you appraise it? Answer: As you know, we had many big problems in Kam
-puchea after liberation. Firstly, there was the problem of safeguarding the revolutionary gains, maintaining
security throughout the country and, in matters of national defence, preventing the US imperialists and their
lackeys from regaining power and undermining the revolutionary gains. Secondly, we had to take urgent
steps to supply the people with necessities. These are two post-war problems which we must try our hard
-est to solve. On the first problem, the US imperialists and their henchmen worked out a plan to counter the
Kampuchean revolution in every way after the complete liberation of Kampuchea. We have captured doc
-uments proving that they schemed to let the revolution succeed and then to seize power from the revolution
six months later. They planned to attack Phnom Penh and other places with military force, to sabotage our
economy and food supplies to cause difficulties for the people, and to incite them to rise up against the
revolution. But all these schemes and plans of the US imperialists and their henchmen have met with rep
-eated failures. So far, we have been able to preserve the revolutionary gains and maintain public order
and security throughout the whole country. So far, there have been no grave security problems, and the
situation remains very calm throughout the country. This is yet another setback for the US imperialists and
their servants. In other words, their schemes and plans to sabotage our revolution and our country have
been repelled step by step and are now completely crushed.

In our view, the ability of the US imperialists and their lackeys to come back, regain power, and destroy
our revolutionary gains is now much slimmer than before. Nonetheless, we must maintain high revolut
-ionary vigilance. The second problem is to ensure the people’s living standards after liberation. During
the five years of war, our national economy was heavily damaged. The means of production, especially
agricultural implements and draught animals, were largely destroyed. So too were our factories. This
situation posed serious problems and created a very difficult post-war environment. Moreover, we had
to take care of millions of people leaving Phnom Penh and other newly liberated towns for the countryside.
We had to solve this problem at all costs, and we have solved it. The dry season was drawing to a close
and the rainy season of 1975 was about to begin when we achieved the complete liberation of our country.
We had to overcome numerous obstacles to organize agricultural production, especially to complete the
cultivation of terrace fields in time. Farm work in Kampuchea could not begin until late May and early June,
and in spite of shortages in many areas—especially farm tools—thanks to the spirit of the people and the
revolutionary army, and their will to overcome all difficulties, we had solved this problem by the end of 1975.
When harvest time came, we obtained the necessary amount of food which, though not abundant, created
favourable conditions for us to start the 1976 plan. In 1976, the situation improved. We have made special
efforts to produce enough food for the people. As far as we can see, bright prospects lie before us this year.
With regard to the people’s living conditions—food, housing, and farming—the situation has improved
compared with 1975. However, we still have to strive much harder to meet the needs of the people.

In short, the overall situation is stable and progressing step by step. We firmly believe that, thanks to
this gradual improvement, we will make even greater progress in the days to come. Question: Could
you please tell us about the achievements recorded by the Kampuchean people in various fields since
complete liberation? Where will you direct your future efforts, and what are their prospects? Response:
We have made progress in all fields, but these are only initial and gradual steps. So far, we have ach
-ieved no major breakthroughs. The first result, which is also our primary concern, is the broad mass
movement working toward economic rehabilitation after many years of war devastation, as well as the
reorganization needed for the gradual reconstruction of the country. In terms of material achievements
—such as factories, grain output, and cultural activities—our performance has been modest. However,
we are very encouraged by the development of the revolutionary mass movement. In our view, if we
can generate a strong and dynamic mass movement, there will be bright prospects for economic reh
-abilitation and steady national construction. As revolutionaries, we firmly believe in the power of the
people’s movement. We have made practical progress in the following areas: Agriculture: Given the
specific conditions of our country, we regard agriculture as the foundation of our economy. Within
agriculture, we give top priority to ensuring adequate food supplies for the population, including rice,
maize, and other crops. Based on this approach, we have launched a movement to cultivate both
water paddy and hillside rice, aiming to secure food supplies and to exchange rice for raw materials
and other goods. This is why we have placed great emphasis on rice cultivation since 1975.

Due to the current lack of machinery, we rely on manual labor to dig ditches and canals for irrigation. We
plan to construct a system of ditches and canals across the plains to provide water for approximately one
and a half million hectares. So far, we have completed about one-third of this program. However, even
this 30 percent is not sufficient to ensure water supply under all conditions, and we still rely partly on irr
-igation canals with pumping stations. If we can build an effective network of rice field boundaries and
irrigation canals, we will be able to retain a significant portion of rainwater. At present, we are launching
a major effort in rice cultivation. While we cannot yet predict the results for this year, we are committed
to doing everything possible. Thus, although we have not yet achieved significant numerical results, a
vigorous agricultural movement is already underway. Many obstacles remain to be overcome. Rubber
Production: We have been working to restore plantations and resume rubber production for export. On
international markets, raw latex is not in demand; instead, buyers require processed rubber in the form
of crepe. At present, we lack sufficient rubber-processing factories. We have the workforce needed to tend
rubber trees and collect latex, but crepe-processing facilities are essential. During the five years of war, all
such factories were destroyed. Even in the colonial period, we had very few crepe factories. Although liquid
latex was exported, doing so required advanced transportation techniques by land and sea, which we have
not yet fully mastered. For this reason, building crepe-processing factories is a priority. We have already
restored several such facilities and plan to export 20,000 tons of crepe this year. This target is feasible, as
we have already achieved more than half of our planned output. Our current production methods combine
semi-rudimentary and handicraft techniques.

Industry: Regarding other industrial establishments, our efforts since 1975 have focused on repair and rest
-oration rather than new construction. Nearly all factories have now been restored, and most are back in
operation. Under the previous regime, factories depended heavily on foreign sources for raw materials. We
are now working step by step to address this issue, prioritizing factories that serve the basic needs of the
population and support agricultural production. Our approach is to consolidate and improve existing factories
rather than build new ones. Handicrafts and Daily Goods: At the same time, we are placing emphasis on
handicraft production and small-scale trades that serve everyday needs. These include the weaving of textiles,
towels, mosquito nets, and blankets, as well as the production of soy sauce and fish sauce. In Culture We
are especially concerned about the eradication of illiteracy. As for secondary and higher education, we are
not yet able to do much because our main concern at present is to ensure that within two or three years our
entire people can read, write, and calculate. In the past, although the old regime built many colleges and
universities, the rural population was left illiterate. That is why we regard the elimination of illiteracy as the
most important task. Today, in our country, children go to school, adults go to school, and old people also
go to school. They study full-time, day and night, and in between work hours as well. We also give attention
to technical schools. In Phnom Penh, as well as in other regions, areas, and provinces, we have built techn
-ical schools to train a contingent of technicians. By techniques, we mean applied techniques. We build
workshops for each branch where students learn while doing practical work. This is how we learn techniques.
We cannot wait until students have finished general education before sending them to technical schools,
because this does not suit the practical conditions of our country.

Generally speaking, the bulk of our people—our workers and peasants—still have a low cultural standard.
In particular, the majority of our peasants are illiterate. Therefore, we think that learning techniques while
improving general cultural standards at the same time, and combining theory with practice, can help pro-
mote the movement step by step. On Health and Social Affairs Our prime concern is to eradicate malaria. As
far as we know, more than 80 percent of our workforce was affected by malaria in the past. Often during
the busiest days of farm work, especially during harvests, when the wind blew, many people shivered
with malaria and could hardly work. We have built more hospitals and dispensaries and trained a sizeable
number of medical workers during and after the war. However, generally speaking, their standard is still
low. At present, all our cooperative farms already have their own dispensaries, but their medical knowledge
is still limited and medical supplies are still inadequate. We have been producing a good deal of traditional
medicines, but their efficiency is still low. We will continue to raise the quality of our medicines according
to scientific norms. We cannot yet import large quantities of medicines. However, we have made some
progress in the social and medical fields compared with the prewar period, as well as compared with
General Assessment In short, we have not yet achieved any noteworthy results except a revolut
-ionary movement of the masses. Through this movement, we have obtained some preliminary results
and made some progress compared with 1975. However, the needs and demands of the people remain
numerous and require us to make greater efforts. We emerged from the war with virtually only our bare
hands intact. That is why we had to make considerable efforts. But the results obtained since then are
only initial steps.

We believe that the situation will improve because we have an ardent revolutionary movement of the masses.
Our revolution relies on the people, and we believe that once such a movement has arisen among the people,
progress is certain. Our course of action is to strive in all fields, especially in agriculture, in the production of
rice and other essential food crops. We will strive to solve this problem as soon as possible. This is also the
way to strengthen and develop the revolutionary forces of the masses. After achieving success in ideological
and cultural education and in organization, we must also solve problems of the people’s daily life in order to
move the movement forward vigorously. On Relations with Viet Nam How do you value the fraternity, friendship,
and militant solidarity between the peoples of Kampuchea and Viet Nam? We consider that the friendship
and solidarity between the Kampuchean revolution and the Vietnamese revolution—between Kampuchea
and Viet Nam—is both a strategic question and a sacred bond. Only when this friendship and solidarity are
strong can the revolution in our two countries develop satisfactorily. There is no alternative. Proceeding from
these principles, we hold that both sides—and we personally—must strive to preserve this militant solidarity
and this comradeship-in-arms, strengthening and enhancing it with each passing day. Whatever obstacles
and difficulties may arise, we will continue to stand firmly on this position. For a long time, the revolution in
our two countries has been conducted in the fight against our common enemies, and in this process we have
built mutual understanding and revolutionary affection that has become ever stronger. Concerning the relation
-ship between the Vietnamese leaders and ourselves, it is marked by friendly sentiments and mutual under
-standing. Therefore, the friendship and solidarity between the revolutions and peoples of our two countries
not only stem from political reasons but are also built on very genuine and friendly sentiments. The exper
-iences of past decades show that it is thanks to this solidarity that we have defeated the imperialists and
their henchmen, particularly U.S. imperialism.

Therefore, we believe that in the future we must further strengthen and develop this friendship and solidarity.
We should make full use of this experience, no matter what obstacles may arise. We take this opportunity to
reaffirm that we are delighted with the successes recorded by the Vietnamese revolution and the Vietnamese
people under the leadership of the Viet Nam Workers’ Party, especially the recent success of the complete
reunification of Viet Nam. This is not only a historic event for the Vietnamese people but also a major world
event. On this occasion, we wish to extend, through you, Comrade Head Delegate, our warmest revolutionary
respect to all the other members of the delegation, as well as to the Vietnamese leaders and the Vietnamese
people, who are both our friends and brothers. We wish the Vietnamese people even greater success in their
noble revolutionary tasks. We also take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Viet Nam Workers’ Party
and the Vietnamese people—who are both our friends and brothers—for the constant support and assistance
they have given us. The Economic Situation in Ho Chi Minh City Two Years After Liberation “After two years
of continuous efforts, we can affirm that the situation has gradually been stabilized and that the way has
been cleared for further transformation,” Mr. Van Dai, Vice-Chairman of the People’s Committee and Chair
-man of the Planning Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, told our special correspondent. Question: What were
the economic tasks the people’s power had to assume as of April 30, 1975? Answer: With liberation, our city
entered a new stage in which the main task is to build a socialist city. This does not require the sacrifice of
human lives, as did armed struggle, but it does demand equally great efforts. This is a new struggle, full of
difficulties, obstacles, and snares.

The old regime left the economy in chaos. It was imperative and urgent that we begin stabilizing the
working people’s living conditions, transforming this consumer city into a productive one step by step,
finding productive occupations for the majority of the working population—who were then living on
commerce and non-productive trades—and gradually reducing unemployment. In short, we had to
ensure that the people did not consume more than they produced and that they did not live beyond
their means. First of all, a prerequisite: order and security were the sine qua non of economic stab
-ilization and development. From the outset, we concentrated on building revolutionary power. A new
administrative system has now been established, from the center to the districts, wards, and quarters,
and the people’s power has gradually been consolidated. The revolutionary power released almost
all soldiers and policemen of the old regime. In order to consolidate order and security, it proceeded
with the reeducation of those who had served in the pro-American army and political apparatus, in
view of the considerable roles they played in the war and their close ties with U.S. aggressors. Refr
-actory and counter-revolutionary elements who continued to sow disorder and carry out terrorist
activities and sabotage were punished. We did all we possibly could to enable those who recognized
the criminal character of their past actions to become honest citizens. Today, we can affirm that order
and security prevail in Ho Chi Minh City, and this is favorable for economic stabilization.