The Khmer Rouge Army afterwards...

Invasion of Phnom Penh:

During the mid-1975, there were many border disputes between Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge. In 1977, Vietnam wanted a negotiation to settle the dispute, but the Khmer Rouge said no. In December 25, 1978, Vietnam finally launched a full-scale invasion of the Khmer Rouge, which resulted in little resistance, and Phnom Penh falling on January 7, 1979. Three days after the falling of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s official name became the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). Vietnamese President Heng Samrin came to be the new ruling body. Even though the Khmer Rouge was defeated, there was still a lot of Khmer Rouge guerilla resistance in the western and northwestern border areas of Cambodia.

December of 1979 was a big month because that was when the PFLANK changed its name to the National Army of Democratic Kampuchea (NADK). December was also when Khieu Samphan was announced as replacing Pol Pot as the prime minister, but that did not affect Pol Pot’s position in the Kampuchea Communist Party (KCP) or his power in the NADK. During the same year, the Patriotic and Democratic Front of the Great National Union of Kampuchea (PDFGNUK) was formed. The Khmer Rouge was actually governed under this group in 1987, but later took over them over.

Efforts to Recapture Power :

Besides the Khmer Rouge, there were two other strong resistance groups against Heng Samrin and the Vietnamese being in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was later united with these two groups, with the Khmer Rouge being the strongest. This decision to combine forces, was suggested by the Chinese, who aided the Khmer Rouge with materials and military arms. On June of 1982, the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK) was formed. The three partners: the Khmer Rouge, Prince Sihanouk, and Son Sann (Prince Sihanouk’s former assistant), shared equal powers when at the same time, they all had a certain degree of freedom. There were still official positions: Sihanouk was the president, Khieu Samphan was the vice president responsible for foreign affairs, and Son Sann was the prime minister.

The CGDK had close relationships with ambassadorial level people from China, Bangladesh, Egypt, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, and Yugoslavia. The United Nations also supported the CGDK purpose: opposing the Vietnamese’s presence in Cambodia. For that reason, the Khmer Rouge, also named the Democratic Kampuchea, became recognized as the legal representative of Cambodia in General Assembly even though it was not meeting statehood criteria: people, government, territory, and supreme authority within borders.

Source: Seekins, Donald M., Robert K. Headley, Jr., Rinn-Sup Shinn, and Frank Tatu. Cambodia a Country Study. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990.

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