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Tuesday, June 1, 2021

កម្ពុជា 1985-1989

1985-1989 Chronology Of Cambodian History

Jan. 3, 1985 Vietnam's ambassador to the UN said his country intended to conduct war against Cambodian resistance year-round, not just in the dry season as in the past years.
Jan. 6, 1985 Vietnamese forces captured the Khmer Rouge's camps of Nam Yun and Chong Bok.
Jan. 7-8, 1985 KPNLF headquarters captured. A 4000-strong Vietnamese force backed by tanks and artilleries began their attack on Jan. 7 and overran Ampil camp, the following day forcing 4000-5000 of its defenders to flee into Thailand.
Jan. 9, 1985 US issue a Directive 158 concerning its policy toward Southeast Asia (The Kampuchea Problem).
Jan. 10, 1985 Thailand and Vietnam agreed to establish a demilitarized zone along part of Cambodia-Thai border to avoid further clashes between the two forces. Vietnamese forces occupying Cambodia frequently cross into Thailand in pursuit of Cambodian rebels.
Jan. 11, 1985 After losing a series of bases along Cambodia-Thai border, Son Sann, leader of KPNLF, said at a news conference that his forces would turn to hit-and-run guerrilla tactics against the Vietnamese because they were not strong enough to fight a conventional war.
Jan. 14, 1985 The 8th PRK National Assembly end its 4-days session in Phnom Penh. Hun Sen is formally elected prime minister.
Jan. 21, 1985 Soviet Party delegation led by Ivan Kovalenko, deputy head of International Department of USSR Party Central Committee, left Phnom Penh after 7-days visit. The delegation met with Premier Hun Sen and Yos Por, head of PRK-USSR Friendship Association.
Jan. 23, 1985 China warned that it would teach Vietnam a "second lesson" if it continue the fighting in Cambodia. Speaking at a news conference in Bangkok, Chinese FM Wu Xuequian said China would not stand by and permits Vietnam to continue provoking Thailand.
Jan. 31, 1985 PRK and French Red Cross associations signed a cooperation agreement on restoration of Anti-tuberculosis Institute, in which the French would help construct a new 90-bed building for the institute and send laboratory equipment and medical workers.
Feb. 3, 1985 CGDK held its fifth cabinet meeting under chairmanship of Prince Sihanouk with Son Sann and Khieu Samphan also participated. The meeting was held at the Khmer Rouge’s stronghold of Phnom Malai.
Feb. 6, 1985 Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand asked the Soviet Union to stop supporting Vietnamese forces occupying Cambodia.
Feb. 9, 1985 Prince Sihanouk received the credentials of ambassadors from Senegal, North Korea, Bangladesh and Mauritania in Phnom Malai.
Feb. 11, 1985 ASEAN foreign ministers, meeting in Bangkok, appealed to international community for military aid for the Cambodian resistance. It was the first time that the organization had collectively appeal for such aid for all three resistances groups in the CGDK. Prince Sihanouk disclosed that the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had assured him China would invade Vietnam if the CGDK face military defeat.
Feb. 12-15, 1985 Vietnamese force captured a series of Khmer Rouge bases along Cambodia-Thai border in a large Vietnamese offensive to push out rebels off Cambodia territory. The base at Phnom Malai was seized on Feb. 12, Khao Din on Feb. 14 and Phum Thmei, which had served as the capital for the coalition government, the following day.
Feb. 19, 1985 Thailand filed a protest with the UN accuse Vietnam of using poison gas against Cambodian resistance forces and charged that four rockets containing phosgene gas and hydrogen cyanide had landed on Thai territory.
Feb. 26, 1985 Prince Sihanouk proposed an international conference on Cambodia, which he hoped would lead to the eventual formation of a democratic government of national conciliation. The Prince made his propose while he was in Australia for talks with Australian FM Bill Hayden.
March 5, 1985 Vietnamese forces launched an offensive against the last major resistance base, Tatum that was headquarters of guerrillas loyal to Prince Sihanouk, and captured it a week later. By capturing Tatum, Vietnamese forces occupying Cambodia completed their sweeping of Cambodian resistance bases along the border with Thailand.
March 6, 1985 China rejected Prince Sihanouk's proposal for an international conference on Cambodia without precondition, and reiterated its position that Vietnam must withdraw from Cambodia before any talks could be held.
March 8, 1985 Vietnam agreed to an international conference on Cambodia, which was proposed by Prince Sihanouk on Feb. 26, but on condition that the Khmer Rouge must be excluded.
March 9, 1985 Phnom Penh news agency SPK announced the reshuffling of cabinet: Finance Minister Chan Phin was named to serve concurrently as minister for local and foreign trade, while the departing Minister Tang Saroem would head the Ministry for Economic and Cultural Cooperation with Foreign Countries; Ma Sabun was named to head the Ministry for Social Action and Invalids; Deputy Defense Minister Tea Banh became minister of Communications, Transport and Posts, replacing Khun Chhy who was named designate minister attached to the offices of the Council of Ministers.
March 12, 1985 Chinese President Li Xiannian, on his visit to Thailand, pledged to continue support for the CGDK in struggling against the Vietnamese's occupation of Cambodia.
PRK PM Hun Sen outlines six requirement for Kampuchean settlement: (1) Elimination of Pol Pot forces by political and military fields; (2) withdrawal of Vietnamese troops after Pol Pot is eliminated; (3) free and supervised elections can be held immediately if certain individuals and groups join PRK against Pol Pot gang; (4) creation of peaceful coexistence and stability among SE Asian countries with different social and political regimes; (5) cessation of all interference by countries outside the region; and (6) creation of international guarantees and supervision of above agreements.
March 20, 1985 The U.S. House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asian and Pacific affairs voted to provide aid to two non-communist Cambodian rebels led by Prince Sihanouk and former PM Son Sann. The fund of $5 million, which channel through Thailand, could be used for military purchases.
March 28, 1985 PRK Ministry of Defense and Vietnam announced a partial withdrawal of some of 15,000 Vietnamese troops from Kampuchea beginning early April.
April 3, 1985 CGDK announced in Bangkok it had decided to form a joint permanent body to improve coordination among the three resistance groups.
April 23, 1985 PRK announced a bounty program for defectors from the resistance groups. The payment for individual was 200-1000 Riels, documents 500-1000 Riels, weapons 200-1000 Riels. Prince Sihanouk, who was in Pyongyang, said he had decided to resign as president of the CGDK, citing poor health.
April 24, 1985 The UN special envoy in charge of coordination humanitarian aid to Kampuchea departed Phnom Penh after 6-days visit to assess the country food situation.
May 2, 1985 Japan appointed Shintaro Yamashita, official in the Japanese embassy to Bangkok, as charge d’affairs ad interim for CGDK. Cambodian resistance had urged Japan to name an ambassador to its government.
May 6, 1985 PRK delegation led by Bou Thang departed Phnom Penh for Moscow to attend the 40th anniversary of the defeat of Germany in World War II. The day was also celebrated in Phnom Penh.
May 15, 1985 US Sen. Murkowski introduces S.AMDT.123; Sen. Dole introduces S.AMDT.143
May 19, 1985A USSR military delegation headed by Lt. Gen. V.S. Nechayev arrived in Phnom Penh for a visit.
May 21, 1985 Sierra Leone granted diplomatic recognition to the CGDK.
May 30, 1985 UN Economic and Social Council passed a draft resolution on violation of human rights in Kampuchea and other countries. Vietnam UN Ambassador Le Kim Chung denounced the vote as a gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country.
June 1, 1985 A Vietnam Party-State delegation headed by Truong Chinh arrived in Phnom Penh for a 5-days goodwill visit.
June 27, 1985 A CGDK official, Gen. Dien Del, announced plan for the creation of a single command for the ANS and KPNLAF, which had a combined force of about 25,000.
July 1, 1985 The second annual Indochina Planning Conference opened in Phnom Penh to work out a Five Year Plan (1986-90). Kampuchea represented by Chea Soth, Vietnam by Vo Van Kiet and Laos by Sali Vongkhamsao.
July 3, 1985 Prince Sihanouk, in Beijing, expressed strong support for the Thai’s proposal of indirect talks to settle Kampuchea problem. He said the proposal was similar to the formula used with the Viet Minh at the 1954 Geneva Conference.
July 8, 1985 ASEAN, at its 18th ministerial meeting in Kuala Lumpur, issued a joint statement reaffirm its 4-pionts position for settling Kampuchea problem: (1) withdrawal of foreign forces from Kampuchea; (2) establish a UN supervisor and control commission; (3) national reconciliation base on self-determination; and (4) UN supervised elections. U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz met with top CGDK leaders in Bangkok and condemned Vietnamese occupation of Kampuchea. Present at the meeting were Prince Ranariddh, representing Prince Sihanouk; Gen. Sak Sutsakhan, KPNLAF Commander-in-Chief; and Dr. Abdul Gaffar, a senior KPNLF official.
July 9, 1985 The U.S. House of Representatives, in vote of 288-122, approved amendment authorizing $10 millionfor FY 1986 and 1987 for military and economic aid to the non-communist resistance in Kampuchea.
July 12-13, 1985 Japan proposed peace for Cambodia. At a ministerial meeting of ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia, Japanese FM Shintaro Abe announced his country's three-point peace plan for Cambodia: 1-Japan would support peacekeeping forces in the area after a phased Vietnamese withdrawal. 2-Democratic nations would dispatch personnel to supervise elections in an independent Cambodia. 3-Japan would provide economic cooperation and technical assistance for reconstruction in the Indochinese countries.
July 18, 1985 CGDK official Ieng Thirith and delegation arrived in Nairobi to attend Conference on UN Decade for Women. PRK FM Hun Sen sent message to UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar protesting the presence of CGDK delegation. Vietnam Ambassador to Thailand Tran Quan Co dismissed idea of a direct of indirect meeting between Vietnamese and Prince Sihanouk.
Aug. 1, 1985 Malaysian Deputy FM abdul Kadir Shiekh said the Soviet Union ruled out any direct role for itself in settlement of the Kampuchean problem.
Aug. 3, 1985 Prince Ranariddh told journalists he had just spent four days in the resistance held area and was encouraged by the spirit even though medical and other services in the pro-Sihanouk villages were very poor.
Aug. 16, 1985 The 11th Indochinese Foreign Ministers Conference ended its 2-days session in Phnom Penh. On Kampuchea issue, the ministers said they find acceptable to the idea of Hanoi and Jakarta acting as respective “interlocutors” to get negotiations started.
Aug. 20, 1985 Prince Sihanouk said he would not meet with Heng Samrin or anyone from the PRK to discuss peace in Kampuchea, and Son Sann also rejected face-to-face talks with Hun Sen. Both said they must deal with the Vietnamese if a meaningful political settlement was to be reached.
Aug. 24, 1985 Gen. Sak Sutsakhan, KPNLAF Commander-in-Chief, was named commander-in-chief of the newly formed Joint Military Command with Gen. Teap Ben of the National Sihanoukist Army (NSA), as his deputy. Gen. Toan Chay (NSA) was named JMC Chief of Staff with Dr. Abdul Gaffar (KPNLF) as his deputy. Khmer Rouge issued an announcement saying, (1) National Army of Democratic Kampuchea High Military Committee was abolished; (2) Defense chief Son Sen had been named chairman of the High Command of the NADK; and (3) Pol Pot had retired from his military duties, and he was taking a position of Chairman of the High Institute for National Defense, a research and development organ.
Aug. 28, 1985 Prince Sihanouk chaired the CGDK Council of Ministers meeting in Kampuchea; and received the credentials of new envoys from China and Bangladesh.
Sept. 23, 1985 PRK Council of State decreed compulsory military service in Kampuchea. Five years of service was required for all males between 18 and 30 years of age.
Oct. 5, 1985 PRK launched an ambitious effort to expand and develop the Kampuchean People’s Army, political commissar Cheang Am told an interviewer. The officer corps would be drawn from the remaining Issarak army.
Oct. 10, 1985 Phnom Penh’s new shopping center (former central market) officially opened, offering food, art objects, household articles, and other consumer goods.
Oct. 13, 1985 The fifth congress of the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP) was held in Phnom Penh with 250 delegates representing 7,500 Party members in 22 regional branches, and also representatives and observers from about 15 socialist countries and foreign communist parties. Heng Samrin was re-elected as party general secretary.
Oct. 17, 1985 PRACHEACHON, KPRP official newspaper, began its publication in Phnom Penh, editing by Mme. Som Kimsuor - a Party Central Committee member.
Oct. 18, 1985 Lon Nol, the former president of the Khmer Republic, died in a Fullerton, Calif., hospital at age 72. He had been in poor health since suffering a stroke in 1971.
Nov. 5, 1985 The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution A/RES/40/7, by vote of 114-21 with 16 abstentions, calling for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Cambodia.
Nov. 6, 1985 Vietnamese forces were reported move a large number of troops toward Thai-Kampuchean border in anticipation of the start of another dry season offensive against resistance forces.
Nov. 10, 1985 Italian PM Bettino Craxi assured Prince Sihanouk, on tour in Europe, that his government would continue to support the CGDK as the sole legal government of Kampuchea.
Nov. 15, 1985 PRK State Council named Tep Hen as new ambassador to Vietnam and Sok An as ambassador to India. CGDK VP Khieu Samphan, in an interview upon his return from UNGA meeting in New York, predicted heavy Vietnamese dry season offensive against resistance forces.
Dec. 7, 1985 CGDK top leaderships, Prince Sihanouk, Khieu Samphan and Son Sann, arrived in Beijing for a 4-days official consultations with Chinese officials, including Deng Xiaoping.
Dec. 27, 1985 Son Sann, CGDK prime minister and KPNLF president, said the factional dispute within the coalition government would be resolved very soon. Intensive maneuvering and political infighting within the resistance organization had embroiled for sometimes, with which much of it was blamed on Son Sann. PRK and Vietnam signed a “treaty on principles for settling border problems” between the two countries. NA Chairman Chea Sim signed for Kampuchea and FM Nguyen Co Thach for Vietnam.
Dec. 28, 1985 CGDK issued a statement denouncing the border treaty concluded by the PRK and Vietnam, saying the agreement in fact abolishes the border between Kampuchea and Vietnam and that it was signed by the PRK under duress.

1986 Chronology Of Cambodian History

Jan. 2, 1986 The Khmer Rouge radio reported Pol Pot as saying that he would withdraw from all military and political activities if Vietnamese troops were withdrawn from Kampuchea.
Jan. 13, 1986 U.S. authorized $3.5 million in non-lethal aid for two non-communist resistance forces, KPNLF and FUNCINPEC. PRK and USSR signed in Phnom Penh a protocol on economic aid and trade cooperation for 1986-90.
Jan. 29, 1986 CGDK ambassador to the UN Ngo Hac Team, in a new conference in Geneva, claimed that Vietnam had sent 700,000 of its citizen to settle in Kampuchea, and the newcomers were moving into the best areas of the country.
Feb. 3, 1986 Phnom Penh observed 56th anniversary of Indochinese Communist Party and 7th anniversary of Kampuchea-Vietnam Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation.
Feb. 21, 1986 PRK President Heng Samrin departed Phnom Penh for Moscow to attend the 27th CPSU Congress and meet with CPSU Gen. Sec. Mikhail Gorbachev.
March 5, 1986 CGDK Minister of Health Thiounn Thoeun issued a statement charging Vietnamese forces of employing chemical warfare in Kampuchea.
March 10, 1986 UN Human Rights Commission, at its 42nd session, adopted resolution calling for withdrawal of foreign forces from Kampuchea.
March 17-19, 1986 CGDK, at a conference in Beijing, on March 17 issued an eight-point peace proposal calling for: (1) CGDK and Vietnam negotiate two-phase withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Kampuchea; (2) cease-fire during the withdrawal; (3) withdrawal must be supervised by UN observers; (4) CGDK and PRK to set up a coalition government with Prince Sihanouk as President and Son Sann as prime minister, and full political rights being extended to all Kampucheans; (5) free elections under UN supervision; (6) Kampuchea’s sovereignty and neutrality to be guaranteed by UN for two-three years. Government to be neutral, non-aligned, with no foreign troops present; (7) reconstruction aid to be accepted from all nations; (8) Kampuchea and Vietnam to sign non-aggression, peaceful coexistence treaty. On March 19, Vietnam rejected the proposal calling it "unjust" and "hostile". March 18, 1986 PRK Council of State announced several high level reassignments and appointments: former Interior Minister Khang Sarin was appointed president of People’s Supreme Court; former Deputy Minister of Education Chan Min to be chief judge of PSC; Deputy Minister of Interior Ney Pena was promoted to Minister of Interior; First Deputy Minister of Finance Chhay Than was promoted to minister; Central Committee member Say Chhum became Minister of Agriculture; and former Agriculture Minister Kong Sam Ol to became cabinet member in charge of agriculture and rubber plantation.
April 7, 1986 Prince Sihanouk and Prince Monique left Beijing for Pyongyang. (FAB #3)
April 10, 1986 Prince Sihanouk met with North Korean President Kim Il Sung, who assured the Korea’s full support of the Prince’s 8 Point Peace Proposal. (FAB #3)
April 29, 1986 ASEAN ministers endorsed the peace plan proposed on March 17 by the CGDK, calling it a reasonable attempt to find a just and durable solution to the war in Cambodia.
July 1, 1986 Prince Sihanouk left Pyongyang for Beijing to begin his latest diplomatic rounds.
July 7, 1986 Indian charge d’affairs in Phnom Penh said his government had signed an agreement to help restore Angkor Wat, which would began in October.
July 10, 1986 The new DK ambassador to Pakistan, Chan Youran, presented his credentials to President Mohammed Ziaul Haq. PRK announced the death of Le Duan and declared a 5-days mourning. President Heng Samrin would lead a delegation to Duan’s funeral on July 13. In Beijing, Prince Sihanouk expressed condolences on Duan’s death but said it would not bring any change in Vietnam’s policy toward Kampuchea.
July 11, 1986 European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting CGDK 8-points peace proposal and condemned human rights violations in Kampuchea.
July 16, 1986 The Third Plenum of the fifth KPRP Central Committee Congress concluded its 7-days session in Phnom Penh.
July 22, 1986 ASEAN countries launched their annual campaign for UN support for their position on Kampuchea, with special delegations visited Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
July 24, 1986 CGDK Vice-President Khieu Samphan ended a 7-days visit to Zambia.
July 30, 1986 PRK Minister of Agriculture Kong Sam Ol made an urgent appeal for aid to alleviate food shortages cause by a 6-week long food A Nicaraguan delegation led by Henry Ruiz concluded a 2-days friendship visit to Phnom Penh. The delegation met with Heng Samrin and Say Phuthang. Aug. 2, 1986 Prince Sihanouk arrived in Singapore for meeting with FM Dhanabalan and other officials. Dhanabalan proposed additions to the CGDK 8-point proposal, in which all fighting forces must be disarmed and peacekeeping forces be stationed in Kampuchea after Vietnamese withdrawal.
Aug. 5, 1986 Prince Sihanouk said China supports plan to reduce Khmer Rouge forces to the size of ANS and KPNLF forces.
Aug. 8, 1986 Indonesia FM Mokhatar Kusumaatmaja endorsed Australia FM Bill Hayden’s proposal to put Pol Pot on trial.
Aug. 16, 1986 Prince Sihanouk addressed Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok, expressing pessimism on possibilities for a negotiated settlement or that next generation of Vietnamese leaders would be more reasonable about Kampuchea.\
Aug. 19, 1986 PRK National Assembly delegation led by Chairman Chea Sim arrived in Moscow for a friendship visit. Prince Sihanouk arrived in Jakarta for a 4-days visit. Aug. 27, 1986 Prince Sihanouk, in Bangkok, told news reporters Khmer Rouge earlier in the month attached an ANS-controlled village in Siem Reap province, killing 2 villagers, 2 ANS and 5 KPNLF soldiers and evacuated the entire village. The PRK Education Ministry concluded a 5-days conference at Kampuchean-Soviet Friendship Institute of Technology at which three documents were studied: vocational training in general education; ideology, politics and revolutionary ethics training; and education management at the provincial and municipal level. Sept. 6, 1986 Prince Sihanouk, Khieu Samphan and Son Sann arrived in Beijing for high level CGDK meeting. Sept. 17, 1986 Hun Sen sent message to UN reiterating his government opposition to CGDK 8-points proposal, calling for international trial of “Polpotists” and unseating the CGDK delegation. KUFNCD National Council issued directive on Phchum Ben and Kathen festivals, urging they be occasions to remember victims of Pol PotL
Sept. 26, 1986 Delegates from news agencies in 14 socialist countries arrived in Phnom Penh on tour. They were received by PM Hun Sen and visited the Tuol Sleng museum and Angkor Wat. Thai Supreme Command Information Office said the situation along the Thai-Kampuchea border had become more violent, and claimed that more than half million land-mines were being planted by the PRK and Vietnamese troops.
Oct. 3, 1986 PRK President Heng Samrin met with Andrei Gromyko in Moscow to discuss foreign policy and Soviet economic development assistance to the PRK.
Oct. 21, 1986 The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution A/RES/41/6, by vote of 116-21 with 13 abstentions, calling for a withdrawal of Vietnamese forces from Cambodia.
Nov. 2, 1986 ASEAN sent Canberra an official letter expressing its dissatisfaction over the opening of an Australian office in Phnom Penh to oversee Australian humanitarian aid to Kampuchea.
Nov. 4, 1986 PRK and USSR signed a two-year agreement, in which USSR would help develop the PRK’s institutions of education, publishing, television and radio broadcasting, information dissemination, and culture.
Nov. 8, 1986 PRK PM Hun Sen said the CGDK still caused real difficulties for the Phnom Penh regime but no longer threatens its existence, and that he hoped but not expect any political settlement to Kampuchea conflict in the near future.
Nov. 11, 1986 Khmer Rouge and ANS announced plans to launch their first joint military operation inside Kampuchea. Prince Sisowath Sirirath said the agreement was reached between Prince Sihanouk and Khieu Samphan during their stay in New York.
Nov. 27, 1986 PRK PM Hun Sen told journalist in Moscow that his government position on the settlement of Kampuchea conflict remains unchanged; it should be pursued in negotiations between the Indochinese and ASEAN states.
Dec. 3, 1986 UN announced the closing of its special office to coordinate Kampuchea humanitarian aid, citing the lack of fund.
Dec. 10, 1986 Phnom Penh radio announced a major PRK cabinet reshuffle, saying as of Dec. 3 Premier Hun Sen had been stripped of his positions as foreign minister and chairman of the party's foreign affairs commission, and two ministers had been dropped from the cabinet. The two ministers were Defense Minister Bou Thang and Planning Minister Chea Soth. Both were also deputy prime minister. Bou Thang was replaced as defense minister by his deputy, Koy Buntha, who was also the army chief of staff. Chea Soth was replaced by Chea Chanto, a former deputy director of the national bank and foreign trade bank. Deputy FM Kong Korm would take over Hun Sen's post as foreign minister, and Yos Son was named the new chairman of the KPRP Central Committee's foreign relations panel.
Dec. 16, 1986 PRK President Heng Samrin met with a top Kremlin official, Yegor Ligachov, in Hanoi where the two were attending the CPV Sixth Congress.

1987 Chronology Of Cambodian History

Jan. 12, 1987 CGDK President Prince Sihanouk met with Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu in Bucharest where Prince Sihanouk made a week-long visit.
Jan. 22, 1987 Heng Samrin told a Cuban journalist that the PRK ready to establish a demilitarized zone along the Thai-Kampuchean border under international supervision and control but Thailand consistently had rejected the idea.
Jan. 28, 1987 An East German delegation arrived in Phnom Penh for an official visit; the delegation signed a number of documents with the PRK. Soviet Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting delegation concluded a 9-days visit with signing of a cooperation protocol with its PRK counterpart in Phnom Penh.
Jan. 30, 1987 ASEAN protested the invitation of PRK to participate in a UNESCO congress by the UNESCO Commission for Geologic Map of the World due to be held Feb. 9-13 in Paris. ASEAN representatives to UNESCO met with the CGMW Sec. Gen., who apologized for the error and said CGMW would not invite the PRK to the coming or future meeting.
Feb. 3, 1987 USSR embassy in Beijing released a statement rejecting Prince Sihanouk’s call for direct talks between CGDK, USSR and Vietnam on Kampuchea. The statement said proposed talks should be put to the PRK government in Phnom Penh.
Feb. 8, 1987 The top political commissars of the three Indochinese armies - PAVN’s Lt. Gen. Nguyen Quyet, LPA’s Lt. Gen. Osaken and KPRAF’s El Vansarat - concluded a 3-days meeting in Phnom Penh on the Party’s role in the military.
Feb. 16, 1987 PRK Ministry of Education formally opened a branch of the Moscow-based Pushkin Russian Language Institute at the PRK-USSR Friendship Institute of Technology in Phnom Penh.
Feb. 18, 1987 PRK and Poland signed a 1987 trade agreement in Phnom Penh, in which Kampuchea was to export rubber, timber, furniture, soybeans, sesame and other farm products in exchange for anti-rust paint, soldering-rods, sewing machines, boat engines, raw materials for medicine and other consumer goods.
Feb. 24, 1987 Four Thai fishing boats and 80 crewmembers were seized by PRK soldiers near Chao Island off Kampuchean coast.
March 14, 1987 Indonesian FM Mokhtar Kusumaatmaja said ASEAN had received no new official peace initiatives from Vietnam during the past few months. He said the sticking point in solving the Kampuchea conflict remain getting Vietnam to agree to discuss peace with all elements of the CGDK.
March 17, 1987 PRK and USSR signed in Phnom Penh a protocol on the dispatching of Soviet specialists and materials to Kampuchea. The specialists would assist Kampuchea in geological research and in improving various branches of the industry.
March 27, 1987 Son Sann and Gen Sak Sutsakhan, in a show of unity, paid a visit to a border refugee camp together, and issued a statement saying their year-long rift was now over.
April 3, 1987 PRK protested the agreement signed in Bangkok on March 25 between CGDK, ASEAN nations, Japan and China to establish a coordinating committee to develop Kampuchea offshore oil resources.
April 6, 1987 PRK National Assembly issued a statement endorsing Syria’s protest of alleged atrocities committed by Israel in the Golan Heights.
April 8, 1987 The third Indochinese Civil Aviation Conference concluded its 3-days session in Phnom Penh.
April 12, 1987 Son Sann criticized Vietnam for violating human rights, destroying Buddhism and national tradition of Kampuchea.
April 19, 1987 PRK Foreign Trade Bank issued a communiqué authorizing overseas Cambodian and foreigners to transfer money to their relatives and friends in Cambodia.
April 24, 1987 Prince Ranariddh claimed he received a letter from PRK PM Hun Sen proposing direct talks with him anywhere; however, the prince said he cannot agree to such talk because the problem was not just Cambodians by between Cambodia and Vietnam.
April 25, 1987 A delegation of the Cuban Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation arrived in Phnom Penh for the third session with its Kampuchean counterpart. An agreement on cooperation for 1987-88 was signed, under which Cuba would send more technical experts and doctors to Kampuchea and train Kampuchean students.
May 5, 1987 A KPNLF communiqué conceded for the first time that the rebel organization had only 8004 armed combatants in contrast to a previous statement claiming more than 20,000 soldiers.
May 7, 1987 Prince Sihanouk announced he was taking a leave of absence for one year in reaction to an April 26 Khmer Rouge attack on ANS forces, killing 2 and wounding 12 others, and he would extend it for another year or indefinitely if the Khmer Rouge continue to violate human rights in their camps as reported by international human rights groups.
May 12, 1987 A delegation of Vietnam Ministry of Supply departed Kampuchea after a 5-days visit. An agreement was signed in which Vietnam would help Kampuchea in transporting gasoline and expanding a fuel station at Russei Keo capable of holding 6,500 cubic meters of fuel.
May 13, 1987 CGDK PM Son Sann concluded his 3-days visit to Site 2 camp. He expressed support for Indonesian proposal of unofficial meeting of all four Kampuchean factions by said Vietnam must talk with the CGDK first.
June 3, 1987 Amnesty International released a report detailing brutal and systematic torture of political prisoners in PRK prisons and human rights abuses in camps controlled by the Khmer Rouge and KPNLF.
June 12, 1987 PRK and USSR signed an agreement on economic cooperation, under which the USSR would assist Kampuchea in establishing three maintenance stations for tractors and other agricultural machines and provide nine mobile repair shops. The agreement also calls for 45 Kampucheans to be sent to the USSR for professional and technical training over a three-months period.
July 1, 1987 PRK PM Hun Sen met with USSR FM Eduard Shevardnadze in Moscow. Both discussed Soviet-Kampuchea relations and related issues.
July 3, 1987 Indian FM Natwar Singh arrived in Phnom Penh for a 4-days and met with his PRK counterpart Kong Korm and President Heng Samrin, who told Indian correspondent that India could play a crucial role in a Kampuchea settlement.
July 19, 1987 U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, in Singapore, said the selection of Pham Hung as Vietnam PM and Vo Chi Cong as president seemed to snuff out hope for Hanoi flexibility in solving Cambodian problem and added that U.S. and ASEAN would continue the strategy of supporting Cambodian non-communist resistance forces and isolating Vietnam economically and diplomatically.
July 28, 1987 PRK President Heng Samrin met with Soviet leader Michail Gorbachev in Moscow. Both discussed Soviet-Kampuchean relations and related issues.
Aug. 27, 1987 PRK announced a Declaration of National Reconciliation Policy, which calling for an independent, non-aligned, prosperous Kampuchea without the threat of Pol Pot genocide. It was seen an overture to the resistance forces.
Aug. 29, 1987 CGDK leaders, Prince Sihanouk, Son Sann and Khieu Samphan, arrived in Beijing for a 5-days visit.
Oct. 8, 1987 PRK issued a “Declaration on a Political Solution to the Kampuchean Problem”, calling for: (1) a PRK-Sihanouk meeting; (2) complete withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Kampuchea simultaneously with the halt of aid and sanctuary for the resistance forces; (3) general election with foreign observers in order to establish a coalition government; (4) negotiations with Thailand to establish a secure and peaceful border between the two country; and (5) an international conference to guarantee the agreement reached. [Statement in Cambodian and English]
Oct. 14, 1987 The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution A/RES/42/3 calling for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Cambodia.
Oct. 21, 1987 PRK government devalued the Riel against the U.S. dollar from R30-$1 to R100-$1.
Oct. 28, 1987 PRK President Heng Samrin, PM Hun Sen and other officials departed Phnom Penh for Moscow to attend the 70th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Nov. 17, 1987 PRK and USSR signed a 1988 trade and payment agreement.
Nov. 28, 1987 Three PRK cabinet ministers were elevated to the rank of vice premier: Say Chhum of Agriculture, Tea Banh of Communication, Transportation and Posts, Kong Sam Ol - minister attached to the Council of Ministers.
Dec. 4, 1987 Prince Sihanouk and PRK PM Hun Sen ended a three-days of talks in Fere-En-Tardenois, France, and issued a joint communiqué stating that the Kampuchean problem required a political not military solution, the problem must be solved by the Kampucheans through negotiations, international conference to guarantee agreement reached, and the two sides would met again in January 1988.
Dec. 5, 1987 The first national congress of Kampuchean Journalists Associations concluded a 3-days session in Phnom Penh. The KJA elected Som Kimsuor (editor of Pracheachon) as its president, Khieu Kanharit (editor of Kampuchea) and Em Sam An (director of SPK) as vice-presidents. It also selected a 17-person executive committee.
Dec. 24, 1987 The People’s National Bank of Kampuchea put into circulation a new five and ten Riel bank notes, in an effort to deal with an increasingly serious problem of counterfeit currency circulating in the country.
Dec. 30, 1987 PRK FM Kong Korm was relieved of his post and appointed Minister for Social Development and Culture. PM Hun Sen assumed the vacated post.
Dec. 31, 1987 PRK and Afghanistan signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation in Phnom Penh.

1988 Chronology Of Cambodian History

Jan. 2, 1988 PRK PM Hun Sen telegram to Prince Sihanouk in Paris “…I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of Samdech’s telegram dated December 30th 1987….I am ready to pay a visit to Samdech and to pursue our dialogue in France before Samdech’s departure.” Prince Sihanouk replied to the Premier’s telegram “….your telegram dated January 2nd 1988, I have the honor to let you know that I will received you in France for a second round of talks on Cambodia on a date that you would like to choose.” (FAB #27)
Jan. 3, 1988 Prince Sihanouk, in Paris, said he would meet with PM Hun Sen this month in France, not in Pyongyang as previously announced, citing the request by French PM Jacques Chirac for him (Prince Sihanouk) to remain in France until the end of the month. (FAB #27)
Jan. 5, 1988 CGDK PM Son Sann appealed to the Kampuchean people to pray for Vietnamese troops withdrawal from Kampuchea on the ninth anniversary of the Vietnamese capture of Phnom Penh. Prince Sihanouk’s aid, in Paris, said the second round of talks between the Prince and PM Hun Sen would start around January 20th.
Jan. 11, 1988 SPK announced the departure of PM Hun Sen from Phnom Penh for a second round of talks with Prince Sihanouk. (FAB #27)
Jan. 14, 1988 Thai PM Prem Tinsulanonda, in the opening statement at the ASEAN summit in Manila, urged Vietnam “to take ASEAN’s proffered solution seriously and get down to genuine exploration with Prince Sihanouk of the terms of a political settlement to the Kampuchean problem. It is unrealistic for Vietnam to avoid talking directly with Prince Sihanouk if it is truly seeking a political solution.” (FAB #27)
Jan. 16, 1988 CGDK PM Son Sann appealed “to all supporters of the Kampuchean cause to continue their sanctions against the Vietnamese aggressors to prevent the subjugation of the Kampuchea people, as these measure are essential to our present struggle for survival.” (FAB #27)
Jan. 19, 1988 Prince Sihanouk and Son Sann met in Paris to discuss their differences, especially, Son Sann’s refusal to negotiate with PRK without Vietnam’s participation and Vietnamese promise in writing to withdraw its troops from Cambodia.
Vietnamese FM Nguyen Co Thach, in Ho Chi Minh City, said that talks between opposing Kampuchean leaders starting in Paris tomorrow could “create conditions for a breakthrough.” He also said the resistance group did not control a single district of Kampuchea and that their attacks were “just a skin disease, not a cancer.” (FAB #27)
Jan. 20, 1988 Prince Sihanouk and PRK PM Hun Sen met for second round of talks in Saint Germain-en-Laye, France.
Jan. 23, 1988 Thai FM Siddhi Savetsila, talking to the Nation Review, said that he had not seen any real sign of Hanoi’s readiness to accept a political solution to the Kampuchean conflict
Jan. 24, 1988 PRK, for the first time, officially said it was willing to deal with Khmer Rouge leaders Khieu Samphan. Vice-premier Chea Soth, however, said the offer did not extend to Pol Pot or to other certain unnamed Khmer Rouge figures, and his government would have no objection to Prince Sihanouk as the chief of state in some new coalition government.
Jan. 25, 1988 PRK PM Hun Sen, in Phnom Penh, said he and Prince Sihanouk would meet in Pyongyang in April, again in Paris at the end of 1988, and for the fifth time in New Delhi in 1989.
Jan. 26, 1988 KPNLF’s Bangkok office, in a statement to news agencies, said “the KPNLF views the formation of a two-party government envisaged at the second round of talks between Prince Sihanouk and PM Hun Sen in France, if realized without negotiations with the CGDK and all parties concerned, as falling within the Vietnamese ploy.” Prince Sihanouk, however, said his latest idea of a new governing system in Kampuchea would be a quadripartite rather than a bipartite one, and it would be an interim government. (FAB #27)
Jan. 27, 1988 Thai FM Siddhi, in his address to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, said on the Kampuchean problem “so far, there seems to be no sign yet of the light at the end of the tunnel…. the talks probably will continue to drag on without any significant breakthrough.” (FAB #27)
Jan. 28, 1988 PRK PM Hun Sen arrived in Hanoi from Moscow for meetings with Vietnam FM Nguyen Co Thach and to report on session with Prince Sihanouk in France.
Jan. 30, 1988 Prince Sihanouk, in Beijing, announced his resignation as president of CGDK, citing Son Sann and KPNLF’s hostility “the KPNLF and its President have not hesitated to unjustly accuse me of ‘national treason’ by playing the games of the Vietnamese colonialists”, and named his son Prince Ranariddh as his representative to the CGDK. Prince Sihanouk also cancelled his upcoming meeting in Pyongyang with PRK Premier Hun Sen. (FAB #27)
Feb. 1, 1988 Khieu Samphan and Son Sann, according to Xinhua News Agency, sent an appeal to Prince Sihanouk in Beijing urging him “to continue his post as president of Democratic Kampuchea and continue to lead the CGDK.” (FAB #28)
Feb. 2, 1988 Indonesian FM, Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, said the meeting between Prince Sihanouk and PRK PM, Hun Sen, in France did not produce great results, but the two leaders did allow the two opposing sides to discuss their own affairs for the first time. (FAB#28)
Feb. 3, 1988 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Li Jinhau, at a weekly briefing, expressed her government support of Prince Sihanouk’s effort to open a dialogue with Vietnam, “as a major party on the question of Kampuchea, Vietnamese should talk with Prince Sihanouk and the relevant parties concerned in Kampuchea,” asked about proposals that the Khmer Rouge be disarmed as part of a peace process, the spokeswoman said, “while Vietnam still persists in its aggression and occupation of Kampuchea, how could the patriotic troops and people of Kampuchea lay down their arm?” In an interview with the Nation Review in Bangkok, Son Sann said that Prince Sihanouk would go to France again to meet the Vietnamese after the Prince meeting in Beijing with Chinese leaders. Son Sann also said Hanoi would propose a two-party government between the Vietnamese-backed PRK and the Sihanoukist faction, with the Prince as Head of State, but Prince Sihanouk would reject the offer and would instead suggest a four-party government to include the other Khmer resistance factions.
Feb. 4, 1988 Radio Hanoi quoted spokesman Trinh Xuan Lang as saying that Vietnam welcomed Prince Sihanouk’s resignation from his post of President of CGDK. But Lang added that despite Prince Sihanouk’s appeal for Vietnam to join future peace talks, Hanoi would not participate until Cambodians warring factions had reached an agreement among themselves.
Feb. 5, 1988 The Soviet official news agency Tass reported that USSR leader, Mikhail Gorvachev, met with Indonesian FM, Machtar Kusumaatmadja, in Moscow to discuss international issues including the Kampuchea conflict.
Feb. 6, 1988 Khmer Rouge leader, Khieu Samphan, arrived in Beijing to ask Prince Sihanouk to reverse his decision of resigning from the presidency of CGDK.
Feb. 8, 1988 Prince Sihanouk met in Beijing with Khieu Samphan, who later said he expected the Prince to resume his leadership position in the CGDK.
Feb. 11, 1988 The CGDK held it cabinet meeting attend by Son Sann, Khieu Samphan, Prince Ranarridh and other officials; the meeting issued a communiqué refusing to acknowledge Prince Sihanouk’s resignation.
Feb. 10, 1988 Prince Sihanouk, in a statement to the French newspaper Le Monde, said China was unhappy over his peace talks with the Vietnam-backed government of PM Hun Sen and hoped his bid to seek a solution through negotiation would fail.
Feb. 17, 1988 Prince Sihanouk issued a statement denying the rumor, which he blamed on the anti-Sihanouk Khmer Bleu in Paris, that he received $50,000 from Hun Sen and Vietnam, accepted the post as PRK president and would return to Phnom Penh soon. (FAB #44)
Feb. 22, 1988 PRK PM Hun Sen, in an interview with a journalist in Phnom Penh, said it would not matter at all if the KPNLF does not participate in future peace talks or in a future coalition government. He also added that Son Sann’s KPNLF faction does not even deserve consideration; the group is self-destructing and would dissolve itself. Sponsored by 22 Non-Aligned countries and introduced by Pakistan, the UN Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva passed a resolution demanding for the ninth successive year that foreign troops get out of Cambodia and Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Belarussia, Ethiopia, and East Germany voted against the resolution, while Algeria, Cyprus, India, Iraq, Nicaragua and Nigeria abstained.
Feb. 25, 1988 Prince Sihanouk again, in Beijing, denied rumor that he had signed a secret agreement with the PRK to return to Phnom Penh to serve as Head of State. (FAB #44)
Feb. 26, 1988 Indonesian FM, Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, told journalists in Jakarta that Prince Sihanouk would again lead the CGDK but would not formally take the title of President, which enable the Prince to have more room to maneuver to meet with Vietnam, which refused to talk with the leadership of the CGDK.
Feb. 29, 1988 Prince Sihanouk issued a statement announcing his resumption of the presidency of the CGDK.
March 10, 1988 The Bangkok Post published a report obtained from resistance’s sources, saying two KPNLAF commanders, Chea Chhut and Liv Ne, would be relieved from their duties at the request of the U.S., who accused the two of human rights violations. (FAB #29)
March 11, 1988 PRK PM Hun Sen sent a telegram to Prince Sihanouk expressing his satisfaction at the Prince’s decision to resume talks and his intention for the next meeting with Prince Sihanouk. (FAB #29) PRK announced plans to establish the University of Phnom Penh which consists of 11 facilities: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, philosophy, education, Cambodian literature, Russian/Occidental language and literature, and Vietnamese/Oriental language and literature.
March 16, 1988 Speaking to Singaporean reporters in New Delhi, India, the visiting Singapore PM, Lee Kuan Yew, said with the Cambodian conflict were on the course towards the Vietnamese withdrawal, the next major problem was how to prevent the Khmer Rouge from returning to a dominant position in the next Cambodian government. (FAB #29)
March 18, 1988 Prince Ranariddh, ANS Commander-in-Chief, accompanied by Princess Marie Ranariddh and two officials paid a friendly visit to Singapore as guest of Singapore second Minister of Defense Brigadier General Lee Hsien Loong. (FAB #28)
March 29, 1988 Vietnamese FM Nguyen Co Thach, in an interview, ruled out a meeting with Prince Sihanouk but said he would correspond with the Prince if necessary. Thach also said half of the original Vietnamese forces in Kampuchea had left the country and that the remaining would leave in the next three years.
April 2, 1988 The Bangkok Post reported that international relief workers at “SITE TWO CAPM” were to have armed escorts following a shoot-out in which 2 persons were killed and 3 relief workers were held at gunpoint. Prince Sihanouk wrote a letter to PM Hun Sen explaining his refusal to meet for third round of talks saying, “the government of PRK cannot do anything without authorization of Hanoi. [Text of the letter]
April 5, 1988 The new Indonesian FM, Ali Alatas, assured Thailand and other Asean countries that the planned informal meeting in Jakarta to solve the Cambodian problem had not lost its relevance. (FAB #30)
April 11, 1988 The 44th session of ESCAP was held in Jakarta, Indonesia; CGDK sent a 7-members delegation to the conference: Chak Sarik and Truong Mealy (FUNCINPEC); Pech Bun Ret and Kheang Khaon (Khmer Rouge); and Bou Say, Son Soubert and Ok Sereisopheak (KPNLF). (FAB #29)
April 12, 1988 Prince Sihanouk announced that he had turned down a personal appeal from the PRK PM Hun Sen to resume peace talks. (FAB #30)
April 13, 1988 A DK delegation to the 44th session of ESCAP, in Jakarta, led by Bun Say, was received by the new Indonesian FM, Ali Alatas, whom informed the delegation that Indonesia, despite the change of foreign minister, would continue to promote the Cocktail party idea, in order to settle the Cambodian problems. (FAB #30)
April 16, 1988 The Soviet Deputy FM, Igor Rogachev, said his country couldn’t pressure Vietnam to withdraw its troops from Cambodia because Vietnam is a sovereign country and nobody can dictate to it. (FAB #30)
April 18, 1988 The Press Trust of India reported that Vietnamese leaders have suggested to Indian PM, Rajiv Gandhi, that a round of talks on the war in Cambodia be held in New Delhi. (FAB #30)
April 28, 1988 Vietnamese Deputy FM, Tran Quang Co, said that his country refused to discuss peace with Prince Sihanouk. (FAB #30)
April 29, 1988 Soviet Deputy FM, Igor Rogachev, said that the quickest way to end nine years of conflict in Cambodia would be for Cambodian warring factions to start direct talks. (FAB #30)
May 6, 1988 Vietnam’s proclaimed withdrawal of 20,000 troops from Cambodia last year was genuine and not a simple troop rotation according to Major Timothy Pfister, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Commander-in-Chief. (FAB #31)
May 16, 1988 Thai Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs M.R. Kasemsamosorn Kasemsri, in a TV interview, said Thailand would not ask the USSR to pressure Vietnam to pull out its forces from Cambodia. He added that the forthcoming trip to the USSR of Thai PM Prem Tinsulanonda was aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the Cambodian conflict which had threatened Thailand’s security for more than nine years. (FAB #31)
May 18, 1988 A Conference on Cambodia, organized by the Center for the study of the European Reality, was held in Rome, Italy. Attended the Conference were Prince Sirivudh, representing FUNCINPEC-France, and Ek Sereywath, representing the Office of the Personal Representative of Prince Sihanouk in Cambodia and Asia. (FAB #29)
Thai PM Prem Tinsulanonda urged the Soviet Union to play a “constructive role” in solving the Cambodian conflict, which had “violently destabilized” the Southeast Asian region in the last nine years. (FAB #31)
June 27, 1988 CGDK President Prince Sihanouk, in the area controlled by ANS, received credentials from six ambassadors: (1) Taki Ould Sidi of Mauritania; (2) Dzon Siroka of Yugoslavia; (3) Mohammed Magdi Sabri El Gheriany of Egypt; (4) Abdorahamane Sow of Guinea; (5) Farooq Sobhan of Bangladesh; and (6) Akran M. Saki of Pakistan. (FAB #30)
July 10, 1988 Prince Sihanouk, in Bangsaen, Thailand, issued a statement announcing his resignation as President of DK. [Text of the statement] (FAB #31)
July 25, 1988 The Jakarta Informal Meeting (JIM) was held in the City of Bogor, Indonesia, from July 25-28. The purpose of JIM was to provide a framework for informal discussions among the parties directly involved and other concerned countries in the search for a comprehensive solution to the Cambodian conflict. (FAB #31)
July 27, 1988 The four Cambodian parties representative, Prince Ranariddh of FUNCINPEC, Son Sann of KPNLF, Khieu Samphan of DK and Hun Sen of PRK, met with Prince Sihanouk. (FAB #31)
Aug. 8, 1988 U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution H.J.RES.602 declaring that all parties seeking a settlement of the conflict in Cambodia, including the U.S., should have among their highest priorities the restoration of an independent Cambodia and the protection of the Cambodian people from a return to power by the Khmer Rouge. Calls on Vietnam to withdraw its forces from Cambodia and deny haven to the Khmer Rouge. Declare that the U.S. and the international community should use all means available to prevent a return to power of Pol Pot.
Oct. 6, 1988 U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution H.CON.RES.303, among others, urging the Vietnamese government to cease its occupation of Cambodia.
Oct. 11, 1988 President Ronald Reagan met with Prince Sihanouk at the White House.
Nov. 3, 1988 The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution A/RES/43/19 reiterating its call for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Cambodia.
Nov. 14, 1988 Directive Number 319 concerning U.S. policy toward Indochina. [---]

1989 Chronology Of Cambodian History

Jan. 23, 1989 A 10-member Thai parliamentary delegation arrived in Phnom Penh for the first visit of Thai legislators. The delegation met with Dep. PM Chea Soth, NA Chairman Chea Sim and NA Vice-Chairman Mat Ly.
Jan. 25, 1989 PRK PM Hun Sen arrived in Bangkok for a 2-days unofficial visit with top Thai officials.
Feb. 10, 1989 Thai PM Chatchai Chunhavan announced that his government would legalize import of logs from Kampuchea to help alleviate Thai shortage resulting from a nation-wide logging ban.
Feb. 14, 1989 PRK Council of Ministers approved the creation of an 11-member Khmer-Thai economic cooperation commission chair by Defense Minister Tea Banh.
Feb. 18, 1989 PRK National Assembly amended Articles 15, 16 and 17 of its Constitution on property tenure and the inheritance of landed property distributed by the state. It was interpreted as the legalization of private land ownership.
Feb. 21, 1989 Talks on a Cambodian peace agreement among Indochinese and ASEAN representatives ended inconclusively.
Feb. 26, 1989 U.S. President George Bush meets with Prince Sihanouk in Beijing.
March 1, 1989 PRK Sec. Gen. Of Kampuchea Red Cross, My Samedy, arrived in the U.S. for a 3-weeks visit.
March 23, 1989 The PRK State Council created the Commission for Amending the Constitution chair by NA Chairman Chea Sim.
March 29, 1989 A U.S. Congressional delegation headed by Stephen Solarz, Chairman of House Sub Committee on Asia and Pacific, arrived in Phnom Penh. They met with PRK PM Hun Sen to discuss JIM II talks.
April 5, 1989 Vietnam announced that all its troops would leave Cambodia by Sept 30.
April 13, 1989 A relic of the Buddha, reputed to be one of his bones, was enshrined in the stupa in front of the Phnom Penh railway station. The ceremony was attended by Heng Samrin, Hun Sen and other high-ranking officials.
April 18, 1989 The CGDK was banned from the Southeast Asian Game in Malaysia next August, following rejection of its appeal to the International Olympic Committee. The ASEAN countries were warned of reprisals if they allow the CGDK to participate.
April 21, 1989 A 25-member Thai parliamentary delegation arrived in Phnom Penh for a 4-days visit. The delegation met with PRK Defense Minister Tea Banh and PM Hun Sen, who said general elections would be held in November and asked Thailand not to aid the CGDK after Vietnamese troops withdrawal.
April 30, 1989 PRK National Assembly ratified the revised constitution; the country was renamed from People’s Republic of Kampuchea to THE STATE OF CAMBODIA (SOC). The new national anthem and a new flag were adopted; and the death penalty was abolished.
May 1, 1989 U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle met with Prince Sihanouk in Indonesia.
May 3, 1989 Prince Sihanouk and Son Sann held talks with Phnom Penh Premier Hun Sen.
May 6, 1989 SOC PM Hun Sen met with Thai PM Chatchai Chunhawan in Bangkok following the JIM II talks in Jakarta. Phnom Penh residents celebrated the lifting of city’s 10 pm curfew, which was in effect since 1979.
May 18, 1989 The Sino-Soviet summit in Beijing concluded and issued communiqué declaring “on the Cambodian issue, the two sides recalled the decision on the total withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Cambodia by September this year,…..the countries concerned should gradually reduce and end all military aid to any Cambodian warring faction. The China and USSR affirmed that they will make every effort for an early, fair, and suitable solution to the Cambodian issue by political move….”
May 22, 1989 Romanian Amb. Angelo Miculescu is invited by the Chinese Foreign Ministry to discuss issues including Cambodia, in which the Chinese made its position clear in order to solve Cambodia's problem. [Read more]
May 23, 1989 A delegation of Vietnam Ministry of Finance concluded its 8-days Cambodia visit, after holding working sessions on financial cooperation between the two countries.
May 27, 1989 Im Tam, former Khmer Republic prime minister, visited Kampuchea. He met with President Heng Samrin and NA Chairman Chea Sim during his 4-weeks stay.
June 1, 1989 U.S. President George Bush remarks following discussions with British PM Margaret Thatcher in London, Cambodia problem was discussed. [The remark]
June 9, 1989 U.S. Press Secretary Fitzwater issues statement on President Bush's meeting with Indonesia President Soeharto; situation in Cambodia was discussed. [Statement]
June 20, 1989 The first squadron of MIG-21 jet fighters pilot by Cambodian landed at Pochentong airfield. They were greeted by President Heng Samrin and Deputy Defense Minister Pol Saroeun in a ceremony.
June 28, 1989 CGDK PM Son Sann warmed the SOC and foreign oil companies that the announced agreement on exploration and exploitation of offshore oil sites was considered null and void by the CGDK.
July 3, 1989 A 5-months course on administration and judiciary for 178 cadres ended in Phnom Penh. The school had trained 2,300 cadres in administration and judiciary since first established in 1982.
July 5, 1989 The KPRP Central Committee week-long 9th Plenum, chaired by General Secretary Heng Samrin, concluded in Phnom Penh.
July 6, 1989 SOC Dep. FM Bo Rasi ended a 3-days visit to Uganda.
July 10, 1989 SOC PM Hun Sen received in Phnom Penh Chhang Song, Chairman of Samakom Khemarak Sangkruos and former Khmer Republic minister of information. The premier commended Chhang Song for his opposition to U.S. military aid to Cambodian non-communist resistance groups.
July 11, 1989 The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in Washington court against the U.S. State Department for denial of a nonimmigrant visa to Khieu Kanharith, editor of Kampuchea newspaper. U.S. Assistance Sec. Of State for East Asia and the Pacific Richard Solomon arrived in Bangkok and met with Thai PM Chatchai Chunhawan. The two discussed U.S. lethal aid to Prince Sihanouk and Son Sann, and Thailand’s new business approach to Indochina.
July 20, 1989 US Sent. Murkowski, Pell, Robb introduce S.AMDT.380, S.AMDT.381, S.AMDT.382 amememnt to establish policy concerning the provision of assistance to free and modern Cambodia.
July 21, 1989 The U.S. Senate approved the idea of the Bush administration providing arms to Cambodian non-communist resistance forces. It also called for a coalition government in Cambodia with Prince Sihanouk and Son Sann factions assuming a leading role. U.S. President George Bush remarks at a Ceremony Commemorating Captive Nations Week. [The remark]
July 23, 1989 A 5-days international seminar on the “phenomenon of genocide and the prevention of the genocidal Pol Potist’s return to power in Cambodia” concluded in Phnom Penh, attended by some 130 foreign observers and specialists.
July 25, 1989 Prince Sihanouk and Hun Sen meet again in Paris.
July 28, 1989 U.S. President George Bush remarks on the Signing of National POW/MIA Recognition Day Proclamation. [The remark]
July 29, 1989 Costa Rica Deputy FM Rivera concluded a 4-days visit to Cambodia during which the two countries established formal diplomatic relations. Rivera called on Thailand to stop providing sanctuary to Cambodian resistance forces and advocated an empty seat for Cambodia in the U.N. until a new government was established through elections.
Aug. 4, 1989 SOC PM Hun Sen stopped in Moscow en route to Phnom Penh from Paris and met with USSR Dep. FM Anatolity Adamishin. “THE KILLING FIELDS” film premiered in Phnom Penh attended by 600 diplomats and government officials, the film’s director Roland Joffe, journalist Sydney Schanberg, Dith Pran and Haing Ngor.
Aug. 5, 1989 The Killing Fields movies open in Phnom Penh.
Aug. 7, 1989 A 15-member UN fact-finding team arrives in Phnom Penh in preparation for a possible UN peace-monitoring mission in Cambodia.
Aug. 27, 1989 FUNCINPEC announces the resignation of Prince Sihanouk as the head of the organization.
Aug. 30, 1989 An International Conference on Cambodia (Paris Conference), held in Paris from July 30-Aug. 30, is suspended. The conference fails in bridging differences among the Cambodian warring factions and their backers over a peace agreement.
Sept. 1, 1989 U.S. President George Bush remarks following discussions with Japanese PM Toshiki Kaifu, in which Cambodia issue is discussed. [The remark]
Sept. 3, 1989 KPNLF launches a major recruitment campaign at Site II refugee camp in anticipation of future increased fighting.
Oct. 10, 1989 A group of Americans leads by Edmund Muskie, former U.S. Secretary of State and Senator, visit Phnom Penh and meet with PM Hun Sen.
Oct. 12, 1989 US Rep. Richardson introduces H.AMDT.276
Oct. 13, 1989 U.S. President George Bush remarks at a White House briefing for members of the Asian-American Voters Coalition. [The remark]
Oct. 16, 1989 Soviet economic aid officials arrived in Phnom Penh for a 9-days of discussions with SOC officials, including Soviet assistance in the fields of communication, radio, television, water supply and health care.
Oct. 23, 1989 Kampuchean People’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (KPRAF) renamed to Cambodian People’s Armed Forces (CPAF). A delegation from the Washington based Indochina Policy Forum Institute, let by former U.S. Senator Dick Clark, visited Phnom Penh and met with SOC PM Hun Sen.
Oct. 30, 1989 A dusk to dawn curfew (9pm-5am) was ordered for Phnom Penh in an effort to tighten security in the city following the fall of Pailin to the Khmer Rouge.
Nov. 1, 1989 A leading Thai newspaper, The Nation, opens its news bureau in Phnom Penh, first Asian newspaper to do so.
Nov. 6, 1989 U.S. Press Secretary Fitzwater issues statement on President George Bush's meeting with Gen. John W. Vessey on POW/MIA Affairs. [Statement]
Nov. 16, 1989 UN General Assembly passed resolution A/RES/44/22, by the vote of 124-17 with 12 abstentions, calling for, among others, a comprehensive settlement of the Cambodian problem, no return to power of the Khmer Rouge.
Nov. 22, 1989 Cambodian and Sweden Red Cross signed an agreement, under which the Sweden would assist the Kompong Chhnang provincial hospital, by sending doctors, provide medicine, construct and restore buildings; and provided medical books to newly graduated doctors and pharmacists.
Nov. 24, 1989 U.S. Press Secretary Fitzwater issues statement on President George Bush's meeting with British PM Margaret Thatcher; Cambodia issue is discussed. [Statement]
Nov. 28, 1989 SOC Ambassador to Moscow Hor Namhong and USSR FM Eduard Shevardnadze signed a 1990 trade and payments protocol in Moscow.
Dec. 2, 1989 Prince Sihanouk endorsed efforts to establish a Cambodian UN trusteeship as a means of restoring peace and order to the country.
Dec. 7, 1989 British diplomat Andrew George arrived in Phnom Penh for a 10-days visit, despite U.S. objections that it would send the wrong signals.
Dec. 9, 1989 Text of a new proposed Constitution for Cambodia was released by the CGDK in Bangkok. It was written in Paris and officially endorsed last June by Prince Sihanouk, Son Sann and Khieu Samphan.
Dec. 12, 1989 A Japanese “peace boat” arrived in Kompong Som port. Its 350 passengers visited Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat.

Dec. 25, 1989 CGDK denounced Vietnam Embassy in Phnom Penh efforts to register Vietnamese citizens in Cambodia as part of a conspiratorial effort to keep track of all Vietnamese in the country.