And the Chey Beaupha friendship bridge

Sharing with VNA reporters in Phnom Penh, Ms. Sokmom Nimul - General Director of the Cambodian News Agency AKP - commented that in the cooperation activities between the two news agencies of the two neighboring countries over the past nearly half a century, the most notable milestones took place in the late 1970s and the following 1980s.

According to Ms. Sokmom Nimul, AKP was established in late 1978, then called SPK, born from nothing and received support in all aspects from VNA, in spirit, material, technology, expertise...

Citing the Cambodian people's proverb "Get to know each other in times of poverty, know your friends in times of need", AKP General Director emphasized: "That is a valuable and precious point in the relationship as well as in the cooperation activities between the two agencies. Because VNA has never abandoned us, always sticking with us at all times."

For Ms. Chey Beaupha, General, Deputy Secretary General of the National Agency for Drug Control of Cambodia (NACD), Vice President of the Association of Cambodian Alumni in Vietnam (CAVA), that was also a time filled with memories of her childhood as the daughter of the late journalist Chey Saphon, the first Director General of SPK. She always felt lucky to be born and survive in that turbulent historical period, along with the pride of having her father as the head of the Cambodian national news agency in its early days.

According to the Cambodian female General, in the early days of AKP's activities, journalist Chey Saphon often went to report on the situation in the country after the Pol Pot genocide regime, sometimes taking his daughter along. During those trips, he often told his daughter stories about the history of the SPK's formation.

From left to right: Reporters Tran Mai Huong, Pham Quoc Khanh, Pham Tien Dung, Pham Nhat Nam, Nguyen Dang Chien and Nguyen Dinh Cao (sitting) in Cambodia, 1979. (Photo: VNA)

Thanks to that, Chey Beaupha clearly remembers the milestone of the birth of the SPK on December 3, 1978, just one day after the establishment of the Cambodian National United Front for National Salvation, under the leadership of comrades Heng Samrin, Chea Sim and Hun Sen, the first senior leaders of the Front at that time.

Ms. Chey Beaupha clearly remembers that after the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown in early 1979, the Cambodian News Agency SPK was born with the first leadership consisting of her father, Mr. Chey Saphan, as Director General, along with two Deputy Directors General, Em Sam An and Dith Munty.

That was a difficult time for Cambodia, lacking in every way. In the memory of an 8-9 year old girl, the most unforgettable memory of Chey Beaupha was the image of the SPK reporters who were emaciated due to lack of food. They carried cameras and roamed the streets, capturing images of the remnants of war in the days when Phnom Penh was newly liberated.

Looking back at history, Senior General Chey Beaupha said that in early 1979, providing and disseminating information to help people in the country and the world know about the situation in Cambodia was extremely important. The leadership team, reporters and staff of the SPK News Agency at that time made great efforts to fulfill their functions and tasks, with great support from Vietnamese friends, volunteer soldiers in general and experts in particular, who sacrificed their blood and bones for the country of Cambodia.

During those historic years, a team of Vietnamese experts participated in supporting the establishment of many agencies and fields in Cambodia. VNA sent a team of more than 100 experts, including reporters and technicians, to support the training of human resources for SPK in the period when it had just escaped the genocidal regime, both in the skills of implementing and producing information as well as taking photos and processing images.

NACD Deputy Secretary General Chey Beaupha recalled the recent event celebrating the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day in Hanoi , attended by Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate and President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

From left to right: Head of the VNA expert delegation at SPK Do Phuong (first), SPK General Director Chey Saphon (second), Deputy Head of the delegation Tran Huu Nang (fourth) discuss the development direction of SPK. (Photo courtesy of VNA)

According to her, that shows that the relationship between the Party, State and People of the two countries is increasingly strengthened and deepened, achieving many results in all fields, both economic and political , bringing benefits to the two countries.

The Deputy Secretary General of NACD stated: “The people of Cambodia and Vietnam, especially the young generation, have known and understood this special relationship, especially the great sacrifices and contributions of previous generations.”

From the perspective of CAVA leadership, Ms. Chey Beaupha expressed her expectations for the Association's upcoming activities, especially the activities of connecting and supporting employment for CAVA members, for the benefit of the Association, its members and the two neighboring countries. She said that for students who have just completed their training program in Vietnam and are unemployed, CAVA will connect and provide recruitment information from Vietnamese businesses that are in need of labor.

On the contrary, for Vietnamese businesses operating in Cambodia that need skilled workers who are fluent in Vietnamese, CAVA will connect and introduce members who are trained in the right expertise and profession.

CAVA Vice President expressed his belief that former students who have studied in Vietnam, understand Vietnamese culture and traditions, and can easily communicate with each other will help work go more smoothly and conveniently.

Ms. Chey Beaupha's expectations come from her role and responsibility as a member of the Association's Board of Directors as well as CAVA members and today's young Cambodian generation in general.

They understand, acknowledge, appreciate and are grateful for the persistent efforts of previous generations in building and developing Cambodia today, as well as cultivating good and friendly relations with Vietnam.

CAVA Vice President, General Chey Beaupha, shared: “I really like the motto about the relationship between our two countries of 'Good neighbors, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability'. Our generation has the responsibility to preserve and nurture that relationship to become more and more sustainable and better”./.

Lesson 1: From memories...

Lesson 2: ...to the story of faith

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/va-nhip-cau-huu-nghi-chey-beaupha-post1062496.vnp