ON THIS DAY On Jan. 7, 1979, Cambodian Frredom Fighters with support from Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

Today is a very special day in Cambodia. People are celebrating The Fall of Phnom Penh to Khmer freedom fighters supported by the Vietnamese Army. January 7th 1979 marked the beginning of the end for the murderous Pol Pot Regime. It was also the start of a healing process that continues to this day. The rebirth of a nation and its people is a great cause for celebration. Equally as important is for the family of humankind remembers all those innocent men, women and children that lost to war, murder and starvation. The image below is of the front page of the New York Times. A full transcript of the story is below the image. Hanoi Reports Cambodian Capital Conquered By 'Insurgent' Forces; Long Guerrilla Conflict Feared VIETNAM IN KEY ROLE 13 of Its Regular Divisions Are Reported Involved in Broad Offensive By Henry Kamm Special to The New York Times Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 7 -- The Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, was captured today, Vietnam and the insurgent front it is backing in Cambodia announced tonight. The regime of dictatorial, militarist domination of the Pol Pot-Ieng Sary clique has completely collapsed, the radio announcement declared. Nothing was said about the whereabouts of Prime Minister Pol Pot and Deputy Prime Minister Ieng Sary. The Hanoi broadcasts also reported the conquest of Kompong Som, Cambodia's only major seaport and the point of entry for almost all the war material China has sent to Cambodian forces to allow them to continue fighting. Two airports that can be used by large transport planes- in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang- apparently remained in Government hands. Vietnamese Said to Play Chief Role The broadcasts credited the revolutionary armed forces of the Cambodian National United Front for National Salvation with the 'liberation' of Phnom Penh and other regions. But political, diplomatic, military and intelligence analysts here and elsewhere have said that the war in Cambodia was being fought by as many as 13 regular Vietnamese divisions and supporting troops, numbering about 100,000 men. Most of the analysts here see a strong possibility that Hanoi's announcement of the collapse of the Pol Pot regime may be premature and that Cambodia may be facing a long period of guerrilla war. Such fighting would severely test both Vietnam's ability to maintain its official position that its troops are not involved and the Pol Pot forces' capacity to continue fighting without the supplies they have up to now been receiving from China. [The United States said that in the wake of the reports of the Cambodian capital's fall, priority should be given to the withdrawal of Vietnamese forces from Cambodia and the avoidance of direct Soviet and Chinese involvement.] [A Soviet press commentary indicated that the 'liberation' of Phnom Penh had the support of the Kremlin and was welcomed by it.] Fighting Started in Late 1977 Analysts in Bangkok who followed developments in Indochina feel that the goal of Vietnam in the fighting, which erupted in late 1977, is to bring down the Government of Mr. Pol Pot, which came to power in 1975 after having captured Phnom Penh from the right-wing Government of President Pol Pot with the aid of the Vietnamese. After gaining power, however, the Cambodian Government rejected Hanoi's leadership, aligned itself with China- the power that Hanoi most fears- and engaged in raids along the Vietnamese border. Cambodia contends that parts of the Mekong delta that are ruled by Vietnam rightfully belong to Cambodia. Analysts with access to monitoring of battlefield communications have said they have seen no evidence of any significant presence of Cambodian insurgents on the principal fighting fronts, which now appear to cover almost all of Cambodia. In addition to the capture of Phnom Penh and Kompong Som, the broadcasts also announced that the 'revolutionary' armed forces and people completely 'liberated' the provinces of Kampot, Takeo, Prey Veng, Kompong Cham and Kandal. Vast Area in Vietnamese Hands Together with five other provinces known to have been seized over the last 10 days, this would mean the Vietnamese had gained control of all of Cambodia east of a diagonal line reaching from the northeastern point where the Mekong River crosses from Laos into Cambodia to the country's southwesternmost corner. Furthermore, the broadcasts stated that 'revolutionary armed forces' had gained control of 'vast regions' in seven other provinces. Only two of Cambodia's 19 provinces, farthest from Vietnam, went unmentioned in the reports. In view of reports by informed sources that the Vietnamese forces have largely confined their columns to the main roads and of the near emptiness of Cambodia's cities and towns as a result of the expulsion of their populations after the Communist victory in 1975, analysts find it difficult to determine how effective Vietnamese control of the conquered area is. The lightning advance of the Vietnamese troops since the present offensive got fully rolling in the last days of December is assumed to have bypassed heavily populated communes and significant Government military units. Mr. Pol Pot two days ago issued a call to his troops that was interpreted here as an order to prepare for a large-scale guerrilla war against the invaders. The Cambodian Government's army is believed to number 60,000 at most. Lon Nol Regime Fell in 1975 The 'liberation' of Phnom Penh came almost 45 months after the last remnants of the American-backed Lon Nol regime surrendered to the Communist forces under control of Mr. Pol Pot. The Lon Nol Government surrendered on April 17, 1975. According to the Hanoi broadcasts, Phnom Penh was captured at 12:30 P. M, today, 12:30 A.M. in New York. The announcement by the Cambodian insurgent radio said: "After annihilating and disintegrating the regular-force divisions of the Pol Pot-Ieng Sary army, and after destroying the external defense line, the revolutionary army, acting in coordination with the people, has entered Phnom Penh from all directions. "The revolutionary forces occupied the vital positions of the enemy inside the city and the key organs of the reactionary Pol Pot-Ieng Sary administration. Today at 12:30 the capital of Phnom Penh was completely liberated. The regime of dictatorial, militarist domination of the Pol Pot-Ieng Sary clique has completely collapsed. "The red flag, with five towers at the center, of the Kampuchean National United Front for National Salvation is fluttering on the tops of all buildings in Phnom Penh." Kampuchea is the traditional name for Cambodia, adopted by the Communists regime after its takeover in 1975. Government Radio is Silent The Cambodian Government radio broadcast its last program from 11:30 A. M. until noon, a half-hour before the city's reported fall, without mentioning the critical nature of the situation. Suspicions among observers here were first aroused when monitors noted that the stations did not come back for the scheduled 5:30 P.M. broadcast. The announcement of the fall was first broadcast by the insurgent radio at 9:37 P.M., followed 13 minutes later by Hanoi radio. In the absence of news of the whereabouts of Mr. Pol Pot and his associates, speculation here centered on possibilities that they may have been evacuated to China by air or have fled to the countryside either to save their lives or to continue to lead a resistance movement. When the Communist-led forces seized the capital in 1975, the vast waves of killing that have marked their regime began with the execution without trial of all leaders of the previous governments. In a broadcast by the rebel radio less than three hours before its announcement of the conquest of Phnom Penh, Heng Samrin, the leader of the Salvation Front, called on troops of the Pol Pot army to turn their weapons against their officers. "The revolution will forgive and admire anyone who has done good for the nation," he said. In a long statement broadcast last night, the front promised to abolish in its "liberated zone" many of the excesses of the Pol Pot regime, which organized the entire nation of perhaps seven million into communes, separated families, emptied the towns and destroyed the Buddhist religion and most of the traditional culture. The front pledged to let families reunite freely and return to their regions of origin. Former city dwellers, however, were told that they could return "when the situation in the whole country permits." The front promised freedom of religion and the building or repair of destroyed temples. The insurgent group said it would abolish the government and administrative bodies of the Pol Pot regime and replace them with elected "people's self-management committees." These committees, it said, will consist of people who suffered at the hands of the Pol Pot regime, persons of "meritorious service to the people" and respected elders. The front promised also to provide general health care, which has been virtually nonexistent since 1975, and to build schools for all children 7 to 10 years old. Schools also virtually vanished under the Pol Pot regime. Appeal Made to Defectors The Salvation Front said it would welcome defectors from the Pol Pot Government and army and ruled out reprisals against prisoners of war. It said, however, that defectors would have to be examined for their past actions before being granted the full rights of citizenship. In a statement bound to infuriate China, which is believed to have thousands of advisers in Cambodia, the Salvation Front invited those people also to defect in return for good treatment. And it warned that advisers "who oppose the revolution will be duly punished." The whereabouts of the Chinese advisers and their status if they fall into Vietnamese hands is one of the most critical questions remaining unanswered. Little is known here about the fate of members of the small diplomatic corps in Phnom Penh, though most of the Chinese Embassy staff was believed to have returned to China. Front Page Image Provided by UMI