Description

Many Cambodians have a dislike for their Vietnamese neighbors who they see as having continually encroached on Khmer territory for centuries. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979 and installed a friendly regime in Phnom Penh. This monument celebrates the official friendship between the two countries and depicts soldiers in bass relief. After elections in 1998 the square beside the monument was the site for a lengthy protest against victory of the Cambodian People's Party. Though demonstrators were eventually dispersed by pro-government troops, many people still refer to this area as 'Democracy Square.'