On this day, 27 years ago, on December 25, 1998 (November 7, 1998 in the lunar calendar), Khmer Rouge leaders Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea surrendered to the Cambodian government. On December 25, 1998, former leaders of Democratic Cambodia (Khmer Rouge) Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea Congpairin sent letters to Hun Sen respectively, announcing their respect for King Sihanouk, who has made unremitting efforts for national reconciliation in Cambodia, recognition and respect the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and recognition of the Royal Government of Cambodia established in accordance with the Constitution with Hun Sen as Prime Minister. They expressed their firm support for the governance program of the Royal Cambodian Government and hoped that the implementation of this program would further consolidate Cambodia's national reconciliation, national peace and stability on the basis of a liberal, democratic and multi-party system. Hun Sen replied to Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea on the same day, welcoming their decision to return to Cambodia society in the name of the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cambodian Armed Forces and himself. Hun Sen said that your actions reflect the sincere desire of all Cambodia people to end the war, seek peace, achieve national reconciliation and rebuild the motherland. On the afternoon of December 25, Khieu Samphan first contacted Hun Sen by phone in Pailin, saying that he and Nuon Chea requested to join the government. Hun Sen immediately contacted King Sihanouk, who was recuperating in Beijing, and the King welcomed him. After Khieu Samphan and Nong Chea learned about this, they made the decision to join the government. Khieu Samphan was born in Chai Trang Province, Cambodia in 1934. He was a member of the National Assembly during King Sihanouk's Democratic Socialist League, and later served as Minister of Commerce. In 1967, he left Phnom Penh to join the Khmer Rouge. From 1970 to 1979, he served as Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister of the National Unity Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Commander-in-Chief of the People's Armed Forces for National Liberation of Cambodia, Chairman of the National Presidium of Democratic Cambodia, and Prime Minister of the Government of Democratic Cambodia. Nong Xie was born in Battambang Province in 1927. He served as deputy secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cambodia and chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Cambodia. Democratic Cambodia was subsequently declared an illegal organization after boycotting the United Nations-sponsored general election on May 23, 1993. Pol Pot, the former supreme leader of the Khmer Rouge, died of illness on April 15, 1998 at the Cambodia-Thailand border. By early December 1998, almost all Khmer Rouge armed forces had surrendered to the Cambodian government. Currently, only Tammock remains among the Khmer Rouge leaders who are still hiding along the Cambodia-Thailand border. The predecessor of the Khmer Rouge was the Communist Party of Cambodia. The Communist Party of Cambodia was established on September 30, 1960, with Pol Pot as its general secretary. On March 18, 1970, Lon Nol launched a coup with the support of the United States, overthrowing the royal government led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk. On March 23, Sihanouk announced the establishment of the National United Front in Beijing and served as chairman. The Communist Party of Cambodia joined this front. On May 5, Prince Sihanouk established a national unity government in Beijing, with Khieu Samphan, leader of the Communist Party of Cambodia, serving as deputy prime minister. The Cambodian Government of National Unity led the people of the country to liberate the country on April 17, 1975 after five years of bloody battles. Cambodia promulgated a new constitution on January 5, 1976, and changed its name to "Democratic Cambodia." In April, Prince Sihanouk announced his retirement. Khieu Samphan served as Chairman of the National Presidium, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Cambodia Pol Pot served as Prime Minister. At this time, the Cambodian Communist Party actually took over the power of national leadership. At the end of 1978, Vietnam sent 100,000 troops to invade Phnom Penh and support the Han Sangrin regime. On August 21, 1979, the Cambodian Communist Party established the Patriotic Democratic National Unity Front, referred to as Democratic Cambodia, also known as the Khmer Rouge. On December 6, 1981, the Communist Party of Cambodia announced its dissolution. In July 1982, Sihanouk cooperated again with the Khmer Rouge. Sihanouk, Song Shuang and Khieu Samphan achieved a grand alliance and formed a joint government of the People's Republic of Cambodia. In October 1991, the International Conference on Cambodia was held in Paris and the Paris Agreement was signed. In May 1993, Cambodia held a national election. There are two opinions within the Khmer Rouge on the election: Khieu Samphan strongly advocates participating in the election and returning to society. However, Pol Pot advocated not to participate in the general election. In the end, Pol Pot's opinion prevailed and the Khmer Rouge remained divided. Experts on Cambodia believe that it was a major mistake for the Khmer Rouge not to participate in the general election, which isolated the Khmer Rouge from society and lost a good opportunity to return to society. Since 1993, the Khmer Rouge has gradually divided, disintegrated and declined under the Cambodian government's military offensive and peaceful appeasement offensive. On July 7, 1994, the Cambodian National Assembly declared the Khmer Rouge an illegal organization. On July 11, the Khmer Rouge announced the establishment of the Interim Government of National Unity and National Salvation in Anlong Veng with Khieu Samphan as Prime Minister. In 1996, the Cambodian government stepped up its offensive to disintegrate the Khmer Rouge and launched a large-scale offensive at the beginning of the year. In March, Xing Peng, commander of the 18th Khmer Rouge Division stationed in the Mount Melai base area, led his troops to surrender to the government. Immediately afterwards, in August 1996, Ieng Sary, the main leader of the Khmer Rouge who controlled the Pailin area, led two divisions of more than 3000 people to announce his separation from the Khmer Rouge defected government and reached a principled agreement on ceasefire and reconciliation with the government. In October, Cambodian Second Prime Minister Hun Sen went to Pailin to meet with Ieng Sary. At the welcoming ceremony, Hun Sen promised that the former Khmer Rouge soldiers and civilians could retain their original real estate, positions, military ranks, etc. after returning to the big national family. After Ieng Sary and Hing Phong joined the government, the Khmer Rouge lost its two important bases, Pailin and Mount Melai, and its vitality was greatly damaged. Since then, internal conflicts among the Khmer Rouge intensified. On June 11, 1997, Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot sent people to kill Khmer Rouge Defense Minister Song Cheng and his family. Pol Pot accused Song Cheng of splitting the Khmer Rouge and preparing to surrender to Hun Sen. About 1000 Khmer Rouge soldiers under Song Cheng surrounded the remnants of Pol Pot's troops. Pol Pot led hundreds of Khmer Rouge soldiers to flee into the jungle on the Cambodia-Thailand border. On July 25, the Khmer Rouge held a public trial of Pol Pot at the Anlong Veng base on the Cambodia-Thailand border. About 500 Khmer Rouge soldiers and villagers participated. Since then, the Khmer Rouge established a new leadership body, the "Nine-Member Committee", with Tammock, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea becoming the main leaders. At 11:15 pm on April 15, 1998, former Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died of a heart attack in a wooden cabin near Anlong Veng, Cambodia. In late April, Anlong Veng, the last Khmer Rouge stronghold, fell, and Tammock and others led hundreds of Khmer Rouge soldiers into the jungle on the Cambodia-Thailand border.