Patriotic and Democratic Front of the Great National Union of Kampuchea

The Patriotic and Democratic Front of the Great National Union of Kampuchea (Khmer: រណសិរ្សប្រជាធិបតេយ្យស្នេហាជាតិនៃមហាសាមគ្គីជាតិកម្ពុជា) (PDFGNUK) was a Kampuchean mass organization set up by the Communist Party of Kampuchea (popularly known as the Khmer Rouge) on August 21, 1979^[1] after the fall of Democratic Kampuchea to Vietnamese troops and the subsequent proclamation of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. It was set up as a counterpart to the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation that had been nurtured by the Vietnamese. Its purpose was to rally anti-Vietnamese nationalists to support the Khmer Rouge, as part of an effort to legitimize the discredited Democratic Kampuchea regime.^[2] It was announced by Khieu Samphan, who was elected its provisional chairman.^[3] The PDFGNUK can be seen as an attempt to revive the goals of the similar GRUNK coalition of the early 1970s, an organization that united the Khmer Rouge and pro-Sihanouk forces opposing the Khmer Republic.

^ John S. Bowman (Ed.). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. 2000. p. 433.
^ Michael Haas. Genocide by Proxy: Cambodian Pawn on a Superpower Chessboard. New York: Praeger Publishers. 1991. p. 42.
^ Patrick Raszelenberg, Peter Schier & Jeffry G. Wong. The Cambodia Conflict: Search for a Settlement, 1979-1991. Institute of Asian Affairs. 1995. p. 31.

[1] John S. Bowman (Ed.). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. 2000. p. 433.

[2] Michael Haas. Genocide by Proxy: Cambodian Pawn on a Superpower Chessboard. New York: Praeger Publishers. 1991. p. 42.

[3] Patrick Raszelenberg, Peter Schier & Jeffry G. Wong. The Cambodia Conflict: Search for a Settlement, 1979-1991. Institute of Asian Affairs. 1995. p. 31.

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