"The engineering corps composed of 400 officers and men is the first time that we have sent a formed peacekeeping force to the United Nations, and the first time that the People's Liberation Army has gone abroad to carry out United Nations missions." Li Jinyong, who was the leader of the engineering corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to Cambodia, recalls the scene at that time with fresh memories.
Turn the clock back 26 years ago. On April 16, 1992, the advance team of the military engineering team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and participated in the peacekeeping operation of the United Nations Interim Authority in Cambodia. Soon, a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) engineering corps consisting of 400 military engineers to Cambodia was established and arrived at the Chinese peacekeeping force camp in Phnom Penh on April 24, 1992. This is the first "Blue Helmets" in the history of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
After arriving in Cambodia, the first task Li Jinyong and his colleagues received was to repair the No. 4 and No. 6 roads severely damaged by the war. Highway 4, which connects Phnom Penh and Cambodia's largest port, Pongson Port (Sihanouk Port), is the main artery of land transportation in the country. However, the war has severely damaged six bridges on this road, and various relief materials transported by sea from all over the world are stranded here. The United Nations alone has transported more than 8000 vehicles for peacekeeping missions. The No. 6 Highway in Kampong Thom Province was cut into several sections by numerous bullet holes, and was unable to open to traffic at all. An off-road vehicle has to run for a day on a road of tens of kilometers.
At that time, Cambodia was in the rainy season, so it was hard to build roads, not to mention that there might be unexploded mines, sporadic cold guns, poisonous snakes and mosquitoes on the road at any time. However, Chinese peacekeepers did not shrink back. They firmly accepted the task and completed it 20 days ahead of schedule. After learning the good news, Akashi Kang, then the chairman of the United Nations Transitional Agency in Cambodia, repeatedly praised that "the task was completed in a very timely manner".
Over the past 20 years, Chinese peacekeeping officers and soldiers have won respect with practical actions countless times. Since 1990, when China first sent military observers to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations, China has sent 37000 military police officers and soldiers, and has participated in 24 peacekeeping operations. Chinese peacekeepers have built and repaired more than 14000 kilometers of roads, removed more than 9800 mines and various types of unexploded ordnance, received more than 200000 patients, transported 1.35 million tons of various materials and equipment, and transported a total of 13 million kilometers. 21 Chinese peacekeepers and police have sacrificed their precious lives for world peace
Li Jinyong said that working with peacekeepers from other countries not only broadened his vision, but also made him deeply aware of the historical responsibility of Chinese peacekeepers - the mission of a responsible big country.
"I am deeply impressed by the quality of Chinese peacekeepers - high-quality soldiers and high-quality equipment, which can be called first-class." Lakhluwa, the Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Affairs of the United Nations, said, "China has made great contributions to maintaining world peace."
People's Daily (December 17, 2018, 4th Edition)
(Editor in charge: Yuan Bo)
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