PROFILE
Geography
Area: 181,040 sq. km. (69,900 sq. mi.); about the size of Missouri.
Cities:
Capital--Phnom
Penh (pop. 1.3 million), Battambang, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Prey Veng,
Kompong Cham.
Terrain: Central plain drained by the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and Mekong and
Bassac Rivers. Forests away from the rivers and the lake, mountains in the
southwest (Cardamom Mountains) and north (Dangrek Mountains) along the
border with Thailand.
Climate: Tropical monsoon with rainy season June-Oct. and dry season
Nov.-May.
People
Nationality:
Noun and
adjective--Cambodian(s), Khmer.
Population (2008 census): 13.4 million.
Avg. annual growth rate (2008 census) 1.54%.
Health:
Infant mortality rate--58/1,000.
Life
expectancy--59 years male; 63 years female.
Ethnic groups: Cambodian 90%; Vietnamese 5%; Chinese 1%; others 4%: small
numbers of hill tribes, Cham, and Lao.
Religions: Theravada Buddhism 95%; Islam; animism; Christian.
Languages: Khmer (official) spoken by more than 95% of the population; some
French still spoken in urban areas; English increasingly popular as a second
language.
Education:
Years compulsory--nine
years.
Enrollment--primary
school, 94.4%; grades 7 to 9, 33.9%; grades 10 to 12, 16.4%; and tertiary,
2.8%.
Completion rates--primary
school, 85.58%; lower secondary school, 49.05%; upper secondary school,
20.58%; university, 6%.
Literacy (total
population over 15 that can read and write, 2007)--75.1% (male approx. 85%;
female approx. 64%).
Government
Type: Multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy.
Independence: November 9, 1953.
Constitution: September 24, 1993; amended March 6, 1999 and March 2, 2006.
Branches:
Executive--King
Sihamoni (head of state since October 29, 2004), prime minister (Hun Sen
since January 14, 1985), 10 deputy prime ministers, 16 senior ministers, 26
ministers, 206 secretaries of state, and 205 undersecretaries of state.
Legislative--National
Assembly, consisting of 123 elected members; Senate, consisting of 61
members.
Judicial--Supreme Court and lower courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 23 provinces and 1 capital municipality.
Political parties and leaders:
Ruling
parties--A coalition government of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP),
led by Samdech Chea Sim; and the National United Front for an Independent,
Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), led by Keo Puth
Reasmey. Norodom Ranariddh Party representatives will serve out their term
in parliament but announced in June 2009 their renaming as the Nationalist
Party, which plans to join in a coalition with FUNCINPEC prior to 2012
commune elections.
Opposition
parties--The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), led by Sam Rainsy; Human Rights
Party, led by Kem Sokha.
Economy
GDP (2009): $10.8 billion.
Per capita GDP (2009): $731.
Annual growth rate (2009): 0.1%.
Inflation (2009): 4.5%.
Natural resources: Timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese and
phosphate, hydroelectric potential from the Mekong River, unknown quantities
of oil, gas, and bauxite.
Agriculture (33.5% of GDP, 2009 est.): About 4,848,000 hectares (12 million
acres) are unforested land; all are arable with irrigation, but 2.5 million
hectares are cultivated.
Products--rice, rubber, corn, meat,
vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour.
Industry (21.7% of GDP, 2009 est.):
Types--garment
and shoe manufacturing, rice milling, tobacco, fisheries and fishing, wood
and wood products, textiles, cement, some rubber production, paper and food
processing.
Services (38.8% of GDP, 2009 est.): Tourism, telecommunications,
transportation, and construction.
Central government budget (2009):
Revenues--$1.38
billion;
expenditures--$1.8
billion;
foreign financing--$606 million.
Trade:
Exports ($3.9
billion, 2009)--garments, shoes, cigarettes, natural rubber, rice, pepper,
wood, fish.
Major partners--United
States, Germany, U.K., Singapore, Japan, Vietnam.
Imports ($5.4
billion, 2009)--fuels, cigarettes, vehicles, consumer goods, machinery.
Major
partners--Thailand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, United
States.
Economic aid received: $989 million in grants or concessional loans were
disbursed in 2009.
Major
donors--Asian Development Bank (ADB), UN Development Program (UNDP),
World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Australia, Canada, China, Denmark,
the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Thailand, the U.K., and the
U.S.
Principal foreign commercial investors: Korea, China, Russia, Thailand, the
U.S., and Vietnam.
Exchange rate (2009): 4,166 riel per U.S. $1.
GEOGRAPHY
Cambodia is located on mainland Southeast Asia between Thailand to the west
and north and Vietnam to the east and southeast. It shares a land border
with Laos in the northeast. Cambodia has a sea coast on the Gulf of
Thailand. The Dangrek mountain range in the north and Cardamom Mountains in
the southwest form natural boundaries. Principal physical features include
the Tonle Sap lake and the Mekong and Bassac Rivers. Cambodia remains one of
the most heavily forested countries in the region, although deforestation
continues at an alarming rate.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Ninety percent of Cambodia's population is ethnically Cambodian. Other
ethnic groups include Chinese, Vietnamese, hill tribes, Cham, and Lao.
Theravada Buddhism is the religion of 95% of the population; Islam, animism,
and Christianity also are practiced. Khmer is the official language and is
spoken by more than 95% of the population. Some French is still spoken in
urban areas, and English is increasingly popular as a second language.
Angkor Wat
Over a period of 300 years, between 900 and 1200 AD, the Khmer Kingdom of
Angkor produced some of the world's most magnificent architectural
masterpieces on the northern shore of the Tonle Sap, near the present town
of Siem Reap. The Angkor area stretches 15 miles east to west and 5 miles
north to south. Some 72 major temples or other buildings dot the area.
Suryavarman II built the principal temple, Angkor Wat, between 1112 and
1150. With walls nearly one-half mile on each side, Angkor Wat portrays the
Hindu cosmology with the central towers representing Mount Meru, home of the
gods; the outer walls, the mountains enclosing the world; and the moat, the
oceans beyond. Angkor Thom, the capital city built after the Cham sack of
1177, is surrounded by a 300-foot wide moat. Construction of Angkor Thom
coincided with a change from Hinduism to Buddhism. Temples were altered to
display images of the Buddha, and Angkor Wat became a major Buddhist shrine.
During the 15th century, nearly all of Angkor was abandoned after Siamese
attacks. The exception was Angkor Wat, which remained a shrine for Buddhist
pilgrims. The great city and temples remained largely cloaked by the forest
until the late 19th century when French archaeologists began a long
restoration process. Concerned about further destruction and dilapidation of
the Angkor complex and cultural heritage, the Cambodian Government in 1995
established the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and
the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA) to protect, maintain, conserve, and improve
the value of the archaeological park. In December 1995 the World Heritage
Committee confirmed Angkor's permanent inscription on the World Heritage
List. Tourism is now the second-largest foreign currency earner in
Cambodia's economy.
MODERN HISTORY
Although Cambodia had a rich and powerful past under the Hindu state of
Funan and the Kingdom of Angkor, by the mid-19th century the country was on
the verge of dissolution. After repeated requests for French assistance, a
protectorate was established in 1863. By 1884, Cambodia was a virtual
colony; soon after it was made part of the Indochina Union with Annam,
Tonkin, Cochin-China, and Laos. France continued to control the country even
after the start of World War II through its Vichy government. In 1945, the
Japanese dissolved the colonial administration, and King Norodom Sihanouk
declared an independent, anti-colonial government under Prime Minister Son
Ngoc Thanh in March 1945. The Allies deposed this government in October. In
January 1953, Sihanouk named his father as regent and went into self-imposed
exile, refusing to return until Cambodia gained genuine independence.
Full Independence
Sihanouk's actions hastened the French Government's July 4, 1953
announcement of its readiness to grant independence, which came on November
9, 1953. The situation remained uncertain until a 1954 conference was held
in Geneva to settle the French-Indochina war. All participants, except the
United States and the State of Vietnam, associated themselves (by voice)
with the final declaration. The Cambodian delegation agreed to the
neutrality of the three Indochinese states but insisted on a provision in
the cease-fire agreement that left the Cambodian Government free to call for
outside military assistance should the Viet Minh or others threaten its
territory.
Neutral Cambodia
Neutrality was the central element of Cambodian foreign policy during the
1950s and 1960s. By the mid-1960s, parts of Cambodia's eastern provinces
were serving as bases for North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong (NVA/VC)
forces operating against South Vietnam, and the port of Sihanoukville was
being used to supply them. As NVA/VC activity grew, the United States and
South Vietnam became concerned, and in 1969, the United States began a
series of air raids against NVA/VC base areas inside Cambodia.
Throughout the 1960s, domestic politics polarized. Opposition grew within
the middle class and among leftists, including Paris-educated leaders such
as Son Sen, Ieng Sary, and Saloth Sar (later known as Pol Pot), who led an
insurgency under the clandestine Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK).
The Khmer Republic and the War
In March 1970, Gen. Lon Nol deposed Prince Sihanouk and assumed power. On
October 9, the Cambodian monarchy was abolished, and the country was renamed
the Khmer Republic. Hanoi rejected the new republic's request for the
withdrawal of NVA/VC troops and began to re-infiltrate some of the
2,000-4,000 Cambodians who had gone to North Vietnam in 1954. They became a
cadre in the insurgency. The United States moved to provide material
assistance to the new government's armed forces, which were engaged against
both the Khmer Rouge insurgents and NVA/VC forces. In April 1970, U.S. and
South Vietnamese forces entered Cambodia in a campaign aimed at destroying
NVA/VC base areas. Although a considerable quantity of equipment was seized
or destroyed, NVA/VC forces proved elusive and moved deeper into Cambodia.
NVA/VC units overran many Cambodian Army positions while the Khmer Rouge
expanded their small scale attacks on lines of communication.
The Khmer Republic's leadership was plagued by disunity among its members,
the problems of transforming a 30,000-man army into a national combat force
of more than 200,000 men, and spreading corruption. The insurgency continued
to grow, with supplies and military support provided by North Vietnam. But
inside Cambodia, Pol Pot and Ieng Sary asserted their dominance over the
Vietnamese-trained communists, many of whom were purged. At the same time,
the Khmer Rouge forces became stronger and more independent of their
Vietnamese patrons. By 1974, Lon Nol's control was reduced to small enclaves
around the cities and main transportation routes. More than 2 million
refugees from the war lived in Phnom Penh and other cities.
On New Year's Day 1975, communist troops launched an offensive that, in 117
days of the hardest fighting of the war, destroyed the Khmer Republic.
Simultaneous attacks around the perimeter of Phnom Penh pinned down
Republican forces, while other Khmer Rouge units overran fire bases
controlling the vital lower Mekong resupply route. A U.S.-funded airlift of
ammunition and rice ended when Congress refused additional aid for Cambodia.
Phnom Penh surrendered on April 17, 1975--5 days after the U.S. mission
evacuated Cambodia.
Democratic Kampuchea
Many Cambodians welcomed the arrival of peace, but the Khmer Rouge soon
turned Cambodia--which it called Democratic Kampuchea (DK)--into a land of
horror. Immediately after its victory, the new regime ordered the evacuation
of all cities and towns, sending the entire urban population out into the
countryside to till the land. Thousands starved or died of disease during
the evacuation. Many of those forced to evacuate the cities were resettled
in new villages, which lacked food, agricultural implements, and medical
care. Many starved before the first harvest, and hunger and
malnutrition--bordering on starvation--were constant during those years.
Those who resisted or who questioned orders were immediately executed, as
were most military and civilian leaders of the former regime who failed to
disguise their pasts.
Within the CPK, the Paris-educated leadership--Pol Pot, Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea,
and Son Sen--was in control, and Pol Pot was made Prime Minister. Prince
Sihanouk was put under virtual house arrest. The new government sought to
restructure Cambodian society completely. Remnants of the old society were
abolished, and Buddhism suppressed.
Agriculture was collectivized, and the surviving part of the industrial base
was abandoned or placed under state control. Cambodia had neither a currency
nor a banking system. The regime controlled every aspect of life and reduced
everyone to the level of abject obedience through terror. Torture centers
were established, and detailed records were kept of the thousands murdered
there. Public executions of those considered unreliable or with links to the
previous government were common. Few succeeded in escaping the military
patrols and fleeing the country. Solid estimates of the numbers who died
between 1975 and 1979 are not available, but it is likely that hundreds of
thousands were brutally executed by the regime. Hundreds of thousands more
died from forced labor, starvation, and disease--both under the Khmer Rouge
and during the Vietnamese invasion in 1978. Estimates of the dead range from
1.7 million to 3 million, out of a 1975 population estimated at 7.3 million.
Democratic Kampuchea's relations with Vietnam and Thailand worsened rapidly
as a result of border clashes and ideological differences. While communist,
the CPK was fiercely anti-Vietnamese, and most of its members who had lived
in Vietnam were purged. Democratic Kampuchea established close ties with
China, and the Cambodian-Vietnamese conflict became part of the Sino-Soviet
rivalry, with Moscow backing Vietnam. Border clashes worsened when
Democratic Kampuchea's military attacked villages in Vietnam.
In mid-1978, Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia, advancing about 30 miles
before the arrival of the rainy season. In December 1978, Vietnam announced
formation of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (KUFNS)
under Heng Samrin, a former DK division commander. It was composed of Khmer
communists who had remained in Vietnam after 1975 and officials from the
eastern sector--like Heng Samrin and Hun Sen--who had fled to Vietnam from
Cambodia in 1978. In late December 1978, Vietnamese forces launched a full
invasion of Cambodia, capturing Phnom Penh on January 7, 1979 and driving
the remnants of Democratic Kampuchea's army westward toward Thailand.
The Vietnamese Occupation
On January 10, 1979, the Vietnamese installed Heng Samrin as head of state
in the new People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). The Vietnamese Army
continued to pursue Khmer Rouge forces. An estimated 600,000 Cambodians were
displaced during the Pol Pot era and the Vietnamese invasion streamed to the
Thai border in search of refuge between 1979 and 1981.
The international community responded with a massive relief effort
coordinated by the United States through the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and
the World Food Program. More than $400 million was provided between 1979 and
1982, of which the United States contributed nearly $100 million.
Vietnam's occupation army of an estimated 180,000 troops was posted
throughout the country from 1979 to September 1989. The Heng Samrin regime's
30,000 troops were plagued by poor morale and widespread desertion.
Resistance to Vietnam's occupation was extensive. A remainder of the Khmer
Rouge's military forces eluded Vietnamese troops and established themselves
in remote regions. A non-communist resistance movement consisting of groups
that had been fighting the Khmer Rouge after 1975--including Lon Nol-era
soldiers--coalesced in 1979-80 to form the Khmer People's National
Liberation Armed Forces (KPNLAF), which pledged loyalty to former Prime
Minister Son Sann, and Moulinaka (Movement pour la Liberation Nationale de
Kampuchea), loyal to Prince Sihanouk. In 1979, Son Sann formed the Khmer
People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) to lead a political struggle for
Cambodia's independence. Prince Sihanouk formed his own organization,
National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative
Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), and its military arm, the Armee Nationale
Sihanoukienne (ANS) in 1981.
Within Cambodia, Vietnam had only limited success in establishing its client
Heng Samrin regime, which was dependent on Vietnamese advisers at all
levels. Security in some rural areas was tenuous, and major transportation
routes were subject to interdiction by resistance forces. The presence of
Vietnamese throughout the country and their intrusion into nearly all
aspects of Cambodian life alienated much of the populace. The settlement of
Vietnamese nationals, both former residents and new immigrants, further
exacerbated anti-Vietnamese sentiment. Reports of the numbers involved vary
widely, with some estimates as high as 1 million. By the end of the decade,
Khmer nationalism began to reassert itself against the traditional
Vietnamese enemy. In 1986, Hanoi claimed to have begun withdrawing part of
its occupation forces. At the same time, Vietnam continued efforts to
strengthen its client regime, the PRK, and its military arm, the Kampuchean
People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (KPRAF). These withdrawals continued
over the next 2 years, and the last Vietnamese troops left Cambodia in
September 1989.
Peace Efforts
From July 30 to August 30, 1989, representatives of 18 countries, the four
Cambodian parties, and the UN Secretary General met in Paris in an effort to
negotiate a comprehensive settlement. They hoped to achieve those objectives
seen as crucial to the future of post-occupation Cambodia--a verified
withdrawal of the remaining Vietnamese occupation troops, the prevention of
the return to power of the Khmer Rouge, and genuine self-determination for
the Cambodian people. A comprehensive settlement was agreed upon on August
28, 1990.
Cambodia's Renewal
On October 23, 1991, the Paris Conference reconvened to sign a comprehensive
settlement giving the UN full authority to supervise a cease-fire,
repatriate the displaced Khmer along the border with Thailand, disarm and
demobilize the factional armies, and prepare the country for free and fair
elections. Prince Sihanouk, President of the Supreme National Council of
Cambodia (SNC), and other members of the SNC returned to Phnom Penh in
November 1991, to begin the resettlement process in Cambodia. The UN Advance
Mission for Cambodia (UNAMIC) was deployed at the same time to maintain
liaison among the factions and begin demining operations to expedite the
repatriation of approximately 370,000 Cambodians from Thailand.
On March 16, 1992, the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) arrived
in Cambodia to begin implementation of the UN Settlement Plan. The UN High
Commissioner for Refugees began full scale repatriation in March 1992. UNTAC
grew into a 22,000-strong civilian and military peacekeeping force to
conduct free and fair elections for a constituent assembly.
Over 4 million Cambodians (about 90% of eligible voters) participated in the
May 1993 elections, although the Khmer Rouge or Party of Democratic
Kampuchea (PDK), whose forces were never actually disarmed or demobilized,
barred some people from participating. Prince Ranariddh's FUNCINPEC Party
was the top vote recipient with a 45.5% vote, followed by Hun Sen's
Cambodian People's Party and the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party,
respectively. FUNCINPEC then entered into a coalition with the other parties
that had participated in the election. The parties represented in the
120-member assembly proceeded to draft and approve a new constitution, which
was promulgated September 24, 1993. It established a multiparty liberal
democracy in the framework of a constitutional monarchy, with the former
Prince Sihanouk elevated to King. Prince Ranariddh and Hun Sen became First
and Second Prime Ministers, respectively, in the Royal Cambodian Government
(RGC). The constitution provides for a wide range of internationally
recognized human rights.
In 1997, most of the remaining Khmer Rouge fighters accepted a government
amnesty and laid down their arms, putting an end to nearly three decades of
war. On October 4, 2004, the Cambodian National Assembly ratified an
agreement with the United Nations on the establishment of a tribunal to try
senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.
The tribunal held its first trial, against former S-21 prison chief Kaing
Guek Eav (aka Duch), in 2009, with a verdict expected in July 2010. Four
more former Khmer Rouge leaders remain in custody awaiting trial, and
investigations are slated to begin against five more. Donor countries have
provided over $100 million to date in support of the tribunal, including
$6.8 million from the United States.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy, and its constitution provides for a
multiparty democracy. The Royal Government of Cambodia, formed on the basis
of elections internationally recognized as free and fair, was established on
September 24, 1993.
The executive branch comprises the king, who is head of state; an appointed
prime minister; 10 deputy prime ministers, 16 senior ministers, 26
ministers, 206 secretaries of state, and 205 undersecretaries of state. The
bicameral legislature consists of a 123-member elected National Assembly and
a 61-member Senate. The judiciary includes a Supreme Court, lower courts,
and an internationalized court with jurisdiction over the serious crimes of
the Khmer Rouge era. Administrative subdivisions are 23 provinces and 1
municipality.
While the post-1993 period was relatively stable in comparison to the
previous decades, political violence continued to be a problem through the
1990s. In 1997, factional fighting between supporters of Prince Norodom
Ranariddh and Hun Sen broke out, resulting in more than 100 FUNCINPEC deaths
and a few Cambodian People's Party (CPP) casualties. Some FUNCINPEC leaders
were forced to flee the country, and Hun Sen took over as Prime Minister.
FUNCINPEC leaders returned to Cambodia shortly before the 1998 National
Assembly elections. In those elections, the CPP received 41% of the vote,
FUNCINPEC 32%, and the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) 13%. Due to political
violence, intimidation, and lack of media access, many international
observers judged the elections to have been seriously flawed. The CPP and
FUNCINPEC formed another coalition government, with CPP the senior partner.
Cambodia's first commune elections, held in February 2002 to select chiefs
and members of 1,621 commune (municipality) councils, also were marred by
political violence and fell short of being free and fair by international
standards.
National Assembly elections in July 2003 failed to give any one party the
two-thirds majority of seats required under the constitution to form a
government. A political stalemate ensued which was not resolved until July
2004, when the National Assembly approved a controversial addendum to the
constitution in order to require a vote on a new government. The National
Assembly then approved a new coalition government comprised of the CPP and
FUNCINPEC, with Hun Sen as Prime Minister and Prince Norodom Ranariddh as
President of the National Assembly. The SRP, with support from various
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), asserted the addendum was
unconstitutional and boycotted the vote.
On October 7, 2004, King Sihanouk abdicated the throne due to illness. On
October 14, the Cambodian Throne Council selected Prince Norodom Sihamoni to
succeed Sihanouk as King. King Norodom Sihamoni officially ascended the
throne in a coronation ceremony on October 29, 2004.
In February 2005, the National Assembly voted to lift the parliamentary
immunity of three opposition parliamentarians, including SRP leader Sam
Rainsy, in connection with lawsuits filed against them by members of the
ruling parties. One of the parliamentarians, Cheam Channy, was arrested and
later tried, while Sam Rainsy went into self-imposed exile. In October 2005,
the government arrested critics of Cambodia's border treaties with Vietnam
and later detained four human rights activists following International Human
Rights Day in December. In January 2006, the political climate improved with
the Prime Minister's decision to release all political detainees and permit
Sam Rainsy's return to Cambodia.
Following public criticism by Hun Sen, Prince Ranariddh resigned as
President of the National Assembly in March 2006. He later broke with
FUNCINPEC and founded a new party, the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP). In
2007, Ranariddh was convicted of corruption by a Cambodian court and fled to
Malaysia to avoid imprisonment. In October 2008, he received a royal pardon
and returned to Cambodia. Shortly afterward, he announced that he was
withdrawing from politics.
Cambodia's second commune elections were held in April 2007, followed by
National Assembly elections in July 2008. In both cases, there was little of
the pre-election violence that preceded the 2002 and 2003 elections. Both
polls resulted in victories for the Cambodian People's Party, with the Sam
Rainsy Party emerging as the main opposition party and the royalist parties
showing weakening support. The Assembly inaugurated in September 2008 is led
by a coalition of the CPP (90 seats) and FUNCINPEC (2 seats). The SRP (26
seats) and the Human Rights Party led by Kem Sokha (3 seats) are in
opposition. The NRP (2 seats) has announced its intention to merge with
FUNCINPEC by 2012. The CPP-led coalition retained Hun Sen as Prime Minister,
as well as most of the key leaders from the previous government, and all
ministers are from the CPP. In May 2009, non-universal elections were held
when commune council members chose representatives to district councils,
city councils, and provincial councils, which would have administrative and
budgetary powers at the local level.
In 2009, the CPP-dominated parliament voted again to lift the parliamentary
immunity of three members of the opposition, including Sam Rainsy, in order
to allow civil or criminal charges to be pursued. Sam Rainsy was convicted
in absentia and sentenced to 2 years prison in January 2010 for his role in
the removal of several temporary border markers on the Cambodia-Vietnam
border. He remains outside the country. A second SRP member was convicted of
defaming the Prime Minister, but as of July 2010 had refused to pay the
court-ordered fine. A third SRP member was ultimately acquitted on all
charges.
The 1993 constitution provides for a wide range of internationally
recognized human rights, including freedom of the press. While freedom of
the press has improved markedly in Cambodia since the adoption of the
constitution, limitations still exist on mass media. Much of the written
press, while considered largely free, has ties to individual political
parties or factions and does not seek to provide objective reporting or
analysis. Cambodia has an estimated 25 Khmer-language newspapers that are
published regularly. Of these, eight are published daily; three opposition
papers are published regularly and two of these are daily publications.
There are two major English-language newspapers, two of which are dailies.
Broadcast media, in contrast to print, is more closely controlled. It tends
to be politically affiliated, and access for opposition parties is extremely
limited.
Principal Government Officials
King and Head of State--Norodom Sihamoni
Prime Minister and Head of Government--Hun Sen
President of the Senate--Chea Sim
President of National Assembly--Heng Samrin
Cambodia's
embassy in
the United States is located at 4530 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20011;
tel: (202) 726-7742; fax: (202) 726-8381.
ECONOMY
From 2004-2007, the Cambodian economy expanded by more than 10% per year,
with the garment sector and the tourism industry driving the growth, and
inflation remaining relatively low. The onset of the global recession led to
near-zero growth in 2009, but higher growth is expected to resume in 2010.
The economy is heavily dollarized; the dollar and riel can be used
interchangeably. Cambodia remains heavily reliant on foreign
assistance--about half of the central government budget depends on donor
assistance. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has increased 12-fold since 2004
as sound macroeconomic policies, political stability, regional economic
growth, and government openness toward investment attract growing numbers of
investors.
Manufacturing output is concentrated in the garment sector, and garments
dominate Cambodia's exports, especially to the U.S. The industry expanded
rapidly from the mid-1990s until 2008, employing 350,000 workers and
generating $3 billion in annual revenue at its peak. However, the global
economic slowdown caused a drop in demand, resulting in a more than 20%
decline in garment exports and an estimated 60,000 unemployed workers from
late 2008 through 2009. Tourism levels, which increased to approximately two
million arrivals in 2008, were also hurt by the global downturn. The service
sector is heavily concentrated in trading activities and catering-related
services. Exploratory drilling for oil and natural gas began in 2005, and
commercial production is expected to commence in late 2012, but it is not
yet clear if commercial extraction is viable long-term or how large
Cambodia's reserves are.
In spite of recent progress, the Cambodian economy continues to suffer from
the legacy of decades of war and internal strife. Per capita income and
education levels are lower than in most neighboring countries.
Infrastructure remains inadequate, although road networks are improving
rapidly. Most rural households depend on agriculture and its related
subsectors. Corruption and lack of legal protections for investors continue
to hamper economic opportunity and competitiveness. The economy also has a
poor track record in creating jobs in the formal sector, and the challenge
will only become more daunting in the future since 50% of the population is
under 20 years of age and large numbers of job seekers will begin to enter
the work force over the next 10 years.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Cambodia has established diplomatic relations with most countries, including
the United States. The country is a member of most major international
organizations, including the UN and its specialized agencies, and became a
member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1998.
Cambodia is a member of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and
the Asian Development Bank (ADB). On October 13, 2004, Cambodia became the
148th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
U.S.-CAMBODIAN RELATIONS
In the past three years, bilateral relations between the U.S. and Cambodia
have deepened and broadened. With the lifting of a congressional ban to
provide direct assistance to the Cambodian Government, more direct technical
assistance has become feasible. U.S. assistance to Cambodia administered by
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in 2009
totaled nearly $62 million for programs in health, education, governance,
and economic growth.
The U.S. supports efforts in Cambodia to combat terrorism, reduce the
prevalence of HIV/AIDS, build democratic institutions, promote human rights,
foster economic development, eliminate corruption and trafficking in
persons, achieve the fullest possible accounting for Americans missing from
the Indochina conflict, and to bring to justice those most responsible for
serious violations of international humanitarian law committed under the
Khmer Rouge regime.
Between 1955 and 1963, the United States provided $409.6 million in economic
grant aid and $83.7 million in military assistance. This aid was used
primarily to repair damage caused by Cambodia's war of independence from
France, to support internal security forces, and for the construction of an
all-weather road to the seaport of Sihanoukville, which gave Cambodia its
first direct access to the sea and access to the southwestern hinterlands.
Relations deteriorated in the early 1960s. Diplomatic relations were broken
by Cambodia in May 1965, but were reestablished on July 2, 1969. U.S.
relations continued after the establishment of the Khmer Republic until the
U.S. mission was evacuated on April 12, 1975. During the 1970-75 war, the
United States provided $1.18 billion in military assistance and $503 million
in economic assistance. The United States condemned the brutal character of
the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. The United States opposed the
subsequent military occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam, and supported ASEAN's
efforts in the 1980s to achieve a comprehensive political settlement of the
problem. This was accomplished on October 23, 1991, when the Paris
Conference reconvened to sign a comprehensive settlement.
The U.S. Mission in Phnom Penh opened on November 11, 1991, headed by career
diplomat Charles H. Twining, Jr., who was designated U.S. Special
Representative to the SNC. On January 3, 1992, the U.S. lifted its embargo
against Cambodia, thus normalizing economic relations with the country. The
United States also ended blanket opposition to lending to Cambodia by
international financial institutions. When the freely elected Royal
Government of Cambodia was formed on September 24, 1993, the United States
and the Kingdom of Cambodia immediately established full diplomatic
relations. The U.S. Mission was upgraded to a U.S. Embassy, and in May 1994
Mr. Twining became the U.S. Ambassador. After the factional fighting in 1997
and Hun Sen's legal machinations to depose First Prime Minister Ranariddh,
the United States suspended bilateral assistance to the Cambodian
Government. At the same time, many U.S. citizens and other expatriates were
evacuated from Cambodia and, in the subsequent weeks and months, more than
40,000 Cambodian refugees fled to Thailand. The 1997 events also left a long
list of uninvestigated human rights abuses, including dozens of
extra-judicial killings. From 1997 until the lifting of legislative
restrictions on bilateral assistance in 2007, U.S. assistance to the
Cambodian people was provided mainly through non-governmental organizations,
which flourish in Cambodia.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--
Carol
A. Rodley
Deputy Chief of Mission--Theodore X. Allegra
Political Officer--Jenae Johnson
Economic/Commercial Officer--Jenny Malheiro
Consular Officer--Anita Allegra
Management Officer--Kenneth L. Meyer
Public Affairs Officer--John E. Johnson
Regional Security Officer--Patrick Harms
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh is located at #1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat
Phnom; tel: (855) 23-728-000; fax: (855) 23-728-600.
The Embassy's website at
http://cambodia.usembassy.gov/ and
the USAID Mission Cambodia website at
http://www.usaid.gov/kh/ provide
up-to-date information about U.S. Government activities in Cambodia.
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Country Specific
Information, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings.
Country
Specific Information exists
for all countries and includes information on entry and exit requirements,
currency regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. embassies and
consulates abroad.
Travel
Alerts are issued to
disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant risks to the security
of American travelers.
Travel
Warnings are issued when the
State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country
because the situation is dangerous or unstable.
For the latest security
information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor
the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site athttp://www.travel.state.gov,
where the current Worldwide
Caution, Travel
Alerts, andTravel
Warnings can be found. Consular
Affairs Publications, which contain information on obtaining passports
and planning a safe trip abroad, are also available athttp://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international travel, seehttp://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S. citizens traveling or
residing abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website
or at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make
your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you
in an emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada or the
regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada.
The National
Passport Information Center (NPIC)
is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact center
for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4-USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778);
TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. Passport information is available 24 hours, 7 days
a week. You may speak with a representative Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10
p.m., Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) and a web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx give
the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or
requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and
countries. The CDC publication "Health Information for International Travel"
can be found at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentYellowBook.aspx.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov,
the Department of State web site provides timely, global access to official
U.S. foreign policy information, including Background
Notes and daily
press briefings along with
the directory of key
officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies working
abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal
to all export-related assistance and market information offered by the
federal government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and international trade
information from the Federal government. The site includes current and
historical trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the National
Trade Data
(
Provided
by the US Department of State)
