This page to discover Cambodia

History

A former French protectorate integrated into Indochina, Cambodia gained its independence on November 9, 1953, at the end of the Indochina War. Having become a constitutional monarchy (since 1947) led by King Norodom Sihanouk, the country displayed a policy of neutrality with regard to the Vietnam War, but in reality supported North Vietnam from 1966, allowing troops and supplies to the South Vietnam Liberation Front.

Confronted from 1967-68 with an insurrection fomented by the Khmer Rouge, communist rebels of Maoist inspiration, Norodom Sihanouk had to appeal on August 14, 1969 to General Lon Nol, known for his anti-communism and for his sympathy towards the Americans. This one carried out a coup d'etat on March 18, 1970, taking advantage of the king's trip to Moscow and Beijing.

Ruled by a dictatorship allied with the United States, Cambodia was then integrated into the strategy of containment of communism in Southeast Asia. With the support of the Viet Minh, the pro-Vietnamese Khmer Rouge unleash a real war against the government forces and are about to win before the United States intervenes and saves the Lon Nol regime (April-June 1970).

But when in 1973 the United States withdrew from the region, its air strikes failed to eradicate the communist threat. While North Vietnam was about to win the war against South Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975. The "Angkar" (organization) of the Khmer Rouge then applied a more radical, maximalist policy. as well as that of the Soviets and the Maoists, aiming in particular to purify the country of the “corruption” of urban civilization.

The cities, like Phnom Penh on the night of April 17 to 18, 1975, were emptied of their inhabitants, sent for re-education in the countryside. The systematic hunting down of former French-speaking educated elites and those who use glasses, added to mines and guerrilla warfare is a real genocide: two million people died, or two-seventh of the total population of Cambodia. The economy is in a coma.

It was not until 1979 that the Vietnamese, with the tacit consent of the international community, drove the Khmer Rouge from power and reorganized the country. After their departure, the regime will gradually regain a semblance of autonomy and democracy with the help of the UN. Prime Minister Hun Sen, placed by Vietnam, has ruled the country since this period and King Norodom Sihanouk has once again become head of state.

On October 29, 2004, Prince Norodom Sihamoni, 51, unmarried, the youngest son of King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Monineath succeeded his father, the latter having abdicated. Norodom Sihamoni was his country's ambassador to UNESCO for eleven years.

Currently, the tourism sector and textiles (presence of major international ready-to-wear chains) are the country's main foreign currency earners. The political stability established under the authority of Hun Sen attracts many foreign investors and allows the country to benefit from one of the highest growth rates in the region.

Policy

In April 1975, Cambodia fell under the control of the Khmer Rouge and became the Democratic Republic of Kampuchea. In 1979, a rebel organization, the National United Front for the Salvation of Kampuchea (FUNSK), deposed the Khmer Rouge government with the support of Vietnamese troops, and established the People's Republic of Kampuchea!; the country's name officially reverted to State of Cambodia in 1989.

FUNSK establishes a 14-member People's Revolutionary Council to govern the country. A constitution was promulgated in March 1981!; in May of the same year, elections were organized to elect the 117 deputies who would sit in the National Assembly. Executive power was vested in the President of the Council of State and the President of the Council of Ministers (the Prime Minister).

The Khmer Rouge and other political groupings founded the coalition government of Democratic Kampuchea, to affirm their opposition to the Vietnamese-backed regime: they were thus able to retain their seat at the UN. In October 1991, an agreement was signed, stipulating that the UN and a 12-member Supreme National Council would jointly govern the country until free elections were held.

Prince Norodom Sihanouk was elected President of the Supreme National Council. Elections in May 1993 resulted in a new coalition government. In September 1993, the new constitution restored the constitutional monarchy: under the Constitution, the king reigns but does not govern. The Khmer Rouge refused to participate in this government and proclaimed a provisional government in the regions still under their control.

In fact, the regime looks more and more like a tough dictatorship, controlled by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for twenty-three years.

Geography

Located in the heart of the Indochinese peninsula, Cambodia is sandwiched between Thailand (to the west), Vietnam (to the east) and Laos (to the north). Its area is only 181,035 km² and dust, three times less than France.

The relief is average, with all the same a summit at almost 1,800 m altitude (in the south-west), some plateaus in the north (the Dangrek chain, 400 m average altitude) and two chains of low mountains (the Cardamoms and the Elephant) to the west. The south coast borders the Gulf of Siam for about 250 km, with some pretty beaches: Sihanoukville and Kep.

The Himalayas, overflowing, form the chains of Yunnan and Burma (Myanmar). The Indochinese peninsula stretches out to carry the last echoes of the super continent to the dotted line of the Indonesian arc... To the north, it does not hesitate to erect mountains; lower down, it already unravels into plateaus, hills; at the end of the race, it is the debacle: deltas, islands, lakes and marshes merge in a liquid no man's land.

Let's not forget the forests, which surround the country from southwest to northeast. Those of the Cardamom and Ratanakiri ranges are still the domain of tigers, snakes, elephants. Primitive jungle atmosphere guaranteed.

Economy

Cambodia is a quasi-monoculture country: rice is the country's main resource. Rubber production, another key asset of Cambodian agriculture, also declined when, in 1975, the new Khmer Rouge government nationalized all means of production and collectivized agriculture. Harvests stagnated until the start of the war in 1978. But in 1979, rice cultivation was practically interrupted, causing widespread famine throughout the country.

The war also had serious consequences in the sector of small industry, and communications networks were destroyed. In the mid-1980s, agriculture and industry began to function again. But Cambodia remained one of the poorest countries in the world!; in 1991, the gross national product was $1.7 billion and the GNP per capita ($193) was among the lowest in the world.

Until 2007, Cambodia experienced a decade of strong growth with a rate hovering around 8-10%. Very heavily “dollarized”, the country benefits from good monetary stability. In recent years, Cambodia's economy has established itself as one of the most dynamic in the region, and in April 2012, the first Cambodian Stock Exchange was commissioned.

Religion

Three religions, animism, Brahmanism and Buddhism, have harmoniously married, even reinforced each other, to help the Khmer to live in harmony with the cosmos, the cycle of the seasons, the forces of nature. Animism allows him to explain and organize his life in this lower world, Buddhism helps him to hope for a better future world, Brahmanism remains the framework and support for certain rituals.

Khmer Buddhism was and still is the basis and cement of Khmer society. The pagoda is the only place where the male population mixes, the only center of teaching, the only conservatory of traditions and texts, the only center for the dissemination of a common culture... To be Khmer is to be a Buddhist. and without Buddhism Cambodia would not exist.

For the record, a cult of Angkorian Brahmanist origin, the BAKU cult is kept at the Palace for the exercise of royal ceremonies, the determination of "good" dates, the interpretation of omens, drawing horoscopes. (It is the same at the court of Thailand).

Source : Wikipedia

Additional Information

It is (very) hot all year round! But the heat is more easily bearable in winter (January is ideal), when the rains are very rare. The best time to go is therefore from November to March.

Transport

the main cross roads linking Thailand to Vietnam are paved and of good quality. However, most of the 15,000 km of the network remain dirt or gravel tracks. These are more or less passable in the rainy season (mud, deep ruts) and, the rest of the year, depending on the repair work carried out.

Sleep/Eat

Cambodian cuisine mixes Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and French influences. Lots of soups, rice (staple) and vegetables. From time to time meat (buffalo and pork) but especially fresh water fish and chicken. In tourist areas, hostels (private), guesthouses and small hotels are not lacking. These establishments offer simple but well-kept rooms.

Purchase

Traditional craftsmanship almost entirely disappeared during the war, but there are still quite a few souvenirs to bring back: the krama, a very beautiful checkered scarf, sampot, fabric worn around the waist, not to mention on sale in the markets, objects in carved wood, copper statuettes, interesting jewelry and precious stones (but it is better to know your stuff).

Sites utiles

• Le routard (In french)
• Lonelyplanet

Tourist Office

• Tourist Office