Wayzata World Factbook 1995/World Factbook - 1995 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1995).iso/mac/text/Build/orig BACKGR/BNOT0020.TXT

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National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : ST BNOTES CAMBODIA
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994

AGENCY      : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
PROGRAM     : BACKGROUND NOTES
TITLE       : Background Notes - CAMBODIA

Source key      : ST
Program key     : ST BNOTES
Update sched.   : Occasionally
Data type       : TEXT
End year        : 1992
Date of record  : 19941018
Keywords 3      :
Keywords 3      : | CAMBODIA

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
BACKGROUND NOTES:  CAMBODIA

Official Name:  Cambodia

Profile

Geography

Area: 181,040 sq. km. (69,900 sq. mi.); about the size of Missouri.
Cities: Capital-Phnom Penh (pop. 400,000 est.).  Other
cities-Battambang, Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Kompong Som,
Kompong Thom.  Terrain: Central plain drained by the Tonle Sap
(Great Lake) and Mekong and Bassac Rivers.  Heavy 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:
(1989) 6.8 million.  Avg. annual growth rate: 2.2%.  Births: 39
births/1000 population (1989).  Deaths: 17 deaths/1000 population
.  Infant mortality: 131 deaths/1000 live births.  Life expectancy:  47
years male/50 years female.  Ethnic groups: Cambodian 90%;
Chinese and Vietnamese 5% each; small numbers of hill tribes,
Chams, and Burmese.  Religions: Theravada Buddhism 95%; Islam;
animism; atheism.  Languages: Khmer (official) spoken by more than
95% of the population, including minorities; some French still spoken.
Literacy: approximately 50%.


Government

Government is disputed between the resistance groups of the
National Government of Cambodia (NGC)-which formerly called itself
the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK)-and the
Vietnamese-installed authorities in Phnom Penh:  the People's
Republic of Kampuchea (PRK)-which now calls itself the State of
Cambodia.  No single authority controls the entire country.

Administrative subdivisions: 19 provinces and municipalities.

Independence: November 9, 1953.  Constitution: PRK: April 30, 1989.
Elections: None.
Political parties and leaders:  NGC:  umbrella organization for the
three resistance groups, including National United Front for an
Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia
(FUNCINPEC) led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk; Khmer People's
National Liberation Front (KPNLF) led by Son Sann; and the Party of
Democratic Kampuchea (the Khmer Rouge) ostensibly led by Khieu
Samphan (all since July 1982);  PRK:  Kampuchean People's
Revolutionary Party (KPRP), the Communist party installed by
Vietnam in 1979, led by Heng Samrin, KPRP General Secretary and
Chairman of the Council of State since 1981, and Hun Sen,
Chairman of the Council of Ministers since 1985.

Diplomatic Relations:  NGC: Brunei, China, Egypt, Indonesia,
Malaysia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Yugoslavia;
PRK: Vietnam, Laos, Soviet Union, most East European countries,
India, Libya, Cuba, Nicaragua, Seychelles, and the Saharan
Democratic Arab Republic.

Flag:  NGC-two horizontal blue bands, divided by a wider red band
on which is centered a white stylized representation of Angkor Wat;
PRK-a red field with five stylized yellow towers.


Economy

GDP: $570 million (1984).  Per capita GDP: $90 (1984).  Natural
resources: Timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese and
phosphate, hydroelectric potential from the Mekong River.
Agriculture: About 4,848,000 hectares (12 million acres) are
unforested land; all are arable with irrigation but less than two million
hectares are cultivated.  Products:  Rice, rubber, corn, meat,
vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour.  Industry: Types-rice milling,
fishing, wood and wood products, textiles, cement, some rubber
production (largely abandoned since 1975).

Trade:  Exports: $3 million (1986)-natural rubber, rice, pepper, wood;
Major partners: Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India;
Imports: $17 million (1986)-international food aid, fuels, consumer
goods; Major Partners:  Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan,
India.  Exchange rate:  Approximately 400 riels = $1 (1990).

Economic Aid:  Unknown amount from USSR and Eastern Europe
to areas under PRK control.  Some humanitarian aid from the UN
and private groups.  UN relief efforts coordinated by the Secretary
General's Special Representative  for Kampuchean Humanitarian
Assistance provide more than $58 million per year in assistance
(cash and in-kind contributions) for displaced Cambodians along the
Thai-Cambodian border.

Membership in International Organizations:  NGC:  UN and some of
its specialized agencies, including the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund (both unattended since 1975); Asian Development
Bank (ADB); Group of 77; World Federation of Trade Unions
(WFTU); PRK:  none.


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.  This government was
deposed by the Allies in October.  Many of Son Ngoc Thanh's
supporters escaped and continued to fight for independence as the
Khmer Issarak.

Although France recognized Cambodia as an autonomous kingdom
within the French Union, the drive for total independence continued,
resulting in  a split between those who supported the political tactics
of Sihanouk and those who supported the Khmer Issarak guerilla
movement.  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 "perfect" the independence and
sovereignty of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.  Full independence
came on November 9, 1953, but the situation remained unsettled
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 ceasefire
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.  Sihanouk announced the policy in
1955 and reaffirmed it in refusing to join the Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO).  This policy, and Cambodia's close relations
with communist countries, was unwelcome to its neighbors, Thailand
and South Vietnam, resulting in a break in diplomatic relations with
both nations.  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.  The middle class
opposed Sihanouk's foreign policy and resented his increasingly
autocratic rule, as did the 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).  Sihanouk called these insurgents the Khmer
Rouge, literally the "Red Khmer."   But the 1966 national assembly
elections showed a significant swing to the right, and Gen. Lon Nol
formed a new government, which lasted until 1967.

During 1968 and 1969, the insurgency worsened, and Prince
Sihanouk became increasingly alarmed at the growing NVA/VC
presence in eastern Cambodia and growing anti-Vietnamese
sentiment.  Sihanouk's diplomatic efforts to persuade the Vietnamese
to leave were unsuccessful.  In August 1969, Sihanouk asked Gen.
Lon Nol to form a new government, which began to exclude the
prince from decision-making.  Under increasing pressure from
conservatives in the national assembly, Sihanouk went abroad for
medical treatment in January 1970.


The Khmer Republic and the War
In March 1970, the National Assembly withdrew its confidence from
Sihanouk, declared a state of emergency, and gave full power to
Prime Minister Lon Nol.  Son Ngoc Thanh announced his support for
the new government.  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 reinfiltrate some of the 2,000-4,000
Cambodians who had gone to North Vietnam in 1954.  They became
a cadre in the insurgency.  Prince Sihanouk joined with the
insurgents to form the Royal Government of the National Union of
Kampuchea (RGNU) in exile in Beijing.  The prestige of his name
assisted the insurgents in attracting new recruits from the peasantry,
but control of the movement rested with the communist party under
the nominal leadership of Khieu Samphan-of the Paris-educated
faction of the Communist party, rather than a Hanoi returnee.

The Khmer Republic initially enjoyed broad support from the middle
classes in the cities and towns, but much of the peasantry was
politically apathetic or loyal to Prince Sihanouk.  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, US 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
three principal figures:  Lon Nol, Sihanouk's cousin Sirik Matak, and
National Assembly leader In Tam.  Lon Nol remained in power in part
because none of the others was prepared to take his place.  In 1972,
a constitution was adopted, a parliament elected, and Lon Nol
became president.  But disunity, the problems of transforming a
30,000-man army into a national combat force of more than 200,000
men, and spreading corruption weakened the civilian administration
and army and drained the enthusiastic urban support so prevalent
just after Sihanouk was deposed.

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 1973, the Khmer Rouge were fighting major
battles against government forces on their own, and they controlled
nearly 60% of Cambodia's territory and 25% of its population.  At the
same time, concern about continued US support began to affect the
republic's morale.

The government made three unsuccessful attempts to enter into
negotiations with the insurgents, but by 1974, the Khmer Rouge were
operating as divisions, and virtually all NVA/VC combat forces had
moved into South Vietnam.  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
which, 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 US-funded airlift of ammunition and rice ended
when Congress refused additional aid for Cambodia.  Phnom Penh
and other cities were subjected to daily rocket attacks causing
thousands of civilian casualties.  Phnom Penh surrendered on April
17-5 days after the US 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.

Prince Sihanouk returned from exile with members of the RGNU, but
the communist party held all significant power.  Within the CPK, the
Paris-educated leadership-Pol Pot, Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea, and Son
Sen-was in control.  A new constitution in January 1976 established
Democratic Kampuchea as a communist "people's republic", and a
250-member "Assembly of the Representatives of the People of
Kampuchea" (PRA) was selected in March to choose the collective
leadership of a State Presidium, the chairman of which became the
head of state.  Sihanouk resigned as head of state on April 4, and
RGNU Prime Minister Penn Nouth announced the resignation of the
RGNU cabinet April 6.  On April 14, after its first session, the PRA
announced that Khieu Samphan would chair the State Presidium for
a 5-year term.  It also picked a 15-member cabinet headed by Pol
Pot as 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 of
starvation and disease (both under the Khmer Rouge and during the
Vietnamese invasion in 1978).  Estimates of the dead range from 1
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.
The regime broke relations with Hanoi in December 1977, protesting
Vietnam's attempt to create an "Indochina Federation."  In mid-1978,
Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia, advancing about 30 miles
before the arrival of the rainy season brought a halt to the
Vietnamese advance.

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
Khmer Rouge 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 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 its pursuit of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge
forces.  At least 600,000 Cambodians displaced during the Pol Pot
era and the Vietnamese invasion began streaming to the Thai border
in search of refuge.  The international community responded with a
massive relief effort coordinated by the United States through
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.  At one point, more than 500,000
Cambodians were living along the Thai-Cambodian border and more
than 100,000 in holding centers inside Thailand.  Currently, there are
approximately 300,000 Cambodian displaced persons and refugees
residing in camps in Thailand.

Vietnam's occupation army of as many as 200,000 troops controlled
the major population centers and most of the countryside 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 continued, and there was some evidence that
Heng Samrin's PRK forces provided logistic and moral support to the
guerrillas.

A large portion of the Khmer Rouge's military forces eluded
Vietnamese troops and established themselves in remote regions.
The non-communist resistance, consisting of a number of groups
which 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 the political struggle for Cambodia's independence.
Prince Sihanouk formed his own organization, FUNCINPEC, and its
military arm, the Armee Nationale Sihanoukienne (ANS) in 1981.

Warfare followed a wet season/dry season rhythm after 1980.  The
heavily-armed Vietnamese forces conducted offensive operations
during the dry seasons, and the resistance forces held the initiative
during the rainy seasons.  In 1982, Vietnam launched a major
offensive against the main Khmer Rouge base at Phnom Melai in the
Cardamom Mountains.  Vietnam switched its target to civilian camps
near the Thai border in 1983, launching a series of massive assaults,
backed by armor and heavy artillery, against camps belonging to all
three resistance groups.  Hundreds of civilians were injured in these
attacks, and more than 80,000 were forced to flee to Thailand.
Resistance military forces, however, were largely undamaged.  In the
1984-85 dry season offensive, the Vietnamese attacked base camps
of all three resistance groups.  Despite stiff resistance from the
guerrillas, the Vietnamese succeeded in eliminating the camps in
Cambodia and drove both the guerrillas and civilian refugees into
neighboring Thailand.  The Vietnamese concentrated on
consolidating their gains during the 1985-86 dry season, including an
attempt to seal guerrilla infiltration routes into the country by forcing
Cambodian laborers to construct trench and wire fence obstacles
and minefields along virtually the entire Thai-Cambodian border.

Within Cambodia, Vietnam had only limited success in establishing
its client Heng Samrin regime, which was dependent on Vietnamese
advisors 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 this
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, although actual
numbers were difficult to verify.  Vietnam's proposal to withdraw its
remaining occupation forces in 1989-90-the result of ongoing
international pressure-forced the PRK to begin economic and
constitutional reforms in an attempt to ensure future political
dominance.  In April 1989, Hanoi and Phnom Penh announced that
final withdrawal would take place by the end of September 1989.

The military organizations of Prince Sihanouk (ANS) and of former
Prime Minister Son Sann (KPNLAF) underwent significant military
improvement during the 1988-89 period and both expanded their
presence in Cambodia's interior.  These organizations provide a
political alternative to the Vietnamese-supported People's Republic
of Kampuchea [PRK]  and the murderous Khmer Rouge.

After two regional peace efforts, Prince Sihanouk, Son Sann, and
Hun Sen (Prime Minister of the Phnom Penh regime) met in Jakarta
in May 1989 to try to find a formula for national reconciliation.  Hun
Sen proposed including key leaders of the resistance groups under
the PRK mantle, through their participation in a mostly cosmetic
National Reconciliation Council to oversee eventual elections.  Prince
Sihanouk and the other resistance leaders rejected this proposal as
legitimizing the Phnom Penh regime and allowing the continuation of
its unilateral control, which they felt was not likely to result in a free
and fair election process.

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.

The Paris Conference on Cambodia was able to make some
progress in such areas as the workings of an international control
mechanism, the definition of international guarantees for Cambodia's
independence and neutrality, plans for the repatriation of refugees
and displaced persons, the eventual reconstruction of the Cambodia
economy, and ceasefire procedures.  However, complete agreement
among all parties on a comprehensive settlement remained elusive.
In early 1990, the negotiating process continued through
consultations with a view toward finalizing a comprehensive solution
by reconvening the Paris Conference in the future.

By late September 1989, the Vietnamese announced that they had
withdrawn the last 50,000 of their troops from Cambodia.  However,
this withdrawal was not verified by a credible monitoring force.
Nonetheless, with the Vietnamese occupation no longer a primary
concern, the crucial issue for the future is the ability of the four
principal Cambodian political factions-the non-communists
(consisting of Prince Sihanouk's FUNCINPEC and Son Sann's
KPNLF), the Vietnamese-sponsored Phnom Penh regime, and the
Khmer Rouge -to establish a national reconciliation process.


GOVERNMENT

Although driven from Phnom Penh in 1979, the government of
Democratic Kampuchea continued to function in areas it controlled
near the Thai border.  Pol Pot was nominally  replaced as leader of
the regime by Khieu Samphan but continued to serve as
commander-in-chief of its army.  In September 1985, Pol Pot
announced his retirement from the Khmer Rouge.  Many observers
believe he is still its principal leader.  The Khmer Rouge have made
an effort to convince the Cambodian people, as well as the rest of
the world, that they have changed their policies.  Buddhism has been
revived, to a degree, and private agriculture encouraged.  In Khmer
Rouge areas, the society remains controlled thoroughly from the top.
In 1981, the Communist Party of Kampuchea was formally dissolved,
although most observers believe it has continued as the clandestine
group it was before 1975.  In its place, a Party of Democratic
Kampuchea was created as the public political arm of the Khmer
Rouge.

In June 1982, the members of ASEAN (Association of Southeast
Asian Nations) promoted agreement between the Khmer Rouge and
the two principal non-communist resistance groups, the KPNLF and
FUNCINPEC, to form a loose coalition.  The newly formed Coalition
Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK) included Prince
Sihanouk as President and chief of state, Son Sann as prime minister
and head of government, and Khieu Samphan as vice president of
foreign affairs.  Since 1982, Prince Sihanouk has, on several
occasions, resigned and then resumed his position as president.
The CGDK changed its name to the National Government of
Cambodia (NGC) in 1990.

The 1976 constitution is no longer in effect.  Four coordinating
committees-defense, finance and economy, culture and education,
and health and social affairs-act as ministries with representatives
from each group.  Each faction remains autonomous, administering
civilian camps loyal to it and maintaining its own armed forces. The
coalition has been organized to coordinate resistance efforts and
support implementation of a peaceful solution to the Cambodian
problem.  It is not intended to be a government of an independent
Cambodia, which will have to be chosen by the Khmer people after
a settlement.

The Heng Samrin regime is a Vietnamese-style "people's republic."
Originally the "People's Republic of Kampuchea," it changed its name
formally to the State of Cambodia in 1989.  A single party, the
Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP), controls the
regime, and its general-secretary, Heng Samrin, is also chairman of
the Council of State.  Particularly influential in the regime is Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Hun Sen.  Until late 1989, real power
rested with Vietnam, which maintained advisors at every level of
government who made or approved all major decisions.  Although
Vietnamese influence is now less visible, the regime remains closely
linked to Hanoi.

A national assembly was "elected" in 1981.  All candidates were
selected by the KPRP and reportedly approved by the Vietnamese.
The regime has restored the pre-1975 system of provinces.  A
constitution was promulgated in 1981 and revised on April 30, 1989.
While liberalized, the constitution retains a one-party state, which
Prince Sihanouk considers unacceptable.


PEACE EFFORTS

ASEAN has led international opposition to Vietnam's invasion and
occupation of Cambodia.  The 1981 UN-sponsored International
Conference on Kampuchea brought together 83 countries as
participants or observers.  The conference declaration called for the
withdrawal of all foreign forces and the restoration of Cambodian
independence and self-determination through internationally
supervised  elections.  This formula for a settlement has been
included in successive UN General Assembly resolutions since 1979,
which were adopted by large majorities, including the United States,
Japan, China, Western Europe, and the majority of nonaligned
nations.  In 1989, the ASEAN-sponsored resolution passed by an
increased margin of 124 in favor, 17 against, and 12 abstaining.

While insisting on the central elements of the ICK formula (complete
withdrawal and self-determination) the ASEAN countries have been
flexible in their approach to Cambodia.  They have designed several
initiatives which address the security concerns of all of Cambodia's
neighbors.  The 1983 ASEAN "Appeal on Kampuchea" suggested a
phased withdrawal of Vietnamese troops, an international
peacekeeping force, and reconstruction aid for areas evacuated by
Vietnam.
In March 1986, Prince Sihanouk expanded on this formula by
announcing an eight-point peace proposal.  His plan called for a
two-phase withdrawal of Vietnamese forces, a ceasefire,
internationally supervised free elections, UN observation, and
international reconstruction efforts throughout Cambodia and
Vietnam.  From 1987 to 1989, a series of meetings between Prince
Sihanouk and Phnom Penh leader Hun Sen were held to address
settlement issues directly.

ASEAN added momentum to the ongoing diplomatic efforts through
its Jakarta Informal Meeting (JIM) process.  These meetings, in July
1988 and February 1989, brought together the parties most directly
involved in the Cambodian conflict-the four Cambodian parties,
Vietnam, Laos, and the six ASEAN members.  The JIM process
helped to narrow differences on the wide range of issues involved in
a comprehensive agreement.

Eighteen governments, the four Cambodian parties, and a
representative of the UN Secretary General, joined together in an
international conference on Cambodia in Paris in August 1989 to
begin detailed negotiations regarding a comprehensive settlement.
The conference was suspended at the end of that month, largely
over the issue of how the Cambodian groups would share power
until elections were held.

After the Paris conference, Secretary of State Baker suggested the
five permanent members of the UN Security Council could play a
useful role in formulating a solution that could be presented to the
Cambodians.  As a result, the five-China, France, the Soviet Union,
the United Kingdom  and the United States-met six times between
January and August 1990 in Paris and New York to discuss how the
United Nations could play an enhanced role in Cambodia as part of
the settlement process.  Agreement on expanded UN involvement,
as proposed by, among others, Australian Foreign Minister Gareth
Evans in November 1989, could help overcome differences among
the Cambodian parties and lead to a resumption of the Paris
conference later in 1990.  Diplomatic efforts are continuing-on the
regional level in Jakarta and internationally at the United Nations.


ECONOMY

The Cambodian economy, badly damaged by the war and nearly
destroyed under the Khmer Rouge, has only slowly begun to
recover.  Adverse weather conditions contributed to the exhaustion
of food reserves in 1983.  Further weather problems in 1984, as well
as threats to Cambodian security, resulted in large subsistence
shortfalls in 1985.  GNP per capita in 1986 was among the lowest in
the world.  Production of rice, the staple crop, has recovered from
the levels of 1979-80, but in 1986 Phnom Penh announced that the
rice harvest would meet only 80% of the country's needs and
appealed to the world for emergency assistance.  The food situation
has improved since that time, but there are still occasional shortages
not only in rice, but also in meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar,
and flour.  Extensive damage to the irrigation system, on which rice
production depends, has only begun to be repaired.  There has
been limited recovery in the production of rubber, sugar, and other
crops.  Industry is also beginning to recover.

Since 1987, increased emphasis has been placed on private sector
economic activities, as well as on the family economy, with individual
inheritance rights restored by constitutional reforms in 1989.  In
addition, since 1988, many of Cambodia's nationalized industries
have been allowed to operate with limited autonomy from the state
planning system.  Following the example set by Vietnam and Laos,
the Phnom Penh regime is in the process of preparing a foreign
investment law aimed at attracting Western investors.  While there
has been some movement toward systemic reform-particularly in the
areas of land-tenure rights for farmers and movement toward the
beginnings of a free market economy-Cambodia's economic profile
continues to be geared toward war priorities, with many markets
dependent on goods smuggled in from Thailand and Singapore to
augment depressed domestic output.  Although hard statistical data
is unavailable, trade with Vietnam and other countries since 1987 has
expanded rapidly, specifically in the area of joint ventures.

Cambodia's cities and towns remain underpopulated.  Basic
services, such as electricity and water, are erratic.  The Heng Samrin
regime has attempted to restore the educational system and has
announced great success in its literacy and primary education
campaigns.  Health conditions remain poor.

Since the end of the 1979-81 emergency period, Western aid to
Cambodia has fallen off, with most governments refusing to offer
development assistance to what they see as an unlawfully imposed
regime in Phnom Penh.  Limited aid from the Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe has been directed at basic infrastructure projects
and has made little impact on the bulk of the population outside the
towns.  UN agencies such as UNICEF provide limited assistance,
and a number of private organizations are also active in Cambodia.


TRAVEL NOTES
Travel to areas of Cambodia under the control of the PRK requires
the permission of that regime.  The Department of State strongly
advises against travel to Cambodia because of continuing military
unrest.  There is no US Mission in Phnom Penh.


Principal Government Officials

National Government of Cambodia:
President:   Prince Norodom Sihanouk
Prime Minister/ Head of Government:  Son Sann
Vice President for Foreign Affairs:  Khieu Samphan

People's Republic of Kampuchea:
Chairman, Council of State:  Heng Samrin
Chairman of the National Assembly:  Chea Sim
Chairman, Council of Ministers and Foreign  Minister:  Hun Sen

THE SPLENDORS OF ANGKOR

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.

The principal temple, Angkor Wat, was built between 1112 and 1150
by Suryavarman II.  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, except 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.  France established
the Angkor Conservancy in 1908 to direct restoration of the Angkor
complex.  For the next 64 years, the conservancy worked to clear
away the forest, repair foundations, and install drains to protect the
buildings from the most insidious enemy:  water.  After 1953, the
conservancy became a joint project of the French and Cambodian
Governments.  Some temples were carefully taken apart stone by
stone and reassembled on concrete foundations.

Nearly 70,000 tourists visited Angkor in 1970, but the spreading war
forced abandonment of the conservancy in 1972.  Angkor has
suffered some damage since that time, and the forest has reclaimed
parts of the complex.  Since 1975, few visitors have been able to tour
Angkor, although the Heng Samrin regime made some effort to
preserve the buildings from the forest and has begun promoting
tourism to the area.


Refugees and Displaced Persons

Since 1975, thousands of Cambodians have fled first the terror of Pol
Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and then the attack and occupation of
their country by Vietnamese military forces.  More than 200,000 were
admitted to Thailand as refugees before the border was closed in
1980. International assistance efforts for this group have centered on
relief and resettlement.  More than 140,000 refugees have been
resettled in the US.

From 1980 to 1985, Cambodians who arrived along the
Thai-Cambodian border lived in a series of camps on both sides of
the border.  By 1985, border attacks had forced 225,000 of these
people into Thailand.  A limited resettlement program to facilitate
family reunification for border hmer with close family in the United
States has been underway since 1985 for this group.  More recently,
Vietnamese and PRK efforts to seal the border have restricted the
number of new arrivals.  The Royal Thai Government, the UN Border
Relief Operation (UNBRO), the International Committee of the Red
Cross, and private voluntary agencies provide basic food, shelter,
and medical care to the more than 300,000 who remain in camps.
UNBRO coordinates the relief efforts and plans to spend more than
$58 million on relief efforts in 1990.  In FY 1990, US contributions in
cash and commodities to UNBRO's relief efforts amounted to the
equivalent of  $10.6 million.


US-Cambodian Relations
The United States recognized Cambodia on February 7, 1950, and
between 1955 and 1963 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 the first Indochina war, to
support internal security forces, and for the construction of an
all-weather road to the seaport of Sihanoukville (now Kompong
Som), which gave Cambodia its first direct access  to the sea and
access to the southwestern hinterlands.

Relations deteriorated in the early 1960s.  The US Agency for
International Development  mission was ordered out of the country
in 1963, and a government-inspired mob sacked the US Embassy in
1964.  Diplomatic relations were broken by Cambodia in May 1965
but were reestablished on July 2, 1969.  US relations continued after
the establishment of the Khmer Republic until the US 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 has not recognized a government in Cambodia
since 1975 and condemned the brutal character of the Khmer Rouge
regime between 1975 and 1979.  At the same time, the United States
opposed the military occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam and
supports ASEAN's efforts to achieve a comprehensive political
settlement of the problem.  Since 1985, the United States has given
both political and economic support to the non-communist groups
led by Prince Sihanouk and Son Sann.  In 1989, Congress
appropriated $5.5 million for non-lethal  assistance to the
non-communist forces.

After Vietnam's 1979 invasion of Cambodia, the United States
worked with interested parties-specifically the ASEAN countries-in
pursuit of three key objectives:  verified withdrawal of Vietnamese
occupation forces from Cambodia,  genuine self-determination for
the Cambodian people, and  the prevention of a return to power of
Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
While Prince Sihanouk and ASEAN have said that Khmer Rouge
elements should participate in the transitional political process until
elections are held, the United States remains unalterably opposed to
any Khmer Rouge return to power and views a comprehensive
political settlement as the most effective way of assuring that the
Khmer Rouge will be contained.

Published by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Public
Affairs, Office of  Public Communication, Washington, DC ,
November 1990.  Editor:  Susan Holly.  Department of State
Publication 7747.  Background Notes Series -- This material is in the
public domain and may  be reprinted without permission; citation of
this source is appreciated. For sale by the Superintendent of
Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC  20402.

(Released:  November 1990)