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U.S. Department of State
Background Notes:  Cambodia, September 1995
Bureau of Public Affairs


September 1995
Official Name: Kingdom of Cambodia

Profile

Geography

Area: 181,040 sq. km. (69,900 sq. mi.); about the size of Missouri.
Cities: Capital--Phnom Penh (pop. 700,000). Other cities--Battambang,
Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Kompong Speu, 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 (1994): 9.9 million.
Avg. annual growth rate: 4.1%.
Health: Infant mortality--116/1,000 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; English is increasingly popular as a second
language.
Literacy: 63%.

Government

Type: The Royal Cambodian Government (RCG) is a constitutional monarchy
formed on the basis of elections internationally recognized as free and
fair; it was established on September 24, 1993.
Independence: November 9, 1953.
Constitution: September 24, 1993.
Branches: Executive--King; prime minister. Legislative--National
Assembly of 120 elected members. Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 19 provinces and municipalities.
Political parties and leaders: RCG Coalition: National United Front for
an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC)
led by First Prime Minister Prince Ranariddh; Cambodian People's Party
(CPP) led by Second Prime Minister Hun Sen; the Buddhist Liberal
Democratic Party (BLDP); and Moulinaka. Outside the RCG: Party of
Democratic Kampuchea (the Khmer Rouge), nominally led by Khieu Samphan.

Economy

GDP (1994): $2.4 billion.
Per capita GDP (1994): $225.
Natural resources: Timber; gemstones; some iron ore, manganese, and
phosphate; hydroelectric potential from the Mekong River.
Agriculture: About 4.8 million hectares (12 million acres) are arable.
Products--rice, rubber, corn, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar,
flour.
Industry: Types--rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products,
textiles, cement, some rubber production.
Trade (1994 est.): Exports--$303 million: natural rubber, rice, pepper,
wood. Major partners--Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Indonesia. Imports--$594 million: international food aid, fuels,
consumer goods, machinery. Major partners--Singapore, Indonesia,
Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, China.

U.S.-CAMBODIAN RELATIONS

The United States recognized Cambodia on February 7, 1950. Between 1955
and 1963, the U.S. provided $410 million in economic grant aid and $84
million in military assistance.

U.S.-Cambodia relations deteriorated in the early 1960s as U.S.
involvement in Vietnam deepened. Diplomatic relations were broken by
Cambodia in May 1965 but were reestablished on July 2, 1969; relations
continued after the 1970 establishment of the Khmer Republic. Between
1970 and 1975, as a civil war in Cambodia escalated, the United States
provided $1.2 billion in military assistance and $503 million in
economic assistance to the Cambodian Government. Khmer Rouge forces
defeated the Lon Nol government in 1975, and the U.S. mission was
evacuated on April 12.

The United States condemned the brutal character of the 1975-79 Khmer
Rouge regime. At the same time, the U.S. opposed the December 1978
invasion and subsequent occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam and supported
ASEAN's efforts to achieve a political settlement of the problem. This
goal was met when the Paris Conference reconvened in October 1991 to
sign a comprehensive agreement.

The United States opened a mission in Phnom Penh on November 11, 1991.
It was headed by Ambassador Charles H. Twining, Jr., who was designated
U.S. Special Representative to the Supreme National Council of Cambodia
(SNC). On January 3, 1992, the U.S. lifted its embargo against Cambodia,
normalizing economic relations. The U.S. also ended blanket opposition
to lending to Cambodia by international financial institutions. When the
freely elected Royal Cambodian Government was formed on September 24,
1993, the United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia immediately
established full diplomatic relations.

The United States continues to support efforts in Cambodia to build
democratic institutions, promote human rights, foster economic
development, eliminate corruption, improve security, achieve the fullest
possible accounting for POW/MIAs, and bring members of the Khmer Rouge
to justice for their crimes.

Principal U.S. Embassy Officials

Ambassador--Charles H. Twining, Jr.
Deputy Chief of Mission--Robert C. Porter
Political/Economic Officer--Larry Y. Baldwin

The U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh is on 27 EO Street 240; the mailing
address is Box P, APO AP 96546; tel. [phone] or 855-23-26438; fax
855-23-26437.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

On October 23, 1991, the Paris Conference reconvened to sign a
comprehensive settlement giving the UN full authority to supervise a
cease-fire, repatriate displaced Cambodians along the border with
Thailand, disarm and demobilize factional armies, and prepare the
country for free and fair elections.

SNC president Prince Sihanouk and other SNC members returned to Phnom
Penh in November 1991 to begin Cambodia's resettlement process. The UN
Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) was deployed at the same time to
maintain liaison among the factions and start de-mining operations to
expedite the repatriation of about 370,000 Cambodians from Thailand. On
March 16, 1992, the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)
arrived to begin implementation of the UN settlement plan; the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees started full-scale repatriation the same
month. 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
May 1993 elections.  The Khmer Rouge--or Party of Democratic Kampuchea
(PDK), whose forces were never actually disarmed or demobilized--barred
from participation some people in the areas it controlled (10%-15% of
the country, holding 6% of the country's population).

Prince Ranariddh's FUNCINPEC Party was the top vote recipient with 45%,
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 National Assembly drafted and
approved a new constitution, which was promulgated September 24, 1993.

The constitution established a multiparty, liberal democracy on 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 (RCG).
The constitution provides for a wide range of internationally recognized
human rights. The RCG continues to face an armed threat from the Khmer
Rouge.

Principal Government Officials

King and Head of State--Norodom Sihanouk
First Prime Minister--Norodom Ranariddh
Second Prime Minister--Hun Sen

Cambodia maintains an embassy in the U.S. at 4500 16th St., NW,
Washington, DC 20011; tel. [phone]; fax [phone].

TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION

The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides
Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country. Consular Information Sheets exist for all
countries and include information on immigration practices, currency
regulations, health conditions, areas of instability, crime and
security, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in
the subject country. They can be obtained by telephone at [phone]
or by fax at [phone]. To access the Consular Affairs Bulletin
Board by computer, dial [phone], via a modem with standard
settings. Bureau of Consular Affairs' publications on obtaining
passports and planning a safe trip aboard are available from the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. [phone].

Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-
5225.

Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at
[phone] gives the most recent health advisories, immunization
recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water
safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information
for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-94-8280, price
$7.00) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20420, tel. [phone].

Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and
customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to
travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's
embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal
Government Officials" listing in this publication).

Upon their arrival in a country, U.S. citizens are encouraged to
register at the U.S. embassy (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials"
listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you
en route in case of an emergency

Further Electronic Information:

Consular Affairs Bulletin Board (CABB). Available by modem, the CABB
provides Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and helpful
information for travelers. Access at [phone] is free of charge to
anyone with a personal computer, modem, telecommunications software, and
a telephone line.

Department of State Foreign Affairs Network. Available on the Internet,
DOSFAN provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy
information. Updated daily, DOSFAN includes Background Notes; Dispatch,
the official weekly magazine of U.S. foreign policy; daily press
briefings; directories of key officers of foreign service posts; etc.
DOSFAN is accessible three ways on the Internet:

Gopher: dosfan.lib.uic.edu
URL: gopher://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/
WWW: http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/dosfan.html

U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM (USFAC). Published on a quarterly basis
by the U.S. Department of State, USFAC archives information on the
Department of State Foreign Affairs Network, and includes an array of
official foreign policy information from 1990 to the present. Priced at
$80 ($100 foreign), one-year subscriptions include four discs (MSDOS and
Macintosh compatible) and are available from the Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37194, Pittsburgh,
PA 15250-7954. To order, call [phone] or fax [phone].

Federal Bulletin Board (BBS). A broad range of foreign policy
information also is carried on the BBS, operated by the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO). By modem, dial [phone]. For general BBS
information, call [phone].

National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). Operated by the U.S. Department of
Commerce, the NTDB contains a wealth of trade-related information,
including Country Commercial Guides. It is available on the Internet
(gopher.stat-usa.gov) and on CD-ROM. Call the NTDB Help-Line at (202)
482-1986 for more information.

========================================
Background Notes Series -- Published by the United States Department of
State -- Bureau of Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication --
Washington, DC -- Series Editor:  Marilyn J. Bremner

Cambodia -- Department of State Publication 7747 -- September 1995 --
Editor: Lorin Hochman

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, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402.
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