Notas de la persona

According to Cambodian history, in the Angkor Empire Era, from the ninth to the 13th centuries, Cambodia had a highly developed civilisation with a rich culture, a well-developed economy and political power over Southeast Asia (Chum, 2010). However, Cambodia turned from the ‘Golden Age’ of Angkor into the ‘Dark Age’ in the 14th

After gaining independence from France in 1953, Cambodia was re-named the People’s Republic of Cambodia and was ruled by an authoritarian, conservative and paternalistic monarchy (Sorpong, 2000 as cited in Torres Mendoza, 2006). According to Deth (2009), Prince Norodom Sihanouk directed the country to the left and cut off relations with the United States, in 1965. As he believed that the communists would win the Indochina war, he made a centuries because of internal conflicts and a series of wars with its neighbour countries: Thailand and Vietnam (Chum, 2010). Cambodia was invaded by both countries until the arrival of French Protectorate in 1863 (Chum, 2010). When France’s power became weak after World War Two, “Prince Sihanouk proclaimed Cambodia’s independence from France and set up his own government after winning the first national democratic election in 1953” (Esterlines, 1986 as cited in Chum, 2010, p. 54). From 1953 to 1970, Cambodia was an important primary product exporter and, as a result, become the fastest developing country in Southeast Asia (Chun, 2010). Unfortunately, four successive turbulent political upheavals occurred in this country during 1970 to 1979.

secret alliance with the North Vietnamese. Chandler (1992 as cited in Deth, 2009, p. 48) reported this alliance in the following way:

Under the terms of the alliance, the North Vietnamese were allowed to station troops in Cambodian territory and to receive arms and supplies funnelled to them from North Vietnam and China via the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville. In exchange, they recognized Cambodia’s frontiers, left Cambodian civilians alone, and avoided contact with the Cambodian army. South Vietnamese and U.S. officials soon knew about the presence of North Vietnamese troops in Cambodia, and the movements of weapons and supplies, without knowing the details of the agreement Sihanouk had reached. Sihanouk denied for several years that any Vietnamese troops were in Cambodia, which angered the United States and South Vietnam but enhanced the image of injured innocence that the prince projected to the outside world.

As a result of this alliance, in the first half of the 1970s, approximately 540,000 tons of bombs were dropped by the U.S. on Cambodian territories, killing from 150,000 to 750,000 people (Tully, 2002 as cited in Deth, 2009). In addition, the alliance with the communist east rather than the capitalist west resulted in the coup against the Prince’s political system (Deth, 2009). As a consequence, Prince Sihanouk was removed from power on 18th March 1970 by the 86-3 vote of the National Assembly of Cambodia; he was abroad at the time (Deth, 2009).

After Prince Sihanouk was disposed, another political regime called the Khmer Republic emerged. This regime was supported by the U.S.; General Lon Nol was the Prime Minister (Deth, 2009). Cambodia was trapped in internal political chaos during this regime, because the move to the capitalist west by the Khmer Republic angered Cambodian communists and those who were still in favour of Prince Sihanouk. Consequently, a Cambodian communist guerrilla force, known as the Khmer Rouge, joined with supporters of Prince Sihanouk and went into the jungles to fight against Lon Nol’s regime (Deth, 2009). Thus, Lon Nol’s forces fought against both the Khmer Rouge guerrillas and the Vietnamese troops, who had been based in Cambodian territories since the Vietnam War (Deth, 2009). On 17th

When the Khmer Rouge took control of the country in 1975, Cambodia was renamed Democratic Kampuchea under the leadership of Saloth SAR—widely known as Pol Pot. Pol

April 1975 the Khmer Republic collapsed when the Khmer Rouge defeated Lon Nol and took over Phnom Penh. According to Deth (2009), the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Indochina when the U.S. lost the Vietnam War had weakened Lon Nol’s forces.

Pot claimed to be initiating peace among Cambodians but instead created the horror of mass executions (Torres Mendoza, 2006). During this regime 1.7 million people died from mass execution, overwork and starvation (Deth, 2009). However, this figure remains controversial as the death toll is unknown (Chum, 2010). Cambodia was transformed into a ‘Dark Age’, ‘Killing Fields’ and ‘Prison without Walls’ (Chum, 2010). Deth (2009, p. 49) commented:

The development of collectivism, the breaking of family ties, and the abolition of the market economy along with a variety of civilian rights (abuse) highlights the main characteristics of Democratic Kampuchea.

Martin (2007) added that people were forced to leave towns and cities to work collectively in rural areas where there were no markets, education, media and communications, private ownership, investments, private enterprises or human rights.

At that time, territorial disputes contributed to the Khmer Rouge continuing to fight against its former comrade, Vietnam (Deth, 2009). On 7th January 1979, Vietnamese troops in conjunction with the Kampuchean United Front of Nation Salvation (KUFNS), a group of former Democratic Kampuchea’s officials and those who escaped to Vietnam during the Khmer Rouge’s rule, pushed the Khmer Rouge groups to the Thai-Cambodian borders and took over the capital city—Phnom Penh (Deth, 2009).

When the Khmer Rouge lost control over the country, the regime of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) emerged, in 1979. This new regime was a centralised and socialist government and adopted a centrally planned economy (Chum, 2010). During the rule of this regime, Cambodians still struggled with civil war and devastation plans (Deth, 2009). The Khmer Rouge still continued to fight against the Phnom Penh government along the Thai- Cambodian borders (Deth, 2009). To combat the Khmer Rouge force, many people were conscripted into jungles for the “K5 Plan” (Phenka Kor Bram in Khmer), which was presumably building a “Berlin wall” along the Thai-Cambodian border (Deth, 2009). The PRK government claimed that this plan could protect the people from Khmer Rouge attack. In fact, this plan contributed to the death of thousands of people due to malaria and landmines (Deth, 2009). In addition to the Khmer Rouge force, two other main groups, including a royalist group known as the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) which was led by Prince Sihanouk, and a republican group which was led by Sonn San (Deth, 2009), worked on the international stage to resist the PRK regime. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China also opposed the Vietnam backed People’s Republic of Kampuchea.

After two decades of conflict, the civil wars ended and peace emerged in Cambodia. Peace talks among leaders of the resistance groups and the Phnom Penh government led to the Paris Peace Agreement of 23rd