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Country profile: Cambodia
Language: Khmer Head
of
state:
King Norodom
Sihamoni
Kingdom of Cambodia Religion: Buddhism
Agro-Industry Development
The culture of Cambodia has had a
rich and varied history dating back many
centuries, and has been heavily influenced by
India and China. Throughout Cambodia's long
history, a major source of inspiration was from
religion. Throughout nearly two millennium,
Cambodians developed a unique Khmer belief from
the syncreticism of indigenous animistic beliefs
and the Indian religions of Buddhism and
Hinduism. Indian culture and civilization,
including its language and arts reached mainland
Southeast Asia around the 1st century A.D. Its
is generally believed that seafaring merchants
brought Indian customs and culture to ports
along the Gulf of Thailand and the Pacific while
trading with China. The first state to benefit
from this was Funan.
The fate of Cambodia shocked the world when the radical communist Khmer Rouge under their leader Pol Pot seized power in 1975 after years of guerrilla warfare.
An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died during the next three years, many from exhaustion or starvation. Others were tortured and executed.
Today, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and relies heavily on aid. Foreign donors have urged the government to clamp down on pervasive corruption.
Cambodia
is
burdened
with
the
legacy
of
decades
of
conflict;
unexploded
munitions
-
thought
to
number
in the
millions
-
continue
to
kill
and
maim
civilians,
despite
an
ongoing
de-mining
drive.
Only
now is
the
country
beginning
to put
the
mechanism
in
place
to
bring
those
responsible
for
the
"killing
fields"
to
justice.
Cambodia
and
the UN
have
agreed
to set
up a
tribunal
to try
the
surviving
leaders
of the
genocide
years.
The
tribunal
held
its
first
public
hearing
- a
bail
request
by one
of the
defendants
- in
November
2007.
Boats race past the Royal Palace during the annual water festival
The
first
trial
- of
former
prison
warder
Kaing
Guek
Eav,
or
Comrade
Duch -
started
in
2009,
with
four
others
expected
to
begin
in
2010.
In
pursuit
of a
rural
utopia,
the
Khmer
Rouge
abolished
money
and
private
property
and
ordered
city
dwellers
into
the
countryside
to
cultivate
the
fields.
The
effects
can
still
be
seen
today,
with
around
70% of
Cambodia's
workforce
employed
in
subsistence
farming.
The
Mekong
River
provides
fertile,
irrigated
fields
for
rice
production.
Exports
of
clothing
generate
most
of
Cambodia's
foreign
exchange
and
tourism
is
also
important.
The
imposing
temple
complex
at
Angkor,
built
between
the
ninth
and
13th
centuries
by
Khmer
kings,
is a
UN
heritage
site
and a
big
draw
for
visitors.
Well
over
half
of
Cambodia
is
forested,
but
illegal
logging
is
robbing
the
country
of
millions
of
dollars
of
badly-needed
revenue.
International
watchdog
Global
Witness
claims
top
officials
are
involved
in the
trade.
The
environment
is
also
suffering,
with
topsoil
erosion
and
flooding
becoming
prevalent.
The
spread
of
HIV/Aids
is
another
threat;
however,
public
health
campaigns
have
reduced
the
rate
of
infection.
The
son of
former
king
Norodom
Sihanouk,
King
Sihamoni
was
sworn
in as
monarch
on 29
October
2004.
The
former
king
had
abdicated
because
of
poor
health.
Born
in
1953,
he
studied
in
Czechoslovakia.
He
left
Cambodia
for
France
after
the
fall
of the
Khmer
Rouge
in
1979.
He is
a
trained
classical
ballet
dancer.
Cambodia's
kings
once
enjoyed
a
semi-divine
status;
today,
the
monarch's
role
is
mainly
ceremonial.
Prime
minister:
Hun
Sen
Hun
Sen,
one of
the
world's
longest-serving
prime
ministers,
has
been
in
power
in
various
coalitions
since
1985.
He was
re-elected
by
parliament
in
July
2004
after
nearly
a year
of
political
stalemate.
His
Cambodian
People's
Party
(CPP)
won
general
elections
in
2003,
but
without
enough
seats
for it
to
rule
alone.
Cambodia's veteran premier Hun Sen
It
finally
struck
a deal
with
the
royalist
Funcinpec
party,
which
at the
time
was
led by
Prince
Norodom
Ranariddh,
in
June
2004.
Hun
Sen is
no
stranger
to
controversy.
He
seized
power
from
his
then
co-prime
minister,
Prince
Ranariddh,
in
1997.
More
recently,
some
Western
countries
have
said
his
rule
has
become
increasingly
authoritarian.
Born
in
1952,
Hun
Sen
joined
the
Communist
Party
in the
late
1960s
and,
for a
time,
was a
member
of the
Khmer
Rouge.
He has
denied
accusations
that
he was
once a
top
official
within
the
movement,
saying
he was
only
an
ordinary
soldier.
During
the
Pol
Pot
regime
in the
late
1970s
he
joined
anti-Khmer
Rouge
forces
based
in
Vietnam.
Many
Cambodian
newspapers
and
private
radio
and TV
stations
depend
on
support
from
political
parties.
Prime
Minister
Hun
Sen
and
his
allies
control
several
broadcasters.
Although
press
freedom
is not
guaranteed,
Hun
Sen
has
declared
his
support
for
press
freedom,
publicly
praising
the
benefits
to
society
of an
unfettered
media.
There
are no
restrictions
on
satellite
dish
ownership
and
foreign
radio
broadcasts
can be
received
easily
from
neighbouring
countries.
BBC
World
Service
broadcasts
via
BBC
100 FM
in
Phnom
Penh
and
BBC
99.25
FM in
Siem
Reap.
Radio
France
Internationale
is
available
in the
capital.
>> Mauritania
Agro-Industry Development
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