Main articles: People's Republic of Kampuchea and Cambodian–Vietnamese War
See also: Cambodian humanitarian crisis
On 10 January 1979, after the Vietnamese army and the KUFNS
invaded Cambodia, the new People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was
established with Heng Samrin as head of state. Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge
forces retreated rapidly to the Thai border. The Khmer Rouge and the PRK
began a costly struggle that played into the hands of the larger powers
China, the United States and the Soviet Union. A civil war was imposed
on impoverished Cambodia that displaced 600,000 Cambodians to refugee
camps along the border between Thailand and Cambodia.[143] The new regime murdered tens of thousands of people.[144][145]Peace efforts began in Paris in 1989 under the State of Cambodia, culminating two years later in October 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a ceasefire, and deal with refugees and disarmament known as the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC).[146]
Modern Cambodia (1993-present)
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The neutrality of this article is disputed. (January 2015) |
Main article: Modern Cambodia (1990–present)
On 23 October 1991, the Paris Conference reconvened to sign a
comprehensive settlement giving the UN full authority to supervise a
cease-fire, repatriate the displaced Khmer along the border with
Thailand, disarm and demobilise the factional armies, and prepare the
country for free and fair elections. Prince Sihanouk, President of the
Supreme National Council of Cambodia (SNC), and other members of the SNC
returned to Phnom Penh in November 1991, to begin the resettlement
process in Cambodia. The UN Advance Mission for Cambodia (UNAMIC) was
deployed at the same time to maintain liaison among the factions and
begin demining operations to expedite the repatriation of approximately
370,000 Cambodians from Thailand.On 16 March 1992, the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) arrived in Cambodia to begin implementation of the UN Settlement Plan. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees began fullscale repatriation in March 1992. 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 the May 1993 elections, although the Khmer Rouge or Party of Democratic Kampuchea (PDK), whose forces were never actually disarmed or demobilised, barred some people from participating. Prince Ranariddh's royalist Funcinpec Party was the top vote recipient with 45.5% of the vote, followed by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party and the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party, respectively. Funcinpecthen entered into a coalition with the other parties that had participated in the election. The parties represented in the 120-member assembly proceeded to draft and approve a new constitution, which was promulgated 24 September 1993. It established a multiparty liberal democracy in 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 (RGC). The constitution provides for a wide range of internationally recognised human rights.
On 4 October 2004, the Cambodian National Assembly ratified an agreement with the United Nations on the establishment of a tribunal to try senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. Donor countries have pledged the US$43 million international share of the three-year tribunal budget, while the Cambodian government’s share of the budget is US$13.3 million. The tribunal started trials of senior Khmer Rouge leaders in 2008. Cambodia is also recovering from the land mines which were used heavily by the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese; it will take approximately a decade to remove most of the land mines from Cambodia.
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