This section contains some useful information related to the Royal Family. The information includes brief background of the king and the queen.
Short Background of
His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk
*
1922: Born October 31 in Phnom Penh, son of HM Norodom Suramarit and HM Sisowath Kossamak Nearireath.
*
1941: Becomes reigning monarch, succeeding King Monivong.
*
1946: Attends his first meeting with French President Charles de Gaulle. Begins studies at military college in Saumur, France.
*
1953: Realizes fundamental ambition as France grants Cambodia independence after nearly a century of colonial rule. Kingdom of Cambodia formally established.
*
1954: Hosts Nehru's first visit to Cambodia.
*
1955: Abdicates throne. Succeeded by his father, HM Norodom Suramarit. Creates 'Sangkum Reastr Niyum' political movement and is swept to power as Prime Minister in subsequent Cambodian election. Receives his first visit from China's Chou En-lai.
*
1956: Visits Yugoslavia for his first meeting with Tito. Does some with China and Mao Tse-tung. Becomes fifth charter signatory to the declaration from which emerged the Non-Aligned Nations.
*
1970: Deposed by Lon Nol. From Beijing and Pyongyang, heads National United Front of Kampuchea (FUNK) opposition against Lon Nol government.
*
1975: Following Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia, returns to Phnom Penh, but is effectively under house arrest at Royal Palace.
*
1981: Becomes president of the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC).
*
1987: Begins first peace talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
*
1989: Awarded honorary doctorate by the l'Universite d'Aix-Marseille, France.
*
1991: Returns to Phnom Penh after playing prominent role in talks leading to Paris Peace Agreements.
*
1993: Reinvested as King - with the title HM Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk Varman - as Cambodia becomes constitutional monarchy, after undergoing UN-sponsored elections. His son, Prince Ranariddh, elected First Prime Minister. Makes periodic trips to Beijing for medical tests and treatment.
Short Background of
Her Majesty Preah Reach Akka-Mohèsey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk
Miss Ouk, young Khmer lady from Phnom Penh, Maternal Grandmother of Her Majesty the Queen, was married to His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Duongchak, eldest son of His Majesty King Norodom.
From this marriage two children were born:
* His Highness Prince Norodom Ratharasy, who was the first Cambodian Doctor and who died in the years 40s.
* Her Highness Princess Phaypheak, who died in the years 50s.
Madame Ouk married for the second time, Mr. Peang, a Khmer, and had two other children:
*
Miss Pomme Peang, born in 1904 and deceased in 1991, mother of Her Majesty Queen Monineath.
* Mr. Hell Peang, born in 1906 and deceased in the years 60s.
Miss Pomme Peang married Mr. Oum Phankeo, Khmer, son of Major Oum.
From this marriage five children were born:
*
Mr. Oum Mannorine, born in 1924, currently Ambassador of Cambodia to the People's Democratic Republic of Korea.
*
Mr. Oum Vinavuth, born in 1925, Officer of the Royal Khmer Army, fallen on the battlefield, killed by the Vietminhs in 1948, in Kampot.
* Miss Oum Narivan, born in 1926, deceased in 1945.
* Mr. Oum Sorak Santhan, born in 1927, killed by Pol Pot in 1978.
*
Miss Oum Sophanith, born in 1928, married to Mr. Ieu Pannakar (son of H.E. Ieu Koeus, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia in the years 40s) Mr. Ieu Pannakar is currently a Senator.
Madame Pomme Peang married for a second time Mr. Jean-François Izzi French of Italian origin, Director of Crédit Foncier.
They had two daughters:
*
Miss Anne-Marie Izzi, born in 1934, married to H.R.H. Prince Sisowath Methavi, youngest brother of Prince Sisowath Sirikmatak. They had six children. Prince and Princess Sisowath Methavi were killed by Pol Pot in 1978.
*
Miss Paule Monique Izzi, born on 18 June 1936, married to His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk in April 1952. She was given the title of Neak Moneang.
His Majesty the King and Neak Moneang Monique have two sons:
*
His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihamoni, born on 14 May 1953, who has been given the title of Sdech Krom Khun by His Majesty the King in 1994, and currently Ambassador of Cambodia to UNESCO in Paris.
*
His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Narindrapong, born on 18 September 1954. Married to a Cambodian, he has two daughters.
Her Majesty the Queen did her primary and secondary studies in Cambodia (Primary School Norodom, Sisowath High School, Descartes High School). She was President of the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) towards the end of the years 60s, and is currently the CRC Honorary President.
*
Languages: Apart from Khmer, Her Majesty the Queen speaks French and English.
*
On February 22, 1992, Her Majesty the Queen was elevated by His Majesty the King to the rank of Samdech Preah Cheayea.
*
On September 24, 1993, His Majesty the King elevated Her to the rank of Samdech Preah Mohèsey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia.
*
On January 02, 1996, His Majesty the King elevated Her to the rank of Samdech Preah Reach Akka Mohèsey.
*
Her Majesty the Queen was given the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia by His Majesty the King.
NOTE: The grandmother and mother of Her Majesty the Queen were always very close to Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Norodom Sutharot, as well as to Their Majesties King Norodom Suramarit and Queen Sisowath Kossomak, grandparent and parents of His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk, who knew thus Queen Monineath, ever since her birth.
Read more...
King's Biography(Hero Former King)
King's Biography
Born on Thursday 14 May 1953, in Phnom Penh, His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni is the son of His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia and of Her Majesty Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia.
Education Background
*
1959-1962: Primary schooling at the Norodom school and then at the Descartes high school in Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
*
1962-1967: Primary and Secondary schooling at Prague's high school (Czechoslovakia)
*
1967-1971: Dance, music and theatre courses at the National Conservatory of Prague
*
1970: High school certificate -Prague (with "very good" marks)
*
1971: First prize course of classical dance of the National Conservatory of Prague
*
1971-1975: Higher dance, music and theatre courses, Academy of Musical Art of Prague
*
1975: Graduated from the Academy of Musical Art of Prague
*
1975: Author of a thesis on the conception and administration of artistic schools in Cambodia
*
1975-1976: Higher studies of Cinematography in the D.P.R. of Korea
*
1976-1979: Prisoner of the Khmer Rouge along with his parents and his younger brother, H.R.H Prince Norodom NarinDrapong
*
1979-1980: Served his father in exile abroad as his Private Secretary
*
1981-2000: Professor of classical dance and artistic pedagogy at the Marius Petipa conservatory, the Gabriel Faure conservatory and the W.A. Mozart conservatory of the city of Paris
*
1984-1988: President of the Khmer dance association in France and director general and artistic director of the ballet group "Deva"
*
1988-1993: Director general and artistic director of the Khmer cinematographic corporation "Khemara Pictures". H.M. Norodom Sihamoni, then Prince, has produced two creations (Ballet-Films): Dream and the 4 Elements
*
1992-1993: Chosen unanimously by the members of the Supreme National Council of Cambodia to be permanent representative of Cambodia to the United Nations
*
1993-2004: Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to Unesco
*
2004: member of the High Council of French-Speaking Countries (Francophonie)
*
1st February 1994: Elevated by H.M. the King to the rank of Sdech Krom Khun (Great Prince)
*
17 October 2003: Appointed high privy Councillor to His Majesty the King
*
31 August 2004: Elevated by H.M the King to the Rank of SAMDECH PREAH BAROMNEATH
*
14 October 2004: Elected unanimously by the members of the throne council as King of Cambodia to succeed his august father who has decided to retire
*
Languages: Khmer, fluent in French and Czech, good English and Russian
*
Decorations:
o Grand cross of the Royal order of Cambodia
o Grand cross of the Royal order of Monisaraphon (Cambodia)
o Grand officer of the legion d'honneur (France)
o Silver medal of the city of Paris(France)
Read more...
Art and Culture Kingdom of Wonder
Throughout Cambodia's history, religious principles guided and inspired its arts. A unique Khmer style emerged from the combination of indigenous animistic beliefs and the originally Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. These two religions, along with the Sanskrit language and other elements of Indian civilization, arrived in mainland Southeast Asia during the first few centuries ad. Seafaring merchants following the coast from India to China brought them to the port cities along the Gulf of Thailand, which were then controlled by the state of Funan in Cambodia. At varying times, Cambodian culture also absorbed Javanese, Chinese, and Thai influences.
Between the 9th and 15th centuries, a prosperous and powerful empire flourished in northwestern Cambodia. The Khmer kingdom of Angkor, named for its capital city, dominated much of what is now Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. The kingdom drew its religious and political inspiration from India. The literary language of the court was Sanskrit; the spoken language was Khmer. Massive temples from this period, including Angkor Wat and the Bayon at Angkor Thum, testify to the power of Angkor and the grandeur of its architecture and decorative art. The unparalleled achievements in art, architecture, music, and dance during this period served as models for later cultural development in Cambodia.
Angkor faded into obscurity after the capital moved south to Phnom Penh in the 15th century, probably due in part to frequent invasions by the neighboring Thais. The jungle rapidly grew over the monuments. In the centuries that followed, frequent wars reduced the territory, wealth, and power of Cambodian monarchs. However, an independent state with its capital near Phnom Penh survived until the 19th century. The most important work of Cambodian literature, the Reamker (a Khmer-language version of the Indian myth of the Ramayana), was composed during this time.
France, which began administering Cambodia in 1863, rediscovered the temples at Angkor and worked to preserve them beginning in the early 20th century. Cambodia's traditional culture and the monuments of Angkor were endangered between 1970 and 1990 due to civil war. The Communist Khmer Rouge regime, which opposed and mistrusted religion and education, banned all of Cambodia's traditional arts and its written language. Since 1991, when Cambodia's warring factions signed a peace accord, international organizations have helped the Cambodian government restore the sites at Angkor and revive Cambodia's traditional crafts.
Art & Achitecture
To ensure order and harmony in the universe, Angkor's architects and sculptors created stone temples that symbolized the cosmic world and decorated them with wall carvings and sculptures of Hindu gods and the Buddha. Religious guidelines dictated that a basic temple layout include a central shrine, a courtyard, an enclosing wall, and a moat. More than 60 of these temple complexes survive in the Angkor region. In addition, several stone bridges and reservoirs built in the Angkor period are still in use. Many Cambodian public buildings, such as the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, are decorated in the Khmer architectural style and use motifs such as the garuda, a mythical bird in the Hindu religion.
After the devastation of culture in the Khmer Rouge era, the traditional arts and handicrafts of Cambodia are reviving. Notable among these traditional arts are textiles, silver work, basketry, woodcarving, stone sculpture, and painting. Artisans use cotton to weave the krama, a rectangular scarf made in colorful checks and stripes, and the sampot, a skirt for women. Beautiful silk sampots with elaborate, multicolored patterns, often entwined with gold or silver thread, are woven using the ikat technique, in which each individual thread is tied. Cambodia's long tradition of metal work nearly disappeared, but the French revived it in the early 20th century. Silversmiths produced popular items of the period, such as animal-shaped boxes, intricately decorated, that were used to hold the ingredients of a preparation known as betel, which is chewed as a stimulant and tonic.
Music, Dance and Theatre
Classical Pinpeat of Cambodia, The Cambodian pinpeat ensemble is traditionally heard on feast days in the pagodas. It is also a court ensemble used to accompany classical dance for ritual occasions or theatrical events. The pinpeat is primarily made up of percussion instruments: the roneat ek (high bamboo xylophone), roneat thung (low bamboo xylophone), kong vong touch and kong vong thom (small and large sets of tuned gongs), sampho (two-sided drum), skor thom (two large drums), and sralai (quadruple-reed instrument).
Classical Dance of Cambodia The epic poem of Rama (Ramayana) is believed to have been revealed to a Hindu holy man named Valmiki by Brahma, the god of creation. This religious literary work, dating from about ad 4, is known in various versions throughout India and Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, the story has been set to music and dance and performed by the Royal Ballet since the 18th century. Although the epic is also known in the villages, where it is translated orally or dramatized in the popular shadow puppet theater, the ballet was traditionally a courtly art performed in the palace or for princely festivals. The music of the ballet is performed by the Pinpeat orchestra, which is made up of traditional xylophones, metallophones, horizontal gongs, drums, and cymbals
Khmer classical dance derived from Indian court dance, which traces its origins to the apsarases of Hindu mythology, heavenly female nymphs who were born to dance for the gods. The traditions of Thailand and Java (in Indonesia) also influenced the music and dance of Cambodia. In classical Cambodian dance, women, dressed in brightly colored costumes with elaborate headdresses, perform slow, graceful movements accompanied by a percussive ensemble known as the pinpeat. Pinpeat orchestras include drums, gongs, and bamboo xylophones. In Cambodia's villages, plays performed by actors wearing masks are popular. Shadow plays, performed using black leather puppets that enact scenes from the Reamkern, are also enjoyed. Folk dancing is popular in rural Cambodia and is performed spontaneously to a drumbeat.
National and Public Holidays
01 January International New Year's Day
07 January 7 January Day
08 March International Women's Day
03 April Cultural Day
14-15-16 April Cambodian New Year
01 May International Labor Day
15 May Visak Bochea Day
19 May Royal Ploughing Ceremony
01 June International Children's Day
18 June Queen's Birthday, samdech Preah Mohèsey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk
24 September Constitution Day, 5th Anniversary of Re Coronation of H.M. Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk
24-25-26 September Pchum Ben Day
23 October Paris Peace Accord on Cambodia
30-31 October and 01 November King's Birthday, H.M. Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk
07-08-09 November Water Festival, Moon Festival
09 November Independence Day
10 December UN Human Rights Day
Festivals
Several festivals are held annually which are of interest to both international and domestic tourists. The major festivals are as follows:
Bonn Chaul Chhnam(April) is the traditional New Year's festival when Khmers clean and decorate their houses, make offerings and play traditional games.
Bonn Chroat Preah Nongkoal (May) is the Royal Ploughing Ceremony which inaugurates the planting season and involves symbolic ploughing and sowing of seed.
Bonn Dak Ben and Bonn Pchoum Ben (September) is the festival held for commemoration of the spirits of the dead; 15 days later offerings are made in the temples.
Bonn Kathen (October) is a 29-day religious festival when people march in procession to the temples where the monks change from their old to new robes.
His Majesty the King's Birthday (30 October - 1 November) is celebrated in regal fashion and the Royal Palace is sometimes open to the public.
Independence Day (9 November) celebrates the date when Cambodia achieved independence from France in 1953.
Bonn Om Took (November) is the water festival which ushers in the fishing season and marks the reversing of the current in the Tonle Sap River. This very popular festival attracts many people to watch the longboat races on the Tonle Sap in Phnom Penh, fireworks and a lighted flotilla of boats.
Read more...
Economy
Economy
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest nations. In 1999 its total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $3.1 billion, yielding a per capita GDP of just $270, among the lowest in the world.
Even before being plunged into civil conflict in the 1970s, Cambodia lacked significant industrial development, with most of the labor force engaged in agriculture. The country was self-sufficient in food and produced exportable surpluses of its principal crops of rice and corn. In spite of relatively low yields and a single harvest per year, Cambodia annually exported hundreds of thousands of tons of rice.
Civil unrest disrupted Cambodia's fledgling manufacturing industry and severely damaged road and rail networks.
The civil war from 1970 to 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979, and the Cambodia-Vietnam War from 1978 to 1979 virtually destroyed Cambodia's economy. By 1974, under wartime conditions, rice had to be imported, and production of Cambodia's most profitable export crop, rubber, fell off sharply. The civil unrest also disrupted Cambodia's fledgling manufacturing industry and severely damaged road and rail networks.
In 1975 the newly installed Khmer Rouge government nationalized all means of production in Cambodia. Money and private property were abolished, and agriculture was collectivized (ownership was transferred to the people as a group, represented by the state). The Khmer Rouge Four-Year Plan, a utopian document drafted in 1976, envisaged multiple plantings of rice and a vastly expanded irrigation system. The plan aimed to increase income from exports of rice and other products and to use this income to buy machinery with which to industrialize the country. The Four-Year Plan was poorly thought out, brutally enforced, and unsuccessful. Rice production rose slightly, but between 1976 and 1978, hundreds of thousands of people died from malnutrition, overwork, and mistreated or misdiagnosed diseases. The Khmer Rouge executed hundreds of thousands more people whom they judged to be enemies of the regime. The atrocities of the Khmer Rouge period decimated Cambodia's labor force.
After the Khmer Rouge was overthrown in early 1979, the government's grip on agricultural production loosened, and millions of Cambodians attempted to resume their lives as subsistence farmers. By the mid-1990s Cambodia once again achieved self-sufficiency in rice production and began to export small quantities of rice. The country's infrastructure improved gradually in the 1990s, largely due to massive infusions of foreign assistance. Other sectors of the economy were less fortunate, however. By 1995 the country's economy as a whole was performing at only 40 to 50 percent of its pre-1970 capacity. For many visitors to the country, Cambodia's poverty is masked by the apparent prosperity of sections of Phnom Penh.
Value Added Tax(VAT)
General overview
Value Added Tax (VAT) was implemented for "real regime" (i.e. large and/or incorporated) taxpayers on I January 1999.
Under the VAT system, "output tax" is collected from a customer by adding VAT to the amount charged. However, a business also pays an "input tax" to its suppliers on purchases made. The business must pay the output tax after deducting the input tax paid to its suppliers. In theory, the business therefore pays tax on the value that it adds in the supply chain. The tax is ultimately borne by the consumer or a business that is exempt from the tax, as consumers/exempt businesses cannot recover input tax paid.
Scope of application
Cambodia's VAT system is currently restricted to the business activities of real-regime taxpayers producing taxable supplies (and certain importers, see below). Real-regime taxpayers include most large and/or incorporated taxpayers involved in the production, trade and provision of services. In each case, the business must charge VAT on the value of goods or services supplied. Non-real regime taxpayers may be included in the VAT system at a later stage.
VAT also applies to the duty-paid value of imported goods. There are concessions, however, for exporters, certain tax-exempt bodies, and cigarette , alcoholic and automotive products imported for the purposes of re-export. Imported goods may be treated as including associated services. The importer must pay VAT to Customs at the same time as the importer pays Import Duties.
VAT may be payable on the appropriation of goods for personal use and on gifts.
Exempt goods and services
VAT is not payable on a number of activities, including the supply of
* Public postal services
* Hospital and medical services, and the provision of goods for these activities
* Public transportation activities operated by owned providers
* Insurance activities
* Certain financial services
* The importation of certain personal effects
* Non-profit activities in the public interest (as approved)
If a business sells exempt goods or services, it will be unable to recover any input tax paid on its purchases. This contrasts with "zero rating", where sales are within the VAT system (albeit at a VAT rate of zero), and hence input tax can be recovered. Where a business generates both taxable and exempt sales, it will only be able to claim a deduction of input for that portion of inputs used in the taxable activity.
Rates of tax
There are two rates of VAT as follows:
*
0% - This rate applies only to goods exported from Cambodia and services 'consumed" outside Cambodia. Exports are defined as including the international transportation for passengers or goods, and the services connected to this international transportation.
*
10% - This standard rate applies to all other non-exempt supplies.
Basis of taxation
The output tax is generally calculated by multiplying the taxable value (net of VAT) taken from the invoice price by the applicable VAT rate. With respect to imported goods, VAT is calculated on the CIF imported price plus Import Duty plus any Specific Tax on Certain Merchandise and Services.
For goods sold on a hire-purchase or financial-lease basis, VAT is calculated on the total price at the time of supply, as opposed to the installments actually received. For goods made available under rental or periodic payment arrangements, the goods are treated as being successively supplied.
Input credits are available for VAT charged on entertainment, certain petroleum products and the purchase of passenger motor vehicles
Registration
All real-regime taxpayers producing supplies of taxable goods and services in Cambodia should register for VAT. Voluntary registration for non-real regime taxpayers and CDC-licensed entities in the pre-operation phase is also possible.
Administration
For domestic supplies, taxpayers are required to file VAT returns and make VAT declarations and payments on a monthly basis, by the 20th day of the following month. For imports, VAT is payable to Customs at the time of importation.
Where a taxpayer's input VAT for the month exceeds output VAT, the business generally has to carry the excess forward for three months. The business can then apply for a refund from the tax authorities. Special refund rules apply for exporters and CDC-licensed entities in the pre-operating phase. Detailed rules exist with regard to specific invoicing and record-keeping obligations. Invoices vary according to whether a VAT registered or non-registered person is being invoiced.
Turnover Tax
General overview
Until 31 December 1998, Turnover Tax applied to all persons or entities (whether local or foreign, company or individual) deriving revenue in Cambodia. With the introduction of VAT on 1 January 1999, Turnover Tax no longer applied to real-regime (large and/or incorporated) taxpayers. The former 4% Consumption Tax was also lifted on all importers (although VAT may still apply).
Turnover Tax continues to apply to non-real regime taxpayers at the flat rate of 2%. For Turnover Tax purposes this includes revenue from the supply of goods or services (although most exports are exempt).
Turnover not subject to Turnover Tax is limited to the following areas:
* the sale of unprocessed agricultural produce, where sold by the producer
* certain small-business activities
* the majority of exports.
Basis of taxation
Turnover Tax is a tax on gross turnover received. It is not a VAT. It is generally calculated by multiplying the total amount invoiced by the applicable rate. It is common for the tax to be passed on by the invoicing party. In such a case the Turnover Tax collected is generally accepted as the full Turnover Tax liability (i.e. there is no grossing up).
Rates of tax
Since 1 January 1999, Turnover Tax has been levied at the flat rate of 2%.
Administration
Taxpayers must make monthly Turnover Tax declarations and payments, not later than the 10th day of the following month. Detailed rules exist with regard to specific invoicing and record-keeping obligations.
Specific Tax on Certain Merchandise and Services
General overview
The Specific Tax on Certain Merchandise and Services is a form of excise tax that applies to the importation or domestic production and supply of certain goods and services.
The goods/ services and rates of tax are as follows:
Goods/Service Rate
* Most automobiles and parts displacement >2000cc : 30%
* Most automobiles and parts displacement >2001cc : 20%
* Most large automobiles (e.g. buses, trucks) 10%
* Motorcycles - displacement >124cc 10%
* Certain petroleum products 20%
* Certain carbonated and similar non-alcoholic drinks 10%
* Beer, wines and most other alcoholic beverages : 10%
* Cigarettes and cigars 10%
* Hotel accommodation and entertainment charges: 10%
* International air tickets - commencing in Cambodia: 2%
* Certain international telecommunication activities: 2%
Note that the implementation of the Specific Tax on hotel room rental has been postponed until further notice.
Basis of taxation
For domestically produced goods, Specific Tax is generally due on the "ex-factory selling price" For imported goods, the tax is due on the CIF value inclusive of Customs Duty. For air, hotel and telecommunication services, the tax is generally payable on the invoice price, although for air tickets this is limited to tickets issued in Cambodia.
Administration
For domestic sales, taxpayers must make Specific Tax declaration fund payments on a monthly basis, not later than the 10th day of the following month. For imports, Specific Tax is payable to Customs at the time of importation. Detailed rules exist with regard to invoicing and record-keeping obligations.
Import and Export Duties
Import Duties
Import Duties are levied on a wide range of products. Rates are generally 7%, 15%, 20%, 3 5% or 50%.Investment incentives
Import Duty exemptions can be granted by the CDC as an investment incentive. Exemptions can apply to:
* Construction materials.
* Plant and equipment (and related spare parts) to be used in production.
* Raw materials and intermediate goods to be used in production.
* Investment projects typically entitled to Import Duty incentives include:
* Export orientated (minimum 80%) projects.
* Projects located in Special Promotion Zones.
* Projects in the tourism industry.
* Labor-intensive production projects.
* Projects in infrastructure and energy.
Export Duties
Export Duties are levied on only a limited number of items, such as timber and certain animal products (including most seafood).
Salary Tax
General Overview
Cambodia's Salary Tax regulations follow internationally accepted residency and source principles. A Cambodian resident's worldwide salary is subject to Cambodian Salary Tax. For non-residents, only the Cambodian sourced salary is subject to Salary Tax. The location of the salary payment is not relevant in determining the source.
Cambodia draws a distinction between cash salary and "fringe benefits". Cash salary is taxable to the employee while Salary Tax due on fringe benefits is payable by the employer.
Salary Tax extends to employment-related remuneration only, as opposed to general personal income per se. Genuine consulting income is also excluded (although such income is subject to Tax on Profit). These rules enable the authorities to consider certain consultants as employees.
Residency
A Cambodian resident is defined as an "employee, taxpayer, or person" who is:
* domiciled in Cambodia, or
* has his/her principal place of abode in Cambodia, or
* is physically present in Cambodia for more than 182 days in a calendar year.
Taxable Salary
A distinction is made between cash and fringe benefit salary components. Different tax scales apply. Cash salary includes remuneration, wages, bonus payments, overtime, compensation and employer-provided loans and advances.
Fringe Benefits
Fringe benefits include:
* the use of motor vehicles;
* the provision of accommodation support (including utilities and domestic helpers);
* low-interest loans and discounted sales;
* educational assistance (unless employment related, for example for training);
* certain insurance support;
* Excessive or unnecessary" cash allowances, and social welfare and pension contributions;
* Entertainment or recreational expenditure (which may additionally be non-deductible to the provider for Tax on Profit purposes).
Exempt Salary
Exempt salary includes:
* certain redundancy payments;
* reimbursement of employment-related expenses;
* certain traveling allowances;
* certain uniform entitlements;
* the salaries of employees of approved diplomatic, international and aid organizations;
* the salaries of non-residents where the salary cost is not deducted in Cambodia.
Deduction
These are limited to small statutory amounts for an employee's dependents, and for the repayment of employer loans or advances.
Salary Tax Rate
Cash Salary - Resident
Monthly salary (Riels) Rate:
0 - 500,000 0%
500,001 - 1,250,000 5%
1,250,001 - 8,500,000 10%
8,500,001 - 12,500,000 15%
12,500.001 - upwards 20%
Cash Salary - Non-resident
The rate for non-residents is a flat 15%. This tax also constitutes a final tax.
Fringe Benefits
Fringe benefits are taxable on the employer (not the employee) at the flat rate of 20% of the market value of the benefit.
As the rate scales are stated in Cambodian Riel, earnings in foreign currency have to be converted into Riel. Official exchange rates are provided for this purpose.
Administration
Employees must make monthly salary tax declarations and payments, not later than the 15th of the following month. There is no annual return.
Read more...
Cambodian Population
| |
| An estimated 85-90 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethnically the population consists of about 90 percent Khmer, 5 percent each of Chinese and Vietnamese and small numbers of hill tribes (Chams and Burmese). Khmer is the country's official language. It is spoken by more than 95 percent of the population. French, as a second language Ian a is also spoken, mostly by older people. English is more commonly spoken by the younger generation. The Cambodian population presents several important features. First, due to the baby' boom after 1979, it is a young population with at least half (50% according to some sources, more according to others) under 18 years of age now. Secondly, the proportion of women in the adult population is high, 56% of those who are 18 years old or more being females. Also as a result of the war, there is a rather high proportion of women-headed household; at least 25% according to UNICEF. Cambodia and Laos' populations are dwarfed by those of Vietnam and Thailand, and average population densities in the smaller countries are much lower than in Vietnam. Even the very densely populated areas in Cambodia do not have such a concentration of population as can be found in the Red River and Mekong River Deltas in Vietnam. The population of Cambodia is 12,491,501 (2001 estimate). Population growth per year is estimated at 2.3 percent, one of the highest rates in Asia. The rate of infant mortality is also high. The population density is 69 persons per sq km (179 per sq mi), with the densest concentrations on the heavily cultivated central plain. The mountainous regions of the country, where malaria is widespread, are thinly populated, as are the poorly watered northern provinces. During the late 1970s, under the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge, all of Cambodia's towns were depopulated, and residents were forcibly relocated to rural areas. A process of reurbanization began in the 1980s. |
Land Adn Resource of Cambodia
Overview
Cambodia covers an area of 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq mi). Most of the country consists of a low-lying alluvial plain that occupies the central part of the country. To the southeast of the plain lies the delta of the Mekong River. To the east of the plain, ranges of undulating hills separate Cambodia from Vietnam. To the southwest a mountain range, the Chuor Phnum Krâvanh, fringes the plain and forms a physical barrier along the country's coast. Cambodia's highest peak, Phnom Aural (1,813 m/5,948 ft) rises in the eastern part of this range. To the north, the Chuor Phnum Dangrek mountains separate Cambodia from Thailand.
Climate
Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate. December and January are the coolest months, while March and April are the hottest. The country's rainy season extends from May to October. Average annual rainfall is about 1,400 mm (about 55 in) on the central plain and increases to as much as 3,800 mm (150 in) in the mountains and along the coast. The average annual temperature is about 27°C (about 80°F).
Plant and Animal
Forests cover 53 percent of Cambodia's land. The densest forests thrive in the mountains and along the southwestern coast. Higher plains and plateaus contain savannas covered with high, sharp grass. Plants growing in Cambodia include rubber, kapok (a tree with seeds that yield a cotton-like fiber), palm, coconut, and banana, all of which are exploited commercially.
Wildlife in Cambodia includes elephants, deer, wild ox, panthers, bears, and tigers. Cormorants, cranes, parrots, pheasants, and wild ducks are also found, and poisonous snakes are numerous. Logging and mining activities, along with unregulated hunting, have diminished the country's wildlife rapidly.
Natural Resource
Of Cambodia's total land area, only 21 percent is cultivated. Areas surrounding the Mekong and the Tônlé Sap are the most fertile regions. The country's once-ample timber resources have been poorly managed and are being rapidly depleted by local and foreign entrepreneurs. Although Cambodia is not rich in mineral resources, Batdâmbâng province in northwestern Cambodia contains limited quantities of zircons, sapphires, and rubies. The central part of the country contains commercial deposits of salt, manganese, and phosphate. The Gulf of Thailand is thought to contain petroleum deposits, but the extent and accessibility of the reserves have yet to be determined.
River and Lake
Cambodia's most important river is the Mekong, the longest river in Southeast Asia and the tenth largest in the world. The Mekong flows from north to south through Cambodia and is navigable for much of its course. Other rivers in the country include the Tonle Srepok and the Tonle Sab.
Cambodia's principal lake, the Tonle Sap (Great Lake), is the largest in Southeast Asia. From the northwest, the Tonle Sap drains into the Mekong via the Tonle Sab River, entering the Mekong at Phnom Penh. Each year during the monsoon season (approximately May to October), the waters of the Mekong increase and reverse the flow of the Tonle Sab, which begins to drain into the lake. The lake then expands dramatically, flooding the provinces along its banks. When dry weather returns, the river reverses its course again and flows back into the Mekong, draining the northwestern provinces. At the height of the flooding, the Tonle Sap reaches more than 10,000 sq km (4,000 sq mi), or about four times its size in the dry season. The lake is one of the richest sources of freshwater fish in the world.
Environment Issues
Deforestation is the most serious threat to Cambodia's environment. In the 1960s and 1970s Cambodian forests and wetlands were harmed by bombings and defoliants used in the Vietnam War. In the 1970s and 1980s the damage continued with the disastrous agricultural policies of the Khmer Rouge regime and civil war. In the relatively peaceful 1990s, timber became an important export for Cambodia. More than 800,000 hectares (2 million acres) of Cambodian forest were cut down from 1990 to 1995. In 1995 the government responded by banning log exports, but illegal timber exporting has led to continued deforestation.
Many of the mangrove swamps crucial to the country's fisheries and wildlife have been destroyed. The loss of wildlife habitat and the negative environmental effects of logging and mining industries have caused a decline in biodiversity.
In addition to banning the export of lumber, the Cambodian government has declared a large portion- 16.2 percent (1997)-of the country's total land area protected. The government has also ratified international environmental agreements pertaining to climate change, desertification, endangered species, marine life conservation, ship pollution, and tropical timber.
Read more...
Historical of kingdom of Wonder
No one knows for certain how long people have lived in what is now Cambodia, as studies of its prehistory are undeveloped. A carbon-l4 dating from a cave in northwestern Cambodia suggests that people using stone tools lived in the cave as early as 4000 bc, and rice has been grown on Cambodian soil since well before the 1st century ad. The first Cambodians likely arrived long before either of these dates. They probably migrated from the north, although nothing is known about their language or their way of life.
By the beginning of the 1st century ad, Chinese traders began to report the existence of inland and coastal kingdoms in Cambodia. These kingdoms already owed much to Indian culture, which provided alphabets, art forms, architectural styles, religions (Hinduism and Buddhism), and a stratified class system. Local beliefs that stressed the importance of ancestral spirits coexisted with the Indian religions and remain powerful today.
Cambodia's modem-day culture has its roots in the 1st to 6th centuries in a state referred to as Funan, known as the oldest Indianized state in Southeast Asia. It is from this period that evolved Cambodia's language, part of the Mon-Khmer family, which contains elements of Sanskrit, its ancient religion of Hinduism and Buddhism. Historians have noted, for example, that Cambodians can be distinguished from their neighbors by their clothing - checkered scarves known as Kramas are worn instead of straw hats.
Funan gave way to the Angkor Empire with the rise to power of King Jayavarman II in 802. The following 600 years saw powerful Khmer kings dominate much of present day Southeast Asia, from the borders of Myanmar east to the South China Sea and north to Laos. It was during this period that Khmer kings built the most extensive concentration of religious temples in the world - the Angkor temple complex. The most successful of Angkor's kings, Jayavarman II, Indravarman I, Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII, also devised a masterpiece of ancient engineering: a sophisticated irrigation system that includes barays (gigantic man-made lakes) and canals that ensured as many as three rice crops a year. Part of this system is still in use today.
The Khmer Kingdom
Early Chinese writers referred to a kingdom in Cambodia that they called Funan. Modern-day archaeological findings provide evidence of a commercial society centered on the Mekong Delta that flourished from the 1st century to the 6th century. Among these findings are excavations of a port city from the 1st century, located in the region of Oc-Eo in what is now southern Vietnam. Served by a network of canals, the city was an important trade link between India and China. Ongoing excavations in southern Cambodia have revealed the existence of another important city near the present-day village of Angkor Borei.
A group of inland kingdoms, known collectively to the Chinese as Zhenla, flourished in the 6th and 7th centuries from southern Cambodia to southern Laos. The first stone inscriptions in the Khmer language and the first brick and stone Hindu temples in Cambodia date from the Zhenla period.
Angkor Era
Bayon Temple, Angkor Thum The giant faces carved on the Bayon temple at the Angkor Thum complex in northwestern Cambodia represent both the Buddha and King Jayavarman VII (ruled about 1130-1219). Although a Buddhist temple, Angkor Thum was modeled after the great Hindu temple complex of Angkor Wat.
In the early 9th century a Khmer (ethnic Cambodian) prince returned to Cambodia from abroad. He probably arrived from nearby Java or Sumatra, where he may have been held hostage by island kings who had asserted control over portions of the Southeast Asian mainland. In a series of ceremonies at different sites, the prince declared himself ruler of a new independent kingdom, which unified several local principalities. His kingdom eventually came to be centered near present-day Siemreab in northwestern Cambodia. The prince, known to his successors as Jayavarman II, inaugurated a cult honoring the Hindu god Shiva as a devaraja (Sanskrit term meaning "god-king"). The cult, which legitimized the king's rule by linking him with Shiva, persisted at the Cambodian court for more than two hundred years.
Between the early 9th century and the early 15th century, 26 monarchs ruled successively over the Khmer kingdom (known as Angkor, the modern name for its capital city). The successors of Jayavarman II built the great temples for which Angkor is famous. Historians have dated more than a thousand temple sites and over a thousand stone inscriptions (most of them on temple walls) to this era. Notable among the Khmer builder-kings were Suyavarman II, who built the temple known as Angkor Wat in the mid-12th century, and Jayavarman VII, who built the Bayon temple at Angkor Thum and several other large Buddhist temples half a century later. Jayavarman VII, a fervent Buddhist, also built hospitals and rest houses along the roads that crisscrossed the kingdom. Most of the monarchs, however, seem to have been more concerned with displaying and increasing their power than with the welfare of their subjects.
Ancient City of Angkor This map shows the layout of the ancient city of Angkor, capital of the Cambodian Khmer kingdom from the 9th century to the 15th century. The city's huge stone temples were both civic centers and religious symbols of the Hindu cosmos. Historians believe that Angkor's network of canals and barays (reservoirs) were used for irrigation.
At its greatest extent, in the 12th century, the Khmer kingdom encompassed (in addition to present-day Cambodia) parts of present-day Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and the Malay Peninsula. Thailand and Laos still contain Khmer ruins and inscriptions. The kings at Angkor received tribute from smaller kingdoms to the north, east, and west, and conducted trade with China. The capital city was the center of an impressive network of reservoirs and canals, which historians theorize supplied water for irrigation. Many historians believe that the abundant harvests made possible by irrigation supported a large population whose labor could be drawn on to construct the kings' temples and to fight their wars. The massive temples, extensive roads and waterworks, and confident inscriptions give an illusion of stability that is undermined by the fact that many Khmer kings gained the throne by conquering their predecessors. Inscriptions indicate that the kingdom frequently suffered from rebellions and foreign invasions.
Historians have not been able to fully explain the decline of the Khmer kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries. However, it was probably associated with the rise of powerful Thai kingdoms that had once paid tribute to Angkor, and to population losses following a series of wars with these kingdoms. Another factor may have been the introduction of Theravada Buddhism, which taught that anyone could achieve enlightenment through meritorious conduct and meditation. These egalitarian ideas undermined the hierarchical structure of Cambodian society and the power of prominent Hindu families. After a Thai invasion in 1431, what remained of the Cambodian elite shifted southeastward to the vicinity of Phnom Penh.
Cambodia Dark Age
This map of Southeast Asia in the mid-16th century shows the major centers of power in the region prior to the arrival of Europeans. During this period, these kingdoms were constantly at war. Eventually the Kingdom of Ayutthaya (modern Thailand) expanded to the north and east, absorbing much of Lan Na and Lan Xang (modern Laos). Dai Viet (modern Vietnam) expanded to the south, taking over the remaining territory of the Kingdom of Champa and the southern tip of the Kingdom of Lovek (modern Cambodia). Toungoo evolved into modern Myanmar.
The four centuries of Cambodian history following the abandonment of Angkor are poorly recorded, and therefore historians know little about them beyond the bare outlines. Cambodia retained its language and its cultural identity despite frequent invasions by the powerful Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya and incursions by Vietnamese forces. Indeed, for much of this period, Cambodia was a relatively prosperous trading kingdom with its capital at Lovek, near present-day Phnom Penh. European visitors wrote of the Buddhist piety of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Lovek. During this period, Cambodians composed the country's most important work of literature, the Reamker (based on the Indian myth of the Ramayana).
In the late 18th century, a civil war in Vietnam and disorder following a Burmese invasion of Ayutthaya spilled over into Cambodia and devastated the area. In the early 19th century, newly established dynasties in Vietnam and Thailand competed for control over the Cambodian court. The warfare that ensued, beginning in the l830s, came close to destroying Cambodia.
French Rule
Phnom Penh, as planned by the French, came to resemble a town in provincial France.
By the second half of the 19th century, France had begun to expand its colonial penetration of Indochina (the peninsula between India and China). In 1863 France accepted the Cambodian king's invitation to impose a protectorate over his severely weakened kingdom, halting the country's dismemberment by Thailand and Vietnam. For the next 90 years, France ruled Cambodia. In theory, French administration was indirect, but in practice the word of French officials was final on all major subjects-including the selection of Cambodia's kings. The French left Cambodian institutions, including the monarchy, in place, and gradually developed a Cambodian civil service, organized along French lines. The French administration neglected education but built roads, port facilities, and other public works. Phnom Penh, as planned by the French, came to resemble a town in provincial France.
The French invested relatively little in Cambodia's economy compared to that of Vietnam, which was also under French control. However, they developed rubber plantations in eastern Cambodia, and the kingdom exported sizable amounts of rice under their rule. The French also restored the Angkor temple complex and deciphered Angkorean inscriptions, which gave Cambodians a clear idea of their medieval heritage and kindled their pride in Cambodia's past. Because France left the monarchy, Buddhism, and the rhythms of rural life undisturbed, anti-French feeling was slow to develop.
King Sihanouk, through skillful maneuvering, managed to gain Cambodia's independence peacefully in 1953.
During World War II (1939-1945), Japanese forces entered French Indochina but left the compliant French administration in place. On the verge of defeat in 1945, the Japanese removed their French collaborators and installed a nominally independent Cambodian government under the recently crowned young king, Norodom Sihanouk. France reimposed its protectorate in early 1946 but allowed the Cambodians to draft a constitution and to form political parties. Soon afterward, fighting erupted throughout Indochina as nationalist groups, some with Communist ideologies, struggled to win independence from France. Most of the fighting took place in Vietnam, in a conflict known as the First Indochina War (1946-1954). In Cambodia, Communist guerrilla forces allied with Vietnamese Communists gained control of much of the country. However, King Sihanouk, through skillful maneuvering, managed to gain Cambodia's independence peacefully in 1953, a few months earlier than Vietnam. The Geneva Accords of 1954, which marked the end of the First Indochina War, acknowledged Sihanouk's government as the sole legitimate authority in Cambodia.
Modern State
Sihanouk's campaign for independence sharpened his political skills and increased his ambitions. In 1955 he abdicated the throne in favor of his father to pursue a full-time political career, free of the constitutional constraints of the monarchy. In a move aimed at dismantling Cambodia's fledgling political parties, Sihanouk inaugurated a national political movement known as the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (People's Socialist Community), whose members were not permitted to belong to any other political group. The Sangkum won all the seats in the national elections of 1955, benefiting from Sihanouk's popularity and from police brutality at many polling stations. Sihanouk served as prime minister of Cambodia until 1960, when his father died and he was named head of state. Sihanouk remained widely popular among the people but was brutal to his opponents.
In the late 1950s the Cold War (period of tension between the United States and its allies and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, and its allies) intensified in Asia. In this climate, foreign powers, including the United States, the USSR, and China, courted Sihanouk. Cambodia's importance to these countries stemmed from events in neighboring Vietnam, where tension had begun to mount between a Communist regime in the north and a pro-Western regime in the south. The USSR supported the Vietnamese Communists, while the United States opposed them, and China wanted to contain Vietnam for security reasons. Each of the foreign powers hoped that Cambodian support would bolster its position in the region. Sihanouk pursued a policy of neutrality that drew substantial economic aid from the competing countries.
In 1965, however, Sihanouk broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. At the same time, he allowed North Vietnamese Communists, then fighting the Vietnam War against the United States and the South Vietnamese in southern Vietnam, to set up bases on Cambodian soil. As warfare intensified in Vietnam, domestic opposition to Sihanouk from both radical and conservative elements increased. The Cambodian Communist organization, known as the Workers Party of Kampuchea (later renamed the Communist Party of Kampuchea, or CPK), had gone underground after failing to win any concessions at the Geneva Accords, but now they took up arms once again. As the economy became unstable, Cambodia became difficult to govern single-handedly. In need of economic and military aid, Sihanouk renewed diplomatic relations with the United States. Shortly thereafter, in 1969, U.S. president Richard Nixon authorized a bombing campaign against Cambodia in an effort to destroy Vietnamese Communist sanctuaries there.
Khmer Republic
In March 1970 Cambodia's legislature, the National Assembly, deposed Sihanouk while he was abroad. The conservative forces behind the coup were pro-Western and anti-Vietnamese. General Lon Nol, the country's prime minister, assumed power and sent his poorly equipped army to fight the North Vietnamese Communist forces encamped in border areas. Lon Nol hoped that U.S. aid would allow him to defeat his enemies, but American support was always geared to events in Vietnam. In April U.S. and South Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia, searching for North Vietnamese, who moved deeper into Cambodia. Over the next year, North Vietnamese troops destroyed the offensive capacity of Lon Nol's army.
In October 1970 Lon Nol inaugurated the Khmer Republic. Sihanouk, who had sought asylum in China, was condemned to death despite his absence. By that time, Chinese and North Vietnamese leaders had persuaded the prince to establish a government in exile, allied with North Vietnam and dominated by the CPK, whom Sihanouk referred to as the Khmer Rouge (French for "Red Khmers").
In 1975, despite massive infusions of U.S. aid, the Khmer Republic collapsed, and Khmer Rouge forces occupied Phnom Penh.
The United States continued bombing Cambodia until the Congress of the United States halted the campaign in 1973. By that time, Lon Nol's forces were fighting not only the Vietnamese but also the Khmer Rouge. The general lost control over most of the Cambodian countryside, which had been devastated by U.S. bombing. The fighting severely damaged the nation's infrastructure and caused high numbers of casualties. Hundreds of thousands of refugees flooded into the cities. In 1975, despite massive infusions of U.S. aid, the Khmer Republic collapsed, and Khmer Rouge forces occupied Phnom Penh. Three weeks later, North Vietnamese forces achieved victory in South Vietnam.
Democratic Kampuchea
Pol Pot Pol Pot is a pseudonym for the Cambodian guerrilla commander Saloth Sar, who organized the Communist guerrilla force known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge ousted General Lon Nol in 1975, establishing a brutal Communist regime that ruled until 1979.
Immediately after occupying Cambodia's towns, the Khmer Rouge ordered all city dwellers into the countryside to take up agricultural tasks. The move reflected both the Khmer Rouge's contempt for urban dwellers, whom they saw as enemies, and their utopian vision of Cambodia as a nation of busy, productive peasants. The leader of the regime, who remained concealed from the public, was Saloth Sar, who used the pseudonym Pol Pot. The government, which called itself Democratic Kampuchea (DK), claimed to be seeking total independence from foreign powers but accepted economic and military aid from its major allies, China and North Korea.
Khmer Rouge Carnage The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, killed close to 1.7 million people in the mid- to late 1970s. In this photo, human bones and skulls fill a museum in Cambodia that had been used as a prison and torture center during Pol Pot's reign, Sygma.
Without identifying themselves as Communists, the Khmer Rouge quickly introduced a series of far-reaching and often painful socialist programs. The people given the most power in the new government were the largely illiterate rural Cambodians who had fought alongside the Khmer Rouge in the civil war. DK leaders severely restricted freedom of speech, movement, and association, and forbade all religious practices. The regime controlled all communications along with access to food and information. Former city dwellers, now called "new people," were particularly badly treated. The Khmer Rouge killed intellectuals, merchants, bureaucrats, members of religious groups, and any people suspected of disagreeing with the party. Millions of other Cambodians were forcibly relocated, deprived of food, tortured, or sent into forced labor.
While in power, the Khmer Rouge murdered, worked to death, or killed by starvation close to 1.7 million Cambodians.
The Khmer Rouge also attacked neighboring countries in an attempt to reclaim territories lost by Cambodia many centuries before. After fighting broke out with Vietnam (then united under the Communists) in 1977, DK's ideology became openly racist. Ethnic minorities in Cambodia, including ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese, were hunted down and expelled or massacred. Purges of party members accused of treason became widespread. People in eastern Cambodia, suspected of cooperating with Vietnam, suffered severely, and hundreds of thousands of them were killed. While in power, the Khmer Rouge murdered, worked to death, or killed by starvation close to 1.7 million Cambodians-more than one-fifth of the country's population.
The war with Vietnam went badly for Cambodia, and in the second half of 1978 the DK tried to open the country up to the wider world, inviting journalists to visit and extending diplomatic recognition to several nonsocialist countries. In December 1978 the Vietnamese launched a blitzkrieg assault on Cambodia, using more than l00,000 troops. A group of Cambodian Communist rebels, the Khmer National United Front for National Salvation (KNUFNS), accompanied them. On January 7, 1979, the liberating forces occupied Phnom Penh, which the Khmer Rouge leaders had abandoned the day before. Pol Pot, his colleagues, and hundreds of thousands of followers sought refuge over the next few months along the Thai-Cambodian border. There they were protected by the Thai regime, which was hostile to Vietnam.
Vietnam Liberation
Vietnam established a satellite regime called the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) in January 1979. The new government included many former members of the Khmer Rouge who had defected to Vietnam, as well as some Cambodians who had sought refuge in Vietnam before the Khmer Rouge victory in 1975. After coming to power, the regime restored much of Cambodia's pre-1975 way of life, including the practice of Buddhism and a nationwide education system. For the time being, however, agriculture remained collectivized. Like all previous regimes, the new government treated its opponents harshly; like the Khmer Rouge, it severely limited people's freedom of expression. The pro-Vietnamese Kampuchean Peoples' Revolutionary Party (KPRP) monopolized political power and swept the 1981 elections for the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, remnants of the Khmer Rouge and other Cambodians who had fled to Thailand formed an anti-Vietnamese government in exile, which continued to be known as DK. China, Thailand, and the United States had disapproved of the overthrow of DK, viewing it as Vietnamese aggression, and encouraged the formation of the government in exile. With the support of these countries, DK retained Cambodia's seat in the United Nations (UN). Only a few foreign governments, including the USSR and India, recognized the PRK as Cambodia's legitimate government. Foreign aid to Cambodia was largely limited to the Soviet-led bloc of Communist nations.
Throughout the 1980s, Vietnam maintained more than 100,000 troops in Cambodia. Conflict between PRK and DK forces, combined with Cambodia's relative isolation, produced continuing economic instability. Thousands of people were killed in battle or maimed by landmines. In 1985 Cambodia's foreign minister, Hun Sen, became prime minister of the PRK.
Weary of socialism and the harsh conditions inside Cambodia, more than 500,000 Cambodians sought asylum in Thailand in the 1980s. More than 300,000 of these people eventually resettled in other countries, especially France and the United States. This outflow deprived Cambodia of thousands of trained personnel and removed many members of the small elite, whose ranks had already been thinned through execution and fatal illnesses under the Khmer Rouge.
Recent Development
In September 1989, as the Cold War ended and Soviet financing of the Vietnamese forces in Cambodia fell sharply, Vietnam withdrew its troops from Cambodia. The withdrawal left the Cambodian regime, under young prime minister Hun Sen, in a precarious position, deprived of all substantial foreign aid and threatened militarily by the forces of the Khmer Rouge and their allies on the Thai-Cambodian border. Soon afterward the PRK officially abandoned socialism, renamed itself the State of Cambodia (SOC), and introduced a range of reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment and increasing the popularity of the ruling KPRP, renamed the Cambodian People's Party (CPP).
Some members of the government became millionaires overnight, while the national economy was still stumbling to its feet.
A program of privatization, which ended collectivized agriculture, and a headlong rush toward free-market economics from 1989 to 1992 widened the inequities in Cambodian society. Some members of the government became millionaires overnight, while the national economy was still stumbling to its feet. As markets opened in Thailand and Vietnam, exploitation of Cambodia's gem and timber resources by foreign businesses became widespread. Meanwhile, fighting between government and Khmer Rouge forces intensified, as the Khmer Rouge occupied large areas in the relatively inhospitable northern part of the country.
In October 1991 Cambodia's warring factions, the UN, and a number of interested foreign nations signed an agreement in Paris intended to end the conflict in Cambodia. The agreement provided for a temporary power-sharing arrangement between a United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) and a Supreme National Council (SNC) made up of delegates from the various Cambodian factions. Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the former king and prime minister of Cambodia, served as president of the SNC.
The Paris accords and the UN protectorate pushed Cambodia out of its isolation and introduced competitive politics, dormant since the early 1950s. UNTAC sponsored elections for a national assembly in May 1993, and for the first time in Cambodian history a majority of voters rejected an armed, incumbent regime. A royalist party, known by its French acronym FUNCINPEC, won the most seats in the election, followed by the CPP, led by Hun Sen. Reluctant to give up power, Hun Sen threatened to upset the election results. Under a compromise arrangement, a three-party coalition formed a government headed by two prime ministers; FUNCINPEC's Prince Norodom Ranariddh, one of Sihanouk's sons, became first prime minister, while Hun Sen became second prime minister.
In September 1993 the government ratified a new constitution restoring the monarchy and establishing the Kingdom of Cambodia. Sihanouk became king for the second time. After the 1993 elections, no foreign countries continued to recognize the DK as Cambodia's legal government. The DK lost its UN seat as well as most of its sources of international aid.
The unrealistic power-sharing relationship between Ranariddh and Hun Sen worked surprisingly well for the next three years, but relations between the parties were never smooth. The CPP's control over the army and the police gave the party effective control of the country, and it dominated the coalition government. In July 1997 Hun Sen staged a violent coup against FUNCINPEC and replaced Prince Ranariddh, who was overseas at the time, with Ung Huot, a more pliable FUNCINPEC figure. Hun Sen's action shocked foreign nations and delayed Cambodia's entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). By the end of 1997, Cambodia was the only nation in the region that was not a member.
Despite the coup, elections scheduled for July 1998 proceeded as planned. Hundreds of foreign observers who monitored the elections affirmed that voting was relatively free and fair; however, the CPP harassed opposition candidates and party workers before and after the elections, when dozens were imprisoned and several were killed. The election gave the CPP a plurality of votes, but results, especially in towns, where voting could not be dictated by local authorities, indicated that the party did not enjoy widespread popular support. Prince Ranariddh and another opposition candidate, Sam Rainsy, took refuge abroad and contested the outcome of the election. In November the CPP and FUNCINPEC reached an agreement whereby Hun Sen became sole prime minister and Ranariddh became president of the National Assembly. The parties formed a coalition government, dividing control over the various cabinet ministries. In early 1999 the constitution was amended to create a Senate, called for in the 1998 agreement. These signs that Cambodia's political situation was stabilizing encouraged ASEAN to admit Cambodia to its membership a short time later.
Pol Pot died in 1998, and by early 1999 most of the remaining Khmer Rouge troops and leaders had surrendered. Rebel troops were integrated into the Cambodian army. In 1999 two Khmer Rouge leaders were arrested and charged with genocide for their part in the atrocities.
Since the Paris Accords of 1991, Cambodia's economic growth has depended on millions of dollars of foreign aid. Foreign interest in Cambodia has decreased, however, and the country has received diminishing economic assistance. This development, along with the continued lack of openness in Cambodian politics, has made Cambodia's prospects for democratization dim, as well as its chances for sustained economic growth.
Read more...
Economic Thrust Eastwards
Hun Xen embraces Nguyen Tan Dung, meanwhile....Villagers from the beseiged Kraya commune in Kampong Thom province say they have been forced to hide in cassava fields for fear of arrest and now face increasing health risks from a lack of medicine and the threat of malaria from sleeping outdoors. Authorities blockaded the commune following a violent protest last month over their impending eviction, during which equipment
Villagers from the beseiged Kraya commune in Kampong Thom province say they have been forced to hide in cassava fields for fear of arrest and now face increasing health risks from a lack of medicine and the threat of malaria from sleeping outdoors. Authorities blockaded the commune following a violent protest last month over their impending eviction, during which equipment belonging to the Vietnamese-owned rubber company Tin Bean was set on fire (Photo by: Heng Chivoan, The Phnom Penh Post)
Alternatives Watch – 30xi09
Op-Ed by Ung Bun Ang
Almost three decades after sending its troop into Cambodia, which has since paid dividends so handsomely, Vietnam makes another strategic move that will have far-reaching implications for Cambodia. This year sees a thrust of Vietnamese investments that reaches a total of US$1.5 billion in Cambodian vital sectors: land, natural resources, and telecommunications.
Vietnam has secured the right to exploit in Block 15 – a 6,900 square km site off the northeastern shore of Tonle Sap – oil reserves for the next 30 years, and gas reserves for 35 years. It holds 100 percent interest in the venture giving Cambodia only an option to obtain later a share of up to a mere 5 percent. Meanwhile, to sweeten the deal, Vietnam presents to Cambodia a “social benefit fund” of US$2 million. There is no mention of how they will address inevitable environmental damages.
Back on land, Vietnam is to develop 100,000 hectares of rubber plantations in five Cambodian provinces to be completed in 2015. These involve land concessions that last almost 100 years – long enough for any land located close to the border to inconspicuously become part of Vietnam. The development has already led to a violent clash with local villagers; more than one thousand families live on the land that is now part of an 8,000 hectare land concession belonging to Vietnamese plantation firm Tin Bien.
Vietnam is shrewd in managing its own forests; it protects them and develops its economy by exporting its deforestation to Cambodia. Cambodia has become a major source of supplies of illegally logged wood to help fill a substantial hole left in Vietnam’s local lumber supply after the government implemented reforestation policies in the 90’s.
Vietnam sets itself up to control a significant chunk of the Cambodian telecommunication network. Vietnamese military-run telecommunication corporation Viettel is now the largest telecommunication service provider in Cambodia – six months after launching its Metfone mobile service network. Metfone currently accounts for 60 percent of all ADSL internet services and 50 percent of the fixed phone market; it has two million mobile subscribers. Vietnam claims its satellite system Vinasat-1, with its coverage over the Southeast Asia, can meet all the Cambodian needs ranging from television to internet. The sweetener is the Viettel’s donation of US$500,000 to help poor Cambodian children in need of medical treatments; it promises to provide internet services to 300 Cambodian schools this year. Vietnam agrees to help build a radio station in Siem Reap the Cambodian government claims it needs to give the local Vietnamese community a better access to information. With these benefits, Cambodia puts its national security that links to its communication network at the mercy of Vietnam.
The economic thrust eastwards will, first and foremost, benefit Vietnam. Cambodia will also gain; but the extent and nature of long term costs will be unknown for some time. Meanwhile, the thrust will divide Cambodian opinions, just like the Vietnamese military intervention and occupation of Cambodia. The combined impact of the two major Vietnamese strategies could only weaken Cambodia.
Ung Bun Ang
Quotable Quote:
“An inch of soil is an inch of gold.” - Anonymous, Vietnamese proverb.
Source: http://ki-media.blogspot.com/
You Know Free Practice Trading Account,Trading Forex A currency trade is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another one. The currency combination used in the trade is called a cross (for example, the euro/US dollar, or the GB pound/Japanese yen.). The most commonly traded currencies are the so-called "majors" -- EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCHF and GBPUSD, USD, EURO international bank accounts, Flexible instant access to a Euro account, Four US Bank To Choose From! Free VISA Card. Sumsung, Acer, HP, Compaq, Toshiba, Cannon, Sony, Car, Camera, Laptop, Notebook, Desktop, Web Hosting, Airways around the wold, Book Ticket,
