1975-1979 since 1993







History of Cambodia, 1979-1993


Administration . Following atrocities against ethnic Vietnamese residents of Cambodia, in 1979 the Vietnamese Army invaded the country, quickly established control over most areas and installed a pro-Vietnamese government. The country was renamed People's Republic of Kampuchea. Heng Samrin, of the People's Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea (pro-Soviet Communists, est. in 1979), held various functions which made him de facto head of state 1979-1992; Hun Sen held the office of PM since 1985.
The Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, retreated into the jungle, posing a problem in the border areas to Thailand for years to come. Prince Sihanouk, nominal head of state during the Khmer Rouge administration, returned into Chinese exile.

Foreign Policy . The People's Republic of Cambodia was perceived as a satellite of Vietnam, and like the latter, an ally of the USSR. The PR China, unable to directly aid the Khmer Rouge, fought a border war with Vietnam (1980); Vietnam responded by ousting her ethnic Chinese minority (Boat People).
In the west, the ousture of the democidal Khmer Rouge government was received as relief; yet the new administration was not granted a general welcome, as it was perceived as a Vietnamese/Soviet satellite.
Thailand, host to a large number of Cambodian refugees, dwelling in camps along the Cambodian border, had to be highly concerned.
Vietnam withdrew her forces from Cambodia in 1986-1989.

Social History . The new administration ended the Cambodian Democide in the areas it controlled. The census of 1993 counted 9.3 million Cambodians. The People's Republic of Kampuchea exerted a lower degree of social control than her predecessor; many moved into the cities. Under the Khmer Rouge, the population of Phnom Penh was estimated at c. 20,000; the J. Lahmeyer gives figures of 329,000 for 1981, 620,000 for 1990.

The Economy . In 1980 Kampuchea introduced a new currency, the New Riel. By comparison to the Khmr Rouge years, foreign trade was increased, with Cambodia being a net importer dependent on Vietnamese and Soviet aid; Vietnam and the USSR replaced the PR China as Cambodia's leading trade partners.
Cambodia's annual rice production rose from 1.1 to 1.4 milliion metric tons in 1980-1982 to 2.1 to 2,5 million metric tons in 1985-1993 (IHS p.196).

Cultural History . The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia was formed in 1983 and recognized by the IOC in 1994.

Transition to Democracy . Following the withdrawal of the Vietnamese troops in 1989, the Cambodian government entered into negotiations with the political opposition (based abroad; the Khmer Rouge continued to fight until 1998). The negotiations led to a constitutional change, the reintroduction of multiparty democracy, the stationing of UN peacekeeping forces in Cambodia. The monarchy was restored. Free elections were held in 1993.







EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles National Olympic Committee, from Wikipedia
Timeline of Cambodian History, from timelines.ws
CASCON Case CAM : Cambodia 1979-, by L.P. Bloomfield, L. Moulton
Article Cambodian-Vietnamese War, People's Republic of Kampuchea, Heng Samrin, Hun Sen, Pol Pot, KPRP, Khmer Rouge, from Wikipedia
DOCUMENTS Cambodia Statesmen, from World Statesmen (B. Cahoon)
Cambodia, from Population Statistics (J. Lahmeyer)
REFERENCES IHS : International Historical Statistics : Africa, Asia & Oceania 1750-2000, edited by B.R. Mitchell, Basingstoke : Palgrave MacMillan 4th ed. 2003
Article : Cambodia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1980 pp.228-230, 1981 pp.226-228
Article : Kampuchea, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1982 pp.474-475, 1983 pp.468-469, 1984 pp.467-468, 1985 pp.516-517, 649, 1986 pp.510-511, 713, 1987 pp.480-481, 681, 1988 pp.438-439, 633, 1989 pp.438-439, 634, 1990 pp.454-455, 649 [G]
Article : Cambodia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1991 pp.435-436, 566, 1992 pp.408-409, 566, 1993 pp.412, 576, 1994 pp.412-413, 576
Article : Kampuchea, Democratic, in : The Statesman's Year-Book 1980-1981 pp.752-756, 1981-1982 pp.755-759 [G]
Article : Cambodia, in : The Statesman's Year-Book 1983-1984 pp.258-262, 1984-1985 pp.257-260, 1985-1986 pp.259-262, 1986-1987 pp.262-265, 1987-1988 pp.261-264, 1988-1989 pp.260-263, 1989-1990 pp.261-264, 1990-1991 pp.261-264, 1991-1992 pp.262-265, 1992-1993 pp.263-267, 1993-1994 pp.263-266 [G]
Article : Kampuchea, in : The World in Figures 4th ed. 1984 pp.179-180 [G]
Article : Cambodia, in : Americana Annual 1988 p.161, 1989 p.159, 1990 pp.156-157, 1992 pp.166-167, 1993 pp.161-162, 1994 p.163 [G]
Article : Kampuchea, in : Yearbook on International Communist Affairs 1980 pp.263-267 (Peter A. Poole) [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on May 18th 2002, last revised on May 30th 2007

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