Updated January 8, 2016
Cambodia
The United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia have been
confiscated their land and homes, sometimes forcibly or
strengthening bilateral ties for the past decade. U.S.
without proper compensation, to make way for agricultural,
concerns remain, however, about human rights violations
mining, logging, tourism, and urban development projects.
and the authoritarian tendencies of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
U.S. interests and efforts in Cambodia include
Experts say that Hun Sen, Deputy President of the
strengthening democratic institutions, civil society, and the
Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), has bolstered his power
rule of law; promoting economic growth; reducing poverty;
through a combination of “guile and force,” electoral
and increasing bilateral trade and investment. U.S. military
victories, legal and extra-legal political maneuvers,
cooperation with Cambodia has increased as well. Military
influence over the broadcast media and judiciary,
activities during the past decade include U.S. naval port
intimidation, patronage and cronyism. In July 2015, the
visits; U.S. education and training of Cambodian officers;
Cambodian Parliament passed a law on nongovernmental
and joint exercises, such as Angkor Sentinel, related to
organizations (NGOs) that critics say gives the government
international peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and
greater authority to restrict their activities.
counterterrorism.
Hun Sen has been the nation’s leader for 30 years,
including as Premier of the Vietnam-backed Republic of
Kampuchea between 1985 and 1993 and as Prime Minister
after the United Nations sponsored the restoration of a
constitutional monarchy in 1993. During the past decade,
Hun Sen has suppressed an often-fragmented opposition
and consolidated his own position. The most recent national
elections, in 2013, were viewed by many observers as
flawed, but resulted in a striking reversal of fortunes for the
CPP and a boost for the opposition Cambodian National
Rescue Party (CNRP), led by Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha.
The CPP lost 22 seats in the National Assembly, holding
onto 68 out of a total of 123 seats, its lowest level of
support since 1998. The main opposition groups, unified as
the CNRP, won 55 seats, a gain of 26. The poll results
reflected a changing electorate that is younger and more
urban, more concerned about corruption and inequality, and
more demanding of government. Furthermore, Cambodian
voters as a whole may be becoming less impressed by Hun
Sen’s claims that the CPP has brought stability and
prosperity to the country following the period of genocidal
rule, foreign invasion, and civil war during the 1970s and
1980s.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2016.
In July 2014, following a year of political unrest, including
Political Developments
mass demonstrations and the CNRP’s boycott of
parliament, the CCP and the opposition agreed to a power
Many Cambodian political, social, and economic
sharing agreement. However, despite promises by both
institutions that were destroyed under the rule of the
sides to adopt a “culture of dialogue,” political rhetoric
Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer
became increasingly strident. Beginning in the summer of
Rouge (1975-79), have been reestablished. The Kingdom
2015, Hun Sen and the CPP struck back at the opposition
has made fitful progress in some areas of governance and
with physical assaults, arrests, and lawsuits which many
human rights, including the conduct of elections and the
observers perceived as politically motivated. In October
development of civil society. Economic growth of over 7%
2015, two CNRP parliamentarians reportedly were pulled
annually in recent years has brought prosperity to some
from their cars and brutally beaten in what some observers
Cambodians, particularly in urban areas, and many rural
surmised to be an organized attack. Opposition Senator
residents also have experienced improvements in their
Hong Sok Hour was jailed for committing “forgery and
quality of life. However, political and judicial institutions
incitement” related to politically-sensitive Cambodia-
remain weak and economic disparities have widened.
Vietnam border issues. Over a dozen CNRP activists have
Human rights groups assert that over half a million
been arrested or convicted on charges related to their
Cambodians have been displaced as government, business,
involvement in public protests in 2014. Three men involved
and foreign entities, sometimes in collusion, have
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Cambodia
in the assault on the two CNRP lawmakers have been
to 2007, Congress prohibited assistance to the government
arrested.
of Cambodia in order to pressure Hun Sen into fully
restoring democracy, but allowed U.S. assistance to NGOs.
In November 2015, the National Assembly stripped CNRP
U.S. aid efforts in Cambodia, still channeled largely
President Sam Rainsy of his parliamentary immunity and
through NGOs, include the following areas: democracy,
expelled him from the national legislature. Rainsy, who in
civil society, trafficking in persons, food security, nutrition,
2013 had received a royal pardon for multiple defamation
and maternal and child health.
convictions, again faces charges or jail time in three
criminal cases widely regarded as politically motivated,
Unexploded Ordnance
including a seven-year-old defamation case. Rainsy was in
Cambodia is one of the countries in the world most heavily
South Korea when the Cambodian government issued a
afflicted by unexploded ordnance (UXO), including cluster
warrant for his arrest, and remains in France in self-
munitions, landmines, and other undetonated weapons left
imposed exile. In December 2015, some Members of
from U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War, the
Congress signed a letter to Hun Sen calling on him to
Vietnamese invasion in 1978, and civil wars during the
revoke Sam Rainsy’s arrest warrant and reinstate him to the
1970s and 1980s. The United States dropped 2.7 million
National Assembly.
tons of ordnance, mostly cluster bombs, on Cambodia,
more than the amount that fell on Germany and Japan
Economic Developments
combined during World War II. An estimated one-third of
The United States is the largest overseas market for
the ordnance failed to explode. There have been roughly
Cambodian merchandise. In 2014, bilateral trade was worth
64,000 UXO casualties in Cambodia since 1979, including
nearly $3.2 billion, including $2.84 billion in U.S. imports
over 19,000 deaths. With the help of international
of Cambodian goods, mostly clothing and footwear. A
assistance, Cambodia has reduced the UXO casualty rate
garment factory monitoring system established through a
from around 700 per year a decade ago to 100, according to
trade agreement between the United States and Cambodia
the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. Since 1995,
in 1999 (Better Factories Cambodia), managed by the
the U.S. government has provided over $97 million for
International Labor Organization (ILO), and funded by
UXO clearance and disposal, related educational efforts,
international donors has helped to protect garment workers.
and survivor assistance programs in Cambodia.
However, labor rights abuses have increased in recent years
as the apparel industry has developed.
Khmer Rouge Tribunal
The Khmer Rouge attempted to create an agrarian,
Cambodia, which acceded to the World Trade Organization
communist society, a policy that included the forced
in 2004, has made commitments to reduce tariffs and fulfill
depopulation of cities, establishment of rural communes,
other obligations by 2018 as a member of the Association
and executions of many educated and wealthy Cambodians
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area and
and ethnic minorities. According to some estimates, nearly
the ASEAN Economic Community. The United States and
2 million out of a population of 8 million Cambodians died
Cambodia signed a bilateral trade agreement in 1996, which
from execution, torture, overwork, starvation, and disease.
provided for reciprocal “normal trade relations” tariff
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
treatment. The Kingdom also is a beneficiary of
(ECCC), established by Cambodia and the United Nations
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programs
and financed by the Cambodian government and foreign
whereby developed countries apply lower tariffs to some
countries, began proceedings in 2006 to try Khmer Rouge
Cambodian goods.
leaders responsible for violations of national and
international law, including crimes against humanity. The
Cambodia and China
U.S. government, which provides annual assistance to the
China is Cambodia’s largest economic benefactor, with
tribunal through a U.N.-administered international trust
commercial investments reportedly worth $10 billion and
fund ($3.5 million in FY2015), withheld funding from 2006
economic assistance totaling over $3 billion. PRC
to 2008 due to concerns about Cambodian political
assistance has come largely in the form of investment
influence on the court. ECCC prosecutors have charged five
packages, concessional loans, Chinese-built infrastructure,
former Khmer Rouge leaders and sentenced three to life in
and small-scale military aid. Chinese firms reportedly have
prison. One defendant died before the completion of his
invested more than $1.6 billion to build six dams in the
trial and another was declared unfit for trial. Cambodian
Kingdom. Some observers have expressed concerns about
and international human rights groups have advocated
Chinese economic projects, including their quality, effects
expanding the scope of prosecutions to include mid-ranking
on the environment, and lack of transparency. Others allege
Khmer Rouge officials, while Hun Sen has opposed further
that China’s largesse has hindered some foreign aid donors’
indictments.
attempts to pressure Phnom Penh to make advances in the
areas of human rights and democracy.
For more information, see CRS Report R44037, Cambodia:
Background and U.S. Relations in Brief.
Foreign Assistance
Cambodia is heavily dependent upon overseas development
Thomas Lum, Specialist in Asian Affairs
assistance from Japan, the United States, Australia, and
Europe (totaling roughly $500 million annually). The
IF10238
United States provided an estimated $77.8 million in
foreign assistance to the Kingdom in FY2015. From 1998
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Cambodia
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10238 · VERSION 5 · UPDATED