CAMBODIA

officially Kingdom of Cambodia, Khmer Preahrachanachkr Kmpucha, French Royaume de Cambodge, formerly (197076) Khmer Republic, (197679) Democratic Kampuchea, or (197989) People's Republic of Kampuchea, country lying in the southwestern Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Cambodia's maximum length from north to south is 280 miles (450 km), and its maximum width from east to west is 360 miles (580 km). It is bordered on the west and northwest by Thailand, northeast by Laos, east and southeast by Vietnam, and southwest by the Gulf of Thailand. The capital is Phnom Penh. Area 70,238 square miles (181,916 square km). Pop. (1993 est.) 9,287,000. Khmer Kampuchea, French Cambodge, formerly (to 1970) Kingdom of Cambodia, (197076) Khmer Republic, (197679) Democratic Kampuchea, or (197989) People's Republic of Kampuchea, country lying in the southwestern Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Covering a land area of 70,238 square miles (181,916 square kilometres), it is bordered on the west and northwest by Thailand, on the northeast by Laos, on the east and southeast by Vietnam, and on the southwest by the Gulf of Thailand. The capital is Phnom Penh. Additional reading General introductions to the country are Russell R. Ross (ed.), Cambodia: A Country Study, 3rd ed. (1990); David P. Chandler, The Land and People of Cambodia (1992); and Michael Vickery, Kampuchea: Politics, Economics, and Society (1986). Jean Delvert, Le Paysan cambodgien (1961), is a magisterial work. Ben Kiernan and Chanthou Boua (eds.), Peasants and Politics in Kampuchea, 19421981 (1982), is a useful anthology. Rmy Prud'Homme, L'conomie du Cambodge (1969), is the only detailed study of the Cambodian economy and is still of historical interest.David P. Chandler, A History of Cambodia, 2nd ed. (1992), traces the country's beginnings through the 1980s and is supplemented by his The Tragedy of Cambodian History (1991), a detailed political history since World War II. Claude Jacques, Angkor (1990), is an up-to-date treatment (in French) by France's leading Angkorean scholar. An indispensable work for scholars is Lawrence Palmer Briggs, The Ancient Khmer Empire (1951, reprinted 1962). In addition to the works by Chandler above, modern Cambodian history is analyzed in Ben Kiernan, How Pol Pot Came to Power (1983); William Shawcross, Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia, rev. ed. (1987); Karl D. Jackson (compiler), Cambodia, 19751978 (1989); and Michael Vickery, Cambodia, 19751982 (1984), probably the best book-length analysis of the revolutionary era. David P. Chandler Administration and social conditions Government In 1981 a constitution was promulgated by the Vietnamese-backed government in Phnom Penh controlled by the communist Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (transformed in 1992 into the noncommunist Cambodian People's Party). This document (amended in 1989) provided for a legislative National Assembly and a Council of State selected from the assembly, an executive Council of Ministers, and a judiciary. This government was opposed by three major factions: Prince Norodom Sihanouk and his followers, the communist Party of Democratic Kampuchea (commonly called the Khmer Rouge), and the noncommunist Khmer People's National Liberation Front (renamed the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party in 1992). In 1982 the three opposition groups formed a coalition government-in-exile headed by Sihanouk, but this rival government never gained power in Cambodia and often was racked by internal dissention. This arrangement, however, accorded the opposition groups international recognition and gave them the opportunity to engage in discussions with the Phnom Penh government. After lengthy negotiations, a series of peace accords were signed in Paris in 1991 by the four political factions. The agreements provided for the reorganization of the national government under the executive control of a Supreme National Council chaired by Sihanouk and composed of members of the four political factions. A United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, established to oversee the implementation of the accords, was given the administration of several key ministriesincluding those for defense, information, and the interior. Elections for a new government were held in May 1993. Armed forces Each of the four political factions has maintained its own military units, with those of the government in Phnom Penh being the largest and best-equipped. Under the 1991 accords, all factions were to reduce by 70 percent the forces under their control. Cultural life Ruined temples at the Angkor Thom complex, Angkor, Cambodia. Before 1970, Cambodian culture and artistic expression were overshadowed by the greatness of the past. Although the Khmer empire owed much to Indian influence, its achievements represented original contributions to Asian civilization. The magnificent architecture and sculpture of the Angkor period (8021432), as seen in the temple complexes at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (see photograph), marked the apex of Khmer creativity. Following the capture of Angkor by the Thai (15th century) and the crumbling of the empire, the region underwent four centuries of foreign invasions, civil war, and widespread depopulation. It was not until the establishment of the French protectorate in 1863 that internal security was restored, the country's borders were stabilized, and efforts were undertaken to revive traditional Khmer art forms. After Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953, the government placed particular emphasis on accelerating that revival by establishing a national school of music, a national school of ballet and theatre, and a fine arts university. This coincided with the rapid expansion of elementary and secondary school facilities and the emergence of education as the most important factor of social mobility. While Democratic Kampuchea's leadership, inspired by the People's Republic of China, made culture subservient to Marxist-Leninist doctrines, the government in Phnom Penh after 1979 made serious efforts to restore such traditional activities as classical music, ballet, and popular theatre. Foreign aid from India and Poland was used to clean and maintain some of the temples at Angkor, which had suffered from years of vandalism and neglect. These aspects of high culture have had to compete for people's attention with videotapes imported from Hong Kong, Thailand, and elsewhere, and with Western popular music. Music and dance forms Music occupied a dominant place in traditional Cambodian culture. It was sung and played everywhereby children at play, by adults at work, by young men and women while courtingand invariably was part of the many celebrations and festivals that took place throughout the year at Buddhist temples in the rural countryside. Instruments used in full orchestras included xylophones with wooden or metal bars, one- and two-stringed violins, wooden flutes, oboes, and drums of different sizes. The players followed the lead of one instrument, usually the xylophone, and improvised as they wished. Dancing and drama were also popular forms of artistic expression. The Royal Ballet in Phnom Penh exemplified the classic, highly stylized dance form adapted by the Khmer and Thai from the ancient dances of Angkor. In the countryside, folk drama and folk dances were performed at festivals and weddings by wandering troupes.