Cambodia Country & Its People

Cambodia is a nation known for its two extremes in history: the splendor and glory of Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th - 13th century, and the perverse horror of the Khmer Rouge period, in the 1970's. Visitors are often baffled at the contrasts of Cambodia. The country confronts one with the extremes of human potential: humanity at its most creative, inspired and dynamic, yet also at its most cruel, destructive and venal.

Cambodia is actually home to many features above and beyond the far ends of the human historical bell curve. The country has a diverse topography, with magnificent coastline, dense forests, and the Tonle Sap - Southeast Asia's largest lake. The lake quadruples in size during the June - October rainy season. Swollen to bursting from the rains, the Tonle Sap River reverses its course and flows northwards to the lake. This geographical anomaly is responsible for the immensily fertile land of central Cambodia, and was the source of the wealth that strengthened the Khmer Empire 1,000 years ago. As the floodwaters recede each February, the lake becomes one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. The surrounding muddy plains are prime agricultural land, with farmers cultivating unique strains of deepwater rice strains that flourish above the ever-rising lake's surface. The nation has suffered great ecological damage over the past 30 years. Heavy deforestation has led to a drop from 70% to 40% of the country being forested. Intensive shrimp farming in the southwest has led to profound damage to the country's mangrove forests. Yet, many species of flora and fauna abound, including elephants, barking deer, pangolins and monkeys. Birdlovers will thrill to watch herons, cormorants, egrets, and pheasants. Orchids thrive in the tropical forests; palm trees and bamboo are the source of most of villageís building materials, and the sugar palm tree is the source of vinegar, medicines, and is used to make wine.

Over 90% of the population are Khmer, making Cambodia the most ethnically homogenous nation in the region. Scattered pockets of hilltribes, Vietnamese, Chinese and Thais make up the remaining 10% of the population.

Cambodia's history is the stuff of legends. Archaeologists say that the Mekong Delta, and what is now lower Cambodia, was settled over 6,000 years ago. The tropical climate has erased the physical evidence of these early settlers. It is believed that there were two primary migrations: from the Malay peninsula and Indonesian region, and from what is now Tibet and China. The first recorded historical period of Cambodia was the Funan kingdom. Dating back to the 3rd century, it was the earliest Hindu state in Southeast Asia. The kingdom gained wealth and power as a result of its sophisticated irrigation system that harnessed the Mekong's floodwaters. With their power, the Funan rulers spread Indian culture, including classical literature, dance, astrology, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the cult of the semi-divine ruler. Records of a 3rd century Chinese Ambassador describe the region: "There are walled villages, places, and dwellings. The men go about naked and barefoot ... Taxes are paid in gold, silver and perfume. There are books and libraries and they can use the alphabet".

An offshoot of the Funan kingdom was the Chenla kingdom, which was the predecessor of Kambuja, and the Khmer Empire.

The Chenla royal family's internal conflicts led to a division: the 'Land Chenla', an agricultural society based north of the Tonle Sap region, and the 'Water Chenla', a trading culture centered along the Mekong. This murky period of Cambodian history was followed by the Angkor Period.

Jayavarman II , the Khmer prince who had been based in the Javanese court, returned to Cambodia in 802, and started a revolution in Cambodian culture, history, architecture, and religion. He was coronated by Brahmin priests, and declared himself the first Khmer deva-raja , or god king. This began the tradition of reigning Khmer monarchs being considered a manifestation of Siva, the Hindu deity. The king's spirit was believed to dwell in the lingam that was enshrined in the center of the temple; in Hindu Saivite temples, the lingam is felt to be the spiritual essence of Siva. Therefore, the essence of the king and Siva were one and the same. Jayavarman III succeeded his father, and ruled from 850 - 877. The kingdom continued to grow, and the tradition of sponsoring the construction of massive temples took off under the reign of Indravarman (877 ñ 889). His successor, Yasovarman I (889 - 900) moved the capital from Roluos, and oversaw the foundation of Angkor itself. When he took the throne, the Khmer Empire stretched from the Gulf of Siam to southern Laos. For the next 300 years, each new king would add temples, monuments, palaces and residences to the glorious Angkor region. The empire peaked under Suryavarman II , who ruled from 1112 - 1152. The greatest of Angkor's god-kings, he was responsible for the building of Angkor Wat itself. The kingdom included much of Thailand, southern Vietnam, Laos, and a portion of the Malay peninsula. Roads connected regional capitals, including Phimai, in present-day northeast Thailand. Jayavarman VII took the empire to its furthest limits, and oversaw the construction of Angkor Thom, the Bayon, and Preah Khan, three of the greatest jewels of the Angkor area. The empire entered a period of decline after Jayavarman VII; some feel his obsession with building, rather than agriculture, was responsible for this. Others see the propagation of the relatively egalitarian concepts of Mahayana Buddhism, and its inherantly undermining nature in a culture based on royal kingship. After Jayavarman VII, Thai rulers gained strength in their own kingdom of Sukhothai; they soon expanded and posed a major threat to the Khmers. In 1431, Siamese armies invaded Angkor, in an orgy of rape and pillage. For the next 500 years, the Cambodians were basically vassals of the competing Thai and Vietnamese rulers. Thus the sun set on the great empire of Angkor, and Cambodian history entered a relative hiatus until the 20th century.

In the mid-19th century, King Norodom agreed to French protection against repeated Thai incursions. While French protectorate status saved Cambodia from being sliced up between Siam and Vietnam, it did little else for the country. The French invested just enough in the country to protect their own investments. The French were keen to explore the Mekong as a trade route to China. Tea, coffee, and rubber plantations were owned and operated by the French. The colonial masters tampered with domestic politics in a constant effort to maintain maximum control over a region they used as a buffer between their interests in Vietnam, and the potentially aggressive court of Siam. In the late 1930ís, Cambodian intellectuals educated in France began to cultivate nationalistic sentiment upon their return to their homeland. In 1941, King Norodom Sihanouk was crowned king; after the tumult of World War II, Sihanoukís Prime Minister, Son Ngoc Thanh, tried to declare Cambodia a republic, and was banished by the French. He then advocted armed struggle against the French. By 1953, King Sihanouk had managed to negotiate full independence from France. Cambodia was recognized as a neutral country by the Geneva Peace Conference of 1954, and was urged to hold elections. King Sihanouk abdicated the throne, and was elected Prime Minister. What followed was one of the most bizarre, contradictory, and agonizing historical periods of any nation on earth.

The mercurial King Norodom Sihanouk was the lynchpin of Cambodian domestic and international policy for nearly 50 years. Sihanouk's many obsessions included acting, film-making, editing, singing, and most of all, Cambodian independence, in an ever more stratified Indochina. Forced to strike a delicate diplomatic balance between the rise of communist forces in Vietnam and Laos, and pro-Western forces, Sihanouk made the fatal error of backing the National Liberation Front , with its Communist ties. Sihanouk became paranoid and erratic: he brutally supressed any opposition, including a peasant uprising in 1967, where peasants were increasingly frustrated at the fact that ever more of the nation's rice supplies were being distributed to NLF agents inside Cambodia. Northern Vietnamese forces used Cambodian territory as part of the infamous Ho Chi Minh trail, thus opening up the eastern part of the country to covert bombing by American forces. Cambodiaís technical neutrality was utterly violated by all sides. In 1970, a US-backed coup led to the deposition of Sihanouk, and the installation of the pro-American General Lon Nol . An unpopular leader, he soon showed himself and his regime to be even more dictatorial, corrupt and cruel than Sihanouk's. Lacking public support, Lon Nol's despotic power base was propped up by American support. Nixon officially announced the US military intervention in Cambodia, which had actually been going on for years. Over the next four years, nearly half a million Cambodian civilians and soldiers were killed by American B-52 carpet bombing. Over two million refugees abandoned the countryside and moved to Phnom Penh. The Cambodian government became increasingly dependent on American aid. Lon Nol's troops were notoriously undisciplined, leading to ever more public disgust with the puppet regime. Communists controlled more and more of the country, leaving only Phnom Penh under government control by 1974. The Khmer Rouge flourished in this unstable atmosphere. Sihanouk, living in exile in China, now supported them, even though they were previously his enemies. While some see this change of heart as an example of Sihanoukís erratic rule, others interpret it as his natural position as, ultimately, a passionate Cambodian nationalist. Disgusted by American intervention and interference in Lon Nol's rule, Sihanouk saw the Khmer Rouge as nationalists fighting for Cambodian self-determination.

On 17 April 1975 the Khmer Rouge conquered the capital, Phnom Penh. Initially welcomed as liberating heroes, the Khmer Rouge soon showed their true colors. A massive Maoist-agrarian revolution was forced upon the country, as Pol Pot , "Brother Number One", dragged this once great nation back through history to Year Zero. Over the next four years, the people of Cambodia suffered genocide, torture, and displacement. An estimated 2 million people died under the Khmer Rouge. Finally, in 1979, the Vietnamese army 'liberated' Phnom Penh.

In the twenty years since the official end of the Khmer Rouge period, Cambodia has reeled through great instability and domestic conflict. The 1993 elections saw the formation of a coalition government. Today, Cambodia is struggling to attain peace, stability, and a return to some degree of normality, after the traumas of this century. International and domestic efforts have largely succeeded in making Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and the southern port town of Sihanoukville safe and alluring for visitors. Those who do go to Cambodia are universally enthralled by the hospitality of the local people. The country is undergoing a much deserved cultural renaissance, with traditional dance, music, and sculpture being taught and enthusiastically studied by Cambodians eager to move forward and reclaim the richness of their heritage.