Cambodian Civil War

CAMBODIAN CIVIL WAR
Background Information of the Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Khmer Rouge and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam. The civil war dated from 1967 to 1975 which resulted in the fall of the Khmer Republic to the Khmer Rouge. The war left six hundred thousand people dead and more than a million wounded.
After five years of savage fighting that brought about massive casualties, the destruction of the economy, the starvation of the population, the Republican government was defeated on 17 April 1975 when the victorious Khmer Rouge proclaimed the establishment of Democratic Kampuchea. During the genocidal Khmer Rouge period, educated Cambodians—teachers, managers, doctors, nurses and other skilled professionals—were specifically targeted by the Khmer Rouge and almost completely wiped out. Agriculture remains the main source of income for most Cambodians, more than 80% of whom continue to live in rural areas and approximately 36% of all households live below the poverty line.
This civil war led to the Cambodian Genocide, one of the bloodiest in history.
Challenges and After-math Effects faced by the Cambodian Government
Not surprisingly, Cambodia's damaged infrastructure and drained human resource base from the years of war and neglect proves to be a serious constraint to development. As a result, improving skills and building institutions is a key concern in virtually every area of society.
There are problems of high population growth rate, underemployment, migration, trafficking and persistent corruption.
High Population Growth RateCambodia’s population now exceeds 13 million. While the population declined during the Khmer Rouge period, these losses have been more than made up by high fertility over the past two decades, especially in the baby boom of the early 1980s.
UnderemploymentUnderemployment is an important issue, especially in the unproductive agricultural sector.
MigrationMigration is an increasing in virtually every form: rural-urban migration occurs where the youngsters move to the urban areas in search of better-paying jobs. This movement reflects growing under-employment in rural areas. Promoting development in rural areas and better land and natural resource management are crucial to address this issue.
Trafficking and Persistent CorruptionTrafficking people is one of the leading human rights issues facing Cambodia. It damages Cambodia’s international reputation, harms society and threatens the country’s future. Most trafficked women in Cambodia move from rural to urban areas for the purposes of forced prostitution. Corruption is a significant concern from both a political and economic perspective. Often, wealth and political power serves as the basis on which disputes among individuals and between individuals and the state are resolved. Human rights abuses are common. Notorious offenses like trafficking of women and children undermine fundamental rights. In recent year, logging, fisheries, land management have emerged as the focus of the international community’s efforts to reduce corruption. Ultimately, it requires sustained, high level commitment to address this issue.
The Cambodia Today
The social, political and economic fabric of the country has changed radically over the past decade, creating many new opportunities for other countries to work with the Cambodian government. The country has moved from being communism to democracy. Economically, it has progressed to be an open economy. There is relative stability and peace today, compared to past years of conflict. Cambodia is also strengthening international ties.