Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1979, the People's Republic of Kampuchea, supported by the Vietnamese, liberated Ph-
nom Penh. The refusal of Vietnam to withdraw from Cambodia led to economic sanctions
by the U.S. and its allies, making reconstruction virtually impossible and leaving the coun-
try deeply impoverished.
Throughout the 1980s, Cambodia rebuilt its economy with the assistance of the Viet-
namese, which withdrew in 1989 when peace efforts began in Paris.
In 1991, a Paris Peace Accord created the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cam-
bodia (UNTAC) and was backed by 22,000 UN troops in preparing the first free and fair
general election that was held in 1993 under the leadership of King Norodom Sihanouk.
This newly-won stability was shaken up in 1997 by a coup d'etat led by the co-Prime Min-
ister Hun Sen against the non-communist parties in the government, and many non-com-
munist politicians were murdered.
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