History - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 1006

1986
Doi moi (economic reform), Vietnam's answer to perestroika and the first step towards re-enga-
ging with the West, is launched with a rash of economic reforms.
1989
Vietnamese forces pull out of Cambodia in the face of dwindling support from the Soviet
Union under the leadership of reform-minded President Gorbachev; Vietnam is at peace for
the first time in decades.
1991
The Paris Peace Accords are signed in which all Cambodian parties (including, controver-
sially, the Khmer Rouge) agree to participate in free and fair elections supervised by the
UN, held in 1993.
1997
Asian financial crisis grips the Mekong region; Cambodia is convulsed by a coup and be-
comes a pariah once more; Laos and Myanmar (Burma) join Asean (Association of South-
east Asian Nations).
1998
Following a government push on the Khmer Rouge's last stronghold at Anlong Veng, Pol
Pot dies on 15 April 1998; rumours swirl around Phnom Penh about the circumstances of
his death.
1999
Cambodia finally joins Asean after a two-year delay, taking its place among the family of
Southeast Asian nations welcoming the country back to the world stage.
2001
Telecommunications tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra is elected prime minister of Thailand, set-
ting the country on a divisive course.
2004
King Sihanouk abdicates for a second time in Cambodia, closing the chapter on 63 years
as monarch, politician and statesman, and is succeeded by his son King Sihamoni.
2004