Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Sihanouk Years
The postindependence period was one of peace and prosperity. It was Cambodia's golden
era, a time of creativity and optimism. Phnom Penh grew in size and stature, the temples of
Angkor were the leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia and Sihanouk played host to
a succession of influential leaders from across the globe. However, dark clouds were circ-
ling, as the American war in Vietnam became a black hole, sucking in neighbouring coun-
tries.
In late 1952 King Sihanouk dissolved the fledgling parliament, declared martial law and
embarked on his 'royal crusade', a travelling campaign to drum up international support for
his country's independence. Independence was proclaimed on 9 November 1953 and recog-
nised by the Geneva Conference of May 1954, which ended French control of Indochina.
In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated, afraid of being marginalised amid the pomp of royal cere-
mony. The 'royal crusader' became 'citizen Sihanouk'. He vowed never again to return to
the throne. Meanwhile his father became king. It was a masterstroke that offered Sihanouk
both royal authority and supreme political power. His newly established party, Sangkum
Reastr Niyum (People's Socialist Community), won every seat in parliament in the
September 1955 elections and Sihanouk was to dominate Cambodian politics for the next
15 years.
During the US bombing campaign, more bombs were dropped on Cambodia than were used by
all sides during WWII.
Although he feared the Vietnamese communists, Sihanouk considered South Vietnam
and Thailand - both allies of the mistrusted USA - the greatest threats to Cambodia's se-
curity, even survival. In an attempt to fend off these many dangers, he declared Cambodia
neutral and refused to accept further US aid, which had accounted for a substantial chunk
of the country's military budget. He also nationalised many industries, including the rice
trade. In 1965 Sihanouk, convinced that the USA had been plotting against him and his
family, broke diplomatic relations with Washington and veered towards the North Viet-
namese and China. In addition, he agreed to let the communists use Cambodian territory in
their battle against South Vietnam and the USA. Sihanouk was taking sides, a dangerous
position in a volatile region.
