Cambodia and Cambodian News

Country Profile
Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the IndoChina Peninsula in Southeast Asia.Cambodia is divided into 24 Provinces.The provinces are subdivided into 159 Districts and 26 Municipalities.

Capital                                Phnom Penh
Currency                            Riel
Official Language                Khmer
Population                          15 Million(2011 Estimate)
Religion                              95% Theravada Buddhism
                                         (the Teaching of the Elders or the Ancient Teaching)

History

French Colonization 

Cambodia continued as a Protectorate of France from 1863 to 1953, administered as part of the colony of French Indochina, though occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945.

After King Norodom's death in 1904, France manipulated the choice of king, and Sisowath, Norodom's brother, was placed on the throne. The throne became vacant in 1941 with the death of Monivong, Sisowath's son, and France passed over Monivong's son, Monireth, feeling he was too independently minded. Instead,Norodom Sihanouk, a maternal grand-son of king Sisowath was enthroned because the French thought young Sihanouk would be easy to control., However,they were wrong and under the reign of King Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia gained independence from France on Nov 9, 1953 and Cambodia became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk.

In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated in favour of his father in order to participate in politics and was elected prime minister. Upon his father's death in 1960, Sihanouk again became head of state, taking the title of Prince.

Between 1969 and 1973,Republic of Vietnam forces and U.S. forces bombed and briefly invaded  Cambodia in an effort to disrupt the Viet Cong  and Khmer Rouge. Some two million Cambodians were made refugees by the war and by the terrorist policies of the Khmer Rouge, and fled to Phnom Penh.




Politics and Government
Cambodia is a Constitutional Monarchy where the Monarch is Head of State and the Prime Minister of Cambodia is Head of Govt.
Executive Power is exercised by the Govt.





Monarchy of Cambodia
Cambodia is a Constitutional Monarchy, i.e. the King reigns but does not rule, in similar fashion to Queen Elizabeth II of UK. The King is officially the Head of State and is the symbol of unity and "eternity" of the nation, as defined by Cambodia's constitution.
Cambodia's Monarchy is not necessarily Hereditary and the King is not allowed to select his own heir. Instead, a new King is chosen by a Royal Council of the Throne, consisting of the president of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, the Chiefs of the orders of Mohanikay and Thammayut, and the First and Second Vice-President of the Assembly.

Norodom Sihamoni(eldest son of Norodom Sihanouk and Norodom Monineath Sihanouk)is the current Reigning King of Cambodia, who was named by a 9-member Thone Council to become the next King after his Father Norodom Sihanouk(Sep 24, 1993 - Oct 7, 2004) abdicated in 2004.

Parliament of Cambodia

 

Legislative power is vested in the 2 Chambers of Parliament -
The National Assembly has 123 members, elected for a five-year term by Proportional Representation
                      and
The Senate - has 61 members. Two of these members are appointed by the King, two are elected by the lower house of the government, and the remaining fifty-seven are elected popularly by "functional constituencies." Members in this house serve a six-year term.

Prime Minister of Cambodia
The PM is appointed by the King on the recommendation of the President and Vice Presidents of the National Assembly. In order for a person to become Prime Minister, he or she must first be given a vote of confidence by the National Assembly.

Hun Sen(Cambodian People's Party) is the Current Prime Minister of Cambodia.Hun Sen is currently the longest serving leader in South East Asia and is one of the longest serving Prime Ministers in the World, having been in power through various coalitions since 1985.
Hun Sen has served the office of PM of Cambodia during the period -
Jan 14,1985 - May 01,1989
May 01,1989 - July 02,1993
July 02,1993 - Sep 21,1993 - As Co-Equal PM along with Prince Norodom Ranariddh
Sep 21,1993  - Sep 24,1993 - As Second PM to Prince Norodom Ranariddh
Sep 24,1993 - Nov 30,1998 - As Second PM to Ung Huot
Nov 30,1998 - Incumbent


Cambodian Independence Day Celebrations - Nov 9

Cambodian Students wave their national flags during a ceremony to celebrate the country's 59th Independence Day from France(Nov 9,1953 - Nov 9,2012)at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.