Cambodia: Politics & The People

So who is in power?

Many of the elite are previous leaders from the Khmer Rouge including their

present Prime Minister Hun Sen. Since Cambodia’s first “democratic” election in 1994 a number of former Khmer Rouge leaders have remained in power. (This is too complicated to get into on a short blog but if you are interested do read more about this situation and the complexities of Cambodian life ).

A little more about the PM: he is currently pushing for the ICC to leave the country and stop its pursuit of justice for the slaughter of millions of Khmer people during the Khmer Rouge reign.

The skinny from the locals on why he is pushing the ICC out is due to the ongoing investigation about his personal involvement.  Under universal jurisdiction, despite the fact that he is a leader of the country, he is still subject to trail in the International Criminal Court.

Perspective from the People:  When we asked people if they are angry about Khmer leaders ruling the county we were given a few interesting responses.

A quote from some people we met along the way:


“Many of the Khmer elders hold back their anger and agree with him [PM], the reality is there is much to eat now. You can eat anything you want. Before people starving not enough food and much killing. If peace comes at this price then we would rather this than what was before”


“Although many older people prefer this to peace, the younger generation is changing. They are more educated. They see the world differently. Perhaps there will come a time when they will demand change because they want a better life”