Abstract
"Pol Pot is dead. " "The Khmer Rouge defect. " "Hun Sen brings peace to Cambodia. " "Invest in Cambodia. " These headlines flashed across journals and newspapers in 1996. They all seem to point to growing political and social stability in Cambodia. But the supposed stability in Cambodia is really a façade. Today within Southeast Asia, Cambodia is more akin to the draconian state of M yanm ar than to the more open societies of Singapore, the Philippines and other A SE A N states. Thus, many of these 1996 headlines have proved to be false while others have not been confirmed. This article exam ines the current political structure within Cambodia. The supposed defection of long-time Khm er Rouge leader, leng Sary, does not assure peace fo r Cambodia. Bitter relations between the two major Cambodian political parties (FUNCINPEC an d the Cam bodian People's Party) a n d the two prim e m in iste rs, H un Sen and N orodom R anariddh, expose the veneer of stability beneath which a discontented rumbling grows.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Cambodia |
| Subtitle of host publication | Change and Continuity in Contemporary Politics |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 359-372 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781315192918 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781138723672 |
| State | Published - 12 Jul 2017 |