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35 Aust. & N.Z. J. Criminology 1 (2002)

handle is hein.journals/anzjc35 and id is 1 raw text is: Lethal Violence, Crime and State Formation in Cambodia Roderic Broadhurst University of Hong Kong T his paper estimates homicide rates and describes the nature of violence and crime for Cambodia. Limited data allows only a partial picture of the trends and nature of lethal violence. Post-war economic adversity combined with a weak state and underdeveloped legal culture contributed to an elevated rate of homicide. Frequent acts of murder- robbery, mayhem, political violence and banditry present a major threat to social and economic development. A murder incident rate of approxi- mately 5.7 per 100,000 but a homicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 was estimated for 1996, higher than most countries in the region except the Philippines. Political and economic adversity drove the homicide rate to 11.6 per 100,000 in 1998 similar to levels reached during 1993, the year of the first national elections. Usually homicides were between males and commonly arose from robbery, disputes and quarrels, with most deaths resulting from gunfire. Extra-judicial death arising from police or mob actions accounted for high rates of suspect/offender death and contributed significantly to the homicide rate. Rates of violent crime were higher in rural areas but Phnom Penh experienced higher levels of property crime than the provinces.The homicide rate is compared with neighbouring countries and the roles of modernisation, policing and crime are discussed. An apocryphal photograph of the Cambodian countryside shows a signpost on a roadside bend outside of Phnom Penh which in Khmer reads, Please do not dump body in this padi-field. Cambodia's reputation as one of the most lethat places in the world is perhaps justly earned. However, a decade after the 1991 Paris Accords, the departure of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) and the establishment of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), how violent is Cambodia? How does lethal violence in Cambodia compare with that in other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), developed and developing countries? Is Cambodia's violent image still justified?' The impact of revolutionary genocide, combined with poverty, fragmented institutions, the stress of post-war reconstruction, an armed society and a weak rule of law state produced more acts of mayhem, extra-judicial homicide and Address for correspondence: Associate Professor, Roderic Broadhurst, Centre for Criminology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Email: broadie@hkucc.hku.hk THEAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY VOLUME 35 NUMBER I 2002 Pp. 1-26

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