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1 1 (July 27, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemjc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Me inferming the legislative debate sin'o 1914 Cambodia Updated July 27, 2023 Overview: USCambodia Relations The Department of State refers to the Kingdom of Cambodia, located in mainland Southeast Asia, as strategically significant. Bilateral relations have become strained during the past decade, as Cambodia's relationship with the People's Republic of China (PRC) has grown closer and after Prime Minister Hun Sen banned the main opposition party in 2017. The U.S. government has sought to remain engaged with Cambodia while calling on Hun Sen to restore democratic rights and resist PRC influence. The United States has imposed restrictions on some foreign assistance to Cambodia in response to human rights concerns while continuing to provide support to Cambodian civil society. Some observers contend that Cambodian civil society, independent journalists, and urban youth may be particularly receptive to continued U.S. engagement. In 2017, the Cambodian government suspended Angkor Sentinel, an annual joint exercise between U.S. Army Pacific and the Royal Cambodian Army first held in 2010. In 2018, the U.S. government suspended military assistance to Cambodia in response to its government's suppression of the political opposition. Politics and Human Rights Hun Sen has been the nation's head of government for 38 years, including as premier of the Vietnam-backed Republic of Kampuchea between 1985 and 1993. Since 1993, he has headed the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and served as prime minister of Cambodia, including as co-premier between 1993 and 1997. The king of Cambodia and head of state, a largely symbolic figure, is Norodom Sihamoni, who succeeded his father in 2004. On July 26, 2023, following his landslide win in the National Assembly election, Hun Sen announced that he would step down as prime minister while retaining his leadership of the CPP. In a widely expected move, Hun Sen stated he would hand power to his eldest son, West Point graduate Hun Manet, who was elected to the National Assembly for the first time. Little is known about the political views of Hun Manet, although some observers do not expect him to usher in major changes in the near term. Between 1993, when the United Nations administered Cambodia's first national election following the 1991 Paris Agreements that ended the country's civil war, and 2017, democratic institutions and practices had gradually evolved to allow widespread civic and political participation. During this period, Cambodia developed a vibrant civil society and a relatively free print media. The opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) made significant gains in the 2013 parliamentary election and 2017 local elections. Meanwhile, Hun Sen employed a variety of means to stay in power, including through electoral victories; legal and extralegal political maneuvers; influence over the judiciary, broadcast media, and labor unions; patronage; cronyism; violence; and intimidation. In November 2017, the Supreme Court of Cambodia issued a ruling that dissolved the CNRP for conspiring with the United States to overthrow the government. The CPP subsequently won all 125 seats in the 2018 National Assembly election. In the July 2023 general election, the CPP, which faced little competition due to its suppression of opposition groups, won 120 of 125 seats in the National Assembly. The State Department released a statement declaring, The United States is troubled that the July 23 Cambodian national elections were neither free nor fair. The statement continued, In response, the United States has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on individuals who undermined democracy and implemented a pause of certain foreign assistance programs. Cambodian courts have convicted opposition leader and former CNRP President Sam Rainsy, who lives in self- imposed exile in France, of numerous crimes that many observers view as politically motivated. In October 2022, Sam Rainsy was convicted in absentia to life in prison, on top of previous sentences. In April 2023, former CNRP Vice-President Kem Sokha was convicted of treason and sentenced to 27 years of house arrest. Since 2021, Cambodian courts have convicted over 115 opposition politicians and activists of crimes against the state. Figure I. Cambodia at a Glance Source: CRS (map) and Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2023. Since the lead up to the 2018 national election, Hun Sen clamped down on civil society and circumscribed the space for independent media. In 2017, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry applied a restrictive new law on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to expel the U.S. government-funded National Democratic Institute, which was engaged in democracy promotion programs in Cambodia, on the grounds the Institute was not registered with the Cambodian government. Roughly 25 human rights NGOs still operate

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