SLS-7d5.1a Cambodia Base - Background

Cambodia was once a mighty empire about a thousand years ago. dominating much of the Indochinese Peninsula, nowadays often called the Mainland Southeast Asia, in contrast to Maritime Southeast Asia.  The Khmer Empire left a most notable legacy in Angkor, the former Khmer capital.  The majestic ruins such as Angkor Wat help us imagine the grandeur of the Empire.  The Khmer Empire declined as its neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam, gained in power.  In 1863, Cambodia became a protectorate of France.  In 1953, Cambodia regained independence but remained troubled.  In 1969, the USA started bombing the Cambodia section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, through which the Communist North Vietnam forces attacked South Vietnam, embroiling Cambodia in the conflict. In 1975 the murderous Communist Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh, starting the Cambodian Genocide until being ousted in 1979, during which a quarter of the then 7.8 million population in the country were believed to have perished.  Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, and occupied it until 1992.  The country gradually stabilised after a coup in 1997, and was accepted into the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1999.  By the time we started taking our teams to serve in Cambodia in 2010, the country was still poor but was starting to develop rapidly.  

The genocide and the civil war destroyed much of the infrastructure of the country.  At one estimate, only 20% of the reading material were left when the National Library was re-established in 1979.  Another study reported that there were not enough books in the Khmer language left to fill a small room in the re-established National Library.  In the early 2010s, much of the countryside were still without electricity and running water.  People who can afford it run their own electrical generators powered by gasoline, and dig their own wells for cleaner water.  People who cannot afford it live their lives by the sun, and fetch muddy water from rivers and ponds.  There were still frequent power outages even in Phnom Penh.  Schools were poorly funded.  School teachers were paid around 100 US dollars a month, not enough for feeding a family.  Basic education were supposed to be free.  But the schools often have to collect fees for various reasons in order to operate.   The poor often cannot afford to send their children to school because they cannot pay their fees. It was estimated that in the mid 2010s, Cambodia, with a population of 16 million, has about 800 people (0.005%) with PhD degrees.  In contrast, Hong Kong, with a population of 7.5 million, produces more than 1,000 PhDs each year. USA has about 3.1 million PhDs (1.2%). The universities are also poorly funded.  Academics have to teach additional self-financed courses to supplement their income.  Under these circumstances academic positions are not attractive. Half of the government’s budget depended on foreign donations. The local currency was so weak that people pay and accept US dollars at hotels, restaurants, …  

On the other hand, Cambodia seems to impose fewer restrictions on foreign agencies, compared to many other Asian countries.  Cambodia is said to have one of the highest concentration of foreign agencies in the world. Foreign investment from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Europe, …, are flowing in rapidly.  Garment and other types of factories line the main roads leading out of Phnom Penh.  Slums are cleared and pushed to the outskirts to make way for new construction.  Commercial buildings and posh gated residential estates are springing up all over the capital. Resorts and casinos flood the tourist areas. The roads are improving, with potholes being filled.  More and more fancy cars compete with motorcycles and tuk-tuks on the streets.  Coffee shops and karaokes take over many street corners.  Nominal Gross Domestic Personal (GDP) per capita in 2019 was estimated by the United Nations to be USD 1,644 (For reference it was 65,134 for USA, 32,134 for South Korea, 11,414 for Malaysia, 10,004 for China, 2,715 for Vietnam, 2,116 for India, 1,817 for Kenya, 1,187 for Pakistan, 820 for Rwanda, 545 for DR Congo). The economy grows at 7%.  Many young entrepreneurs are prospering.  In the mean time, young people flock to the capital for education and job opportunities, providing huge amounts of manpower, generating more needs for space and services, … Churches and agencies struggle to help the with housing, education, career and other needs.  Few people seem to starve.  But the living conditions in the slums are atrocious.  The gap between the rich and the poor seems to grow, …