Constitution Day, Cambodia

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Constitution Day is celebrated in Cambodia on 24th September each year. It commemorates the passing of a new constitution on 24th September 1993.

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia with Phnom Penh being the capital city. Cambodia is the successor state of the once powerful Hindu and Buddhist Khmer Empire, which ruled most of the Indochinese Peninsula between the 11th and 14th centuries.

Most Cambodians are Theravada Buddhists of Khmer extraction, but the country also has a substantial number of predominantly Muslim Cham, as well as ethnic Chinese, Vietnamese and small animist hill tribes.

The country shares a border with Thailand, Laos and with Vietnam. It has a coastline on the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia is dominated by the Mekong river (in colloquial Khmer: Tonle Thom or "the great river") and the Tonlé Sap ("the fresh water lake"), an important source of fish. The low topography of Cambodia's fertile areas means much of the country sits at or below sea level, and consequently the Tonle Sap River reverses its water flow in the wet season, carrying water from the Mekong back into the Tonle Sap Lake and the surrounding flood plain.

Cambodia became a protectorate of France in 1863 and remained as such until 1953, administered as part of the French colony of Indochina. After war-time occupation by the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945, Cambodia gained independence from France on 9th November 1953, and became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk.

In recent times, Cambodia has had a troubled existence. It was partially occupied by the Viet Minh and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, and was used as a supply trail for the forces fighting the South Vietnamese and the Americans during that period. As a consequence, the United States inflicted heavy military attacks on these locations.

Politically it was also in turmoil, with no stable government and the King (at times being re-named Prince Sihanouk) was variously leader, deposed, exiled and re-instated.

The Khmer Rouge communists came to power, and the infamous "Killing Fields" claimed between 1.7 and 3 million lives (out of a total population of about 13 million) during the regime headed by Pol Pot.

This era also kept map-makers and those interested in current affairs in a constant state of flux, as the name of the country was changed by every incoming regime – so in the space of little more than 20 years it was the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Khymer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea and then the Kingdom of Cambodia again.

Warfare between the reunited Vietnam and Cambodia ensued, and it was not until 1989 that serious peace talks began to take place to try and bring stability to Cambodia. By then the cultural, economic, social and political life of Cambodia had been destroyed.

It is only in the past 15 or so years that reconstruction efforts have begun and some political stability has finally returned to Cambodia. The democracy established following the conflict was shaken in 1997 during a coup d'état but has otherwise remained in place.

Now, Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy - the King reigns, but does not rule, in a similar way to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The King is officially the Head of State, and is the symbol of the unity and "eternity" of the nation, as defined by Cambodia's constitution.

This all came about as a result of the peace talks and the drafting and passing of a new constitution on 24th September 1993. From that date through to 7th October 2004, Norodom Sihanouk reigned as King.

Under the Constitution the King has no political power, but as Norodom Sihanouk was revered in the country, his word often carried much influence in the government. For example, in February 2004, when he issued a proclamation stating that since Cambodia is a "liberal democracy," the Kingdom should allow gay marriage, his word was respected by his subjects despite a natural antipathy towards the opinion.

The King, often irritated over the conflicts in his government, several times threatened to abdicate unless the political factions in the government got along. This put pressure on the government to solve their differences. This influence of the King was often used to help mediate differences in government.

After the surprise abdication of King Norodom Sihanouk in 2004, he was succeeded by his son Norodom Sihamoni. While the retired King is highly revered in his country for dedicating his lifetime to Cambodia, the current King has spent most of his life abroad in France. It remains to be seen whether the new king's views will be as highly respected as his father's.

However, Cambodians can now look forward to various national celebrations, such as Constitution Day, which they would have thought of as impossible just two decades ago.