Cambodia Today

Although Cambodia is no longer subject to the oppressive rule of the Khmer Rouge, the country is in a state far from ideal.

Poverty
     A huge problem in Cambodia today is poverty. Because the Khmer Rouge forced people back to working farms and similar occupations away from urban areas, calling it "Year Zero," the economy of Cambodia was badly hurt, and is having a hard time recovering. It is, however, recovering. According to The World Bank, poverty in Cambodia decreased by almost 17% from 1994 to 2007. As of 2007, 30.1% of Cambodians qualified as living in poverty.
     Much of the population of Cambodia is forced to live in situations far from comfortable. For example, whole families live in a garbage dump, in horrible and dangerous conditions, because that is how they can survive. However, there are agencies trying to help Cambodians out of their poverty, such as the NPR Cambodia Mortgage program, and these three relief agencies, among many others.

Trials
     For a while, members of the Khmer Rouge went mostly unpunished for their actions, apart from losing the war. However, in 2003 a court was created to deal with specific types of crimes committed in the war, called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. This tries leaders and those "most responsible for grave violations of national and international law," but leaves many members of the Khmer Rouge still unpunished. Some people, such as the writer of this, wonder if the trials will help the people of Cambodia, or just "open fresh wounds."

Remnants of War
     Apart from emotional, psychical, and economic scarring the war left on Cambodia, a major problem left over from the war is the abundance of land mine's placed around the country. Although the number if of course dwindling, the mines have been and continue to be a danger to the Cambodian people. According to this source, tens of thousands of people have been killed or injured by land mines in Cambodia, and although the rate may be decreasing as mines are set off or removed, the problem has not gone away. Deminers such as Aki Ra, a man who was forced as a child to set bombs for the Khmer Rouge, help with the problem, but according to this source, Cambodia will not be free of mines for an estimate of 100 years.