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The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)


was a
United Nations peacekeeping Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role of the United Nations's Department of Peace Operations and an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is ...
operation in
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
in 1992–93 formed following the
1991 Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Agreements (; ), officially the Comprehensive Cambodian Peace Agreements, was signed on 23 October 1991 and marked the official end of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and the Third Indochina War. The agreement led to the deploym ...
. This was the first occasion in which the UN directly assumed responsibility for the administration of an outright independent state (though the UN did administer the former Dutch territory of
Netherlands New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the Western New Guinea, western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas administrative territorial entity, overseas territory of ...
between 1962 and 1963 prior), rather than simply monitoring or supervising the area. The UN transitional authority organized and ran
election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
s, had its own radio station and jail, and was responsible for promoting and safeguarding
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
at the national level.


Establishment and mandate

UNTAC was established in February 1992 under
United Nations Security Council Resolution 745 United Nations Security Council resolution 745, adopted unanimously on 28 February 1992, after recalling resolutions 668 (1990), 717 (1991), 718 (1991) and 728 (1992), the council, after examining a report by the Secretary-General Boutros Bout ...
in agreement with the State of Cambodia, the ''de facto'' government of the country at that time, to implement the Paris Peace Accords of October 1991. UNTAC was the product of intense diplomatic activity over many years. UNTAC's aim was to restore peace and civil government in a country ruined by decades of
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
and
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
machinations, to hold free and fair elections leading to a new constitution and to "kick-start" the rehabilitation of the country. It was to exercise 'supervision' or 'supervision or control' over all aspects of government, including foreign affairs, national defence, finance, public security and information, and to supervise, monitor and verify the withdrawal and non-return of foreign military forces. Its mission was also to canton, disarm and demobilize Cambodia's fighting factions, confiscate caches of weapons and military supplies, promote and protect human rights, oversee military security and maintain law and order, repatriate and resettle refugees and displaced persons, assist in mine clearance and the establishment of training programmes in mine clearance and mine awareness, rehabilitate essential infrastructure and assist in
economic reconstruction Economic reconstruction is a process for creating a proactive vision of economic change. The most basic idea is that problems in the economy, such as deindustrialization, environmental decay, outsourcing, industrial incompetence, poverty and a ...
and development. Another important goal was the trial of senior Khmer Rouge leaders. The process that was initiated during the UNTAC led on 4 October 2004, to the ratification of an agreement with the United Nations by the Cambodian National Assembly on the establishment of a tribunal to try senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. Donor countries pledged the $43 million international share of the three-year tribunal budget, while the Cambodian government's share of the budget was $13.3 million. The first trials of senior Khmer Rouge leaders took place only in 2007, when many of them were already dead or in ill-health.


Staff

Headed by Chief of Mission Yasushi Akashi (Japan), Force Commander Lieutenant-General
John Sanderson Lieutenant General John Murray Sanderson, (born 4 November 1940) is a retired senior Australian Army officer and vice-regal representative. He served as Force Commander of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia from 1992 to 199 ...
(Australia), and Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Klaas Roos (Netherlands), UNTAC involved approximately 15,900 military, 3,400 civilian police, 2,000 civilians and 450 UN volunteers, as well as locally recruited staff and interpreters. During the electoral period, more than 50,000 Cambodians served as electoral staff and some 900 international polling station officers were seconded from Governments. The whole operation cost over $1.6 billion (equivalent to $2.5 billion in 2017), mostly in salaries for expatriates.


Participating countries

The 46 participating countries providing military observers, police, or troops were: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *''Cambodia''. Lonely Planet


1993 Cambodian general election


Buildup

Leading up to the 1993 elections, which were to be supervised by UNTAC, the guerilla armies of the surviving Khmer Rouge sabotaged peacekeepers, refusing to participate in the ballots altogether. They also directly attacked the state, as on November 11, 1991, when 200 to 300 of Pol Pot’s soldiers conducted a mission against the Cambodian army–demonstrating an open violation of the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) also sought to stay in power and appointed death squads to target the Khmer Rouge, among other oppositional groups like FUNCINPEC and the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP). Led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, these death squads were effective because they became indistinguishable from law enforcement. One such group called T-90 framed their suspects as criminals, then arrested them. By forming bonds with both the UN and police, “the same people who were behind the crimes were able to influence investigations."


Results

Over 4 million Cambodians (about 90% of eligible voters) participated in the May 1993 elections, although the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
or Party of Democratic Kampuchea (PDK), whose forces were never actually disarmed or demobilised, barred some people from participating.
Prince Ranariddh Norodom Ranariddh (; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) was a Cambodian politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni. Ranariddh was ...
's
FUNCINPEC The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia, commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC, is a royalist political party in Cambodia. Founded in 1981 by Norodom Sihanouk, it began as a resistance movement again ...
Party was the top vote recipient with a 45.5% vote, followed by
Hun Sen Samdech Hun Sen (; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military officer who currently serves as the List of presidents of the Senate (Cambodia), president of the Senate. He previous ...
's Cambodian People's Party and the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party, respectively. FUNCINPEC then entered into a coalition with the other parties that had participated in the election. The parties represented in the 120-member
constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
proceeded to draft and approve a new constitution, which was promulgated 24 September 1993. It established a multiparty liberal democracy in the framework of a constitutional monarchy, with the former Prince Sihanouk elevated to King. Prince Ranariddh and Hun Sen became First and Second Prime Ministers, respectively, in the Royal Cambodian Government (RGC). The constitution provides for a wide range of internationally recognised human rights.


Aftermath

Although UNTAC ultimately disarmed the fighting factions, including around 50,000 troops, tension continued in the coalition between FUNCINPEC and the CPP. Four years of back-and-forth struggle culminated in the FUNCINPEC’s attempted coup in July 1997, resulting in their defeat by the CPP. This event marked a shift in the CPP’s approach in targeting oppositional groups, away from simply throwing grenades at party members, as was common in the 1990s, and towards more subtle tactics, such as press domination and incarceration of members.


Criticism


Disarmament

Despite UNTAC's boasting of its effectiveness and being feted by the international community as a success, UNTAC failed to disarm the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
, while effectively disarming the SOC's local militias. This bias allowed the Khmer Rouge to make territorial gains and gave rise to political violence. The State of Cambodia's military leaders were furious, claiming that UNTAC was extremely exacting with the disarmament of the CPAF, but too lenient and ineffective when it came to disarm the Khmer Rouge.


HIV/AIDS

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...
had reservations about the UNTAC operation. The massive presence of foreign troops led to the abuse of some Cambodian women, boosting
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
and possibly driving a spike in the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
by introducing the virus from other affected countries. The number of
sex workers A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is vo ...
in the State of Cambodia rose from about 6,000 in 1991, to over 20,000 after the arrival of UNTAC personnel in 1992. By 1995 there were between 50,000 and 90,000 Cambodians affected by AIDS according to a
WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...
estimate.


Statistics

* Duration: March 1992 – September 1993 * Strength: Approximately 22,000 military and civilian personnel * Fatalities: 78 (4 military observers, 41 other military personnel, 14 civilian police, 5 international civilian staff and 14 local staff). * Expenditures:
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
1.62 billion (UNAMIC and UNTAC combined)


See also

* United Nations Administered Cambodia * UN protectorate * Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures


Further reading

* Strangio, Sebastian. 2014. ''Hun Sen’s Cambodia''. Yale University Press.


Notes


References


External links

* Records o
the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) (1992-1993)
at the United Nations Archives
Untac.com: UNTAC website
{{Authority control Territories administered by the United Nations Former countries in Cambodian history
745 __NOTOC__ Year 745 ( DCCXLV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 745 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe ...
1990s in Cambodia States and territories established in 1992 States and territories disestablished in 1993 1992 establishments in Cambodia 1993 disestablishments in Cambodia 20th century in Cambodia Cambodia and the United Nations