Cambodia

Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq mi)

Population (2006 est.): 13,648,000

Capital: Phnom Penh

Chief of state: King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of government: Prime Minister Hun Sen

During 2006 the institutional framework was established to try former Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide and crimes against humanity. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia was structured as a special Cambodian court with international support and the joint participation of international judges. On January 18 staff began working at its headquarters just outside Phnom Penh ; the court's UN representative, Michelle Lee , arrived on February 4; and judges and prosecutors were sworn in on July 3. Inevitably, the press contrasted the education and experience of UN-nominated international judges with those of their Cambodian counterparts, also criticized as being close to the dominant Cambodian People's Party (CPP). By late 2006 names of defendants or trial dates had not been announced.

The death in July of Ta Mok ( Ta Mok had been incarcerated in a military prison since being captured in 1999 by government troops. He was believed responsible for many extreme policies of the 1975–79 Pol Pot period, his power having extended from southwestern Cambodia , which he headed administratively, to other zones. He was also noted for brutality as a resistance leader before and after the period. His body was taken to Anlong Veng, his base prior to capture, and after a three-day funeral, it was placed in a mausoleum at a small Buddhist temple situated where he once had a sawmill.see Obituaries), one of the figures most likely to appear before the tribunal, was considered a setback. While most anticipated defendants were still free,

In mid-January four political prisoners jailed in previous months were released, relaxing the political atmosphere considerably. Imprisoned parliamentarian Cheam Channy was then pardoned on February 6. A day earlier opposition leader Sam Rainsy had been given amnesty and allowed to return to Cambodia on the stipulation that he write apologies to Prime Minister Hun Sen and royalist FUNCINPEC party chief Norodom Ranariddh . Rainsy pledged to discontinue spreading allegations of Hun Sen 's involvement in a 1997 grenade attack at a political rally. After returning, he kept a relatively low profile.

FUNCINPEC, a coalition partner of the CPP, continued to weaken during the year, with well-publicized internal divisions. A March 2 constitutional amendment reduced from two-thirds to a simple majority the number of parliamentarians required for forming a government, which meant that the CPP no longer needed partnership with FUNCINPEC. Ranariddh resigned as National Assembly president and left the country on March 14. Former military leader Nhiek Bun Chhay soon took over effective leadership, which led to disputes and realignments. The CPP successfully exploited party divisions, firing many FUNCINPEC officials and maneuvering to persuade others to join the CPP. Prince Sisowath Thomico announced that he would form a separate royalist party. Ranariddh , who returned on August 17, was ousted in an October 18 party election but announced that he would form yet another party

New procedures made subdistrict-level "commune councils" responsible for electing village chiefs and the Cambodian Senate (the latter voted on by National Assembly members as well). Since the councils were heavily CPP-controlled, it came as no surprise that the CPP won both elections handily, further strengthening its power nationally.

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