Embassy of the United States, Phnom Penh
Embassy of the United States, Phnom Penh ស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ | |
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Location | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
Address | 1 St. 96, Phnom Penh |
Coordinates | 11°34′30″N 104°55′17″E / 11.57500°N 104.92139°E |
Opening | 18 January 2006 |
Ambassador | W. Patrick Murphy |
Website | Official website |
The Embassy of the United States in Phnom Penh is the primary diplomatic mission of the United States to Cambodia. It is located in the capital Phnom Penh. The United States has had a physical diplomatic presence in Cambodia ever since relations were initiated in 1950, which was promoted to an embassy in 1952. A history of strained and suspended relations throughout the Cold War led to the embassy being forced to close at various times, including permanently between 1965 and 1969 and again between 1975 and 1991. Before the latter closure, embassy staff were evacuated in an operation similar to the more famous US evacuation of Saigon. As US-Cambodia relations improved and security threats increased through the 2000s, a new purpose-built complex was constructed. It was opened in 2006, being one of the first American diplomatic missions constructed around the post-9/11 "Standard Embassy Design" model.
History
The United States established its first direct diplomatic relationship with Cambodia on June 29, 1950, with the appointment of
As part of a growing anti-American sentiment in the country, there were two attacks on the embassy in the mid-1960s. The first, in March 1964, caused over $150,000 in damage and led to increased suspicion in
On November 11, 1991, the same day that UN forces entered Phnom Penh, the United States restored its presence by opening a liaison office in Phnom Penh and appointed
Current complex
Plans for a new location were in the works from at least 2000, when the embassy announced plans to acquire a new site in August. This was partly motivated by security; in addition to the general tightening of protocol in all US diplomatic missions after two embassies were bombed in 1998, terrorist threats and a protest-turned-riot over the United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 led to the embassy nearly being breached and forced it to close in December that year.[14] However, UNESCO's Phnom Penh office publicly objected to one of the planned sites, located next to the Wat Phnom temple and home to the Phnom Penh International Youth Club (earlier the Cercle Sportif), which they considered "an important part of Phnom Penh's urban heritage".[15] In the end, the Cercle Sportif site was bought from the city and designated the new embassy site in November, with the embassy pledging to "do right by the site" and collaborate with UNESCO on the new complex.[16] The contracts for the main embassy compound were awarded in 2002, with a new annex for USAID planned to be awarded in 2004.[17]
Groundbreaking took place on October 9, 2002.[18] However, after delays in certification led to the site being idle for a month, construction on the new embassy started on July 31, 2003.[19] From initial design to final inspection, it took nearly three years to complete the compound, which was finished several months before schedule.[20] According to Government Accountability Office reports, construction costs stayed under budget in 2004 and 2005.[17][21] Before opening, the chancery reportedly became a popular backdrop for wedding photo shoots.[22][23] The post was occupied on December 12, 2005.[24]
The new complex was officially opened on January 18, 2006, in a ceremony initiated by diplomat
See also
References
- ^ USCR 2010, p. 9.
- ^ Loeffler 2011, pp. 11, 228–229.
- ^ Clymer 1999, pp. 609–610.
- ^ a b "Cambodia - Countries - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Clymer 1999, p. 611.
- ^ USCR 2010, p. 26.
- ^ USCR 2010, p. 29.
- ISBN 978-0-16-026455-9. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 8, 2021 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Woodside, Amelia. "The gate that closed on suffering". www.phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ USCR 2010, p. 50.
- ISBN 978-1-137-55532-8.
- ^ USCR 2010, p. 51.
- ^ Kimsong, Kay (August 8, 2000). "US Considers Youth Club for Proposed New Embassy Site". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Kyne, Phelim. "Sparks fly over US Wat Phnom embassy plan". www.phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Kimsong, Kay (November 30, 2000). "US Buys Youth Club Site for New Embassy". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Embassy Construction: Achieving Concurrent Construction Would Help Reduce Costs and Meet Security Goals (Report). U. S. Government Accountability Office. September 28, 2004. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Kihara, David (October 10, 2002). "US Embassy Unveils New Site". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ OIG 2008, pp. 151–152.
- ^ a b c d "Embassy Fact Sheet". U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. Retrieved June 1, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Office, U. S. Government Accountability. "Embassy Construction: State Has Made Progress Constructing New Embassies, but Better Planning Is Needed for Operations and Maintenance Requirements". www.gao.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Loeffler 2011, p. 266.
- )
- ^ OIG 2008, p. 151.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 1, 2021 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
Sources
- United States–Cambodia Relations, 1950–2010: 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations (PDF) (in English and Khmer). Phnom Penh: Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy. 2010. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - Clymer, Kenton J. (October 1999). "The Perils of Neutrality: The Break in U.S.-Cambodian Relations, 1965". Diplomatic History. 23 (4): 609–631. ISSN 0145-2096.
- Loeffler, Jane C. (2011). The architecture of diplomacy : building America's embassies (2nd ed.). New York: Princeton Architectural. OCLC 700033660.
- Report of Inspection: Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (PDF) (Report). Department of State Office of Inspector General. August 2008. ISP-I-08-34. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
{{cite report}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link)