United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia

Cambodia កម្ពុជា (Khmer) كامبوديا ( Arabic) 柬埔寨 (Chinese) Cambodge (French) Камбоджа (Russian) Camboya (Spanish )
1992–1993
Flag Emblem
Location of Cambodia in United Nations protectorate
Capital and largest city	Phnom Penh
Common languages	Khmer
Special Representative of the Secretary-General
• 1992-1993	Yasushi Akashi
History
•  Paris Peace Accords	23 October 1991
• UN Security Council Resolution 745	28 February 1992
• Elections	23 May 1993
• Monarchy restored	24 September 1993
Currency	+855
Preceded by Succeeded by State of Cambodia National Government of Cambodia Second Kingdom of Cambodia

United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia

Abbreviation	UNTAC
Formation	28 February 1992[1]
Type	Monitoring, peacekeeping
Legal status	Ended September 1993[2]
Parent organization	United Nations Security Council
Website	UNTAC Website

Part of a series on the
History of Cambodia
Early history
Funan Chenla Khmer Empire Angkor Khmer–Cham wars Đại Việt–Khmer War
Post-Angkor Period
Chaktomuk era Longvek era Siamese-Cambodian War Cambodian–Spanish War Cambodian–Dutch War Oudong era Loss of Mekong Delta Nguyễn Kingdom's invasion
Colonial period
French protectorate French Indochina Japanese occupation (Cambodia in 1945)
Independence and conflict
Post-independence US bombing Sihanouk Trail Cambodian campaign 1970 coup Khmer Republic US bombing Cambodian Civil War fall of Phnom Penh Democratic Kampuchea Mayaguez incident Cambodian genocide Cambodian–Vietnamese War People's Republic of Kampuchea exiled coalition government K5 Plan
Peace process
1991 Paris Peace Agreements United Nations Transitional Authority (UNTAC, 1992–93) 1993 election
Modern Cambodia
Economy 1997 coup Khmer Rouge Tribunal 2003 Phnom Penh riots Cambodian–Thai border dispute 2013–2014 protests COVID-19 pandemic
By topic
Buddhism Economic history Humanitarian crisis Military history Monarchy Names Heads of state
Timeline
Cambodia portal
v t e

The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)

between 1962 and 1963 prior), rather than simply monitoring or supervising the area. The UN transitional authority organised and ran elections, had its own radio station and jail, and was responsible for promoting and safeguarding human rights at the national level.

History

UNTAC was established in February 1992 under United Nations Security Council Resolution 745 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.^[1] UNTAC was the product of intense diplomatic activity over many years.

Headed by Chief of Mission Yasushi Akashi (Japan), Force Commander Lieutenant-General John Sanderson (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),^[3] mostly in salaries for expatriates.

Goals

UNTAC's aim was to restore peace and civil government in a country ruined by decades of

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 demobilise 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 and development.

Another important goal was the

. 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

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, while effectively disarming the SOC's local militias.^[5] This bias allowed the Khmer Rouge to make territorial gains and gave rise to political violence.^[6] 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.^[7]

1993 elections

Over 4 million Cambodians (about 90% of eligible voters) participated in the

The parties represented in the 120-member assembly 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.[8]

Participating countries

The 46 participating countries providing military observers, police, or troops were:

Criticism

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$1.62 billion (UNAMIC and UNTAC combined)^[15]

See also

• UN protectorate

Further reading

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

Notes

References

1. ^ ^{a b} United Nations Security Council Resolution 745. S/RES/745(1992) 28 February 1992. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
2. ^ "{title}". Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
3. ^ "Cambodia's prime minister has wrecked a 25-year push for democracy". The Economist. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
4. ^ "UNTAC". Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
5. ISBN 9781472443076
   .
6. ISBN 978-974-9575-34-5
7. ISBN 978-0-7425-5553-2
8. ^ ^{a b} "UNTAC and UNAMIC Web site - UNTAC History". Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
9. ^ Cambodia. Lonely Planet
10. ^ "UN Cambodia - UNTAC. Facts and Figures". Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
11. ^ Milton Osborne, Sihanouk, Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness. Silkworm 1994
12. ^ "In 1993, the UN tried to bring democracy to Cambodia. Is that dream dead?". BBC News. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
13. ^ Wharton, James (30 April 2021). "The 1992 UN Mission To Cambodia". Forces Network. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
14. ISBN 2-86537-722-9
15. ^ "{title}". Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

External links

• Records of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) (1992-1993) at the United Nations Archives
• Untac.com: UNTAC website