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Embassy of the United States, Phnom Penh

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Embassy of the United States of America in Cambodia
ស្ថានទូត​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក
sthantout saharodthaamerik now kampouchea
2006 compound
Map
Address1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh
OpeningJanuary 18, 2006
AmbassadorW. Patrick Murphy
Websitehttps://kh.usembassy.gov

The Embassy of the United States of America in Cambodia 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, but a history of strained and suspended relations have led to the embassy being forced to close at various times, with its 1975 evacuation being the most prominent example. The most recent compound was opened in 2006, being one of the first American diplomatic missions constructed around the post-9/11 "Standard Embassy Design" model.

History

History of US presence in Phnom Penh

The United States established its first direct diplomatic relationship with Cambodia on June 29, 1950, with the appointment of Donald R. Heath as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Heath presented his credentials to King Sihanouk on July 11, 1950. The US Legation opened in Phnom Penh on November 14. Operations were initially conducted from the renowned Hotel Le Royal until a Legation office and U.S. Information Service library were established in a new location. The Legation was raised to Embassy status on June 25, 1952, at which point Heath became the first U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia.[1]

As part of a growing anti-American sentiment in the country, there were two attacks on the embasssy in the mid-1960s. The first, in March 1964, caused over $150,000 in damage and led to increased suspicion in US-Cambodia relations. Ambassador Herbert D. Spivack suspected that Prince Sihanouk had purposely orchestrated the incident and a similar event at the British embassy. The second incident in 1965 led to much less damage, with the embassy not being breached, but rocks where thrown through the windows and there was still thousands of dollars of damages.[2] In response to the last attack and alleging that the United States was responsible for recent cross-border air attacks by South Vietnam that had killed Cambodian citizens, Sihanouk announced the severance of relations with the United States in 1965. Although Sihanouk still wished to maintain a consulate in to country to facilitate tourism in order to preserve the foreign currency inflow that it brought, a lack of assurances about maintaining an uninterrupted transition from the Cambodian side led to the US pulling out entirely.[3][4] During this break in relations, Australia represented the United States in Phnom Penh.[5] With the further penetration of Vietnamese communist forces into Cambodia, Sihanouk was anxious to restore relations, and the U.S. Embassy reopened on August 16, 1969.[6] During the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge in 1975, the US government evacuated embassy personnel in Operation Eagle Pull, which has been seen as a predecessor to the evacuation of the embassy in Saigon the same year.[7] At that point, it was the only Western embassy left in Phnom Penh before the evacuation.[8] Relations were then suspended between 1975 and 1990 under the Khmer Rouge government and later the People's Republic of Kampuchea.[3]

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 Charles H. Twining as U.S. Representative. USAID followed suit and reopened its mission in 1992[9][10] After the United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia reestablished full diplomatic relations, the U.S. Mission was upgraded in status to a full Embassy, and on May 17, 1994, U.S. Representative Charles H. Twining presented his credentials as U.S. Ambassador.[11]

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.[12] 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".[13] 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.[14] The contracts for the main embassy compound were awarded in 2002, with a new annex for USAID planned to be awarded in 2004.[15] Groundbreaking took place on October 9, 2002.[16] From initial design to final inspection, it took nearly three years to complete the new embassy, which was finished several months before schedule.[17] According to Government Accountability Office reports, construction costs stayed under budget in 2004 and 2005.[15][18]

The new complex opened on January 18, 2006, in a ceremony initiated by diplomat Christopher R. Hill, then Assistant Secretary of State. As a "gift to the United States", prime minister Hun Sen, who had talked to Hill earlier that day, released four political prisoners: Rong Chhun, Kem Sokha, Mam Sonando as well as activist and Cambodian Center for Human Rights member Pa Nguon Tieng.[19][17] The USAID annex was finished by May 2006. The compound, which covers an area of 6.2 acres (2.5 hectares), is one of the first examples of the post-9/11 higher-security "Standard Embassy Design" (SED) program, having been planned to be a "flagship" for the SED model. The first permanent embassy complex built and owned by the U.S. in Cambodia, it has been promoted by the Department of State as a "symbol of our commitment to our future relations with Cambodia".[16][17]

References

  1. ^ USCR 2010, p. 9.
  2. ^ Clymer 1999, pp. 609–610.
  3. ^ a b "Cambodia - Countries - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Clymer 1999, p. 611.
  5. ^ USCR 2010, p. 26.
  6. ^ USCR 2010, p. 29.
  7. ^ Dunham, George R (1990). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973–1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. pp. 102–4. ISBN 978-0-16-026455-9.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ Times, Sydney H. Schanberg Special to The New York (March 21, 1975). "Britain Closes Embassy in Phnom Penh Leaving U.S. as the Only Western Mission". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2021 – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ^ USCR 2010, p. 50.
  10. ^ Clymer, Kenton J. (March 19, 2018). "The United States and Cambodia, 1960-1971". In Smith, T. O. (ed.). Cambodia and the West, 1500-2000. Springer. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-137-55532-8.
  11. ^ USCR 2010, p. 51.
  12. ^ Kimsong, Kay (August 8, 2000). "US Considers Youth Club for Proposed New Embassy Site". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Kyne, Phelim. "Sparks fly over US Wat Phnom embassy plan". www.phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  14. ^ Kimsong, Kay (November 30, 2000). "US Buys Youth Club Site for New Embassy". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Office, U. S. Government Accountability. "Embassy Construction: Achieving Concurrent Construction Would Help Reduce Costs and Meet Security Goals". www.gao.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Kihara, David (October 10, 2002). "US Embassy Unveils New Site". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c "Embassy Fact Sheet". U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. Retrieved June 1, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Cheang, Sopheng (January 18, 2006). "Cambodia Releases 4 Political Dissidents". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 1, 2021 – via www.washingtonpost.com.

Sources

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