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Young Pioneer Tours specialize in taking you to North Korea and other worldwide: “destinations your mother would rather you stay away from” at budget prices. We combine the best guides in the industry with expert local knowledge and contacts to ensure your adventure is an unparalleled one. Don't be a face in the crowd, be a Pioneer.
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Former Countries The Samdech Euv Autonomous Zone C...
14 February 2024
Gareth Johnson
At Young Pioneer Tours we love a former country particularly if it was very brief strange and you can still visit there We present the Samdech Euv Autonomous ZoneSo what the Samdech Euv Autonomous Zone Essentially it was a secessionist state in eastern Cambodia born from the controversial 1993 electionsPrelude to to the 1993 Elections in CambodiaThe later half of the 20th century was a weird one for Cambodia as it went from being a Kingdom to the Khmer Republic Democratic Kampuchea the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea and finally the State of CambodiaThis was to lead to the 1993 elections which largely saw the royalist party FUNCINPEC fight out against the former communist Cambodian Peoples PartyIn the midst of this you had a man called Norodom Chakrapong a Prince and former member of FUNCINPEC who decided to defect to the CPP in what was huge coup for the latter This was particularly true since just a few years before they had been quite literally at war with each otherThe 1993 ElectionsMuch could be written and indeed has been about the 1993 elections but some would argue it was won by the royalists but that the CPP who controlled the media army and police refused to accept thisIn the midst of this Norodom Chakrapong declared three eastern province bordering Vietnam independent which were soon joined by four other making seven in total The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia UNTAC were also told to leave and briefly there was violenceIn order to settle the dispute the CPP under Hun Sen and FUNCINPEC under Norodom Ranariddh were to share power while the Samdech Euv Autonomous Zone would be reintegrated in CambodiaSome have opined that this was a ploy to keep the CPP in power rather than a serious struggle for independence but regardless the Samdech Euv Autonomous Zone was independent for around a weekInterestingly this had Cambodia almost split into four states with the Kingdom of CambodiaState of Cambodia the UNTAC administration as well as the rebel Khmer Rouge state catchily known as The Provisional Government of National Union and National Salvation of Cambodia PGNUNSC making 34 Cambodias depending on how you count thingsRegardless though this state did exist even briefly and indeed can still be visited todayYou can check out our Cambodia tours here
What was the State of Cambodia...
14 February 2024
Gareth Johnson
Young Pioneer Tours have written extensively about the history of Cambodia inclusive of Democratic Kampuchea to the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea and then back to the Kingdom of Cambodia What many people do not realise though is that the country was very briefly known as the State of CambodiaWhats in a name Cambodia in the 20th centuryIn the 20th century Cambodia went from being a French colony to a Japanese one back to the French before again becoming the Kingdom of Cambodia following independenceThis led to a brief resurgence of the nation under King Sihanouk reportedly the best friend of Kim IlSung Alas in these Cold War times this was not to be tolerated and he was eventually overthrown and the Khmer Republic was formedThe latter under the Khmer Rouge ushered in Pol Pot and the killing fields although briefly at least it was still a Kingdom although a communist one at thatFollowing liberation by the Vietnamese the majority of the country became the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea while a rump state led by the Khmer Rouge also existed more on that laterAs part of the peace process that would eventually lead to the 1993 elections the oneparty state slowly started to transition into the Cambodia that we know todayForming the State of CambodiaIn 1989 the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea changed into the State of Cambodia while the ruling Kampuchean Peoples Revolutionary Party KPRP under Premier Hun Sen changed into the Cambodian Peoples Party CPP who are still in power todayThe state in many ways changed only slightly with it initially retaining the oneparty system as well as a partly MarxistLeninist outlook although some economic reforms were put in place with the country already moving to a market economyAnd why the State of CambodiaIt was called this and formed for many reasons with part of it being a compromise towards the forces it had been fighting in civil war including the Khmer Rouge but also by changing from a republic to the State of Cambodia enough ambiguity was left to lead a potential opening for the return of King SihanoukThis was all largely achieved by 1993 when Sihanouk returned as head of state the country was briefly run by the United Nations UNTAC and the 1994 elections were held semisuccessfullyDuring its time the State of Cambodia was recognised by the Eastern Bloc as well as other socialist statesThe end of the State of CambodiaWith elections and peace the Kingdom of Cambodia was reformed and despite some controversy so was a market based form of democracy too Notwithstanding the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot who went and formed the last Khmer Rouge state which existed around the Anlong Veng areaThings since have been a mixed bag of tricks with some questions over just how democratic the country is nowadays but one cannot say this hasnt been the longest period of peace the country has had for decadesJust how pivotal a role the State of Cambodia played is up for debate with few in Cambodia now remembering it But without it perhaps the nation would not be where it is today
Nine Countries that are not Democracies that might S...
12 February 2024
Gareth Johnson
I tend to be careful about banding around words such as dictatorship This is not just for fear of of...