PHNOM PENH: Just over 30 years ago, a crackling radio in a refugee camp on the Thai border brought Sam Sophal word that the United Nations was coming to his war-ravaged homeland of Cambodia.
At the time, UNTAC was the most ambitious and expensive UN mission but despite its US$1.6 billion cost and US$20 billion in subsequent international aid, hopes of creating a vibrant democracy faded long ago. Government spokesman Phay Siphan rejects accusations that Hun Sen is an autocrat, saying he has worked for peace and democracy since 1979.
UNTAC's main triumphs were bringing hundreds of thousands of refugees home from border camps in time for the May 1993 election, when almost 90 per cent of voters turned out. "The people who planned it were out of their minds. It was definitely a mission impossible," says academic and author Craig Etcheson.