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Cambodia–Netherlands relations

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Cambodia–Netherlands relations

Cambodia
Netherlands

Cambodia–Netherlands relations are the bilateral relations held between the Netherlands and Cambodia. Cambodia has an honorary consulate in Breda (accreditated to the embassy in Brussels),[1] and the Netherlands has honorary consuls in Phnom Penh[2] and Siem Reap (both accredited to the embassy in Bangkok).[3]

Early history

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Van Galen visits the king of Cambodia.

By the mid 17th century, Cambodia had become a significant trading hub for Southeast Asian trade, incentivizing the Dutch East India Company to build commercial ventures in the country.[4] Relations were positive, as the Netherlands promoted trade between Cambodia and Japan.

Relations began to sour as incidents between the Dutch and local people became frequent. Pieter Van Regemortes, a Dutch resident in Cambodia, refused to provide compensation after disrupting Cambodian trade with the Portuguese. The issues were not resolved even after the governor-general of Batavia, Henry Hagenaar, was sent to Cambodia.[5][6]

In 1642, a prince usurped the Cambodian throne, converted to Sunni Islam and took the name Ibrahim. He then led a massacre killing 36 Dutch residents and commandeering a pair of ships. After the Battle of Phnom Penh in 1644, the forces sent by the Dutch for retribution were defeated, and the Cambodian Sultanate won the Cambodian–Dutch War.[7] Peace was officially recognized on both sides of the conflict on 1656, July 8.[8]

After the overthrow of Ibrahim, trade with the Dutch briefly resumed. By the 1670s, all remaining Dutch trading posts in Cambodia were abandoned.[9]

Modern era

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Then prince Norodom Sihanouk in the Netherlands in 1983

Relations did not get reestablished until Cambodian independence in 1953. Since the 11th of November, 1957, the Netherlands and Cambodia have held bilateral relations.[10] The Netherlands supplied Cambodia with humanitarian services following the turmoil caused by the Cold War.[11] A very small amount of refugees settled in the Netherlands following the Khmer Rouge.[12]

In 2003, both countries signed a treaty on protection of investment properties.[13] In 2024, both countries agreed to further political and economic cooperation,[14] which was reaffirmed in 2026.[15]

Cultural promotion

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In 2022, both a book and an exhibition, both on the topic of 1950-1960s Cambodian culture was partially sponsored by the Prince Claus Fund.[16]

References

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  1. ↑ "Contact". HONORARY CONSULATE of the KINGDOM of CAMBODIA in The Netherlands. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  2. ↑ "Honorary consul Phnom Penh (Cambodia) - Thailand - NAY". Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Honorary consul Siem Reap (Cambodia) - Thailand - NAY". Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  4. ↑ Van der Kraan, Alfons (2009). Murder and mayhem in seventeenth-century Cambodia: Anthony Van Diemen vs. King Ramadhipati I. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books. ISBN 978-974-9511-62-6.
  5. ↑ La Société asiatique. Nouveau journal asiatique. 1832.
  6. ↑ Gunn, Geoffrey C. (2003). First globalization: the Eurasian exchange, 1500 to 1800. World social change. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7425-8011-4.
  7. ↑ Kersten, Carool (February 2006). "Cambodia's Muslim King: Khmer and Dutch Sources on the Conversion of Reameathipadei I, 1642–1658". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 37 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1017/S0022463405000408. ISSN 0022-4634.
  8. ↑ Fielding, Leslie (2008). Before the killing fields: witness to Cambodia and the Vietnam War. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-493-0.
  9. ↑ Osborne, Milton (2008). Phnom Penh: A Cultural History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780199711734.
  10. ↑ "Nederlandse gezant in Cambodja". De Tijd : godsdienstig-staatkundig dagblad (in Netherlands Dutch). 1957-11-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  11. ↑ Szatkowski, Tim (2017). "From Sihanouk to Pol Pot: Diplomacy, Human Rights, and Relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Cambodia, 1967–1979". German Yearbook of Contemporary History. 2: 25–61. doi:10.1353/gych.2017.0001. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  12. ↑ Lim, Chhay Lin (2016-11-04). "Early childhood memories of a Cambodian refugee camp". Notes On Liberty. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  13. ↑ EDIT. "Cambodia - Netherlands BIT (2003) - Electronic Database of Investment Treaties (EDIT)". edit.wti.org. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  14. ↑ "Cambodia and the Netherlands to Deepen Political and Economic Cooperation". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  15. ↑ Horng, Pengly (2026-05-20). "Cambodia, Netherlands to expand economic cooperation". Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  16. ↑ "Book and Exhibition Look at How Cambodian Culture Found a New Identity in the 1950s and '60s - The Cambodia Daily". 2002-01-05. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
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