This is the untold story of what went on behind the scenes when the UN tried to manage free elections in Cambodia in the early 90s. Told with insight, humor, and a dash of romance, Cambodia and the Year of UNTAC staggers from adventure to adventure as the UN seeks to bring hope to a country reeling from war. With deep feelings for the Cambodian people, this true-life tale -- now in a new edition with additional photos and a special afterword -- brings to life what it was like to be part of the team that ended Cambodia's civil war and helped bring stability to that beautiful country.
Cambodia is going to have an election. To have an election there must be voters. But where are the voters and how many are there? If no one knows, how can the potential voters be registered or given polling stations?
In equal measures serious, touching, and hilarious.
David Joiner, author of Lotusland
The writer’s knack for storytelling and expert pacing makes Cambodia and the Year of UNTAC a great read.
David Cooper, Farang Magazine, Bangkok
Simply in terms of recounting a basic narrative of that period, Riddle’s book is perhaps the most successful I have read so far. Clearly and dramatically, he retells the sequence of events and the popular moods associated with them, as they were perceived by many of us working in Phnom Penh.
John Marston, Pacific Affairs
Tom Riddle is fresh, simple, honest, and always goes straight to the point. He mixes with perfection a truly [lovely romance], the Vietnamese prostitutes, and the city of Phnom Penh emerging from the tragedy and isolation.
Guillermo García, author of Norodom Sihanouk and Brother Number Zero: The Tragedy of Cambodian Democracy.