CHANGES OVER TIME TO RELIGION STATE RELATIONSHIPS
Buddhism has had a strong affiliation with Cambodia and defines a massive part of its culture and history. Buddhism was declared what now would be called the state religion of Cambodia in 1181 by a king called Jayavarman VII. Jayavarman saw how his people were disunified and had little common interests and established Buddhism as a compulsory religion among the people. Throughout history the Buddhist community in Cambodia unconsciously incorporated elements of animism and Hinduism their branch of Buddhism. However in the 19th century the Cambodian authorities pronounced Cambodia’s state religion as Buddhism however did not make the religion compulsory but simply encouraged. During The Khmer Rouge (1975 – 1979), a communist revolution in which 20% of the Cambodian population was killed in brutal acts of genocide, Buddhism and all religion in Cambodia was abolished, anyone found practicing religion or found with religious ornaments in their possession faced harsh punishments. Cambodia had the world’s largest population of Buddhist monks at the time so monks were especially targeted being forcibly removed from wats (temples) and made to do harsh manual labour (as were many other parts of the population). An estimated 50,000 monks were killed or died during this time, more than half of the original population. After this period in 1982 Theravada Buddhism was re-established as the state religion. Currently Buddhism remains an influential force in Cambodia. Since 1980’s some Buddhist monks have taken active roles in politics and Monasteries and small wats play roles in ministering to the Cambodian people’s social and emotional needs, similar to other religions around the world. Proving that Cambodia's government has a healthy relationship with the religions in the country.(Holiday-in-angkor-wat.com, 2014)