Phnom Penh[Kandal-Kompong Speu]

Phnom Penh was founded in the 1400's and became the permanent capital in 1867. In 1970, the Vietnamese War between Communists and non-Communists spread to Cambodia. A Cambodian Communist group called the Khmer Rouge gained control of the country in 1975. At that time, Phnom Penh had about 2 million inhabitants. The Khmer Rouge forced most of the people out of the city to work in rural areas. The population fell to an estimated 20,000 people. In 1979, Vietnamese troops and a Cambodian Communist group overthrew the Khmer Rouge and took control of Phnom Penh. People then began returning to the city, and the population grew to an estimated 800,000 by the early 1990's.
Today, PP's population counts 3.5 millions people.

Housing projects, education and village developments continue to be our main work in Phnom Penh and its surrounding area and the Jesuit Refugee Service works in cooperation with the UNHCR in order to manage the increasing flow of refugees from various countries.