Cambodian Ambassador speaks to BYU students

By Kassi Miller
Thu, 03/17/2011

Despite the troubled past between the United States and Cambodia, a recent lecture showed there may be hope for better relations between the two countries.

His Excellency Hem Heng (pictured), Cambodian ambassador to the United States, spoke about Cambodia-U.S. relations to students in the Kennedy Center yesterday afternoon. Heng talked about Cambodia’s lengthy history of political unrest and its relatively new experience with democracy. In fact, according to Heng, Cambodia has only been holding democratic elections since 1993.

“Cambodia is very new, it’s a baby of a democracy, so we have to learn more, we have to improve every day,” Heng said.

Under the Khmer Rouge, or the communist party that used to rule Cambodia, the people suffered greatly from genocide, famine and disease throughout their rule, he said.

“I, myself, and my family never expected to survive,” Heng said. “My wife, my children and all the Cambodian people were treated as prisoners and ordered to work in the fields from dawn to dusk.”

After years of political turmoil, the country finally became a democracy and has had better relations with the United States in recent years, especially after President Barack Obama took Cambodia off the trade blacklist in 2009.

“Today I have no doubt that the relations between Cambodia and us will definitely improve and stand steadfast,” Heng said.

Because of the suffering Cambodians have dealt with in the past, they need help today. Many people suffered from diseases during the reign of Khmer Rouge that modern medicine could have easily cured. Heng emphasized the need for help from other countries.

“All Cambodian people deserve our help from every country in the world, and first and foremost we warmly welcome friendship and assistance from the United States of America,” Heng said.

Lauren Redd, an economics student from Bountiful, attended the lecture in hopes to learn more about the relations between the U.S. and Cambodia because she is going to Cambodia this summer for an internship.

“I am doing a development internship and working with an NGO that specializes in prenatal and children’s health,” Redd said. “I was interested to know what the ambassador had to say about relations between the United States."