Once again, I would like to thank the many wonderful
readers out there for your contributions to making this column a
productive exchange. To make this exchange all the more worthwhile, I
encourage everyone to keep sending your questions to me at
AskAMBToddPP@state.gov.
In this week’s column, I want to address three different questions my readers have shared with me. While different, these questions are inter-related because they all point to the important support the United States government is providing for Cambodia.
The first question is about a tenth century statue of the Khmer Empire which was recently to be put up for auction in New York City. The government of Cambodia expressed concern that this statue may have been illegally removed from Koh Ker Temple in 1972. In response to that concern, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York began an investigation and filed a lawsuit on behalf of the government of Cambodia in an effort to establish the legal ownership of the statue and return it to Cambodia.
The U.S. government played no part in the acquisition of the statue back in 1972. Those who acquired the statue and transported it out of Cambodia did so for their own personal gain. The question that remains now is: Was the removal of the statue done legally or illegally? If it was done illegally, the U.S. government will ensure that the statue is returned to Cambodia. This is a matter of upholding the rule of law, something which the U.S. government takes very seriously. For this reason, the U.S. Embassy has taken a leading role in assisting the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney.
My staff and I have made this a priority for another reason as well. Part of the U.S. mission is to preserve and protect Cambodia’s history and cultural heritage for the Cambodian people. This is why the United States has funded many projects to preserve Cambodia’s iconic cultural treasures, including funding of nearly $2 million to preserve the Phnom Bakheng complex near Angkor Wat.
The second question I want to address involves the training and equipment the U.S. government is providing to help Cambodia to be safer and more secure. This is an important priority for the U.S. government, and we work to accomplish this in a number of ways. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) is a threat to all, but especially children who may unknowingly come upon it. To help to remove the significant quantity of UXO now under Cambodia’s waters, the United States is training a new contingent of salvage divers with the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) who will be able to safely remove UXO located underwater. You can imagine the great skill required to complete the dangerous work of clearing UXO in the near-zero visibility conditions of the Mekong River. This week, I was honored to attend the graduation ceremony for the most recent CMAC graduates and learn more about their important and life-saving mission.
The U.S. government provided almost $5 million to support demining and clearance of UXO in Cambodia last year. We do this because it is the right thing to do. We are committed to helping the people of Cambodia and their children live in peace, without the fear of being killed or injured by the remnants of past conflicts. I am proud to say that U.S. government support to Cambodia in this effort is having positive results. Not only are the Cambodian people made safer through the work of experts in demining and UXO clearance, but through this work, Cambodia has become a leader in demining and has contributed its manpower and expertise to demining operations all over the world. Cambodia should be proud of its demining work and its growing role as a partner for peace, security, and prosperity.
The third question concerns the recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to focus on the changes necessary to ensure that women enjoy full participation in society. President Barack Obama recently highlighted this issue. He said, “Ensuring that women and girls, including those most marginalized, are able to participate fully in public life, are free from violence, and have equal access to education, economic opportunity, and health care increases broader economic prosperity, as well as political stability and security.”
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh has worked hard to support Cambodia in its efforts to improve opportunities for girls and women. In a recent column, I talked about how the U.S. government is cooperating with Cambodia to help women become better educated, healthier, and more affluent. Just this week, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. government’s development finance institution, began a partnership with Thaneakea Phum Bank to provide microfinance loans to women in rural areas. Another example of our work to support women is our agricultural program which is helping Cambodian women increase their income and improve their families’ nutrition. We are also helping to create increased educational opportunities for Cambodian girls and women, and through our health assistance we are working hard to reduce the number of women that die while giving birth.
The U.S. Embassy is also engaged in protecting women from the dangers of human trafficking for sex or labor. We support the care and shelter of female trafficking survivors with medical care, psycho-social and legal counseling, nutritious food, vocational training, and clothing. We also support organizations that provide legal services to victims of rape, domestic violence, and human trafficking.
In my time here, I have seen that Cambodian women are critically important to the family and to society. They operate storefronts, keep farms running, and manage small businesses, often while taking care of a household and looking after small children. These women deserve a commensurate role in government, in their communities, and in society at large. More and more Cambodian women are now rising to the top of their professions and managing sizeable business enterprises. We need to keep this trend going. I am proud of the ways the U.S. government has supported Cambodia in this effort, and I also commend the government of Cambodia for its work to increase the representation of women in universities and other sectors.
The U.S. government is actively engaged in supporting progress in Cambodia. The three questions I’ve addressed in my column this week have given me an opportunity to underscore this point. The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia is committed to the work of improving the lives of the Cambodian people. Upholding the rule of law in the Koh Ker statue case, training Cambodians in the clearance of unexploded ordnance, and promoting gender equality are just a few examples of the U.S. Embassy’s efforts.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my column. I encourage you to send me your questions in English or Khmer at AskAMBToddPP@state.gov and to follow my blog at http://blogs.usembassy.gov/todd/.
William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia
In this week’s column, I want to address three different questions my readers have shared with me. While different, these questions are inter-related because they all point to the important support the United States government is providing for Cambodia.
The first question is about a tenth century statue of the Khmer Empire which was recently to be put up for auction in New York City. The government of Cambodia expressed concern that this statue may have been illegally removed from Koh Ker Temple in 1972. In response to that concern, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York began an investigation and filed a lawsuit on behalf of the government of Cambodia in an effort to establish the legal ownership of the statue and return it to Cambodia.
The U.S. government played no part in the acquisition of the statue back in 1972. Those who acquired the statue and transported it out of Cambodia did so for their own personal gain. The question that remains now is: Was the removal of the statue done legally or illegally? If it was done illegally, the U.S. government will ensure that the statue is returned to Cambodia. This is a matter of upholding the rule of law, something which the U.S. government takes very seriously. For this reason, the U.S. Embassy has taken a leading role in assisting the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney.
My staff and I have made this a priority for another reason as well. Part of the U.S. mission is to preserve and protect Cambodia’s history and cultural heritage for the Cambodian people. This is why the United States has funded many projects to preserve Cambodia’s iconic cultural treasures, including funding of nearly $2 million to preserve the Phnom Bakheng complex near Angkor Wat.
The second question I want to address involves the training and equipment the U.S. government is providing to help Cambodia to be safer and more secure. This is an important priority for the U.S. government, and we work to accomplish this in a number of ways. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) is a threat to all, but especially children who may unknowingly come upon it. To help to remove the significant quantity of UXO now under Cambodia’s waters, the United States is training a new contingent of salvage divers with the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) who will be able to safely remove UXO located underwater. You can imagine the great skill required to complete the dangerous work of clearing UXO in the near-zero visibility conditions of the Mekong River. This week, I was honored to attend the graduation ceremony for the most recent CMAC graduates and learn more about their important and life-saving mission.
The U.S. government provided almost $5 million to support demining and clearance of UXO in Cambodia last year. We do this because it is the right thing to do. We are committed to helping the people of Cambodia and their children live in peace, without the fear of being killed or injured by the remnants of past conflicts. I am proud to say that U.S. government support to Cambodia in this effort is having positive results. Not only are the Cambodian people made safer through the work of experts in demining and UXO clearance, but through this work, Cambodia has become a leader in demining and has contributed its manpower and expertise to demining operations all over the world. Cambodia should be proud of its demining work and its growing role as a partner for peace, security, and prosperity.
The third question concerns the recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to focus on the changes necessary to ensure that women enjoy full participation in society. President Barack Obama recently highlighted this issue. He said, “Ensuring that women and girls, including those most marginalized, are able to participate fully in public life, are free from violence, and have equal access to education, economic opportunity, and health care increases broader economic prosperity, as well as political stability and security.”
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh has worked hard to support Cambodia in its efforts to improve opportunities for girls and women. In a recent column, I talked about how the U.S. government is cooperating with Cambodia to help women become better educated, healthier, and more affluent. Just this week, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. government’s development finance institution, began a partnership with Thaneakea Phum Bank to provide microfinance loans to women in rural areas. Another example of our work to support women is our agricultural program which is helping Cambodian women increase their income and improve their families’ nutrition. We are also helping to create increased educational opportunities for Cambodian girls and women, and through our health assistance we are working hard to reduce the number of women that die while giving birth.
The U.S. Embassy is also engaged in protecting women from the dangers of human trafficking for sex or labor. We support the care and shelter of female trafficking survivors with medical care, psycho-social and legal counseling, nutritious food, vocational training, and clothing. We also support organizations that provide legal services to victims of rape, domestic violence, and human trafficking.
In my time here, I have seen that Cambodian women are critically important to the family and to society. They operate storefronts, keep farms running, and manage small businesses, often while taking care of a household and looking after small children. These women deserve a commensurate role in government, in their communities, and in society at large. More and more Cambodian women are now rising to the top of their professions and managing sizeable business enterprises. We need to keep this trend going. I am proud of the ways the U.S. government has supported Cambodia in this effort, and I also commend the government of Cambodia for its work to increase the representation of women in universities and other sectors.
The U.S. government is actively engaged in supporting progress in Cambodia. The three questions I’ve addressed in my column this week have given me an opportunity to underscore this point. The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia is committed to the work of improving the lives of the Cambodian people. Upholding the rule of law in the Koh Ker statue case, training Cambodians in the clearance of unexploded ordnance, and promoting gender equality are just a few examples of the U.S. Embassy’s efforts.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my column. I encourage you to send me your questions in English or Khmer at AskAMBToddPP@state.gov and to follow my blog at http://blogs.usembassy.gov/todd/.
William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing the direct link to U.S Ambassador.
Khmer Inquiry.
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