Posted:
07/08/2013
Gallery: U.S. ambassador to Cambodia visits Long Beach
LONG BEACH - In a meeting that local Cambodian
leaders said indicated greater "transparency" about the role and
interests of Americans in Cambodia, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of
Cambodia, His Excellency William Todd, held his first public forum
Monday with the Khmer community in Long Beach.
Of course, transparency only goes so far; the
ambassador's staff refused interviews with non-preapproved media, and
would only talk about his current trade mission to the United States.
U.S.
Ambassador to Cambodia William Todd, center, poses for photos after he
met with members of the community at a public forum held at the Homeland
Cultural Center in Cambodia Town. The meeting was the first open
meeting the ambassador has had in Long Beach.
Stephen Carr/ Los Angeles Newspaper Group (Stephen Carr / Staff
Photographer)
The ambassador, however, was a little more forthcoming and available.
One of the major topics of discussion was Cambodia's
ongoing poor performance in the human rights arena, particularly with
elections looming in the country on July 28.
President Obama in November became the first U.S.
leader to visit Cambodia, and one of his areas of concern was the
country's poor record in human rights, where it is consistently rated
among the most oppressive nations.
Since the president's visit, Todd noted, "human rights has not improved in many ways."
He added that if the upcoming election is not judged
to be credible it could affect
American aid. In particular, he mentioned a non-binding U.S. Senate
resolution that could cut foreign aid depending on the legitimacy of the
election.
On a more positive note, Todd touted economic
investment and trade in Cambodia, which is much of the reason for his
visit, and predicted that Cambodia was on the verge of big things
economically.
"It's about to take off," Todd said of the Cambodian economy. "All the indications are it's really going to skyrocket."
Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of the United
Cambodian Community who helped organize the forum, said she thought
Todd's willingness to open up his discussion with the community was a
"great thing."
The timing was also ideal, she said, as it comes between the president's visit and the upcoming elections.
"With the U.S. playing a bigger role in Cambodia, many
of us are very supportive of (Todd's) efforts to come to the largest
Cambodian community in the United States," Pol-Lim said.
This was Todd's second visit to Long Beach since he
was appointed ambassador in March 2012. Last year, Todd met several
dozen hand-picked local leaders in the community.
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