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.