By William E. Todd,
U.S ambassador to Cambodia
29 July 2012
Thank you, Cambodia, for remaining interested
in my “Ask the Ambassador” column. Your comments and questions are
quite interesting. Let’s keep the dialogue going by e-mail at AskAMBToddPP@state.gov.
I received quite a diversity of questions from readers this past week,
so I’ll try to answer a variety to give you an idea of what’s on
people’s minds.
First, here’s a question I have received several times about the
United States: “Why are there fifty stars on the American flag when
there are 52 states?” Many people think that Hawaii and Alaska are two
additional states to the 50 within the continental U.S. However, there
are actually only 48 states in the continental U.S., and when you add
Alaska and Hawaii, that gives us 50 states represented by the 50 stars
on the American flag. There are also some U.S. territories, like Guam
and Puerto Rico, that aren’t represented by stars on the flag since they
are not states, even though the residents of these territories enjoy
U.S. citizenship.
Many of you have also asked what I think about the Olympic Games in
London. To be concise, I’m thrilled! Since I was a boy, I’ve loved the
Games and their inspiring stories show how perseverance and hard work
are so important for achieving greatness.
A health worker sprays disinfectant in a classroom at
Srinakharinwirot University Prasarnmit’s Demonstration School, which is
closed until Monday in order to stop the spread of hand, foot and mouth
disease. 
Police
rushed to the spot and saw a suspicious-looking man with a young boy.
When they questioned him, he said his name was Cha, age 27, from
Cambodia. However, he did not have any legal document of permission to
come to Thailand. The boy, “V”(alias) was 7-years-old, also from
Cambodia.
