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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) greets children during a visit to the AFESIP rehabilitation and vocational training center in Siam Reap October 31, 2010. Clinton's visit to Cambodia is the first by a U.S. Secretary of State since 2003. AFESIP stands for Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Precaire, which means Acting for Women in Distressing Situations. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea |
By Matthew Lee (CP)
SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Sitting out the intense political battle back home, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton toured Cambodia's famed 12th-century Angkor Wat temple complex on Sunday and pledged to do more to help end the scourge of sexual slavery on a visit to a rehabilitation centre for child prostitutes.
While her husband and fellow Democrats campaigned frantically ahead of Tuesday's midterm congressional elections, the former first lady and New York senator stayed well above the domestic fray, visiting the northern Cambodian city of Siem Reap while in the midst of a two-week, seven-nation trip to the Asia-Pacific.
The self-proclaimed ex-politician is barred from partisan political activity while serving as America's top diplomat. She made no mention of the fierce fight for control of Congress even as American tourists who supported her 2008 presidential bid shouted "California loves you, Hillary" as she strolled through Angkor Wat.
Clinton, the first secretary of state to visit Angkor Wat, was surrounded by snapshot-taking tourists while making her way around the massive site, admiring bas-relief wall sculpture and the sheer size of the temples. A bevy of security agents and photographers accompanied her.
Earlier Sunday, she met about 50 victims of human trafficking at the U.S.-funded Siem Reap Center where they receive education and vocational training that includes weaving and sewing lessons and, for some, English-language lessons in Colorado.
"I am so proud of you," Clinton told the girls and young women, most of whom were between 17 and 23.
"You motivate me," she said, promising them continued American support to improve their lives.
Clinton listened as one young woman, 25-year old Vann Sina, recounted being abducted at 13 and forced to have sex with 20 to 30 men a day for more than two years before being rescued from a brothel.
"To be a victim is very hard," she said, recalling how she didn't understand what she was meant to do when she was first told to "sleep" with a customer. "I cannot forget. Sometimes I dream and I get very scared."
The Siem Reap Center received a $336,000 grant from the State Department last year to fund its operating costs, and Clinton said she would make sure money continued to flow.
Combatting human trafficking is a pet issue for Clinton and one she will raise with Cambodian officials when she stops in the capital of Phnom Penh on Monday. After leaving Cambodia, Clinton will visit Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia. She won't be back at work in Washington until a week after Election Day.
8 comments:
Is Clinton's interest in human trafficking due to Mu Sochua's ground work? It should be.
Kuoy Pichet
"The Siem Reap Center received a $336,000 grant from the State Department last year to fund its operating costs, and Clinton said she would make sure money continued to flow."
Thank you very much, Mrs. Clinton from the bottom of my heart for your interest, attention and love in helping to make sure that the funding from the State Department will continue to flow to this organization which is helping a lot of these poor girls and women.
To the Cambodian officials of all levels:
It is about time you begin to see with your eyes and conscious mind the suffering of the very people you profess to love and serve.
Stop your corruption now and use the state money you used to steal to help these poor Cambodians who deserve to live their lives with dignity and honor.
You have stolen state assets, money deemed for the poor from foreign aids and natural resources for so many years. You have used that money to enrich yourselves, your families and cronies and their families without any guilt or remorse. Shame on all of you!
Look at yourself in the mirror and see how fat each one of you has become and look further away from your families, friends and cronies into every corner of the country and see how skinny, destitute and desparate your ordinary people are and have become.
You complain about your Mercedes-Benz and want something better and faster. You also complain about your food, clothing and other materials without end. You want a bigger and more expensive house so you can brag and show off to your friends, colleagues and neighbours, but you have forgotten totally the duty and obligation that you have sworn to uphold. In case you might have forgotten what they are, I want to remind you that all of you should strive to compete with each other in how you can serve poor Cambodians better, help them rise above the poverty in which they currently live and lead them to create a society in which there is justice, security, freedom, democracy and above all else an environment in which they can live as decent human beings.
Remember that you are also citizens of Cambodia and are not special, but you want to be officials and for that reason you must be willing to serve the ordinary people with a clear mind, goal and respect.
The suffering of the Cambodian poeple is the shame and disgrace of all of you who are the officials at all level and the Prime Minister who are incompetent, corrupt and have no conscience and vision.
Though blind in one eye, the Prime Minister does indeed have 2 good ears by which, if he can't see clearly, he should be able to hear loudly the cry of suffering of the poor Cambodians all across Cambodia.
Wake up and stop being the cruel masters of your own people!
Be their servants since you have sworn to be so when taking your offices lest lightning may strike you right in the head during a sunny bright-sky morning!
Anet Khmer
"The Siem Reap Center received a $336,000 grant from the State Department last year to fund its operating costs, and Clinton said she would make sure money continued to flow."
Thank you very much, Mrs. Clinton from the bottom of my heart for your interest, attention and love in helping to make sure that the funding from the State Department will continue to flow to this organization which is helping a lot of these poor girls and women.
To the Cambodian officials of all levels:
It is about time you begin to see with your eyes and conscious mind the suffering of the very people you profess to love and serve.
Stop your corruption now and use the state money you used to steal to help these poor Cambodians who deserve to live their lives with dignity and honor.
You have stolen state assets, money deemed for the poor from foreign aids and natural resources for so many years. You have used that money to enrich yourselves, your families and cronies and their families without any guilt or remorse. Shame on all of you!
Look at yourself in the mirror and see how fat each one of you has become and look further away from your families, friends and cronies into every corner of the country and see how skinny, destitute and desparate your ordinary people are and have become.
You complain about your Mercedes-Benz and want something better and faster. You also complain about your food, clothing and other materials without end. You want a bigger and more expensive house so you can brag and show off to your friends, colleagues and neighbours, but you have forgotten totally the duty and obligation that you have sworn to uphold. In case you might have forgotten what they are, I want to remind you that all of you should strive to compete with each other in how you can serve poor Cambodians better, help them rise above the poverty in which they currently live and lead them to create a society in which there is justice, security, freedom, democracy and above all else an environment in which they can live as decent human beings.
Remember that you are also citizens of Cambodia and are not special, but you want to be officials and for that reason you must be willing to serve the ordinary people with a clear mind, goal and respect.
The suffering of the Cambodian poeple is the shame and disgrace of all of you who are the officials at all level and the Prime Minister who are incompetent, corrupt and have no conscience and vision.
Though blind in one eye, the Prime Minister does indeed have 2 good ears by which, if he can't see clearly, he should be able to hear loudly the cry of suffering of the poor Cambodians all across Cambodia.
Wake up and stop being the cruel masters of your own people!
Be their servants since you have sworn to be so when taking your offices lest lightning may strike you right in the head during a sunny bright-sky morning!
Anet Khmer
កម្ពុជាមិនចាំបាច់មានសិទ្ធមនុស្សនៅលើទឹកដីរបស់
ខ្លួននោះទេ។ចំណែកពលរដ្ធកម្ពុជានៅក្នុងប្រទេស
មិនធ្វើឲ្យរដ្ធាភិបាលខកចិត្តនឹងការគោរពចាស់ទុំនោះទេ។បើកូនខ្មែរនៅឯក្រៅប្រទេសវិញធ្វើមិនដួចកូន
ខ្មែរនៅក្នុងប្រទេសនោះទេ។កូនខ្មែរនៅក្រៅប្រទេស
មិនចេះដាំបាយឲ្យម៉ែឪឆីផងចំណែកកូនខ្មែរនៅឯ
ក្នុងស្រុកវិញគឺពិតជាគួរឲ្យស្រឡាញ់ណាស់។ចំណែកកូនខ្មែរនៅឯក្រៅប្រទេសបើឥតអំពីអ្នក
ចាស់ៗទៅគឺពិតជាបាត់ពូជខ្មែរហើយ។
Khmer people need USA govt to kick ah Hun Xen out of power.Cambodia will have peace and freedom.
“សិទ្ធមនុស្សនៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជាមិនមានអ្វីអស្ចារនោះ
ទេ។ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាមានវត្តមានលោកគ្រូរអ្នកគ្រូលោក
ជួយនែនាំកូនចៅឲ្យចេះជួយគ្នាទៅវិញទៅមកជាង
មានក្រុមសិទ្ធមនុស្សទៅទៀត។”
Wow, that is some kind of a stupid statement.
Wasn’t that mentality that had turned Pol Pot to who he was?
“mean tei anh kmean kru achar nar bror dout anh ban tei”
LONG LIVE VEIT NAM.. You all should wishes that you never born and if you born next born as vietnamese so you be smarter...
Hun sen and CPP doing a good job for US... the master.. and Phay siphan providing a good lip services and SOK Siphana and Sarin Donora are working hard to manipulate all the foerigners there for us.. the rest of our vietnamese brother and sisters are all in every officials position in the cambodian government.
Long live Viet Nam
soon we will take thailand too
You all khmer wishes you never born.. next time make sure you born as a vietnamses maybe you a little smarter
you all useless khmer peoples have no more chance.. we vietnam controle your idiot king... HUN SEN and all the family and CPP.. we have our citizen in every level of your government.. basically we run you whole country for you.. becuase you khmer are useless and stupid and idiot.. if you dont believe ask you parent..
look you country now.. it is the fact you wishes you never born.. next time you better born as vietnamese.. Long live viet nam.. soon we will control even thailand the land of gay and lesbian they dont care they only make love .. so it will be more easy..
we want to thank hun sen and cpp ... personal that to phay siphan for his lip services and sok siphana the brother inlaw to the rapist young girls minister of information and Sarin Denora for their manipulation to all the idiot foreigners in cambodian .. we will reward you and we will keep you in power
you all khmer deserved to dies like dogs
Sam rainsy don't have any leadership quality. what rainsy have been don so far give me the list?.
he is a street wild politician, how people truth him if he never live in Khmer, he is not Khmer he is chines and he the real loser, loser, loser.
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