U.S Ambassador to Cambodia, John Mussomeli, left with his baby boy Thomas Mussonmeli 17 months and wife Sharon right enter New Paradise Restraurant for a dinner hosted by the Cambodian American Community for Development Thursday evening. (Carl Hidalgo / Press-Telegram)
U.S Ambassador to Cambodia, John Mussomeli, left wife Sharon right greet guests. (Carl Hidalgo / Press-Telegram)Event: Local Community hears about country's political, economic challenges.
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
LONG BEACH — U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli told a packed-house of about 500 locals not to be too shy to ask tough questions of him as he stood at the dais of the New Paradise Restaurant Thursday night.
The new ambassador didn't have to worry.
Mussomeli got a grilling worthy of a White House press conference as he calmly answered hard questions on an array of questions about the painstaking process of the upcoming war tribunals against Khmer Rouge criminals, problems with visa processing in the country and why the Cambodians should trust that the United States will not pull out of the country, as it did before the genocide known as the Killing Fields began.
Mussomeli, a career diplomat, showed poise under the scrutiny and earned several loud bursts of applause for his answers.
That the new ambassador made Long Beach his first official U.S. stop since he was formally inaugurated in Phnom Penh in January spoke to the importance this city holds as home to the largest assemblage of Cambodians outside of the home country.
For the Cambodian-American Community for Development, which organized the reception, the event was a rousing success. Not only was there a full house for the event, but most of the Cambodian leaders in business and social activism were on hand as well.
Several city officials also appeared , including Mayor Beverly O'Neill, who gave Mussomeli a key to the city.
Mussomeli, who took time from his vacation to visit the Southland after spending time with family in San Diego, spent the early part of the day at a temple in Los Angeles before meeting with local business leaders in Long Beach.
He leaves for Washington, D.C., today before heading back to Cambodia with his wife, Sharon, and son, Thomas.
After entertainment, which featured an odd mix of traditional Cambodian dance and a modern Cambodian-American rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way," Mussomeli got down to the business at hand.
After a light-hearted beginning, the ambassador addressed some of the serious issues facing Cambodia. He harshly criticized the government's actions in 2005 when numerous human rights activists were jailed, then lauded the reversal of Prime Minister Hun Sen in releasing the prisoners and dropping charges. And he labeled recent dialogue between opposition leaders and the governments as giving the country a political stability "that it has lacked for 40 years."
He went on to describe the challenges facing the country, including the devastation of the rain forest, the need for the economy to expand its base beyond a fledgling tourism industry and textiles, the need for a strong and balanced rule of law and the importance of the country forging economic partnerships with neighbors Thailand and Vietnam.
The ambassador concluded with a lively question-and-answer session that lasted for more than a half an hour.
Greg Mellen can be reached at greg.mellen@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1291.
The new ambassador didn't have to worry.
Mussomeli got a grilling worthy of a White House press conference as he calmly answered hard questions on an array of questions about the painstaking process of the upcoming war tribunals against Khmer Rouge criminals, problems with visa processing in the country and why the Cambodians should trust that the United States will not pull out of the country, as it did before the genocide known as the Killing Fields began.
Mussomeli, a career diplomat, showed poise under the scrutiny and earned several loud bursts of applause for his answers.
That the new ambassador made Long Beach his first official U.S. stop since he was formally inaugurated in Phnom Penh in January spoke to the importance this city holds as home to the largest assemblage of Cambodians outside of the home country.
For the Cambodian-American Community for Development, which organized the reception, the event was a rousing success. Not only was there a full house for the event, but most of the Cambodian leaders in business and social activism were on hand as well.
Several city officials also appeared , including Mayor Beverly O'Neill, who gave Mussomeli a key to the city.
Mussomeli, who took time from his vacation to visit the Southland after spending time with family in San Diego, spent the early part of the day at a temple in Los Angeles before meeting with local business leaders in Long Beach.
He leaves for Washington, D.C., today before heading back to Cambodia with his wife, Sharon, and son, Thomas.
After entertainment, which featured an odd mix of traditional Cambodian dance and a modern Cambodian-American rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way," Mussomeli got down to the business at hand.
After a light-hearted beginning, the ambassador addressed some of the serious issues facing Cambodia. He harshly criticized the government's actions in 2005 when numerous human rights activists were jailed, then lauded the reversal of Prime Minister Hun Sen in releasing the prisoners and dropping charges. And he labeled recent dialogue between opposition leaders and the governments as giving the country a political stability "that it has lacked for 40 years."
He went on to describe the challenges facing the country, including the devastation of the rain forest, the need for the economy to expand its base beyond a fledgling tourism industry and textiles, the need for a strong and balanced rule of law and the importance of the country forging economic partnerships with neighbors Thailand and Vietnam.
The ambassador concluded with a lively question-and-answer session that lasted for more than a half an hour.
Greg Mellen can be reached at greg.mellen@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1291.
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