US Ambassador’s Council Faces Disengaged Youth

US Ambassador William Todd

About 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is below the age of 30, making them a powerful constituency.

31 August 2012

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

Say Mony hosts 'Hello VOA' from Phnom Penh, on 27 August, 2012:

Hosted by Kiwi6 file hosting. Download mp3 - Free Music Hosting.

“From the primary to tertiary education, young people see only corruption due to the current bad leadership in Cambodia”

PHNOM PENH - The new US ambassador to Cambodia, William Todd, has initiated an Ambassador’s Youth Council, aimed at engaging young people in issues of national importance. But the new initiative faces a number of challenges, including the attitudes of youths themselves.

The ambassador would like to see more young people involved in social and political affairs that affect them, the embassy’s spokesman, Sean McIntosh, told “Hello VOA” Monday.

“If the young people realize what kind of benefit it is for themselves and for their country to take the interest in the serious issues, then those young people will come around and start being engaged,” Sean McIntosh, spokesman for the embassy, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.

CCU's letter to the US Ambassador

Cambodia debt to the US - An answer by US ambassador William E. Todd

បំណុល​កម្ពុជា និង​និមិត្តរូប​អាមេរិក​

ថ្ងៃទី 8 កក្កដា 2012
Cambodia Express News

ដោយ: លោក William E. Todd ឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូត​សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក​ប្រចាំ​ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រ​កម្ពុជា​

ភ្នំពេញ: ​ខ្ញុំ​សូម​អរគុណ​ចំពោះ​អស់លោកអ្នក​ទាំងអស់​ដែល​បានផ្តល់​មតិ​ឆ្លើយតប និង​សំណួរ​ល្អៗ ដែល​ខ្ញុំ​បាន ទទួល​បន្ទាប់ពី​ការចុះផ្សាយ​ខ្ទង់​សារព័ត៌មាន “​សួរ​ឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូត​” របស់ខ្ញុំ​កាលពី​សប្តាហ៍​មុន​។

​ខ្ញុំ​មាន​ក្តីរំភើប​ដោយមាន​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា​ជាច្រើន​មានការ​ចាប់អារម្មណ៍​ចង់​ធ្វើការ​ពិភាក្សា​ជាមួយ​ខ្ញុំ ហើយ​ខ្ញុំ​សង្ឃឹមថា នឹង​បន្ត​ទទួលបាន​សំណួរ​ពី​លោកអ្នក​តាមរយៈ​អ៊ីម៉េល AskAMBToddPP@state.gov ។​

​សំណួរ​មួយ​ក្នុងចំណោម​សំណួរ​ដែល​ខ្ញុំ​បានទទួល​ញឹកញាប់​គឺថា “​តើ​សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក​នឹង​គិត​យ៉ាងដូចម្តេច​ចំពោះ​បំណុល​ដែល​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា​ជំពាក់​?” ។ មាន​មនុស្ស​ជាច្រើន​អ្នក​បាន​សរសេរ​ប្រាប់​ខ្ញុំ​ថា ការ​លុប​បំណុល ចោល​អាចជួយ​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា​បាន​ច្រើន ឬថា សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក​មិនអាច​បង្ខំ​អោយ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​បច្ចុប្បន្ន​ទទួលខុសត្រូវ​ចំពោះ​បំណុល​នេះ​ទេ ពីព្រោះ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​មុន​ជា​អ្នក​ខ្ចីប្រាក់​នោះ​។​

End of road for ambassador

US Ambassador Carol Rodley speaks at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, in July of 2010. (Photo by: Sovan Philong)

Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Vong Sokheng and Kristin Lynch
The Phnom Penh Post

THE United States embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed yesterday that Ambassador Carol Rodley will be leaving her position at the end of the month.

Her departure ends a term in which she openly spoke against corruption and saw the release of hundreds of diplomatic cables as part of the WikiLeaks saga.

In an email to the Post yesterday, embassy spokesman Sean McIntosh said that Rodley had “completed her mission in Cambodia”.

The embassy’s announcement comes nearly three years after Rodley began her term on October 24, 2008. McIntosh said that Rodley “will be making private farewell calls on a number of senior Cambodian officials prior to her departure”.

Boeung Kak Lake Protesters Look to US for Help

Boeung Kak Lake protesters (Photo: CEN)

Monday, 04 July 2011
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“We want the Cambodian government to offer what we need in order to prevent conflict.”

Lake residents protesting over a Phnom Penh development delivered a letter to the US Embassy on Monday, asking for support in their ongoing dispute with the city and a development company.

The Boeung Kak villagers are asking the city to grant them a portion of land on the development site, rather than take buyouts and be removed to a resettlement site outside the city.

Fifteen representatives of 100 lake area residents thumb-printed the letter, addressed to US Ambassador Carol Rodley, requesting urgent intervention in their imminent eviction.

Ambassador to Cambodia: Who is Carol Rodley?

In May 2009, Rodley ruffled the feathers of the Cambodian government when, while delivering the opening speech at an anti-corruption concert in Phnom Penh, she claimed that Cambodia loses $500 million a year to corruption. (Photo: Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

Saturday, July 24, 2010
Noel Brinkerhoff
AllGov.com

A career officer in the Senior Foreign Service, Carol A. Rodley is serving her second tour in Cambodia, having worked in the Southeast Asian country in the late 1990s. Although she has served in many capacities in the State Department, Rodley is well-versed in issues of intelligence and counter-terrorism.

A native of Massachusetts, Rodley graduated from Smith College in 1976.

Her Washington assignments have included executive assistant to the Bosnia coordinator for the Dayton peace accord negotiations; deputy director of the secretariat staff; Cyprus desk officer in the Office of Southern European Affairs; senior watch officer in the Operations Center; and intelligence analyst in the Russia Division of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

Rodley’s overseas assignments have included postings in Germany, South Africa, the Dominican Republic and Pakistan.

From 1997-2000 she worked her first tour in Cambodia, as deputy chief of mission at the American embassy in Phnom Penh. During this time, she supported bringing former Khner Rouge officials to trial for crimes against humanity before an “international court.”

Rodley then attended the State Department’s senior leadership training course, the 43rd Senior Seminar, at the Foreign Service Institute from 2000-2001.

For the next two years she served as deputy executive secretary in the Executive Secretariat, until July 2003.

From 2003-2006 Rodley served as acting assistant secretary and principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. While in this position, she put together “Team Al-Qaida,” a group of State Department analysts whose goal, in Rodley’s words, was to “deepen our understanding of both specific terrorist networks and the broader international jihadist movement” using “computer-aided methods to mine the volumes of data and have developed particular expertise on terrorist support networks and terrorist facilitators.”

She relocated to Afghanistan to work as counselor for political and military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, before returning to the states to serve as a faculty advisor at the Foreign Service Institute for Afghanistan and Iraq training.

President George W. Bush nominated Rodley to be ambassador to Cambodia in May 2008, a post she finally took over on October 24.

In May 2009, Rodley ruffled the feathers of the Cambodian government when, while delivering the opening speech at an anti-corruption concert in Phnom Penh, she claimed that Cambodia loses $500 million a year to corruption.

Rodley is married to David Newhall, and the couple has three children. Rodley speaks Khmer, German, Spanish, Urdu, and Hindi.

"One-eye" Hun Sen lectures "dimwitted" foreigners who act as spokesperson of the "crazy" opposition

Hun Sen: Some foreigners are spokespersons of the opposition [… even though they tell the truth]

Thursday, July 10, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

During the national forum on food security and alimentation in which foreign embassy staff participated in, Hun Sen said that he regretted to see the behavior of a number of foreigners who have wrong views and who created frictions between the governments of the two countries involved. On 07 July, Hun Sen said that for a number of friends, before they speak, they should look at the situation first, otherwise, they would become the spokesperson of the crazy opposition and this is very regrettable for them in their position as partners. Hun Sen declared: “I regret very much because some foreigners are becoming the dimwitted spokesperson of the opposition, and they created frictions between the government [of Cambodia] and their government. But they shouldn’t allow themselves to become the spokespersons of any small opposition group.” In the past, Carol Rodley, the US Ambassador to Cambodia, chimed in with the opposition party during last month’s anti-corruption Clean Hand concert when she raised the issue that Cambodia lost up to $500 million in revenue from corruption.

Angered by the ox, Hun Sen’s henchmen start to beat the cart ("Kheung Ko Veay Rotess" or more appropriately "Kheung Lok Srey Kaing Veay Khmer")

Hun Sen’s henchmen summon those involved with the Clean Hand Forum for questioning

06 June 2009
Kampuchea Thmei newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

4 civil society organization representatives involved in the Clean Hand (anti-corruption) Forum were summoned by the Phnom Penh City Hall to clarify their use of this public forum to attack the government, contrary to what they promised.

A source indicated that the Phnom Penh City Hall summoned officials representing associations that organized the Clean Hand concert held on 30 May 2009 for questioning on a number of incidents that took place. These incidents affect the honor of Cambodia as a whole. The source added that the city hall summoned 4 persons for questioning, including Khieu Sansana, a well known CTN TV station presenter, simply because she acted as a presenter during the Clean Hand concert.

Chan Soveth, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights group, told Kampuchea Thmei over the phone on 04 June, that civil society representatives summoned by the city hall included 3 representatives of Pact Cambodia which was in charge of organizing the concert, one representative of PDP, as well as a lawyer.

Chan Soveth added that Ms. Khieu Sansana, a CTN TV station presenter, did not show up. However, Chan Soveth did not reveal the names of the civil society representatives who went to provide clarification to the city hall, he said that those representatives do not want to reveal their names.

Regarding this affair, Kampuchea Thmei was not yet able to obtain comments from Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh city governor, as of 04 June. However, a source revealed that these civil society representatives went in to provide their clarifications on the organization of the Clean Hand concert held on 30 May at the Olympic Stadium. The source also indicated that he does not know the names of all the civil society representatives present, but one of whom is named Yang Kim Eng and he represents the PDP NGO.

We could not obtain comment from Mr. Yang Kim Eng regarding the clarifications provided to the city hall. He told us to contact Mr. Sek Borisoth instead, however, we could not reach the latter.

Regarding the city hall summon, Chan Soveth indicated that it was the city hall rights to issue these summons because a promise was made not to attack the government during this concert. However, Chan Soveth said that the opinions or the declarations made during this concert are the rights of each institution participating in the event, and it is also the rights of the US ambassador to express her own opinion as well.

Chan Soveth added that he supports any action or concert against corruption, and Adhoc also participated in the event, however, Adhoc did not make any declaration. Chan Soveth said that the government should instead resolve the corruption issue so that foreigners would stop criticizing it. Furthermore, Chan Soveth said that the government should fight corruption rather than fighting those who denounce corruption.

The Clean Hand concert was organized by Pact Cambodia at the Olympic Stadium starting at 8AM on 30 May. During the evening, a concert was also held. Several organizations including Carol Rodley, the US ambassador to Cambodia, joined the event. Khieu Sansana was hired as the presenter for the concert.

During the event, Carol Rodley raised the issue of corruption in Cambodia, and she indicated that Cambodia lost $500 million in revenue per year from corruption. Her statement met with sharp reactions from Hun Sen’s government, and on 02 June, Om Yentieng, a personal advisor of Hun Sen, held a press conference to try to deflect the US ambassador’s accusation. A diplomatic note was also sent from Hun Sen’s regime to the US ambassador, however, Carol Rodley did not provide any reply yet.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: "... With $500 million"

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Instead of seeking help to deal with corruption, Hun Sen's regime would rather silence critics

Cambodia Lashes US Over Corruption Statement

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
02 June 2009

Senior Cambodian officials told reporters Tuesday that remarks about corruption made by the US ambassador last week could damage diplomatic relations between the two countries.

US Ambassador Carol Rodley said at a ceremony for an anti-corruption concert Saturday that the practice costs Cambodia $500 million a year.

At a press conference Tuesday, Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Hun Sen and head of the government’s anti-corruption body, assailed the remarks as “one-sided.”

US-Cambodian relations have thawed in recent years, and the Southeast Asian nation has emerged as a willing ally in the regional war on terror.

But donors have pushed Cambodia to reign in deep-rooted corruption and continue to seek the passage of anti-corruption legislation that has been in a draft stage for more than a decade.

US Embassy spokesman John Johnson declined to comment on the government’s statements.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cabinet Minister sent official letters to the US Embassy saying the statement was regrettable.

The two government offices said the US was basing its view on a biased assessment from an opposition-aligned economic institute.

One of the most corrupt regime in the world accuses US of meddling its affairs for revealing the scale of its corruption

Cambodia accuses US of meddling in its affairs

Tuesday, June 02, 2009
ABC Radio Australia

Cambodia has accused the United States of meddling in its internal affairs after the US ambassador said the impoverished nation was losing up to 500 million dollars a year through corruption.

US ambassador to Cambodia, Carol Rodley, says rampant graft is preventing the country from developing its public services, education and healthcare.

Cambodia's anti-graft chief, Om Yentieng, says the ambassador's remarks were an attempt to undermine a government which has the support of the people.

Transparency International last year ranked Cambodia as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, placing it 14th among 180 nations studied.

Hun Sen's regime on US ambassador's corruption allegation: Deny! Deny! Deny!

Cambodia denies US diplomat's corruption allegation

Tue, Jun 02, 2009
AFP

"We have never said that there is no corruption in Cambodia..." - CPP Ong Yentieng

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Cambodia Tuesday rejected a US diplomat's reported statement that graft costs the country up to US$500 million every year, branding her assertion "politically motivated and unsubstantiated."

US ambassador Carol Rodley made the allegation Saturday at a Phnom Penh anti-corruption concert, remarking, "five hundred million is equivalent to the cost of constructing 20,000 six-room school buildings," said a local report.

In a letter to the US embassy on Tuesday, Cambodia's foreign ministry said it "absolutely refutes the politically motivated and unsubstantiated allegation made by the United States diplomat."

The letter added that the US$500-million corruption figure was a "biased assessment" that came from an opposition party-linked economic institute.

Rodley's use of it, the letter said, was "in contradiction of the good relations between Cambodia and the United States."

Senior minister Om Yentieng, chairman of the government's anti-corruption unit, said in a press conference Tuesday that Rodley's allegation "strongly affects the honour and reputation of the Cambodian government."

"We have never said that there is no corruption in Cambodia.... But when saying that the level of corruption in Cambodia is so serious like the allegation, we cannot accept it," Om Yentieng said.

The US embassy was not immediately available for comment, but a 2004 report by the US Agency for International Development said informants estimated annual diversions from Cambodian government coffers at US$300 - US$500 million.

Donors pledged nearly one billion dollars in development aid to Cambodia last year despite strong concerns over rampant corruption and demands by rights groups that donors get tough on the government's apparent refusal to reform.

Cambodia's cabinet also issued a statement Tuesday saying Rodley's US$500 million figure was "regrettable" as well as a "groundless" allegation that it considered a "manipulation of the truth."

$500 million of revenue lost from corruption could increase civil servants pay by $260 per month: Not Sam Rainsy but US Ambassador Carol Rodley

31 May 2009
By Oun Chhin
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

The US ambassador to Cambodia said that revenue loss from corruption in Cambodia amounts to $500 million per year, and this amount could add up to $260 of additional monthly salary to civil servants.

Mrs. Carol Rodley, the US ambassador who participated in the anti-corruption “Clean Hand” concert organized by Pact Cambodia and civil societies at the National Olympic Stadium on Saturday 30 May 2009, discussed about the amount of revenue lost through corruption.

Carol Rodley said through a translator: “Numerous studies have shown that corruption in Cambodia led to $500 million in lost national revenue each year. The amount of revenue lost could help boost various expenditures, such as public education service, health service and jobs for Cambodian people. $500 million in lost revenue is equivalent to the cost of a building with 20,000 rooms, or it can also provide $260 of additional monthly salary to civil servants in Cambodia.”

Carol Rodley also expressed her hope that the anti-corruption law will be adopted in 2009.

Through a translator, Carol Rodley said: “We are pushing the Cambodian government to respect its promise for the ratification of the anti-corruption law. During the 2008 election, all political parties promised to adopt this law. Now is the time to put this law into practice.”

The Clean Hand concert was participated by numerous Cambodian singers and artists, as well as by Neay Koy’s comic troop.

The concert was accompanied by projection of Clean Hand pictures that attracted the spectators who took still pictures or recorded the event on video on their cameras and hand phones.

Mrs. Huot Ratanak from Pact Cambodia said that this first concert organized by her organization was successful beyond expectation. “We hosted several tens of thousands spectators who came to our concert,” she said.

The Clean Hand concert ended with the song “Pong-sav-da Khmer” (Khmer History) interpreted by all the artists and singers present.

Youth Now Focused on Future: [US] Ambassador

By Poch Reasey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
03 April 2009

[Editor's Note: Carol Rodley became Cambodia’s ambassador in October 2008. In an interview with VOA Khmer in March, she discussed the growing relationship between Cambodia and the US, on topics ranging from the Khmer Rouge tribunal to the global financial crisis. Below is the first of a six-part series resulting from the interview.] (Part 1 of 3)

Q. We are making history here. The United States has elected the first African-American as president. Ambassador Scot Marciel is the first US Ambassador to Asean. And you are the first female US Ambassador to Cambodia.

A. It is of course a very exciting time for America, with the historical election of Barack Obama as president, and it’s very exciting to be representing America overseas at a time like this, because people all around the world seem to be very excited about his presidency. As far as being the first female ambassador of the United States in Cambodia, I can only say that I was very glad to come here and find a number of other female colleagues in the diplomatic corps. The Australian ambassador is a woman. The Chinese ambassador is a woman. The ambassador of Singapore is also a woman. It’s a brave new world.

Q. You were the former deputy chief of mission from 1997 to 2000. How did that experience prepare you to be the US ambassador to Cambodia?

A. It gave me a chance to get to know the Cambodian people, to know Cambodian history, to travel to the countryside and see for myself what’s going on, and it really just inspired in me a real love for Cambodia, for Cambodian culture and especially for the Cambodian people, who are very warm, friendly, open and easy to get to know.

Q. Have Cambodia and its people changed since you were here last time?

A. Yes, in some very interesting ways. What I find is that in 2009 Cambodians are much more confident; they know more about the world outside Cambodia. They are more connected to the outside world through the Internet, through studies abroad, through travel, through music and the arts. So they have become much more integrated with the rest of the world, and they have become noticeably more confident and more optimistic about the future. I would say they have become more forward looking. In the past people were very focused on the past. That’s understandable, because Cambodia went through a very hard time. But now I find Cambodia very much focused on the future. Of course, it’s such a young country [that] I think having a future focus with such a young population is a very natural thing.

Q. You have met with many high-ranking Cambodian officials since you arrived. What is your overall assessment of Cambodia?

A. Many of the officials I met, I consider them my friends. I knew them from when I was in Cambodia before. So it has been very good to renew those friendships and those relationships, and I find [the officials] working very hard. They are very focused on development across the board, in all ministries. It’s clear that the real priority of this government is development. I find them taking very seriously the global financial downturn and working hard on plans to weather the rough financial times ahead.

Q. Is Cambodia less affected in some ways?

A. The banking sector has almost no exposure to what we call the “toxic securities” that have caused such difficulty in the US banking sector and in some other developing countries and trading partners that have invested heavily in US securities or in the US mortgages. So Cambodia has been insulated a little bit in that area. But since the United States is Cambodia’s main export market—over 60 percent of all Cambodian exports go to the United States—the downturn in the American economy has had an inevitable and noticeable effect on the Cambodian economy. When Americans stop buying T-shirts, Cambodian garment factories are in a lot of trouble. And a number of them have closed already because demands are down.

Congratulations to Sreang Lalune, First Female 'Youth Leader' Winning US Study Trip

Sreang Lalune and USAID Mission Director Aron Soto (Photo: OYGC)

First Female 'Youth Leader' Wins US Trip

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
16 July 2008

Twenty one-year-old Sreang Lalune went through many challenging activities and competitions before emerging victorious in a US-funded Youth Leadership Challenge, receiving an award from the US ambassador to Cambodia, a special study trip to the United States.

Sreang Lalune, from Kampong Cham province, is a student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Environmental Studies.

The first daughter of Sreang Krahn and Kong Sok Heang, she became the first woman to win the award.

"The season began with 16 top contestants, all of whom were university students in their early twenties," she told VOA Khmer. "Two teams of eight contestants each were challenged in fundraising, creating a Web log, debate, organizing trash-collection teams in local neighborhoods, feature video production, drawing pictures and public speaking."

Sreang Lalune won, earning a two-week trip to Washington to attend a youth conference and meet with representatives of the US government. She will depart for US by the end of August.

"I think it is a very good program that provides a great opportunity for young Cambodian people to exhibit their talents and abilities," she said.

US Amb. Mussomeli: “As a general principle, the United States strongly believes that defamation and disinformation should never be criminal cases”

Lawsuit Versus Sam Rainsy Worries Ambassador

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
07 May 2008

US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said Tuesday he was concerned a suit filed against the opposition leader by the foreign minister could have an affect on the general elections in July.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong is suing Sam Rainsy for disparaging remarks the opposition leader allegedly made at an April 17 public rally.

“As a general principle, the United States strongly believes that defamation and disinformation should never be criminal cases,” the ambassador said after a vitamin distribution in Kampong Thom province.

Hor Namhong dismissed questions about the suit by reporters Wednesday, asking them to let the court do its work.

If found guilty Sam Rainsy could face a fine for defamation but imprisonment for disinformation.

Mussomeli: Cambodia lost $320 million to corruption each year

US pushes for a speed up in the adoption of the anti-corruption law

Friday, January 25, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Joseph Mussomeli, the US Ambassador to Cambodia, is pushing the Cambodian government to speed up the adoption of the anti-corruption law, so that it can be put to use to curb down corruption in the Cambodian society, and to develop the country furthermore. Mussomeli told reporters in Kratie province on 22 January that the Cambodian government already promised to speed up the adoption of this anti-corruption law, without backing down. Mussomeli said that about $320 million flow into corruption each year. Therefore, if the flow of this gigantic sum of money can be stopped then it can be used to build a large number of schools, hospitals, and infrastructures. Mussomeli reported that more than 500,000 people provided their thumbprints to support the speedy adoption of this law by the National Assembly.

Mussomeli meeting with Khmer-Islam who are ECCC complainants

Cambodian Muslims walk in the compound of the residence of Joseph A. Mussomeli, U.S ambassador to Cambodia, during a meeting in Phnom Penh October 25, 2007. They complained to the ambassador that the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which was set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders, was too slow. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Joseph A. Mussomeli (R), U.S ambassador to Cambodia, greets Cambodian Muslims during a meeting at his house in Phnom Penh October 25, 2007. They complained to the ambassador that the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which was set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders, was too slow. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Joseph A. Mussomeli, U.S ambassador to Cambodia, addresses Cambodian Muslims during a meeting at his house in Phnom Penh October 25, 2007. The Cambodian Muslims complained to the ambassador that the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which was set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders, was too slow. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodian Muslims listen to a speech by Joseph A. Mussomeli, U.S ambassador to Cambodia, during a meeting at his house in Phnom Penh October 25, 2007. They complained to the ambassador that the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which was set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders, was too slow. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea