Speeches
Remarks by Jennifer Spande, Economic Officer, Fusion Canoe Graduation
Phnom Penh
June 29, 2007
Excellencies, Admiral Sao Sarin, honored guests, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces officers and enlisted personnel, and U.S. Navy officers:
Thank you for inviting me here today. I'm delighted to be here to congratulate you as you complete your month-long Fusion Canoe training course. This course, funded by the US Department of Defense's Joint Interagency Task Force West and taught by officers from the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School and the Mobile Security Squadron 7, underlines the shared US and Cambodian commitment to fighting international crime and further strengthening our military cooperation and capabilities.
This counternarcotics program illustrates that as partners, we assist each other in tackling our toughest problems. Whether those problems involve terrorism, improving health care, or narcotics, Cambodia and America stand together.
The drug problem in Cambodia is very real, and the biggest part of that problem, as you all know, is amphetamine-type stimulants. One source has estimated that over 150,000 methamphetamine tablets enter Cambodia daily. Some are consumed in Cambodia, and others are trafficked out of the country. And of course, this problem is not unique to Cambodia. We're able to help share our knowledge about battling drugs because we're also fighting the drug trade in our own country. America, like Cambodia, has a serious drug problem, but together we can alleviate much of the problem.
The battle against drugs is a long, arduous struggle. It does not lend itself to quick, easy solutions, and it cannot be won only by conventional means. The recent arrest of a major general reminds us that the drug problem cuts across all elements of Cambodian society--from street children to military officers--and that all drug traffickers, regardless of rank or position, should be held accountable for their actions and tried fairly in the courts.
The primary ingredient in this global battle against drugs is closer cooperation and coordination among like-minded countries, such as the United States and Cambodia. Recently, the US and Cambodia have worked closely together to assess the condition of the methamphetamine lab discovered in Kampong Speu province on April 1, 2007 and to make plans to clean up the site. We in the US government are proud to support the clean up effort through a $60,000 contribution, and we look forward to working with the Cambodian government and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime on this effort.
All of you here are also an important part of this cooperation. During the last 28 days you've learned how to board, search, and seize illicit materials on a variety of water vessels. You've learned techniques to help keep you safe in this sometimes risky operation, and how to develop an operational plan and work effectively with your team mates. You've learned how to repair and maintain your patrol boats--a critical but often overlooked ingredient in any successful marine or riverine patrol operation. And I hope you've shared your insights about drug trafficking in Cambodia and military operations with your US military partners. We don't have all the answers, and we are eager to learn from you.
Through these training sessions and close cooperation, we are working together to stem the tide of ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs. The close working relationship that we've forged between our armed forces and our civilian anti-drug agencies is one that I hope can serve as a model for bilateral cooperation in other areas.
As we know all too well in the United States, the drug trade does not only affect drug users, it affects us all. Narcotics trafficking leads to increased violence and other crimes, and money spent on drugs and on the war on drugs is money that could otherwise be used to help improve people's lives through education and economic development. I am glad that today we can stand together to applaud these forty newly-trained Royal Cambodian Armed Forces officers and enlisted personnel and to reaffirm our commitment to work together to battle this problem.
