Embassy of the United States

Speech

Remarks by Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli, Cambodian Signing Ceremony Regarding the Sister Park Relationship between Sequoia National Park and Samlaut Protected Area

Samlaut Protected Area, Cambodia
December 19, 2006
 
On February 8, 1999, nearly 1,800 fighters -- the last of the Khmer Rouge soldiers -- were inducted into the Cambodian Army in a forest clearing very close to where we are today. This ceremony brought to an end nearly 30 years of bloodshed and civil war, during which the Khmer Rouge plundered Cambodia's forests to support its reign of terror and took refuge in the deepest parts of the country's majestic woodlands - particularly the forests of Samlaut.

So for me – and certainly more so for all Cambodians -- it is enormously gratifying that Samlaut, which made history as the setting for the final chapter in the saddest epoch of Cambodia's history, is now making a different kind of history, becoming the first Cambodian protected area to have a sister relationship with a foreign national park.  And I cannot think of a better sister park for Samlaut than our own Sequoia National Park.  Although on opposite sides of the world, both Samlaut and Sequoia share many similarities: rich mountain streams, rare wildlife, and prominent mountain landscapes, making the two parks a particularly appropriate pairing.

Some might question placing such high importance on this sister park relationship and more generally the protection of the environment in Cambodia when there are so many other important areas that also need attention, such as democracy, human rights, poverty, education, and good governance.  These are all very important, but there is something especially unique about protecting these forests.  Frankly, we can make a mistake in our efforts to develop democracy and we can take a misstep in our march toward greater freedom, but we can always make up for it later.  Not so with regard to these forests.  Once we make one mistake, once they are gone, they are gone forever.

The fragility of the Cambodian rainforest stands in stark contrast to the resilience of the Cambodian people.  The Cambodian people have endured great hardship and pain; they have borne the burden of one of history’s worst genocides and decades of one of history’s most brutal civil wars.  The Khmer Rouge and the years of war and neglect broke Cambodia’s institutions, its infrastructure, its educational system, its cultural customs, even its religious traditions.  But through it all, the Cambodian people never broke, never gave up, and are once again beginning their own rebirth.  But these forests, fragile, vulnerable, and defenseless, require the united efforts of the Cambodian people in order to endure.  The Cambodian people must strive to safeguard these forests so that they are not abused and annihilated.

The vestiges of the civil war remain in Samlaut, with many areas still heavily mined and much former agricultural land out of production.  For this reason, despite its fertile soil and potential for high-yielding agriculture, many residents resort to illegal logging and hunting in order to eke out an existence.  Moreover, Samlaut is an enormous watershed for northwest Cambodia, supplying water to nearly one million people, but this water is threatened with contamination from illegal mining operations and unsustainable agricultural practices.

It is difficult for the Cambodian government to actively manage this area due to a lack of resources and technical capacity, and rangers are constrained in what they can achieve by their lack of technical knowledge regarding wildlife conservation.  Therefore, developing international relationships like this one will be vital in assisting the Cambodian government in its efforts to provide for nature conservation and wildlife protection.

The MJP project, the first and only group working in Samlaut Protected Area since 2003, actively supports Cambodian rangers through resource and ranger training programs. This project shows just what can be accomplished when the international community lends a hand.   MJP has also created an integrated rural community development program that helps to protect not only the park but also provides assistance to the local people. Only a few years ago, environmentalists feared that many endangered species had disappeared from Samlaut, but today we find Asian elephants, Asiatic black bears, Malayan sun bears, pig tailed macaques, pileated gibbons, hornbills, and pangolins living in Samlaut's forests.  And now, with our National Park Service professionals from Sequoia sharing their expertise in park management, law enforcement, environmental education and ecotourism opportunities, the Cambodian government is much closer to realizing its goals of protecting and rehabilitating the wildlife, eco-system and watershed of Samlaut.

To conclude, I would like to say "Bae Khmoch Srok Min Ouy Dai – Khmoch Prey Min Hean Chol".  An old Khmer proverb, familiar to the people living near here. Literally translated, it means "If the spirit inside the house does not open the gate, the spirit outside cannot come in".  I am delighted that the Cambodian government with the support of the MJP project has opened the gate to Samlaut, allowing the American people to bring in their spirit of conservation and love of nature.  We in the United States have learned to protect our forests only after much had been destroyed.  At first we did not listen well to the Native American Indians who tried to teach us a valuable lesson about our natural treasures like the forest.  Long ago they admonished us:

Treat the earth well: it has not been given to you by your parents, rather it has been loaned to you by your children and grandchildren.
 
Thank you.