CAMBODIAN KING SIHAMONI DONATES $20,000 FOR

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 001539 TOPEC DEPARTMENT FOR HURRICANE KATRINA TASK FORCE, EAP/BCLTV DHS FOR FEMA/OIA DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USAID/ANE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR EAID PREL US CB SUBJECT: CAMBODIAN KING SIHAMONI DONATES $20,000 FOR KATRINA VICTIMS REF: A. STATE 166898 ¶B. PHNOM PENH 1522 ¶1. On September 13, King Norodom Sihamoni conveyed to Charge and USAID Mission Director his profound condolences and those of King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Monineath for the destruction, suffering, and loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina. King Sihamoni then provided a cash donation of $20,000 on behalf of himself and his parents the King Father and Queen Mother to support the victims and recovery efforts. Charge accepted the donation in principle. ¶2. In a moving statement, the King said that, as a young man studying in Prague, he had been touched by the influence of the culture of New Orleans and by the great American literature produced by southern writers. He expressed his admiration for the efforts of the American people in dealing with the catastrophe and for the dignity of survivors. He apologized for the modesty of the donation, but said that it represented an expression of his heartfelt sorrow and that of his parents. Charge promised to convey these sentiments to Washington. Charge added that the sum was a large amount for Cambodia and that the King's donation, along with the $20,000 donation provided by the Cambodian government (Ref b), demonstrated the will of Cambodia and the Cambodian people not to just accept assistance from others, but also participate in the world community and help where Cambodia was able to assist. ¶3. We await guidance from the Department Task force on accepting the King's donation before we proceed with crediting the cash donation. Today we will credit the RGC donation made September 9 as per Ref A instructions. STORELLA