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Friendship Highway binds US and Cambodia

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24-Aug-2005
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"The immortal gods, when they intend to punish some men for their sins, sometimes grant them temporary prosperity and prolonged immunity to make them suffer more severely from a change of fortune." -- Julius Caesar

Asia Times Online
Friday, February 21, 2003

Southeast Asia

Friendship Highway binds US,Cambodia
By James Borton

Unlike the bumpy and broken history between Cambodia and the United  States,
National Highway 4 is smooth and paved with concrete goodwill.

Stretching more than 220 kilometers, and formerly called the "Khmer-American
Friendship Highway", it has withstood numerous bombings, Khmer Rouge
attacks, landmines, and now the regular buildup of  increased traffic,
including an occasional water buffalo or two, and the daily pounding of
fully loaded, brightly colored Sokimex petro-container convoys careering
along the highway between the Port of Sihanoukville and the capital city,
Phnom Penh.

"I can recall working on that road as a young, strong laborer back in  the
early 1960s," said Cambodia's senior minister of finance, Keat Chhon,  from
his comfortable office in Phnom Penh.

The road project was the single largest and most lasting cooperative aid
project undertaken between the US and Cambodia at a time when the
countryside was briefly at peace and the living was easy under sugar-palm
trees, bamboo thickets, mangrove forests and a lush jungle offering a
profusion of lianas and orchids.

The sunny and pollution-free seaside town of Sihanoukville was founded by
King Sihanouk in 1964 and underwent a name change under the infamous Khmer
Rouge to Kompong Som before reverting to its original name upon the  return
of the king to the country.

Almost 30 years ago, under an official United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) program, the historical road was widened
and repaved. As a result, the National Road is the key corridor for
transporting goods and services through the region. This reconstruction  at
a cost of a little less than US$30 million was a major and significant
contribution to Cambodia's reconstruction efforts since the signing of  the
Paris Peace Accords in 1991.

According to a US Embassy official, "improvement in National Highway 4  is a
prerequisite for raising the standard of living in the countryside and  the
economic development of the country". Senior government officials seem quite
proud of the legacy of the US involvement in the construction of  the road
from the late 1950s through the road's renovation.

During the highway construction, American engineers trained Cambodians  to
operate cranes, graders, and bulldozers. At the time, the new road and  the
Port of Sihanoukville opened up Cambodia to world markets and provided
access to areas of previously unpopulated dense jungle and low-lying
fertile rice lands.

It was King Sihanouk who had broken off all US military and economic aid
efforts by the end of November 1963. His actions were largely attributed to
keeping Cambodia independent as the Vietnam War widened. By the late  '60s
and into the early '70s, the same "friendship road" was used as a  central
transit point for weapons delivery to enemy troops.

Not surprisingly, between 1960 and 1962, US aid accounted for almost 15
percent of Cambodia's revenue and contributed to the balancing of the
country's overall budget.

In Andre Malraux's novel The Royal Way, the character Perkin says, "I  wish
to leave a scar on the landscape here." This was written almost 40  years
before the United States turned these words into reality.

After more than half a million tons of bombs were dropped during the
Vietnam War, the US decided, perhaps facing up to some moral responsibility,
to renovate more than a road. This US aid surfaced  after Washington's
repeated failure to transform the Mekong into a river of peace, rather than
the inevitable torrent of blood.

It was an opportunity to use US engineering to cement an old  friendship,
and thousands of tons of cement were poured for to repair destroyed or
damaged bridges.

Hy Phos is a 54-year-old mother supporting her family by selling fruits  and
vegetables at her roadside stand near Sihanoukville.

"This road really helps my business and there are not as many traffic
accidents," she  said.

Most locals agree with her that the road is safe - no more rebels, no more
landmines, no military checkpoints, just an occasional expat barreling
down the road back to Phnom Penh after a glorious sun-splashed weekend
holiday in the mushrooming resorts and bungalows situated along the clean
sandy
beaches.

"I am happy to return to my home country and invest in these comfortable and
charming traditional Khmer-style bungalows in Sihanoukville," said Lina Le
Winn, a California Cambodian entrepreneur, who fled her native country
barefooted in 1975 and calls her new Khmer resort "Malibu".

Additionally, the local roads in Sihanoukville have been renovated and
lead directly to beach access. Most Khmers are hopeful these infrastructure
improvements will bring more tourists and money to their small sleepy
seaside village.

In addition to Sokimex's lavish $10 million investment in a five-star
hotel and resort with a Thai partner in Sihanoukville, the port is also
gaining a
much-needed facelift thanks to Japanese investment from Marubeni Corp.  In
partnership with Cambodia's Sokimex, the two corporations are investing  in
the expansion of the jetty at the port to receive 30,000-ton tankers.

"Japan has a long-term history in the region and we are committed to
providing continued support to Cambodia," said Takashi Nakamura, Japan  Bank
for International Cooperation's senior representative in Washington.

Japan plays a constructive role in Cambodia in line with its active
economic growth and increasing diplomatic profile. It is, after all,  the
largest aid donor to Cambodia, pledging more than $138 million in 2001.

The Japanese, like the Americans, have a moral responsibility toward  the
devastated region precipitated by their occupation during World War II.
Today, the government of Cambodia recognizes the enormous contribution  made
by Japan. This includes Japan's extension of a $40 million loan last  year
for the rehabilitation of the country's strategic gateway, the Sihanoukville
Port.

But despite all the highway modernization, newly built bungalows and
resorts, and port renovation, most Sihanoukville locals still take more
solace in legend and tradition, offering bananas and incense to Ya-Mao,  the
revered deity still watching out over Cambodia's southern coast - and  its
future.[End]