LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — The third Cambodian consulate in the United States has opened in Massachusetts.
The consulate in Lowell, featuring a small Buddhist shrine, was dedicated during a small ceremony on Sunday, April 26, and was attended by about 200 people.
Cambodian Ambassador Hem Heng says the facility will help Cambodian Americans and citizens obtain visas and passport validations and deal with other diplomatic matters that previously were handled in Washington, D.C.
It will also help boost trade and investment between the nations.
Lowell, about 25 miles northwest of Boston, has a significant Cambodian population.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong was taken by ambulance to a city hospital after falling ill, but ceremony emcee Vesna Nuon tells The Sun of Lowell that Namhong was simply exhausted.
The other two Cambodian consulates in the United States are in Seattle and Los Angeles. ♦