ensure that Khmer culture stays alive and well. After the rain, the sky is clear. This Khmer proverb bears witness to the situation following Pol Pot's demise, when the Cambodians that fled the country returned to their homeland. Some have returned for the love of their country, to help Cambodia emerge from darkness and forge a future lit with hope. Srey Yaputhsavdy is one such person. It is his mission to rescue the lost or disappearing remnants of Khmer culture that will teach future generations about what and who Cambodia once was. "I love the culture and would like to reveal some plants in Cambodia that people do not know yet," he said. The Mores and Custom commission currently is helping Srey Yaputhsavdy to achieve his goal. His nine-person team is made of talented professionals working to elucidate the fading traces of Khmer culture and heritage. Although not often considered to be a part of culture, plants contribute heavily to the makeup of a country and its civilization. Srey Yaputhsavdy's team works to research and record plants from the past that Cambodia and the world presently are not aware of. It also is working preserve Satra, Buddhist documents written on palm leaves.
The team records their findings in books to be
reserved at the Buddhist Institute's library. Srey Yaputhsavdy and his team recently finished research about rare plants like lacquer, rattan, Klehm Chan.
"The research needs at least three weeks to finish. The research then can be published into book within three months'', Srey Yaputhsavdy said about his process of discovery.
"When the book is finished, we send it to the Buddhist Institute's library where many Khmer students and monks are waiting to read it."

54,500 riel (about $14) from the government and $50 dollars from the Heinrich Boel Organization of Germany. He said the rewards of his work and the talent of his team are incentive enough to keep going. The team is a tightly knit group comprised of Chen Tithirith, Som Vannak, Keo Ratanak, Rich Chamroeun, Ou Seren, Miss Ngem Chenda, Miss Hun Chansocheata and Miss Sinak.
To complete their work, they must travel to the provinces, where they stay with local villagers. Work is not always easy and often is riddled with problems. Some extremely remote sites have proven dangerous, Srey Yaputhsavdy said, but have never prevented the team from accomplishing their goal to uncover the past.
Recently, Srey Yaputh-savdy and his team finished 12 articles about Khmer culture and various rural plants. Unfortunately, limited funds allowed only five of the 12 articles to be printed. The completed works bring the team's publishing accomplishments to a total of five 15-page books. All are stored at the Buddhist Institute, established in 1925 and known as the Royal Library until 1930. The present building was furnished by the Rissho Kosei Kai foundation of Japan. Much of Srey Yaputhsavdy's wisdom was cultivated abroad. He left Kampong Speu province in 1973 in pursuit of knowledge and, supported by his middle class family, studied law at the University of Paris 11th, just 15 km from the French capital. He finished his Bachelor degree of Law in 1980. But his quest for a Master's degree was cut short when a lack of funds prevented him from taking the final exam.
All was not lost during this period, however. Just a year earlier in 1979 he fell in love and married Sun Leya, with whom he had one son and a daughter To make up his financial deficit, Srey Yaputhsavdy started to work for an insurance company in France. But once the war ended in Cambodia, Srey Yaputhsavdy decided his children were old enough to be left alone
and he returned to the land he once called home.
Srey Yaputhsavdy is proud of his two children who still are living in France. His 23 year-old son, Srey Peddy, is the manager of a McDonald's restaurant in Evry, France. And Srey Yada, 24, works as the sales director for the Galerie Lafayette.
Fortunately for Cambodia, success follows Srey Yaputh-savdy, his family and his team. For the sake of Khmer culture and tradition, it will continue to do so.