The Mennonite Church has been prohibited by the federal government from donating school supplies to 86,000 students in Cambodia because of a State Department policy prohibiting aid to that country’s government, which the U.S. does not recognize.
The Protestant religious group put together packages last summer--each containing notebooks, pencils, a pen, an eraser, and a ruler--which the church planned to ship to the Southeast Asian country along with food.
American foreign policy, however, includes an embargo on all exports, other than those for emergencies, to the country, because it is controlled by an anti-American government. The food was allowed to be shipped under this emergency rule, but not the school supplies.
The church has appealed the matter to State and Commerce Department officials.