A bit of an interesting scene at Pochentong last week when Foreign Minister Sirivudh returned. One journalist managed to make his way into the VIP lounge and, as he'd heard that the FM was going to resign, was asking some of the assembled diplomats what they thought about the Prince's impending resignation. His queries were dismissed as groundless. Sirivudh wasn't going to quit, no way, forget it they said.

When the Prince arrived he walked along the assembled row of waiting dignataries greeting each one cordially only to find the very same scribe at the end of the queue with a question to pose. "Mr. Foreign Minister, are you going to resign?" To which the Prince responded, "Yes!"

More than a dozen jaws then dropped to the ground with an accompanying deafening silence enveloping the room. As if on cue, after a stunned hesitation, bunches of VIPs reached for their mobile phones to dial feverishly important points unknown.

The BBC's Jonathan Miller had a phone call to London rudely interupted last week - by a wild gun battle outside his front door.

It all started simply enough when a robber pulled out a gun and tried to steal someone else's motorcycle. The would be victim pulled out his own heater and the two started shooting at each other.

But it just so happened that the attempted heist was taking place in front of a police station, and before anyone knew it, a gang of coppers with AKs were also in the street blasting away.

To the amazement and relief of one and all, no one was hurt when the gunfire subsided. Although a taxi in front of Miller's house was peppered with holes, and when the driver and passenger, who was a friend of Miller's, tried to head off to the airport the windshield collapsed on their laps.

Emboldened by this test by fire, Miller's latest act of daring was to rescue General Paet's cat from Phnom Vour. Miller says he has determined that the feline is also a battle-hardened "meowist" guerilla who will now go through a serious program of political re-education starting with a seminar on the principles of kitty litter management.

The opening ceremony for Route 4 rehab had some appropriate music to go along with all the hoopla. Attending dignataries were welcomed on the VIP stand with the sounds of "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Credence Clearwater Revival.

The Hash House Harriers, always a troublesome lot, should be approached with extreme caution, so the Gecko is told. For their 100th run in Phnom Penh they produced some t-shirts with what they thought was an imitation "Danger Minefield" sign on the front. It was supposed to read in Khmer "Danger Hash" but it seems the printer had some trouble and mixed up his R's and H's. When one of the juicy joggers asked a Khmer what the t-shirts said he replied "Danger Skin Disease".