There's still a lot of confusion on what the proper new titles are for ex-King Sihanouk and Queen Monineath. One Royal watcher says that in spite of the officially approved new title for Sihanouk, "His Majesty the King Father" is appropriate and "Her Majesty the Queen Mother" is also suitable.

** Revelers celebrating George Dubya Bush's presidential election victory were whooping it up at the Freebird Bar & Grill on Wednesday night. As the semi-official headquarters for Republicans Abroad in Cambodia, the watering hole is known affectionately in some circles as Genghis' Joint.

Proprietor Paul Guymon was sporting his finest G.O.P t-shirt in honor of the occasion, which read "10 out of 10 terrorists agree anybody but Bush". But the American flag on it only had 40 stars. Tsk, tsk! Another customer's t-shirt read: "Except for ending Slavery, Facism, Nazism and Communism WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING."

It was explained that the shirts, and other tasteful apparel, are available from www.protestwarrior.com, a website that was "created to help arm the liberty-loving Silent Majority with ammo-ammo that strikes at the intellectual solar plexus of the Left."

** Sources from the Thai town of Sattahip, the port on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, say that Chevron's offshore rig that has been drilling for the last four weeks in Cambodian waters has struck oil. Both Chevron and the RGC are keeping mum on the issue for the moment. Speculation is that an official statement may be released AFTER the CG meeting.

** Former US President Bill Clinton may be coming to town in February for a World Bank conference on "something related to private sector development," according to a bank source. He's been invited but his participation is not yet confirmed, however, bank president James Wolfensohn is expected to attend. Sources say Clinton would probably take his meals at the Freebird Bar & Grill.

** FUNCI insiders are grumbling that their party boss may be playing a too dangerous game. They worry that in doing the PM's bidding by calling for a shift in authority for the National Police away from the Ministry of Interior, their party may be drawn into an internal CPP squabble that it would be better to stay out of.

** Ex-Cogitel major-domo Paul Blanche-Horgan is in serious training for the upcoming India-ASEAN Rally. He predicts that he will win the Rally, especially as his co-driver will be the former world famous Formula 3 driver Icky Poowes.