The neighbors living near the National Assembly are a bit fed up. They say

that the guards tasked with protecting the august body have a tendency to let off

more than a few rounds at night, perhaps something to do with a few too many cocktails

after dark. They are too afraid to protest or make an official complaint as the guards

are believed to have friends who are "big people". But they would like

the shooting to stop as it is causing loss of sleep and some of their dogs are having

bladder problems as a result of nervous tension.

** One parent in town is quite confused. He wonders why his five-year-old's

spelling homework for the holidays from one of the schools for expats included the

words: swag, swig, blab, slag, crap, scum, scab, dram, drug, drat, snob and scut.

** Just how bizzare was the thinking of the Khmer Rouge during their reign

of terror? One report from Secretary Pin of Div 703 to Son Sen in Phnom Penh (discovered

by the DC-Cam) written in late 1976, after the population had been starved and worked

to death for almost two years, notes some problems with errant "combatants"

who it was recommended should be "removed from the unit".

One guy is described as follows: "He eats raw fish, and then he boils

spoiled piglets, eats them, hair and all. If he eats rice, he eats until he can't

get up from the table. Eats even more som law than rice. If you cook up a #10 pot

of som law, normally for eight people, that's not enough for him. Also, when cadres

meet, he often sneaks in on his belly to listen."

Another guy: "Always stealing something, steals watches, steals eggs,

steals rice. Steals pig rice to eat. He boils little kittens and eats them fur and

all. Pretends to be sick a lot, and tries to avoid work. Sneaks off to sleep under

houses. If we meet him he flees from under house to sleep under a tree on the paddy

field dyke."

A third guy: "Pretends to be sick all the time. Doesn't work, sneaks

around, shits in bed, steals constantly. The collective re-educates him from morning

to night, then he steals again."

One can suppose that it would have been too difficult to send in a report:

"Cadres starving, sick and exhausted. Send food, medicines and help."