** The grapevine says that the wonder drug Viagra is now available in Phnom
Penh and can be found at the Sunway Hotel. Perhaps its only a coincidence that the
Sunway is also where many couples stay who've come to town to adopt a Khmer child
because... er... um... they may have trouble conceiving.
** How does a newspaper editor's mind work? Reporter Huw Watkin knows. He
called up the editor of one of the papers he works for, described a story he was
doing and the editor asked: "We won't get sued on this one will we?" Huw
replies: "No, no. No problem. They'll shoot me first before they sue you guys."
The editor cheers up: "Okay, great. Send it up."
** The big party at Preah Vihear temple after the signing ceremony for last
week's KR defection was a bit too much for one VIP from Phnom Penh. With a few too
many beers and cognacs under his belt, he boarded the helicopter for the ride home
only to lose it all once in the air. His fellow passengers were only mildly amused.
** Need some light reading to pass the time? Check out the UN Human Rights
Office report on election-related violence re-printed in the King's monthly bulletin.
Here's one excerpt from the section on Bodies Discovered During and Following the
Protests:
"Sept 9, Phnom Penh Thmei: Two young men were seen being taken by plainclothes
policemen and district gendarmes to Kmouegn village... Witnesses watched as the victims,
dressed only in their underwear and with their hands tied behind their backs were
transported to the place of execution... where they were summarily killed... [One]
had a large bruise on the left hip, a bullet entry wound on the right hip, a second
one in the groin, a large wound on the back of the neck-possibly from a bullet-and
the skull was smashed.
"The body of the second man was riddled with wounds from about 20 bullets,
five of which had been fired into his face, making identification difficult. Witnesses
to the killing stated that he had not died on the spot. They said he had regained
consciousness after being shot and had crawled out of the ditch crying for help.
The district gendarmes who had shot him were alerted to the fact he was still alive,
and returned to the location and shot him again to kill him. Witnesses said they
kept shooting into the body until well after he was dead. The gendarmes were reported
to have told those watching that the victims were involved in a mototbike robbery.
They placed a motorbike near the bodies and photographed it, apparently to fabricate
evidence. No evidence has been found to support the accusation of robbery."
** Yesterday was Human Rights Day. Read the statements by leadership and weep
for the dead.
Contact PhnomPenh Post for full article
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