Aussie soap opera fans will be tickled pink to learn that Home and Away star Bec
Cartwright will be visiting the Kingdom soon. Cartwright, who recently announced
her engagement to Wimbledon and US Open winner Lleyton Hewitt, is planning to
build an orphanage for young AIDS sufferers, according to the Border Mail
published on the banks of the Murray River in the twin cities of
Albury-Wodonga.
The idea arose after Cartwright visited Vietnam with the AIDS
Trust of Australia. "What hurt me the most was the discrimination. Kids with
AIDS weren't allowed in the public swimming pools," Cartwright is quoted as
saying. "After seeing that I knew I could make a difference in other places and
I decided on Cambodia," she said.
** One informed palace watcher says
former King Norodom Sihanouk will leave Beijing for North Korea next week. He
will only return to Cambodia in April and then will go back to China in May for
further medical treatment. The source said Sihanouk's doctors discovered growths
on his stomach back in September, 2004, but that after much consideration it was
decided not to operate.
** At a February 9 seminar on mental health
policy a speaker from the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) said:
"Although there is no uniform nationwide data of how many Cambodians have
suffered and are still suffering from mental health and psychological problems,
the study of TPO Cambodia in its target areas shows that 2 out of 5 Cambodians
(40%) suffer from minor to severe psychological problems. This figure is one of
the highest among post-conflict countries."
** Hugo Restall, the new
editor of the reincarnated Far Eastern Economic Review, is in town this week.
The old weekly Review closed because it lost too much money, in part because of
so many full-time staff on board. Restall indicates the new Review will be a
leaner operation. So far, he and just one other employee are producing the
80-page, ten-times-yearly publication.
** According to an AP news story,
road traffic fatalities rose from 804 in 2003 to 1,042 in 2004, an increase of
26.5 percent. Better roads, in part, were blamed for the increase in deaths as
motorists are whizzing around the country like speed demons. A law making seat
belts and helmets mandatory and banning use of mobile phones while driving is in
the works.
Contact PhnomPenh Post for full article
Post Media Co LtdThe Elements Condominium, Level 7
Hun Sen Boulevard
Phum Tuol Roka III
Sangkat Chak Angre Krom, Khan Meanchey
12353 Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Telegram: 092 555 741
Email: [email protected]