After being screened at the Deauville, Toronto, Sundance and Havana Film Festivals,

Matt Dillon tells the Post that his long-awaited film "City of Ghosts"

will be officially released in the US on April 28. After which the clock starts ticking

on when a knock-off DVD copy will show up in the Russian Market. Will it take hours

or minutes - only time will tell.

ïï Some guys just can't resist. The night the Thai embassy was burned, one embassy

employee didn't make it out. She hid inside the main building, spending the entire

night there, probably fearing for her life. When the sun rose she came out, saw a

policeman and ran to him asking for assistance. He promptly stole her necklace and

handbag containing US$3,000. You could probably call that a "departure tax".

ïï As for the foreign passports that were stolen from the Thai embassy, one reporter

says he saw some cops using them like "poker chips" during a card game.

I'll see you one British passport, and raise you two Belgians. Okay, here's three

Swedish passports and I call.

ïï In the fury of the riots, one demonstrator tried to cut down the Russian Federation

flag along the waterfront and replace it with a Cambodian one. It was politely explained

to him: Right colors, wrong country.

ïï On the lighter side of life, the fully air-conditioned Sorya Shopping Mall - the

new glitzy place near Psar Thmei - is fast becoming the In Place for a bit of a stroll,

a cheap date or even a light lunch. Fun for all ages from 6 to 60, visitors can ride

the escalators and watch others try to. The food mart on the fourth floor is a great

place for a Riel 4,000 bowl of soup or a coffee. The arcade is becoming so popular

that there are even the initial signs of the development of a "mall rat"

culture, as evidenced by the clusters of teenagers engaging in an aimless, random

shuffle hither and yon, one familiar to shopping complexes around the globe. When

the burger joint under construction on the third floor opens, watch out!

ïï The Gecko's best wishes to Misha Coleman and Post reporter Bill Bainbridge, who

have just returned from a Bangkok hospital the proud parents of Ethan Coleman Bainbridge.