One expat businessman says the Sangkat police showed up at his door and told him

because there was a new governor he had to "re-register" himself and his

employees-all for the low, low price of only $25.

ïï During the riots, a bunch of mobsters took their best shot at one of the Thai

banks in town that had closed already some years back. They broke in and headed straight

for the safe. After a couple of hours' heavy labor they managed to pry it loose and

drag it out the front door. To their disappointed chagrin, several military police

were waiting for them who politely explained to the lads "Just put it in the

truck here. We'll take care of it."

ïï For everyone who was eager to get on the Bulletin Mensuel de Documentation (BMD)

subscribers' list, perhaps to keep abreast of the latest musings of Ruom Ritt, sorry

but it's too late. His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk issued a communique on February

23 saying that he'd received a large number of requests for the BMD but his budget

for it could not be supplemented as he "must aid more and more my poor compatriots

who are writing me more and more with requests of all kinds. The priority must be

to [help] the little people."

His Majesty asks that anyone who wants to see the BMD should contact one of the current

subscribers and read or photocopy whatever interests them.

The Post gets a copy if anyone wants to come by and see it. And yes, the latest edition

has four more letters from Ruom Ritt (whose name, by the way, according to an alert

reader, could be translated into English as "passionate squeeze").

ïï One veteran Cambodia watcher has been out and about taking the pulse of the nation.

In one small village the residents were surprised to see him. "We didn't think

it was safe to travel," they said, referring to the latest series of events

in Phnom Penh. He also spoke to a senior policeman who told him: "We wanted

to arrest Rainsy - and then eliminate him." Overall, on the current mood around

the Kingdom, the watcher said: "It reminds me of April '97, when you could feel

war was in the air." Ouch!

ïïNot In Our Name (NION) would like readers to know that the anti-war petition concerning

the possibility of war with Iraq submitted to 11 embassies on February 14 had "well

over 1500" signatures representing 40 different countries.