Mr.

Ly Kim Song, Agence France Presse's gentleman admin officer passed away, as noted

in the Post's last issue, and all of his friends and admirers hope that he is resting

in peace. Sadly, some of his family members seem to have lost the plot.

Sources say that the $600 donation that AFP gave to the family to help out has caused

a bit of a ruckus. One of Mr. Song's sons punched his mother over the donation after

she apparently said: "I'm leaving the country and moving to Taiwan," but

Mr. Song's son said he wanted to buy a motorcycle with the cash.

The problem seems to have been building before Mr. Song died when his wife and offspring

"behaved like parasites," according to a reliable source. Observers close

to the situation were shocked. "His family killed him," said one insider.

"They wanted the money." Still unclear who ended up with the dough.

** The Policemen's Ball held at the Phnom Penh Hotel in late January was a festive

affair. More than 1,000 of the Kingdom's finest were in attendance at the stag event

which saw pricey hooch flow like water. A bevy of starlets were on hand to provide

dancing partners for the men in blue.

A variety of Okhnas were invited to chip in to help defray the costs of the gala

event. A jovial Deputy Police Commissioner General Sok Phal approached Okhna Kith

Meng when he was on the phone, took his mobile and tossed it aside with a request

for a donation. Meng is said to have generously handed over five Franklins which

were passed out to selected entertainers as gifts.

** A Western tourist staying at the Manor House Hotel thought he was headed off to

Sihanoukville for a bit of beach blanket bingo when he boarded the Khmer Rouge Tribunal's

daily morning shuttle bus from Phnom Penh to HQ. One wonders at what point the guy

must have scratched his head and thought to himself: "Hmm, wait a minute, these

people don't look like they're going to the beach?"

The KRT security folks were not amused and ID checks have been tightened up.

** Australian Ambassador Lisa Filipetto will be leaving Cambodia in April. Her replacement

will be Ms. Margaret Adamson who is currently Assistant Secretary, EU and Western

Europe Branch in Canberra. Adamson has served previously as Ambassador in Warsaw

(1998-2002), Consul-General in Berlin (1993-96), Counsellor in Bonn (1987-91) and

in the Australian embassy in Hanoi (1976-77).