FOLLOWING the "Gecko" piece in your May 17 - May 30 issue, I can now reveal

that a further top secret document has been leaked to me, which I wish to bring to

the attention of your readers. Entitled the "Typical English Language Newspaper

(TELN) Briefing for Super Hacks on International Travel (S.H.I.T.s), it is believed

to be issued to all would-be TELN journos on arrival at the bar at FCC as essential

guidelines for their sojourn in Cambodia. Authorship is unknown, but rumor has it

that this copy came to light when it dropped from the pocket of a well-known local

newspaper publisher while making his escape in an alcoholic ganja-induced haze from

a brothel just down the road from the Heart of Darkness.

It runs as follows:

Local correspondents:

• Finding a job in Cambodia is straightforward for foreign journalists. Just go

  down to your local TELN and you will immediately be offered a position on the basis

  of your three weeks' teaching English in Bongo-Bongo-land, or your one-day course

  in creative writing at Parramatta College. More lucrative positions with international

  news agencies depend on your willingness to sell either your soul or your body.

• Becoming an editor is also no problem. As long as you are a Westerner and speak

  a modicum of English with whatever accent, you are guaranteed the title of "Editor"

  (it is of course TELN policy to reserve editorial positions for foreigners). After

  long service (over three weeks) you can choose your own job title. An added qualification

  is that you should not be able to spell any word of more than three letters.

• TELN has a general policy of employing Cambodian staff, to show that we are doing

  something for the country. TELN treats Cambodian staff as equals in every respect,

  except for certain very minor contractual differences such as editorial positions,

  mobile phones etc which are reserved for foreign journos. To benefit Khmer journalists,

  TELN designates them all as trainees so that they can be given the boring stories

  that no-on else wants to cover, or makes them into translators so that we can steal

  stories from the Khmer press. If they have any talent we will send them in to do

  all the donkey work, but we will always ensure that you get to write up the final

  story so that it has your by-line.

• You will of course live very simply just like the Cambodians - except for the

  slight comforts that go with your status as an international correspondent, such

  as villa, air-conditioning, personal computer, photocopier, fax and several mobile

  phones etc etc, as well as those essential all expenses paid trips to exotic locations.

• Certain jobs are reserved for journalists of different nationalities. The French

  are in charge of writing interesting features on the nature, flora and fauna of their

  colonies and the history of Sihanouk's relations with the Empire. The Americans,

  since they are the specialists on Cam-bodia's recent history and wars (after all,

  they started most of them) are in charge of pontificating at great length about politics,

  the cracks in the coalition and how 'democracy' is under threat. Antipodeans on the

  other hand, when not defending their fellow countrymen from allegations of pedophilia,

  get the in-depth stories on government corruption and Sihanouk's latest illnesses.

  Scandinavians are fortunately now confined to business stories and anything which

  requires a winning smile but no writing talent whatsoever. Khmers of course get whatever

  is left over, but if it turns out to be a good story they are allowed the added kudos

  of sharing the credit with our esteemed foreign hacks through a joint by-line.

• If you have to write about NGOs, be sure that you only feature financial scandals

  or stories about how much money they waste, or other controversial issues. On no

  account should you write about any of their achievements or give them any praise.

  Make sure you write plenty of stuff about how they are all eccentric corrupt left-wing

  vegetarians or religious nuts living in huge villas and riding around in Mercedes

  with personal computers and mobile phones - after all, it's all true, you read it

  in the newspaper!

• Be careful about rumors about foreign pedophiles: if you do any stories about

  them, make sure that you see things from their point of view (these are Cambodian

  children after all, not ours) and give plenty of space for their views and letters,

  and that you interview every possible shyster foreign lawyer in town until you find

  one who will speak up for the victims of these terrible crimes by NGOs. It is after

  all just the latest NGO plot to take over the world.

• Covering stories in Cambodia is easy. If you run out of material, just find our

  who is in possession of 'Dead Tiger village,' and write another piece about the latest

  Khmer Rouge/Royal Government offensive. Or you can take a leaf from the book of our

  French colleagues and trundle off the Ratanakiri to do another interesting feature

  on wild natives of the colonies.

• For street cred, you should travel around on moto-taxis, or preferable buy yourself

  a large motor bike. This has the added advantage that you are liable to be robbed

  or be the object of a high speed chase, which can provide plenty of interminable

  column inches on the deteriorating security situation for your next edition, not

  to mention being able to impress your pals at the Heart of Darkness. Journos visiting

  from abroad

• Remember to prepare yourself well, i.e. ensure at all costs that your story is

  written well before you arrive at Pochentong. Your visit is only to gather a few

  snippets of information which back up your story, and the names of a few local NGO

  workers or politicians into whose mouths you can insert your words and opinions.

• On no account should you listen to the local people or anyone living in Cambodia:

  you know the situation much better than them from your vantage point in your local

  bar in New York/London/Sydney/Hong Kong/Bangkok.

• While in Cambodia, spend all your time at the FCC where you can pick up all the

  necessary details about the county from like-minded journos who flew in the day before

  you.

• You may of course go off on all expenses paid trips to exotic locations around

  the country, but this is purely for pleasure.

• By the way, Cambodia is just the place for that hands-on account of child prostitution

  for the consumer's point of view, which you always wanted to do and which of course

  will win you plenty of plaudits from your editor back home.

- Tim Seaman, Phnom Penh.