Dr. Ian Gray, the Dragon Gold corporate mogul and mover and shaker behind the Kampong Chhnang multi-million dollar airport cargo hub development plan, is still in Prey Sar prison more than one month after his arrest, with no immediate light at the end of his incarcerated tunnel in sight.

But all is not quiet behind the scenes.

Sources say there may be a larger, more tangled and far-reaching conspiracy afoot, with the ultimate goal of gingerly snatching from the jaws of victory the cargo hub plan from Dr. Gray who, it is said, still has deep-pocketed investors lined up and ready to bring the deal to fruition. There are rumors that as much as $20 million is already in the pot, with a major regional bank on board as well. All that's needed is a few signatures, so the story goes.

Enter shady interlopers, a disgruntled former employee and a few greedy sidewinders who have caught the whiff of cash and ... PRESTO ... Dr. Gray gets stitched up and left in stir while others try and do a runner with his ready-for-takeoff cargo hub mega-project.

Various concerned embassies are said to be hot on the case but remain reluctant to discuss it publicly. Stay tuned!

** One development pundit says the reason the government moved from a triangle strategy for alleviating poverty to a rectangular one is because a rectangle has the same shape as a dollar bill and, with only a few more of those, poverty could be alleviated.

** Prince Norodom Rannaridh paid an impromptu visit on March 4 to "Bar Street" in Siem Reap, the burgeoning strip of cafés and bars that has become the hub for evening entertainment in the provincial capital. After a brief look-see, the Prince made a few suggestions to enhance the safety and security of the area and local authorities moved double-time to implement them. Bar Street will now be limited to pedestrian traffic only from 7 p.m. onwards, and the police presence has also been beefed up. All that's needed now is for someone to come up with a better name for the street. Maybe the real one should be used.

** Alert readers will recall the period last year when the PPPost had a stock of room vouchers for the elegant Victoria Chau Doc Hotel on a branch of the Mekong just across the border in Vietnam. A new supply has been acquired and for those who haven't made the trip by boat, now is the time to do so.