His

Majesty the King Father, Norodom Sihanouk, issued this statement (translated from

French) on June 29:

"The Thomico Affair"

"Certain officers of the National Police, and others, are looking to know

if N. Sihanouk is behind HRH Sisowath Thomico in his political action, his activities,

his projects, plans, etc...

"Since my youth until now, and until my death, I have never lacked the courage

and intellectual honesty and honnêteté tout court. I do not need a Thomico

or another to do or say what I wish to do or say.

"Nobody takes me for a coward or an idiot."

** Ping, the Pangolin and star at the Kulen Conservatory, has been recovered. According

to the managers of the conservatory, the Siem Reap police did a fantastic job of

tracking down the stepfather of one of the center's staff who stole the animal, and

finally confiscating the pangolin from a wildlife dealer who was about to take it

to Thailand to sell.

** Nothing like a little bit of evolutionary theology! According to Harper's magazine,

the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to allow experimental liturgies that would permit

the Holy Trinity to be evoked as "Mother, Child, and Womb", or "Rock,

Redeemer, and Friend." What's next: Glory be to the Rock, and to the Paper,

and to the Holy Scissors?

** Are you worried about being a bit hefty? In the US the Body Mass Index (BMI) is

the officially approved method of determining whether or not you are overweight.

To calculate BMI, divide your weight in pounds by the square of your height in inches,

and then multiply the result by 703. A BMI over 30 means you are "obese";

between 25 and 29.9 means you are only "overweight".

** Movie buffs take note. The French Cultural Center is running On the Waterfront

in English (with French subtitles) on Tuesday, July 11 at 7pm.

** Benny Widyono is coming to town for a visit on July 13.

** Australian Gen John Sanderson (Ret), UNTAC's military commander, was in town last

week in his new voluntary position as AustCARE Ambassador for Cambodia. It was his

first visit to the Kingdom in ten years.

After a trip to Oddar Meanchey, and commenting on the region's population growth,

Sanderson said: "One thing you can say about the Cambodian people. They are

a very vigorous and fertile race."

The General added: "You see a vibrancy about Khmer culture emerging. Signs of

that are pleasing."