To the editor,

I am writing in response to your article "The friendliest

little guest house in town" (Feb 24 - March 9, 1995) about the burning down of

Maly Chenda's in Sihanoukville.

The fire, we believe, was not started by

a faulty generator.

A moto-taxi driver reported later the next day that

he had seen a person running from the house just prior to the fire

beginning.

The fire started in a bedroom that was a) unoccupied and b)

had not electrics, save for a fan. It is difficult to imagine how the fire

began, other than by foul means.

The burn marks on the concrete pad where

the bedroom was - as could be seen during the clean-up the next day - were quite

different from the burn marks of the rest of the house.

The fire was, to

say the least, suspicious.

Also, Maly Chenda's is open for

business.

The building that burnt down on Feb 12 was the waterfront

restaurant, near where the owner, my sister and her family, lived.

Maly

Chenda's guesthouse is located further up the road near the Post Office and is

welcoming to and open for business.

- Touch Som Phear, Narin Guesthouse, St 125, House 50, Phnom Penh.