All our yesterday's

It's like opening Pandora's Box. Inside there's a forgotten store of good and bad waiting to pop out - in this case, out of a packing box in my spare room has tumbled a series of news cuttings, magazine articles and stories that I'd forgotten that I'd collected whilst living in England. The following magazine article appeared in Asiaweek, published in Hong Kong, in March 2001 and it sounds a warning about the lure of visitors to Cambodia in the wake of the movie, Tomb Raider. There are a couple of tenuous links, one is that Paramount Pictures' location chief Sam Breckman contacted me about filming in Cambodia and I put him in touch with Nick Ray, who later became the location manager for the filming at Angkor for Tomb Raider. Now we work together at Hanuman Tourism in Phnom Penh.

Lights, Camera - Tourists! by Alexandra A Seno
Cambodians hope the movie Tomb Raider will lure more visitors. They should be careful what they wish for.
This is no average movie set. The magnificent sandstone ruins of the 9th-century Angkor Wat monument loom in the background. In a rowboat, American movie star Angelina Jolie, dressed in black battle fatigues, has been paddling around the pond for hours in 35-degree heat. On shore, hundreds of Cambodian villagers are jostling for a glimpse of the Oscar-winning actress. A tall white stuntman in a black wet suit and flippers watches her every move, too - just in case she should fall in. "With water and stuff you can never be too careful," says production designer Kirk Petruccelli. It's been a thrill-packed five days. Paramount Pictures brought in minesweepers to check out the set before Jolie and the crew arrived. A few days after shooting started, an armed rebellion erupted on the streets of Phnom Penh, just an hour's flight away. Eight insurgents died after their assault on a military building. "There was a moment of concern," admits Jolie at the end of a day of filming. She says her stint in Cambodia has been a life-altering experience, though. "If anything was to happen to me here, it would be worth it."
With a little luck, the only thing that will happen is that Jolie will become an even bigger star. Paramount hopes Tomb Raider, which is based on the exploits of curvaceous videogame star Lara Croft, will be this summer's biggest blockbuster. Cambodian officials are praying for a hit, too. They want the movie to help put their country, one of Asia's poorest, on the international tourism map. Since the Khmer Rouge surrendered in 1998, and the ruins of Angkor became safe from rebel attacks, the country has again become more attractive to tourists - but until now, they have been mostly limited to intrepid backpackers and super-luxury travelers. The country, whose economy was ravaged by the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime, followed by decades of civil wars and bad government, desperately needs more tourism dollars. "Tourism is going to go crazy," says Nick Ray, author of the Lonely Planet Cambodia guide, who was hired by Paramount as a location manager. "People who see the film are going to look at Cambodia and know it's a real place and will want to come here. They'll say: 'If Hollywood can go, then I can go.'"

Sounds like a typical Hollywood happy ending, right? Think again. Though tourism will give a vital boost to Cambodia's comatose economy, hordes of visitors could destroy Cambodia's ancient treasures. Conservationists already worry that tourists clambering over the ruins threaten to damage sites already in need of major restoration work. Over the centuries, the temples and other buildings around Angkor literally had disappeared into the tropical jungle, until they were rediscovered by French explorer Henri Mouhot in 1860. In recent years, the United Nations named the temples World Heritage sites, and millions in foreign aid has flowed in for restoration work. But with little central government control and rampant corruption, looting and destruction have continued as traders cart Khmer busts and other relics off to the antique markets of Bangkok, Hong Kong, and New York. Meanwhile, tourists are allowed to freely wander the sites - with no controls over what they take or what they do. "Any number of tourists will cause some damage," says Anita Sach, author of the European Bradt travel guide to Cambodia. "Currently visitors are privileged to have such freedom to wander but with that there is the risk of long-term damage." Tomb Raider is just the beginning. Cambodia is going to the movies big-time. Much as Tibet became part of the pop culture conversation via movies in the 1990s, the drama of Cambodia's history, the breath-taking nature of its aesthetics and the frisson of danger has somehow launched the dusty town of Siem Reap, near where Angkor is located, into trendy status in Hollywood. Cambodia is this year's Tibet - the flavor-of-the-month among movies seeking an exotic Asian setting . No fewer than four high-profile productions will include scenes among the ruins of the palaces and temples of what was once Southeast Asia's great empire.

Some outsiders think Hollywood isn't exactly what the sacred temple of Angkor Wat needs. The temples are the stunning legacy of a kingdom that ruled Southeast Asia between the 9th and 12th centuries; in many ways, they represent the soul of the Cambodian nation. "We hope Tomb Raider will encourage more visitors to come to our kingdom," says Sambo Chey, Cambodia's undersecretary of state for tourism. But as Cambodia struggles to emerge from its war-torn history, will Lara Croft send the right message to the world? The deputy director for culture at UNESCO, the Paris-based United Nations organization, wrote a letter last November to Cambodian monuments officials urging them not to give Paramount permission to make the film in Cambodia. "I would like to call your attention to the violent nature of the adventures of Lara Croft," wrote UNESCO's Mounir Bouchenaki. "The association of [Angkor's] image with a film about tomb raiders isn't appropriate." More importantly, he said, the filming could "cause irreparable damage to the monuments." Paramount is aware of such concerns. "[Lara] is not a looter," says Jolie. "And she'd probably shoot you for saying so." When the Cambodian preservation authorities negotiated with Paramount for the rights to film at Angkor, they expressed concern that a film about raiding tombs would portray the wrong image for their country - particularly given continuing concerns about rampant looting of Khmer antiquities from the temples. Paramount eventually persuaded them that the film's plot isn't about looting of the sites. The preservation officials did insist, however, on excising a celebration scene with fireworks, which they thought sounded too much like bombs. Given the fact that Khmer Rouge rebels hid in the temple during the 1970s, and that bullet-holes are visible in the stone walls, bomb-like fireworks seemed tasteless. Paramount dropped it from the script. Nonetheless, the film is a rough and tumble, shoot-'em-up story. On Jolie's first filming day, Croft dropped by parachute onto Phnom Bakheng, the hilltop 10th-century Hindu temple. "I looked around at this great view and it was, like, I had arrived," says Jolie. Over the next few days, she did car stunts in a Land Rover in front of the sacred Bayon temple, perched at the edge of a cliff ["the Cambodians thought I was insane," she says], and received a blessing from Buddhist monks. Jolie says she was "amazed" by the experiences. But the film isn't exactly spiritual. In the movie, Croft, the fictitious British aristocrat who turns thrill-seeker after surviving a Himalayan plane crash, is in hot pursuit of a mysterious "Magic Triangle."

So far, about 1,000 tourists a day flock to Angkor Wat, clamoring to capture the monument as the sun rises behind it. If more tourists are going to start swarming in, Cambodia has a lot of work to do. The hotel and services industries are tiny and underdeveloped. In Siem Reap, which is the country's most important tourism destination, of 32 hotels, only two are five-star. "To tell you the truth, we are not well prepared," says Ang Choulien, director of culture and monuments for the government preservation effort in Angkor and the key negotiator with Paramount. "Very quickly the number of tourists has increased. We are rather overwhelmed by the multiple tasks." Last year, 470,000 foreign visitors arrived in Cambodia, up 30% from 1999. Prime Minister Hun Sen has vowed that the million-tourist mark should be reached by 2003. To achieve this goal, the number of hotel rooms will have to go up from 7,000 two years ago to 17,500 by 2005. Tourism receipts already account for about a 30% share of the national budget. In 1999, the most recent available year for which the figure is available, Cambodia earned $200 million from the entire tourism sector, a record amount. The government is forecasting that the industry will post a 25% annual increase for the next decade - the global average is under 4%. Such dizzying growth only highlights the problems that the country faces in achieving visitor-nirvana. So far, Cambodia has had no real tourism plan to speak of. The Asian Development Bank has just allotted $136 million for tourism-related programs, including building roads and training tourism officials on forming master plans for hotel and service industry development. But the authorities' prime focus is still simply boosting the numbers of arrivals. "They need to learn how to channel interest in Angkor Wat so they can manage how to do minimal damage to the monuments and forests," says Barend Frielink, the Cambodia officer at the Manila headquarters of the Asian Development Bank. In December, noting the 8 million visitors that were welcomed by Thailand, the location for over a dozen films last year, Cambodia announced a "two countries, one film locale" promotional campaign with its neighbor to jointly attract more movie projects.

Be careful what you campaign for. The Paramount Pictures operation by itself strained the country's primitive infrastructure. In early November, 27 heavy trucks, trailers and container vehicles roared onto Vithei Charles de Gaulle, one of Siem Reap's main streets. Rains had washed out many of the roads between Thailand and the Cambodian town, so an advance crew had to repair roads and build bridges before the caravan could set out. "At one moment, I thought we weren't going to have anything," says production manager Chris Kenny. "But everything got here at the last moment and we made a movie." To guarantee electrical supply, Paramount brought in generators. It also shipped in a mobile kitchen truck to feed the 150 crewmembers - and cater to Jolie's idiosyncratic diet, including health bars, tuna, and sardines. Understandably, the people of Siem Reap were a little overwhelmed by the filmmakers' demands. Around the set, many of the conservation department's guards, peasants from surrounding villages, had never used walkie-talkies before. On the first day, batteries ran out, and coordination broke down. Angry tourists complained that guides hadn't told them that sections of the monuments would be blocked off. At the Sofitel Royal Angkor hotel, where Tomb Raider occupied 70 rooms - half the total - staff members happily volunteered information about how much the company was paying for the rooms ($1,900 for Jolie's suite) and who was staying where. Says Weng Leong Aow, Singaporean general manger of the Angkor Hotel: "People here have a natural charm and grace but do not understand what quality of service truly means." Given the country's tragic, recent past, the young Cambodians working in the hotels and travel agencies could hardly be expected to know what "service" means. But villagers have had no trouble figuring out how to make a buck from tourists. Swarms of souvenir and snack vendors assault foreigners outside the monuments. "One dollar, one dollar," they shout, as they tug on tourists' bags, pants, or whatever they can grab. The numbers of hawkers no doubt will increase. And some Cambodians, like Princess Rattana-Devi Norodom also worry that the sacred meaning of Angkor will be lost in the quest for dollars. One problem: local children have been dropping out of school to sell trinkets. Says the granddaughter of King Norodom Sihanouk, the ceremonial head of the country: "The little children selling Cokes at the temple are cute, but I am not so sure that they are growing up to respect a sacred place. Finding the balance is something Cambodia will be struggling with in the years to come."

Tourists arguably will bring in money to help guard against looters and to finance preservation. "The interest ensures that there is investment, so that the temples don't disappear into the jungle again," says guidebook author Sach. According to Cambodian press reports, Paramount paid the preservation authorities $10,000 a day to film at Angkor. "They got screwed," says one foreign businessman. But in a country with an average urban income of $300 a year, even that amount of money can go a long way - if it's used properly. The conservation process so far has been an opaque one, raising concerns that inexperienced operators are in charge of taking in the money. APSARA, the official preservation department, lost its right to collect fees for tickets into Angkor in 1999 when Sokimex, a privately owned petroleum company that allegedly has ties to high-level officials, was suddenly given the license. Tourists pay Sokimex $20 a day to visit the temples. It pays from 50% to 70% of its proceeds to APSARA, depending on how many visit.
The Siem Reap natives, meanwhile, loved the production. Postcard hawker Prak Mon, 25, was determined to be part of the film. A Titanic fan, Prak had heard there would be parts for monks - so he set out to become one. A week before shooting began, he joined a Buddhist monastery on the Angkor Wat grounds. He put up with the awkwardness of his newly shaved head and nights of going to bed hungry observing the temple's evening fast. Then his skin began to itch - he caught ringworm from the communal blankets. Prak stayed long enough to get on the set for a day. "Somehow, I enjoyed it," he says. For his troubles, he earned $20. "I would not be here if I truly thought they hated us being here. We have plans to give back quite a lot [to the local community]," says Jolie while waiting to do a scene with monks in the main Angkor Wat building. Known for her tattoos (in addition to one on her arm that says "Billy Bob," her husband's name, she just announced that she has a new one on her pubic bone) and naughty image, Jolie "isn't a sanitized version of Lara," says Simon West, the director of the movie. "She doesn't do it for the children's eye hospital. She does it because she wants to have fun." West hopes she will become a heroine for a new, pop culture-crazed generation. The Cambodians, meanwhile, have a different sort of poster girl in mind. Says preservation official Ang, a James Bond fan: "I hope people will talk about Angkor because of Tomb Raider." For the Cambodians, the film is not just about the money - it's also about the country's quest for peace and respect in the world. "I am very happy that this big movie has come to Cambodia," says Leung Choun, 65, the abbot of the monastery next to Angkor Wat. "This is a sign that a prediction in Buddhist scripture is being fulfilled. It promises peace in our country and that Angkor Wat will become great again." His dreams of religious revival may come true. But if Lara Croft conquers the box office, the abbot will have to brace himself for a new kind of pilgrim: the international tourist.

Land of charm and cruelty

Another article amongst the file of papers I found in one of my unopened packing boxes in my spare room contained a story I wrote for my company's in-house staff magazine called Over The Threshold in their Spring 1995 edition. I was working for the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society at the time and I had just made my first-ever visit to Cambodia the previous November. Here's the article, for posterity sake and before I lose it.

Cambodia - a land of charm and cruelty : by Andy Brouwer (Deeds)
The name of Cambodia is synonymous with the cries of the tortured and starving, and more recently the murder of western tourists by the genocidal Khmer Rouge, responsible for the deaths of over one million of their fellow countrymen in the late 1970s. That country was, however, my choice of destination for a week's break from the rigours of C&G life at Chief Office in late October [1994].
Cambodia, racked by civil war for the last 25 years, is one of the world's poorest countries with a population of nine million, the majority of whom live in abject poverty by western standards. Conversely, it is also a beautiful country with a fascinating culture and people, and a history brought vivdly to life by one of the world's greatest architectural achievements - the temple ruins of Angkor.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of my trip was the three days I spent exploring the dramatic ruined cities of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. Flying in from Phnom Penh, the capital, to the northern provincial centre of Siem Reap, I was unprepared for the awesome array of massive stone temples, wide majestic causeways, imposing towers and gates and beautifully intricate stone carvings which I encountered.
The monuments were originally constructed by a dozen Khmer god-kings between the 9th and 13th centuries, but had lain hidden by dense jungle for nearly 500 years until their rediscovery by the French in the latter part of the last century. Along with my guide, Soy Bun, and driver, Somath, I wandered leisurely for hours among the near deserted ruins before completing a whistle-stop tour of the lesser visited outer-lying temples.
For sheer size, the vast spectacle of Angkor Wat, the largest religious edifice in the world, is simply stunning. Its central tower, surrounded by four smaller towers, a myriad of galleries and covered passageways and an 800-metre-long series of richly carved bas-reliefs will linger long in the memory, particularly a dawn visit to watch the sun rise, bathing the temple complex in swathes of red and organge light. Perhaps more startling than Angkor Wat, although smaller and less restored, is the Bayon, at the centre of Angkor Thom. Its most intriguing feature - although its bas-reliefs are extraordinarily detailed - are the giant faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, with its enigmatic half-smile peering down from all four sides of the 54 towers.
Among the other temples to make a lasting impression were the well-preserved Preah Khan - a labyrinth of fascinating pavilions, halls and galleries - and the temple of Ta Prohm. The latter has been left much as it was when it was rediscovered - a mass of silk-cotton and fig trees, tangled roots and vines, and fallen masonry framing an eerie and haunting scene.
Phnom Penh on the other hand was an altogether different proposition. It is a city in transformation. The once elegant French-colonial capital became a ghost town when the Khmer Rouge forcibly emptied it of all its inhabitants in 1975. Today, many parts of Phnom Penh are undergoing frenzied reconstruction, although life remains unchanged in the city's back alleys, where the majority of the one million populace live in hovels without any basic amenities.
Negotiating the traffic - a multitude of mopeds, cyclos and bicycles jockeying with private cars and trucks - was a nerve-racking experience. The loss of my suitcase at the ramshackle airport for three days was a nightmare. But nothing could prepare me for my sobering visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which houses graphic reminders of the cruelty inflicted by the Pol Pot-inspired Khmer Rouge regime. Ten kilometres outside the city are the 'killing fields' of Choeung Ek, where at least 17,000 people were taken from Tuol Sleng, brutally murdered and buried in mass graves. A memorial glass tower at the site is filled with the cracked skulls of some 8,000 of those victims, and is definitely not for the squeamish.
I left Cambodia with many lasting memories, enriched by my experiences and eager to return to this fascinating country in the not too distant future.

Andy shuns sun

In my spare bedroom I still have boxes full of crap from when I moved myself, lock, stock and barrel over to Cambodia a couple of years ago. I was searching for some videos that I need to convert to dvd format when I found a file of papers that included the following press cutting. As you can see the local daily newspaper was a bit starved for news stories and when they heard someone in their area had been to Cambodia, they thought it would make a news feature. The Cheltenham-based Gloucestershire Echo did a similar feature upon my return from my first trip in 1994. Going abroad was a big news story back then in Gloucestershire!

Andy shuns sun for Cambodia - by David Wilkes, The Gloucester Citizen, July 1997
Spain's a pain for adventurer

Holdays in Cambodia are Andy Brouwer's idea of heaven. But his wife Sue is not so keen on visiting the bandit-ridden country, which has been described as a danger zone by some travel experts. She prefers sunning herself in peaceful Mediterranean resorts to touring Cambodia, the scene of evil dictator Pol Pot's killing fields. But Andy can't get enough of the place and is currently planning his fourth trip there since 1994. His fascination with the country means the Quedgeley couple have not been on an overseas holiday together since their honeymoon a year ago. Andy (37) said: "Ordinary holidays are alright if you like sitting about in the sun, but I like to do something different. My wife's a bit sick of me going to Cambodia, and doesn't come with me. She prefers to go to places like Tenerife. At least it means we don't argue when we're abroad!"
Andy, an assistant manager in the mortgage department of the Cheltenham and Gloucester, has been interested in Cambodia since the late 1970s, when the genocide committed there first came to light. "I didn't go there until 1994 because it wouldn't have been safe. The first time I was there, my wife saw a tv announcement saying they didn't recommend foreigners come to the country as three had just been kidnapped," he said. "But it didn't put me off and I've been back twice since and I am planning to go back again next March. I know there are dangerous parts so I don't venture too far off the beaten track. It's an unusual country with some fantastic ancient monuments, and despite the troubles, the people are very welcoming." Sue said: " You could say he is obsessed with Cambodia. It looks very nice in his photos, but I'm afraid our tastes in holidays do differ, and the children are too young to take there art the moment. But one day I will probably go there."
Andy has been glued to American cable television recently watching the first footage of Pol Pot to emerge for years. The dictator was jailed for life by his old Khmer Rouge comrades earlier this week. Andy is also keen on setting up an informal discussion group of people interested in Cambodia. Contact him direct on 01452 721833.

Postscript: As it turned out my obsession grew and grew. My wife never made it over to Cambodia afterall, preferring resorts closer to home and in the Med. It was an obsession that we never shared and two years ago it took over completely when I left England to begin a new life here in Cambodia. I had made thirteen trips by the time I was ready to come and live here for keeps.

Not Gone

Eric de Vries and yours truly in front of his Java exhibit, Not Gone

Last night's photo exhibition at Java Cafe was to highlight the work of the stable of professionals working under the Asia Motion banner, though of course they all work individually as well. The exhibits included images from Stéphane Janin, the former owner of the Popil Galery in the city who is now living and working in the States, and others like Nicolas Axelrod and Peter Harris. And of course my pal Eric de Vries. In fact I see more of Eric now than I ever saw of him when he was living in Phnom Penh - he seems to find an excuse to return to the city nearly every week! And I'm still hoping to be able to get up to Siem Reap before his Hello Darling exhibition finishes towards the end of this month. He tells me he's been thrilled with the feedback from visitors to his 4FACES bar and gallery in Siem Reap after the exhibition opened last week. For the Java show, he chose a selection of pictures under the title Not Gone from the War and Landmine Museums in Siem Reap - demonstrating that whilst the war has ended, its aftermath has not - and part of the proceeds from sales will go to the War Museum. Eric is working on two long term projects called Still Life in Khmer Style, that covers landscapes, temple scenes and buddha statues, and Hello Darling, which is about girlybars around town. Since he settled down in Cambodia over a year ago, he's also produced several series, most of them in black and white: Breaking The Clouds (over Ayuthaya), Lotus of Puok, Going Down Slow (by Train) and a series about the Khmer Islam, Monuments of Joy and Some Praying Time. Link: ericdevries.

A visitor to Java inspects Eric's work up close

At the very top

David Chandler and the author finally meet after 13 years of correspondence

Some days everything seems to go awry from the moment you open your eyes and then hey presto it all falls back into place with a whammy by the end of the day. Friday was one such day. The electricity and the back-up generator were off more than they were on at the office, making most of the working day pretty redundant. Eric de Vries had called to meet him at the Asia Motion photo exhibition taking place at Java Arts Cafe, as he was one of the exhibitors, and that's when things took a turn for the better. It was a veritable who's who of Phnom Penh but there were two people present who are at the very pinnacle of their respective professions. The foremost historian on Cambodian history, none other than David P Chandler, was in the house. As was the most talked about contemporary dancer that Cambodia has ever offered up, the adorable Belle, or Chumvan Sodhachivy as she's known to her mum, who accompanied her. First I must mention Dr Chandler. I have a book that he sent me in September 1996 - the Land & People of Cambodia - in response to a letter I sent him. We sporadically kept in contact via letter and email since that time, thirteen years ago, but tonight was the first occasion that we've actually met face to face. It was an honour, and he's as nice a guy as people have told me. Alongwith John Weeks, we went for a fine Italian meal at Luna d'autunno and it was just great fun and a real pleasure. I'm quite gobsmacked that I've finally met one of my personal 'heroes' and he lived up to expectations - often in the past that hasn't been the case. If you don't know who David P Chandler is, in connection with Cambodia, then shame on you. Look him up or view the comments section of this post to find out more.

Belle, Cambodia's No 1 dancer, with yours truly at the Java Cafe exhibition

The other star name at the photo exhibition was Cambodia's number one homegrown contemporary dancer, Belle, who was there with her mother, Nou Sondab, herself a star of stage and screen during the 1960s and 1970s. Belle has just completed her six month residency with the French Cultural Center and is now off to Taiwan to gain more experience, before a brief return and then a two month immersion into contemporary dance choreography in France and Belgium. She literally never stops to take a breath. To appreciate how good she is, you must see her perform. She has the classical background training of the top traditional dancers in Cambodia but she combines her exceptional talent with a fluidity of movement, interpretation and freedom that has not been seen in her country before. She is simply Cambodia's brightest hope in dance. And not only is she a beautiful young woman but also down to earth, her feet are firmly grounded and she knows what she wants to achieve, notwithstanding the recent furore about her performances and the celebrity status she has quickly acquired. David Chandler and Belle, both at the very top of their respective fields.

Belle and her mother Nou Sondab grace the Java Cafe exhibition

Blogging on the blink

Leaving no-one in any doubt about the ownership of Preah Vihear

I'm getting increasingly frustrated with Blogger. At the moment I can only add a blog post to my own blog if I sign in as a guest blogger - how crazy is that. So here I am, guest blogging on my own blog. And even then it took about fifteen ninutes to get into the posting template. So we may find that my posting rate goes awry until I can get my access fixed.

In the meantime, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal continues to role on and this week has been perhaps the most interesting so far because of the witness roll-call. It's been survivor week to put it bluntly, with Vann Nath, Chum Mey and Bou Meng appearing on the first three days - all of whom survived their time in Tuol Sleng whilst adults by virtue of their individual skills as painters or mechanics. On Thursday it was the turn of Norng Chan Phal, who was just eight years old when S-21 was discovered by the arriving Vietnamese. He gave evidence about his final days and the disappearance of his mother which Duch dismissed as he declared all children at S-21 were killed. Newly-acquired film footage taken by the Vietnamese, which was handed over to DC-Cam in recent months, and which included Norng Chan Phal and his younger brother, was rejected by the judges as inadmissable at this time. Next week, another five survivors of Tuol Sleng are expected to give evidence in the trial of the former chief of S-21, though their names are not released beforehand for personal safety reasons. Amongst them are likely to be former prison guards at the torture center, such as Him Houy. Elsewhere there's been lots more sabre-rattling over Preah Vihear as we approach the 1-year anniversary of the award of the World Heritage status to the temple. A big celebration is planned for the Olympic Stadium on 7 July and will no doubt rub the Thais up the wrong way again. And if Cambodian demands for the removal of the Thai soldiers stationed at the pagoda on the summit aren't met, expect more fireworks. This is not a situation that is going to go away anytime soon. Both sides are well dug-in for the duration and without outside arbitration, I don't see any end in sight of the stalemate.

The 131 kilometre road that joins Siem Reap to Anlong Veng will be officially opened tomorrow by PM Hun Sen. National Road 67 is its name and with the continuation road from Anlong Veng to Preah Vihear also taking shape as I type, soon the journey to Preah Vihear will be almost a breeze of about 4 hours maximum. Interesting to hear that in the first six months of this year, the total number of tourists visiting Preah Vihear was just over 34,000. Of those, foreign tourist numbers were down 83% on last year, to 5,050 - which is a lot more than I thought it would be. When I was there a couple of months ago, my brother and I were definitely the only foreigners there on that day. Mind you it was the day when 100 heavily-armed Thai soldiers tried to cross the border, so only an idiot would've been at the temple on that day [wink].

I don't get it

Pol Pot Needs You byChhan Nawath

Art is down to personal taste and much of the so-called modern or contemporary art leaves me cold and uninspired. Though I fully accept that what I find meaningless, will set the pulse racing for others. That's what art is all about I suppose, it raises questions, sometimes without answers, it frustrates, it arouses passion, it goads us into decisions about what we like and don't like. So tonight's Global Hybrid opening exhibition at Meta House did just that. It frustrated me, it goaded me and in the main, it failed to inspire me. But I could hear from others that they found it riveting. Each to their own. The three pieces of art that I did like will be pictured here when I can get my blog working properly again. The prices ranged from $350 up to $1,000 amongst the 15+ artists on show, a mix of Khmer and USA-based artists who all presented their view of collaboration across a borderless community. An interesting concept but one which I didn't really feel the artists had made me sit and take notice of their work. The exhibition lasts until 2 August. Don't take my word for it, get along and form your own opinion. Another photographic exhibition is taking place Friday night at Java Cafe with the Asia Motion Agency exhibiting 'Change - the boat goes, the pontoon stays'. Included amongst the exhibitors is my pal Eric de Vries, who'll be back in town for a night or two.

Saving Khmer wildlife by US-based artist Tom Tor The two sides of female artist Ouer Sokuntevy

Cambodia Angkor Airline

The new national carrier, Cambodia Angkor Airline will begin its life in the air on 27 July with an inaugural flight from Sihanoukville's newly refurbished airport to Siem Reap. In a joint venture with Vietnam Airlines, CAA will kick off with just two ATR-72 aircraft and look to add more as destinations and business increases. Is anyone opening a book on how long the airline will last and whether it will go the way of others like Royal Phnom Penh Airways, Kampuchea Airlines, Angkor Airways, Royal Air Cambodge, PMT and Siem Reap Airways? Time will tell.

Wrapping up part 1

Phnom Penh Crown's wonderkid, Keo Sokngorn, scored one of their goals in a 4-1 success

Work dictated that I couldn't make the final two Cambodian Premier League matches of the first half of the season this afternoon at Olympic Stadium, so I got my PPP pal Dene to relay the details to me. After today's games the clubs take a brief break before resuming with part two of the CPL season, which will culminate in a Top 4 play-off to decide the champions - a crap system if you ask me but that's their decision. Already promoted from the A1 division below, are Prek Pra Keila and Svay Rieng. This afternoon, Phnom Penh Crown cemented second place and are just three points off leaders Preah Khan Reach going into the mid-season break. Their 4-1 win over Post Tel was to be expected and their goals came from Chhim Ratanak, Akeeb Ayoyinka, Hong Rathana and Keo Sokngorn, before Saing Neth netted a late consolation. Khemara Keila comfortably beat Build Bright 3-1 in the second match, despite BBU taking the lead through Prum Puth Sethy. That man Kouch Sokumpheak was on target again, his 9th league goal of the campaign, as was Samuth Dalin and Olatunde.
After work I went to watch Rithy Panh's The People of Angkor at Reyum with about fifty teenage Khmer schoolkids who have a completely different way of watching a film than I do. They talk non-stop, laugh loudly, phone their friends and generally mess about whilst I was trying to watch a film I've been waiting to see for a few years. Remind me never to go and watch a Khmer movie at Lux. As for the parts of the film I managed to see and hear, the 'real' lives of the inhabitants of Angkor appeared completely scripted in my view and that took some of the shine off it. There was a lot of humour, which pleased the schoolkids, and it was good to see another appearance from the sweeper of Ta Prohm, Choun Nhiem, who passed away earlier this year. I'm pleased I've seen it but it's not one of Panh's best films by a long chalk.

A view from my taste buds

I've just read that eating a curry once or twice a week can stave off Alzheimer's disease, which is good news for the owners of my favourite Indian & Nepalese curry-house, Mount Everest on Sihanouk Boulevard. I already go there twice a week, either for a sit-in or takeaway, so I must be well on course for avoiding Alzheimer's (memory loss, mood swings, confusion, stress). The gen is that curcumin, an ingredient in turmeric, which is used widely in Indian cuisine, is believed to prevent changes in the brain by blocking the spread of amyloid plaques - toxic protein deposits thought to play a key role in Alzheimer's. I nearly forgot to post this important information and got irritable and confused before I finally remembered it again, so maybe my curry intake needs to be increased! Just for the uninitiated, Mount Everest provide good quality and inexpensive meals, and I would recommend them to all.

Whilst scanning the newswires this morning, I see the Lloyds Banking Group in the UK is slashing more jobs, which will take them up to 7,000 job cuts since they acquired HBOS (Halifax and Bank of Scotland) and were bailed out by the British government in January. Before coming to live in Cambodia, I worked for LloydsTSB after they took over my long-time employer Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society. To say things were never the same again after the merger, is an understatement. Working for Lloyds was a nightmare and to be frank, they treated me with utter contempt after 31 years as an employee of C&G and then Lloyds. At the beginning of June, Lloyds announced they will close all 164 C&G branch offices in the UK by November, axing 1,600 jobs as a result. Lloyds, who control 30% of the mortgage market, acquired C&G as their flagship mortgage name in 1995. 19 years before that, in 1976, I joined C&G as a post-room assistant (see my photo from that era) and working at C&G, as we made a name for ourselves locally and then nationally, was rewarding and fun. Merging with Lloyds changed all that. And it continues today for the C&G staff that are left, including my step-daughter. I'm glad I got out when I did but the attitude of Lloyds then and now, continues to leave a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Looking ahead

Cambodia's national coach Scott O'Donell, looking ahead to the SEA Games in December

Shaping the future of Cambodian football - by Andy Brouwer, Phnom Penh Post

Former national players Van Piseth and Bouy Dary have joined the national team coach O'Donell to develop Cambodian talent

Recently appointed Cambodian national football coach Scott O'Donell has selected the men he wants to help him shape the future of Cambodia’s national team. Van Piseth and Bouy Dary are no strangers to the international set-up, as both worked with O’Donell in 2007, the last year of his previous stint in charge of the national team. All three have been running their experienced collective eyes over the ten teams in the Cambodian Premier League (CPL) for the first half of the current campaign in order to identify the cream of the country’s young talent.

O’Donell is very happy with his choices. “Both Piseth and Dary were with me before," he said. "I trust and respect them. Both were national team players and have a good knowledge of the game, and we already have a mutual understanding of what we want to achieve. ” Van Piseth, 47, was a national player for Cambodia for three years during the mid-1980s, playing most of his football for the Army team before beginning his coaching career at Khemara. He is due to take his AFC C-Licence coaching certificate next month. Bouy Dary, 23, was assistant to the last national coach, Prak Sovannara, and is one of the younger generation of coaches in Cambodia, currently plying his trade with Phnom Penh Crown. He played under O’Donell in the SEA Games in 2005 whilst with the Royal Navy team, and already has his C-Licence. A third appointment is Prak Sovanny as the goalkeeping coach, a role he had under the previous national set-up.

“The next stage is to get a squad together, with the SEA Games in Laos in December as the next major challenge,” stated O’Donell. “I want to put on a series of trials for around 40 players in the last three weeks of July at the Olympic Stadium, with a view to whittling that down to a squad of 25. Then I’d like to get the squad with me a couple of times a week during August and September, which is why I met with the CPL coaches a couple of weeks ago, as I need their cooperation. I’d be concentrating on their technical and tactical awareness rather than their stamina until the end of the current season.” The 42-year-old Australian is also looking to cement his squad’s preparation for the Under-23 SEA tournament with a couple of friendly international matches and two training camps away in Korea and Vietnam.

Last week, O’Donell, the former AFC Director of Coach Education, went back to Kuala Lumpur to help conduct a joint AFC and FIFA course aimed at developing quality regional coach instructors throughout Asia. Also attending the course was Prak Sovannara, who is now employed as technical coach to XPL leaders Preah Khan Reach. Prak Sovannara will head a two-week AFC C-Licence course in Cambodia, starting July 7, for thirty prospective home-grown coaches. Meanwhile, Scott O’Donell has just flown to the Cayman Islands for a six-day FIFA coaching course he will instruct, a booking that was arranged before he took on his new role as the Cambodian coach.

Assistant coach Van Piseth is no stranger to the national set-up

Maintaining continuity, Bouy Dary was assistant coach in the last national set-up

Shaping the future

My article in today's Phnom Penh Post on the new faces in the national football team's coaching staff

Note: The article is online at the Phnom Penh Post here.

Reunion at Glastonbury

A happy Steel Pulse crew at Glastonbury. LtoR: Amlak Tafari, Selwyn Brown, Grizzly Nisbett, David Hinds, Donovan McKitty and Donna Sterling in front

Just a few days ago, Steel Pulse took part in the massive Glastonbury Festival in England. If I was still living in the UK I would've bust a gut to be there as I have been a Pulse fan for more than thirty years. However I wasn't able to be there and so the next best thing is to take a peek at some photos from the day, taken by Millie Brown, the wife of keyboard player and founding member of the band, Selwyn Brown. And I got a big surprise when I saw them, not only was veteran drummer Grizzly Nisbett on stage, assisting with percussion, but dynamite backing singer Donna Sterling was also in the line-up alongside the two regular backing vocalists, Juris Prosper and Keysha McTaggart. It was quite a shock as I don't think Donna has been on stage with Steel Pulse since she left the band to have a baby in 2004, whilst Grizzly played his last gig in 2001 and had a heart by-pass operation three years ago. It's fantastic to see them back with the Steel Pulse family, and thanks to Millie for her thumbs up to post the pictures here.

Grizzly and the girls. LtoR: Keysha McTaggart, Grizzly, Juris Prosper, Donna Sterling

Steel Pulse's backing vocalists. LtoR: Juris, Keysha and Donna on her comeback

Grizzly roles back the years as he plays percussion on stage at GlastonburySteel Pulse's lead singer David Hinds with Amlak Tafari in support on bass

At last, the chance to speak

Vann Nath peers through the bars of S-21

I still haven't got out to the Khmer Rouge Trials at Kambol though this week would've been a particularly interesting time to go as the witnesses giving evidence are survivors from S-21 like Vann Nath, Chum Mey and most likely one or two of the prison guards as well. Vann Nath gave his evidence yesterday, some 30 years after his incarceration at Tuol Sleng for exactly 1 year. He survived because of his skills as a painter and his paintings have become inextricably linked with Tuol Sleng, where they hang on the walls of the former torture center. I've met Vann Nath a few times, including a filming session on the upper floor of Building B at S-21 and whilst he was a total professional when giving the interview on camera (which he has done so many times over the years), off camera he was quiet and melancholic. Today it was Chum Mey's turn to tell his story to the Tribunal judges of the torture he suffered during his imprisonment. You can often see Chum Mey at S-21, telling his story to visitors and re-enacting his incarceration in one of the brick-walled cells, it's a part of his life that he cannot forget even if he wanted to, so for his sake, and for Vann Nath, I really hope that their giving evidence and the outcome of the trial will allow some of their demons to rest. It's time some of the burden to tell the world about S-21 was lifted from the shoulders of these two men. I expect one of the prison guards, Him Houy, regarded as too lowly to be up for prosecution, to give his evidence later this week too.
A couple of disappointing briefs from the KR Tribunal: 15 people have been removed from the list of testimony witnesses to save time, the judges have announced and these include journalist Nic Dunlop, the man who discovered Comrade Duch, the man currently in the dock, living under an assumed name ten years ago. The judges also dismissed possible questions to Vann Nath on film footage of Tuol Sleng shot by the Vietnamese soon after they entered the city in 1979 - the judges ruled it was unclear whether the footage was genuine or propaganda produced by Hanoi, as defence lawyers have claimed.

Vann Nath looking at a self-portrait painting of himself that hangs at S-21

A quiet moment for Vann Nath during film shooting at S-21 in March 2008

New music from praCh

praCh's Dalama 3 album, soon to be released in English

Khmer-born rap star praCh releases the English version of his latest album, Dalama: Memoirs of the Invisible War, on 8 July having already released the Khmer version earlier this month. praCh resides in Long Beach, California and has built up a rock solid reputation with his first two albums, Dalama: The Ending is just the Beginning and Dalama: The Lost Chapter, and he says album number 3 will be even tougher, raw and more explicit, rapping about war, life, politics and his personal frustrations. You can read a new interview with praCh at KhmerCeleb online magazine here. praCh's own website is here.

An unguarded moment

Hello Darling... at 4FACES gallery in Siem Reap. photo courtesy of ericdevries

I don't think I will be able to get up to Siem Reap in the next few weeks to see the latest photographic exhibition at 4FACES by the gallery owner himself, Eric de Vries. Damn. We've been pals for a while now and I'm pleased that things are are on the up with the opening of his cafe-bar-gallery, a block away from Pub Street in Siem Reap, whilst at the same time taking on the responsibilities of fatherhood with the arrival of C'moon. He's also showing part 1 of his Hello Darling... exhibition throughout July that focuses on the girlybars in and around 104 and 136 streets in Phnom Penh. One of the exhibition photos was taken in an unguarded moment during a visit to one of the bars we made together purely in the interests of researching the background to the story you understand. As it's the first time I've been in an exhibition to my knowledge, I will take a small crumb of comfort from that. You can read more about the forgettable incident here. There's also talk of Eric having an exhibition at Raffles' Grand Hotel d'Angkor in October, so even more good news. Link: 4FACES.

I drop my guard for a few seconds and look what happens. photo courtesy of ericdevries

Cambodian premiere

Tonight's film, that we kept under wraps for safety reasons before the screening, seemed to go down well with the invited packed crowd at Meta House. Finding Face was given its Cambodian premiere having only had its first ever showing in Geneva in March. The safety aspect related to the family, who are still living in Cambodia, of the film's main subject, the singer Tat Marina, who was disfigured by an acid attack in 1999. The attack on Marina signalled a spate of copycat attacks which still continue today. As for Marina, she is rebuilding her life in America and that was the heart-warming part of an otherwise at times sombre film that highlights a culture of impunity and lack of justice for victims that shows no sign of dissipating. Directors Skye Fitzgerald and Patti Duncan did a good job of telling the Marina story without over-egging or sensationalizing it. Read more here.

For the month of July, Meta House will present its usual eclectic mix of film screenings, discussions and a brand new Global Hybrid exhibition from the 2nd, with works from Khmer and US-based artists, such as Ouer Sokuntevy, Leang Seckon and Stephane Janin. My pick of the film screenings start with the evening when I will present a double-bill of Belonging and New Year Baby on Friday 10th at 7pm, in which two women return to find their roots in Cambodia. It will be the first showing of the Tamara Gordon-directed documentary Belonging here in Cambodia, the story of Li-Da Kruger, who left Phnom Penh as a baby and who returns to find the truth about her past. More here. This Friday, 3rd, Out of the Poison Tree - the return of Thida Butt Mam to the country of her birth - gets another screening, alongwith Kampuchea Death & Rebirth, a film shot after the Khmer Rouge left the city in 1979. On Thursday 9th a night of poetry, music and film includes the female chapei player Ouch Savy, while Saturday 11th will host the first ever Cambodian movie featuring a taboo lesbian love story in Who Am I? Dengue Fever's Sleepwalking Through The Mekong gets another airing on Friday 17th and Rithy Panh's film, Burnt Theater, will be screened on Tuesday 21st. And there's lots more besides.

Lots of hope

A visit to New Hope has been on my agenda for ages, this article spurs me on even more. I've heard so many good things about the work they do for the children that no-one else wants.

Killeen couple cares for Cambodian children - by Jade Ortego (Killeen Daily Herald, USA)
The Tuckers say they feel happy. They're lucky. They're blessed. They have more than 1,000 Cambodian children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus who rely on them for medication, food and sometimes shelter, schooling and companionship. John and Kathy Tucker of Killeen went to Cambodia in the January 2000 as Catholic lay missionaries. They became involved with a hospice program for Cambodians infected with HIV, Seedlings of Hope. Cambodia has one of highest rates of HIV in Asia. It soon became clear that there were no programs to help children in Cambodia infected with HIV. Because of widespread ignorance about the nature of the virus, those children were frequently cast off, left to die in the street. None of the 200 orphanages in Cambodia at the time would accept any HIV-positive child. "Assume your sister died of AIDS and you take her children, and find out one of the kids has AIDS. You're afraid that child may infect your biological children … even though it's almost impossible to transmit from child to child," John said. "People don't know that and they want to protect their own children so out of ignorance they abandon these other children," he said.

Their own clinic
In 2006, the Tuckers began New Hope for Cambodian Children (NHCC), a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, which includes an outreach program, a transitional home for intensive care for infants and the very ill, a day care, and most recently, a village for abandoned children infected with the virus. Neither John nor Kathy has any medical background. "There was no (antiretroviral) medicine. The choice was to learn about the medicine or let the kids die," John said. The Tuckers got a manual about HIV and learned about the medicine and found out it was available in Thailand. They bought it, imported it and hired local doctors to help them start their own clinic.

The NHCC outreach program now covers five provinces and attends to the medical needs of 850 children still living with family members. NHCC provides antiretroviral medication, medical transportation expenses and food for these children. Antiretroviral medication suppresses the virus enough so that the immune system can reconstitute itself. After taking the medication, some children can be tested and come back with a negative result. The children will become sick again if they miss dosages, however, and can develop resistance to the drugs. The Clinton Foundation donates money for the medicine for all of these children involved with NHCC, and has gotten the cost down to $12 a month for one child. The same medicine is about $1,000 a month in the United States. NHCC now includes a village, an almost-sustainable commune of abandoned children on 20 acres about 45 minutes from capital city Phnom Penh.

Building a community
New children arrive every week, kicked out of orphanages or abandoned at hospitals, but the current number is 180. The kids, age 2 to 19, live in a family and community. NHCC pays a married man and woman $50 a month each to live with and raise eight children in the village. These households are in groups of three, and they eat together; these groups of homes are part of a close-knit larger community. The Tuckers are working to make the village sustainable. They use only three and half hours of electricity a day, and make their own bio-diesel out of waste vegetable oil from local restaurants. They make methane gas from pig waste, and use solar panels to power water pumps. The village has 250 pigs and 2,200 chickens. Many orphanages in Cambodia have children make postcards or other crafts to pay for the cost of running it. The NHCC village is funded entirely by private donations, many from the Killeen area, especially St. Paul Chong Hasang Catholic Church in Harker Heights. "These are children and they're going to be children and they're going to go to school, they're not going to work in the afternoon," John said.

No splitting families
The orphans all attend the local provincial school. Their studies are supplemented by tutoring in every class, largely to make up for a lack of education before their entrance into the program. The village also has art, music and dance classes, and a computer class and basketball court that non-infected children from the provincial schools are allowed to sometimes use. This year, a 19-year-old is graduating out of the village and will move to Phnom Penh to go attend a university there. The boy isn't infected with the virus; he is one of the 27 non-infected siblings of a child with HIV who lives on the village. "We don't split up families," Kathy said. Next year, the first HIV-positive child will graduate, and the year after, 12 will. The Tuckers want to rent a house in Phnom Penh for graduates to live in while they attend college or vocational school, where they can still receive care and medication, and remain a part of their family.

NHCC is a secular organization, and doesn't proselytize to the children. "Our kids are Buddhist and they stay Buddhist," John said. "But they do all wear rosaries because they glow in the dark," Kathy said. Kathy also started a daycare program for HIV positive children that provides their widowed mothers with local, living-wage jobs making quilts, which got media coverage by the BBC and the New York Times. Those quilts, which look like baby blankets decorated with elephants and other animals, can be purchased at St. Paul's. People can volunteer to work at the village or donate to NHCC online here. "We get to take care of sick kids and get them healthy. We found something at the end of our lives that gives us real meaning. We love what we're doing," John said. "We sleep very well," Kathy said.

Looking radiant

Sokheng has been a wonderful friend to me for the last two years, I was honoured to be invited to her party

In a quiet family and close friends party on Sunday morning, it was great to see one of my very best friends Sokheng looking radiant in her traditional garb and extremely happy during her engagement ceremony to Warren. The party began early at Navy's home in Kien Svay and included a gifts-carrying procession to the house, before breakfast was quickly followed by the main ceremony itself. Lunch soon followed and Sokheng took to the microphone to sing, as the dancing began, and it was still only 12 noon. I returned to Phnom Penh with my companion Sophoin, having enjoyed six hours of a party that would go on late into the night.

LtoR: Warren, Sokheng, Sophoin and myself: Sophoin wore red as she said its the colour for Sunday

Sokheng gives Warren a garland of flowers after exchanging the engagement rings

Preah Khan are still top dogs

Keo Kosal scored direct from a corner to put Preah Khan Reach ahead against Kirivong

17 year old Prak Mony Udom wrapped up the scoring in PKR's 3-nil win on Sunday

Sunday was a bit of a hectic day and I managed to get back into Phnom Penh and sat in my plastic chair in the 'press box' (a loose term by comparison to other press boxes around the world) at the Olympic Stadium just as Cambodian Premier League leaders Preah Khan Reach kicked off against Kiriviong. True to form, Preah Khan ran out deserved winners, going ahead with a goal direct from a corner by Keo Kosal, before Nuth Sinoun added a second on the stroke of half-time and Prak Mony Udom completed the 3-0 scoreline just before the end. They now lead the table by six points and played better today than on recent showings. The second game of the afternoon was a walk-over for Naga Corp, who move into 3rd place. Their opponents, lowly Post Tel had no answer to Naga's relentless pressure and were mauled 5-1, though they did take the lead through Gafar Adefolarin. Normal service was resumed when Teab Vathanak equalised with a close range header and the floodgates opened after the interval with goals from Sun Sovannarith, Pech Sina, Kim Chanbunrith (complete with bandaged head) and Vathanak again. This was Naga at their most fluent and an indicator that they will be in the mix come the end of the season. However, that's still some way off as after this Wednesday's games, the CPL takes a one-week mid-season break where the teams are allowed a transfer window to refresh their squads. We might see some interesting moves. Notable from yesterday's games was that eight of the nine goals scored came from Khmer players and only one from a foreign player - more of the same please.

A man in form, national player Teab Vathanak netted twice for Naga Corp

Naga Corp strike a pose with national skipper Kim Chanbunrith on the back row with his head bandaged after a midweek injury. Not sure what Pok Chanthan (12) is doing with his teammate's leg!

Post Tel come under the photographer's spotlight

The referee looks pleased to have caught his coin at the toss-up between Post Tel's Kun Kuon and Naga's Oum Thavrak (blue)

Out of the picture

A busy day today, so much so that I haven't time to put you in the picture other than the morning was spent at Sokheng's engagement party in Kien Svay, the afternoon was spent at Olympic Stadium watching a couple of football matches and the evening, well that's private. I'll post the story and pictures tomorrow morning.
And don't forget, tomorrow at 7pm (that's Monday 29th) make sure you come along to the special film screening at Meta House, alongside Wat Botum, of .... sorry I still can't release the name of the film but I can assure you it will be worth watching the Cambodian premiere of a film that dissects key issues in Cambodian today.

Under a black cloud

Black storm clouds fill the sky above the Olympic Stadium, complete with lightning strikes aplenty

Akeeb Ayoyinka (left) and Oscar Mpoko, the 2nd half goalscorers for Phnom Penh Crown

The Cambodian Premier League games at Olympic Stadium today were played in very hot, humid and for a short while, rainy conditions with lightning strikes filling the air, as black clouds circled overhead. It reminded me that it was only a year ago that lightning killed three footballers in the city and has already claimed 100 lives this year. Taking a risk with nature can prove costly in Cambodia. As for the football itself, Phnom Penh Crown stuttered to a 2-1 success over Spark FC but had to thank their two African substitutes for the three points against plucky opponents. In two match-defining minutes of a see-saw game, Oscar Mpoko and Akeeb Ayoyinka turned the match on its head after the league's top scorer Justine Prince had netted again for Spark in the first half to give them the lead. Crown had started the game with an all-Khmer line-up, something of a rare occurrence in the CPL these days, but it was Spark who showed the killer touch with a well-taken headed goal from their Nigerian skipper. Then it was the turn of Mpoko and Ayoyinka, within a minute of each other, to strut their stuff and their baby cradle goal celebrations fifteen minutes from the end as Crown cemented second-place in the table. In the second game, a solitary strike from Sin Dalin early in the first half won the tie in favour of the National Defense Ministry against bottom club Phuchung Neak, but the game was a poor second to the afternoon's opener.

The team's enter the arena in scorching hot weather for the opening match

The all-Khmer starting eleven for Phnom Penh Crown today

The Spark FC line-up with top scorer Justine Prince wearing the captain's armband

The players keeping the bench warm for Phnom Penh Crown before today's game

Sin Dalin, the match-winner for National Defence Ministry against Phuchung Neak

Midway through the second match of this afternoon's football I had an enlightening 1-to-1 with the Cambodian national football coach Scott O'Donell (pictured right), who has just returned from running a coach instructor's course in Kuala Lumpur on behalf of FIFA, the world's governing body. Scott was filling me in on what's been happening since he returned as national coach at the start of this month. My interview with Scott should appear in the Phnom Penh Post sometime next week, when I will be able to fill you in on the details here at the same time. What has been notable is that he's been to watch every team in the Cambodian Premier League a couple of times already, he's spoken to the CPL team coaches as a group to get their buy-in and co-operation, he has assembled his own coaching team as well as identifying up to 40 eligible players at under-23 level who he wants to invite to trials, from which he will select a squad of 25 players to represent the country at the SEA Games in Laos in December. More next week.

Back-breaking banter

Now, in a rare day off, enjoying the sunset at Phnom Bakheng

Now gave me a call today to tell me she's finally off into the fields to plant rice for the whole of next week. It's been held up a bit but tomorrow her whole family and other families in their village will take it in turns to plant their staple foodstuff in their rice fields, a couple of kilometres from their homes near Srah Srang, in the middle of the Angkor temple complex near Siem Reap. First it will be Now's field then the next day, everyone chips in with a neighbour's field, and so on, about thirty people in all. She's actually looking forward to it - not the back-breaking work in the scorching overhead sun - but the comraderie and banter that everyone enjoys that makes their 10-hour day go by quicker. As she just told me, she'll be there in her wide-brimmed hat, her krama covering her face and her long trousers tucked into her socks to avoid the leeches getting a grip. The weather is a bit changeable at the moment, so it could be either rice planting in hard earth or wet soil if it rains during their planting session. She prefers the latter. But what she likes the most is the break from her usual daily routine of selling souvenirs inside the east gate of Banteay Kdei and the opportunity to enjoy the company of her family and her neighbours. I've been to her village a couple of times and I can back-up that they are a happy bunch, who all help each other when the need arises. One of the books she sells on her stall is The Khmers by Ian Mabbett and David Chandler and she recalled that when she read about the importance of rice planting to the Khmer people in the book, she felt very proud that someone should write about one of the tasks that she and her family do together. I never thought about it like that before and I'm so glad that she uses the books she sells to improve her English as well as her understanding of her her own history and culture, in which she takes great pride.

Panh's People

One of the Rithy Panh films that I still haven't see is The People of Angkor, or Le gens d'Angkor, as it was known on its release in 2003. Well I will get my first chance on Wednesday of next week, at the Reyum Gallery on Street 178 at 6pm, when the film will be screened in Khmer with English subtitles (which is a relief as I thought it might've been in French). Panh, who has dedicated his directorial career towards showing Cambodians in tough and tragic real-life situations, vulnerable but also with hope, humour and realism in films like Rice People, Land of Wandering Souls, S-21, The Burnt Theatre and Paper Cannot Wrap Embers, said of his 90-minute movie; "This film is about the people who live there. An inside view in the shadow of the temples and the great kapok trees, an inhabited shadow that the world’s tourists pass through unawares, wrapped up in contemplating the treasures of Khmer art. This is not just one more film about the monuments of Angkor, their history or their architecture....A story of pain and hope, where the past and present are intermingled, where the divine and human complement each other, and where humor enables people to express the anguish of survival, just as art transcends the contingencies of destiny."

Life's a doddle

On the cards for tonight is a quiet night in with a good book, actually I have a pile of good books that I still haven't read, quite a number of which have been sent to me by publishers requesting a review of their latest publication, so I'd better get my finger out. That also includes the Dengue Fever DVD Sleepwalking Through the Mekong, which I've watched a couple of times now and still haven't penned a review - although everyone and their dog seems to have already reviewed it. So I have a list of tasks already lined up for tonight. Tomorrow it's work and football in that order. Phnom Penh Crown take on Spark FC and bottom club Phuchung Neak face the Defense Ministry at Olympic Stadium from 2pm onwards. My weekly diet of football is adequately feeding my football fever at the moment although we are coming up to the mid-season break and and I'm not sure I'll be able to cope with the withdrawal symptoms. I won't be able to make the games on Sunday as I have an early start, 6.30am to be precise, to get to Kien Svay for the day-long engagement party for my friend Sokheng. And then on Monday night it's the 1st showing in Cambodia of a film that I can't tell you its name - as we're keeping it under wraps until the 7pm start at Meta House gets underway. Somewhere in between I've got to fit in eating and sleeping and the other daily routines of life though having a cleaner like Chrep, who comes round three mornings every week to do my washing, ironing and cleaning, does make my domestic life a doddle. Before I forget, an update on my medical condition - so far so good, pills and cream working well, my skin is looking healthy again and we seem to be on the right track. But I'm not counting my blessings just yet.

Friendship

Meet Srey Ka. I thought it was time to introduce a few of my friends to the outside world. If you read my blog regularly (is there such a person?) you'll already know about a few of them, like Sophoin, Sokheng, Now, Vy, yes there's a common thread, most of them are female. I've always gravitated towards female friends and living in Cambodia is no different. So who is Srey Ka you ask. Well, she originates from the province of Takeo and now lives in Phnom Penh, she's 26 years old and trying like all of us to make a life here in the capital, and to earn a daily crust. She used to work for the street cleaning company Cintri in her first job before moving into one of the more popular jobs for countryside girls around here, working for a garment manufacturer. When her factory closed a few months ago, another regular occurrence here too, she got a job cashiering and making drinks at a city bar, where she is today. It's not where she wants to be but needs must and in due time she hopes to find a new job that has more sociable hours. Then again, doesn't everyone? She has an adorable personality and an award-winning smile, like all my friends, and works hard to be able to support her family back in their home village. Her story is no different from thousands of others, but the difference is, she's one of my closest friends.

Under wraps

This coming Monday 29th Meta House will show a very special 'surprise' film that hasn't been seen in Cambodia before, yet it created quite a stir in the international press when it had its first showing in Europe recently and we hope that its screening in Cambodia will have the same effect. For the time being the title of the film is under wraps. All very cloak and dagger but it'll be worth it. Space on the night will be limited, so drop me a line if you want to reserve a seat or call Nico on 012 607 465. Meta House on Street 264 in Phnom Penh is the location and the film will begin at 7pm.
For cinema lovers in the capital, a new option is officially opening its doors for the first time tomorrow on Street 95. It's called The Flicks and can accommodate 24 people in its theatre, seated on futon mats. Its aim is to show mainstream English-language films as well as documentaries and art-house movies. The more the merrier in my view.
On the food front, I returned to my usual haunt, Cafe Fresco, at lunchtime today and enjoyed a soup and sandwich lunch that put my recent one-off defection to The Lunch Box into perspective. The choice at Fresco's is wider, the prices similar and the aircon and ambiance much more inviting. Stick to what you know and enjoy.

It's that man Sokumpheak again

Kouch Sokumpheak rescued a point for Khemara after Naga had led - he can't stop scoring goals

This afternoon was my first taste of midweek football and the verdict - way too hot and humid. So credit to all four teams who did their best to serve up some quality play and it was a definite improvement on last weekend's drudgery. Phnom Penh Crown moved into second place in the Cambodia Premier League with their 2-nil victory over Kirivong in the first match up. They just about deserved it with two second-half goals from Akeeb Ayoyinka and a penalty from Keo Sokngorn but it wasn't exactly edge of the seat stuff. I was looking forward to the second game, Naga versus Khemara and I wasn't disappointed. The two teams were led by the international pairing of Naga's Om Thavrak and Khemara's Kouch Sokumpheak and it was Thavrak who was smiling for much of the match as Naga went two goals ahead. Teab Vathanak finished with aplomb after half an hour and then Sunday Okonkwo added a second. It looked like the points were in the bag for Naga. But Khemara are a team that don't lie down easily and Alichigozie Anthony and then skipper Sokumpheak, with a sublime glancing header, rescued a point with two goals in the last twenty minutes. Honours even though Khemara felt it was a moral victory as their celebrations at the end showed.

A serious Phnom Penh Crown line-up before their 2-0 success over Kirivong this afternoon

Kirivong attempt one of the more unusual pre-match photo line-ups, but they need more practice

All eyes are on the referee and his coin before the Crown and Kirivong match

Great to see the two international teammates and club captains have time for a smile as they lead their teams onto the pitch in the Naga versus Khemara game

A final handshake between Sokumpheak (blue) and Thavrak (red) before battle commences

Naga Corp line up before the match begins, a match they probably should've won

The Khemara Keila starting eleven, who rescued a point in the last 20 minutes

Cutting-edge technology in the press box at this afternoon's feast of football - Phnom Penh Post journo Dene Mullen plays with his satellite link (joke)

And finally, our lovely peanut seller now has a number 2 who she is grooming to take over her peanut empire pending her upcoming marriage

Out of left field

I've just been hit by a rocket. Not really but the same sort of effect. My series editor at ThingsAsian Press, the adorable Kim Fay, for the unique guidebook I'm editing, To Cambodia With Love has just asked that I send her everything by this weekend. That's the whole book, in its finished state, or as near to it as possible. It's certainly the wake-up call I need to stop dallying around and get the book completed. I won't make this weekend but it'll be with the series editors at the beginning of next month and that will speed up the guidebook's arrival in bookshops/on Amazon/on the streets of Phnom Penh (in beautifully photocopied format no doubt) considerably. More news as I get it.
I am taking my lunch late this afternoon, so I get the opportunity to watch the midweek Cambodian Premier League matches at Olympic Stadium and both games are, on paper, well worth the effort and discomfort of sitting in the main stand, sweating profusely. Match reports later.
The main news coming out from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal today is that the chief international prosecutor, Robert Petit has announced he will quit the trials on 1 September, citing personal reasons. Petit has been with the ECCC for three years and has worked in four war crimes tribunals in the last twenty years. His knowledge and experience has been a vital driving force to the ongoing trials. It was Petit who was keen to get more suspects in the dock to join the five currently awaiting prosecution, though his desires didn't exactly curry favour with the Cambodian authorities. We are still awaiting a final decision on this. His departure, even before the Duch trial is complete, will create a void in the process until a suitable replacement is appointed.

A lesson well learnt

Learn from your mistakes my mum always told me. Take my decision to patronize a new sandwich shop - The Lunch Box - that has just opened in BBK1 on Street 282, just behind Wat Lanka. I read about it in yesterday's Phnom Penh Post and thought I'd compare it against my usual lunchtime venue, Cafe Fresco, which lies about 100 feet from my office. Remind me not to be so stupid next time. The 500 metre walk in the midday sun wasn't a good idea for starters and then the forty-five minute wait - yes, 45 minutes - for my takeaway sandwich to materialize was beyond a joke. I'd also ordered a takeaway fruit shake but they had no lid for my cup, so I drank it whilst I waited, and waited, and waited. I heard mutterings of no bread delivery today and more apologies than I could shake a stick at until finally my wait was over. Did I mention that their wall-fans were worse than useless and I was sweating like a navvy... the $1.5 reduction in my bill was small compensation. I walked back, right past the aircon haven of Fresco's to my office to open my plastic lunch box, only to be confronted with an inadequate excuse for a tuna sandwich and one which tasted even worse than it looked. They couldn't even redeem themselves with the quality of their food. Notes for my diary, never go to The Lunch Box again; Cafe Fresco has air-con; great sandwiches; very friendly staff like Smey, Dary, Sophoin and Kunthear; not to mention their gorgeous Snickers cheesecake. Thanks mum, a lesson well learnt.