The Phare Ponleu Selpak people have been busy, with a range of international tours and appearances scheduled over the next four months – but there's also a special delight in store for Siem Reap audiences.

Galaxy Khmer Project – the circus meets Cambodian Space Project extravaganza – is going to Berlin and Norway in January 2014. But before that, Reapers will be able to see it for themselves when it comes to Phare, The Cambodian Circus on December 21 and 22.

"The project is a unique collaboration between art director Michael Laub, psychedelic rock band The Cambodian Space Project, the German director Mark Eberle and musicians and dancers of Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang," says Huot Dara, the Phare Siem Reap co-director.

"It is a dynamic, charismatic and insightful journey through the music and sounds of Khmer rock and roll history. At the centre, a diva illuminates the story through song and dance, channeling the divas of old."

Cambodian Space Project will be supported on stage by Phare musicians playing traditional instruments, as well as dancers accompanying the songs. There will also be film projections of archive footage and film shot of circus artists performing at Phare Ponleu Selpak.

Also, in the short term, spooky new show Chills, a ghost story about Cambodian culture and belief in the afterlife will open in Siem Reap on October 1, fittingly, just in time for Pchum Ben.

Huot says, "It's about ghosts haunting villagers, mainly the youth at night. They have a fun adventure the next day at school pretending to be ghosts, scaring each other using impressive acrobatic and other circus skills."

Also, over the coming months, the theatre and circus school is taking shows to Japan, France, Portugal, Germany and Norway.

Artists from the theatre side of the school are already in France for The Terrible but Unfinished Story of Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, a Khmer language adaptation of Hélène Cixous's 1985 play which, according to Phare's press material, explores "a difficult page in Cambodia's history." Even longer than the title is the duration: seven hours, Despite its length, Huot Dara says the play has been well-received. It's already a sell-out and has been known to move audiences to tears.

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"It is a co-production between Le Théâtre du Soleil and Phare Ponleu Selpak," says Huot. "In 2011 artists toured the first part of the play, in 2012 and 2013 they worked on the second part. Now they have finished the whole story and it became seven hours in length. I have heard that many people cry during the show, those who know Cambodia."

There are 30 actors in the play, each of them taking on three or four different roles, and the play is performed in Khmer with French and English subtitles.

Having opened on September 19 with three performances in Lisbon, the troupe has now moved to France taking in Limoges, Paris, Lyon and Valence. They will finish up in Toulouse on November 23.

Huot says the troupe would like to be able to perform the play in Cambodia, but as of yet have not received the authorisation to do so, due to the political nature of the story.

This month Phare is also taking a circus show, My Village, to Japan. The show, about a Cambodian village, will be performed in Little World theme park in Inuyama city, Aichi Prefecture for three months.

"It is a special production created for Japan with the purpose of introducing Cambodian culture and arts to a wider audience," says Huot. "Little World is a big park on a mountain, and the artists will perform almost every day a few times a day."

Siem Reap town has been flood free so far this year, but outlying areas have been inundated including Pouk, Angkor Chum, Krolanh, and Varin.

Department of Water Resources and Meteorology director Noun Krisna said there has been no flooding in Siem Reap town because the Provincial Authority and the Apsara Authority made improvements to the water system to avoid flooding in the town and especially at the temples.

He said, "Although rain has been steadily falling, the water is flowing fast enough from the Siem Reap River to Tonle Sap Lake which helps the river from overflowing in the city. Our river is now also bigger than before.

He added that a dam at the Ta Soum temple in the Angkor Thom district has become the priority strategy of the Apsara Authority to avoid flooding in Angkor Park and Siem Reap City. The dam strategy was planned and implemented by the Provincial Authority and Apsara in 2012 after Siem Reap town, Angkor Thom, and Banteay Srei district experienced heavy flooding in November 2011 which left about 200 tourists stranded.

Noun Krisna said, "The water normally flows from Kulen Mountain to the Siem Reap River through Banteay Srei district, but recently the authority diverted part of that water to Rolous River, another part to Pouk River, and the remainder of the water will flow into the West Baray and North Baray."

This method seems to be working effectively to avoid flooding in the temples as well Siem Reap town, but a Kok Chok resident, Seng Sech, who lives near the Bayon Temple in Nokor Krout's village claims that his and other villager's houses had been inundated because of the Apsara's Authority's dam strategy.

He said, "I am happy to see there is no flooding in Siem Reap town, but I am unhappy that the water flooded my village. The water level rose up to my waist and flooded my house and my farm and other roads."

He noted that some people had been relocated from their houses to safe places adding, "Most of the villagers left their homes and went to sleep at the school nearby."

He said that with the flooding, authorities visited villages to provide help. Mi Rith, Nokor Krout's village chief, told Insider that more than 300 families had been affected by short-term flooding.

He said 359 families from the 600 families in the village had left their home due to the water level rising about half a metre, but now they are back in their homes because the water level has decreased.

I absolutely don't believe it, because previously, [Prime MInister Hun Sen] promised to cut his head off if he couldn't prevent forestry destruction. But, today, he still has his head.

Keen Reapers have already started training for this year's Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, but for those of a less athletic bent, the one kilometre Reapers' Run of Shame tomorrow promises a more achievable goal.

The run, with its tagline, "run, walk or stagger," was devised last year by Australian expat and ABCs and Rice strategic planner Monica Butler. It was a huge success, with over a hundred people taking part and some describing it as the best day they'd had in Siem Reap.

"Obviously expats and locals in Siem Reap want something more to do than just quizzes," Butler says. "For fundraisers we're so over-quizzed. I just wanted to do something completely different. Last year we raised $2000 for ABCs and Rice in Siem Reap and we just had so much good feedback.

"We had people saying afterwards that the whole town smiled because there were these idiot barangs in costume running around for no apparent reason."

A huge hit at last year's run, the Hash House Harriers led by Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa general manager Hanno Stamm, will again take part.

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"There were lots of fake boobies," remembers Butler. "It was brilliant. So much so that we've now got a prize this year for the most tragic fake boobies. It was hilarious, all these blokes running in with these halter tops on, readjusting.

"The theme is 'dress like you haven't been to bed yet' because it's a run of shame. But it's purely wear whatever you want to and go as crazy as you want."

Butler says there are a few people this year planning to do the run on alternate means of transport, including a tuk tuk decked out as a chariot. There will also be a flag-bearer carrying a large ABCs and Rice flag.

The run starts at 3pm at Genevieve's on Sok San Road, taking in Sivutha Boulevard and then going down Pub St, finishing at the Warehouse with a raffle and prize giving.

As well as the grand prizes, the person finishing last will get a booby prize 'recovery pack' of Royal D, some beers (naturally) and Panadol.

Butler says there seems to be a really good vibe about the run this year, with more and more people planning to take part.

Registration for the run costs $12 including a free t-shirt.

The Center for Khmer Studies at Wat Damnak launched its Artists in Work program last week which is a new initiative aiming to provide local artists with room to work, exhibit and interact.

Svay Sareth is now using the centre's conference hall as a temporary studio to complete new artwork for the upcoming Singapore Biennale, in which three Cambodian artists are participating.

CKS director Krisna Uk explained that their conference hall was often not in use and the board thought it would be good to do something more creative with it. She said, "We'd like to have artists, performers and sculptors use the space, especially local artists, as it's an opportunity to make their work more well known in the local community. There is so much going on in Siem Reap and an emerging segment of a new type of artist and they need space to work, communicate and exhibit. And this is something CKS wants to help with. It's really rewarding for us to have this kind of interaction."

Svay Sareth, one of Cambodia's foremost contemporary artists, works in several mediums and is perhaps best known for Mon Boullet, in which he dragged a 2-metre wide, 80-kilogram metal ball from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in 2011.

Born in Battambang in 1972, Sareth spent his formative years in Site 2 refugee camp where he attended art classes. On returning to Cambodia he co-founded the now well-known art and circus school, Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang before moving to France in 2002 to continue his studies. He now lives and works in Siem Reap.

Sareth is excited about the possibilities of the Artists in Work program. "CKS is a very nice place to work. If artists want to do research they can go to the library easily and there is also a pagoda if they want to do research connected to culture. There can be a dialogue between the artists and the other people that use CKS'."

He already knows of many artists who would benefit from the work area. "I know at least 10 artists who live here but they don't know how to develop," he said. "When you build a house you need foundations, and they need a place to found their future."

As all participants have been sworn to secrecy by the Biennale organisers, we cannot reveal much about what Sareth is working on. But anyone interested in seeing the work-in-progress can visit Wat Damnak for a sneak preview – although no photographs are allowed – and this openness is a key component of the Artists in Work program.

Uk explains, "Last weekend tourists who are staying at the Golden Banana saw our banner outside and decided to come in and were very interested in Sareth's work. It opens lots of doors so we're really keen to work with other artists and other artistic organisations and we are open to ideas."

For Uk, Sareth was the ideal choice to inaugurate the program. She says, "He is very talented and full of creative ideas and he is daring because he goes beyond the borders of the material. He's a source of inspiration for other artists, who can see they can do whatever they want, develop and explore."

The third Angkor Bodybuilding Association championship was held on Saturday at perhaps the most unlikely of places, the Rosana Broadway ladyboy venue. Twenty-five muscle men from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh competed in the finals, with 41-year-old Tek Bunvy taking the grand $600 prize, ranking both number one in his category, 70-75kg, and taking the overall Mr Angkor award.

The theatre packed in around 700 people, mainly Khmer, but with a fair sprinkling of expats plus a squealing group of what looked like a Korean hen party, judging by the raucous reactions and pink bunny ears.

The turn-out was the biggest the competition has had to date, and this was also the first year it was televised on AK TV and shown live in eight districts in and around Siem Reap.

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"We do this for the purpose of promoting the sport," Rocky said, "I think it was a big success but I hope that everybody liked it, and I hope that Cambodia becomes more open to the idea of bodybuilding as a sport."

After opening poses from guests Maria Ingelis Carlsward of Sweden and Mr Cambodia Sok Sopheak, the contest was staged in four rounds divided by weight: under 60kg, 60-65kg, 65-70kg and 70-75k, with a fifth "master" category for the over 40-year-olds.

Bodybuilders were judged on size and shape of specific muscle groups in eight different pose categories including 'front double biceps,' 'side triceps' and 'most muscular.' Lee explained that the winners are chosen based on various criteria, and not necessarily simply the biggest guys.

"There are eight compulsory poses but we combine all eight, and one of those poses shows the biggest muscle," he said. "We sum up all the scores between five judges. So we look at the eight poses, the style, the dancing and presentation. The overall guy who won Mr Angkor this time had to have big muscles, but also definition and have everything in proportion."

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As contestants flexed and grimaced on stage to hip hop and pop music, they gleamed a peculiar, deep bronze colour, quite unlike anything Insider had ever seen. Later a couple of contestants were spotted backstage applying body-paint with what looked like a paint roller. Lee said that the bronze colour was ordered specially from the US, and is used to enhance muscle definition.

Winners of the 60-65kg, 65-70kg and "master" rounds were, respectively: Chas Vanny, Chheng Kimsrun and Seng Thea, all from Phnom Penh, while Ngoun Sophan from Siem Reap took first prize in the under 60kg category.

Interspersed between rounds were a bokator show, an Apsara dance and a catwalk show featuring male models from Angkor Bodybuilding Association. Finally, the venue being what it was, the afternoon was rounded off with the Rosana ladyboys who performed a show-stopping rendition of crowd favourite, J-Lo's On the Floor.

HATEFUL THINGS ABOUT SIEM REAP NO. 256B
I hate those horrible squawky walkie-talkie devices that seem to be standard equipment for the town's legion of security guards.

The guards usually have them turned up full volume in case they miss important news about an imminent invasion. Or perhaps news of a violent robbery on their patch, so that they can instantly be somewhere else.

Hence awful metallic shrieking voices pollute the environment, punctuated by ear-splitting electronic squelching noises. A curse on the walkie talkies. But of course anybody living in an Asian city expecting quietness is but a fool.

FOR GOD'S SAKE
Christian churches are usually noted for their conservative nature, but the World Mission Society Church of God in Siem Reap, in a press release about donations it gave to a local orphanage, said that it has "taken the initiative in practicing the love of God the Mother.

Radical stuff indeed, and perhaps appeasement for feminists.

The church was started in South Korea and has become extremely contentious in Christian circles, and in turn, it's also become extremely litigious in fending off critic. A website called Examining the World Mission Society Church of God is dedicated to attacking the church and listings its numerous court cases against critics.

The website lists a December 27, 2011 court case in Mongolia and republishes an article from Globe International which says, "On 6 September, Minjin broadcast a news item about complaints by former members of the church and other sources concerning "doubtful preaching" by the church… After the broadcast, the journalist received many phone calls, day and night, from members of the church. They threatened her and yelled loudly, saying, 'We will kill you. We will curse you.' Moreover, a member of the church entered the TV-8 premises several times and issued death threats against the station's staff."

In July 2005 the church lost a court case in the Northern Seoul Regional Court.

The church had sued the defendant, Ji Won Tak, who had written a book titled Researches on the New Religions of Korea 2002, Collection I (subtitled, Self-Claimed Reborn Jesus Christ of Korea.)

The book was tabled in evidence in court. It gives a history of the church and in part reads, "The Church of God is an organisation that stemmed from the Adventist Church. But unlike the Adventist church which acknowledges general Christian beliefs… this organisation believes that Sang Hong Ahn who died in 1985 is God …Aware that the continuing failures of the many end of the world theories that continued in 1988 and 1994 as well as the critical views of the society, they have changed their name to the Church of God World Gospel Association to continue their activities.

"They then changed their name to Sang Hong Ahn Witness Association, but after it caused troubles in their missionary work, they changed their name to the Church of God. According to the teachings of Sang Hong Ahn Witness Association, the end of the world would come in 1988 at which time the world will disappear without a trace and except for 144,000 people who have been granted God's special protection, everything will be destroyed. It was believed that the first wife of Sang Hong Ahn, who was his so called spiritual wife, was Soo In Um.

Um divorced her former husband before she began seeing Ahn, and she was the one who proclaimed that Ahn was Jesus Christ in 1978. After Ahn died, the SangHong Ahn Witness Association was divided into a sect called New Covenant Passover Church of God that worshipped Um as the wife of God and another sect that chose Gil Ja Chang as the wife of God in 1981 and believed the second spiritual wife as Mother."

The Cambodia team returned home on Wednesday from the 27th King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championships in Udon Thani, Thailand, with an impressive haul of five silver and five bronze medals.

According to the Cambodian Sepak Takraw Federation general secretary Chhoun Leng, the silver medalists will receive $4,000 and the bronze winners $2,000 from the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth, added Chhoun Leng.

Twenty-seven nations took part in this year's edition of the annual Thailand event.

The enchanting city of Siem Reap will host the 2013 Prudential Astro Golf Masters Grand Final at two of the destination's most popular links on Monday and Tuesday.

The two-round event to be played in stroke play format is exclusively for 37 finalists emerging from a series of preliminary rounds played all over Malaysia since March this year. On offer are attractive prizes and goodies, while a brand new Lexus CT 200h Luxury car with a road value of 202,899 Malaysian ringgit ($63,000) will be given to anyone making a hole-in-one.

The prizes and other awards are courtesy of Prudential Astro Masters partners – AmBank, Panasonic, Bridgestone, The Star, Titoni, Pharmaton, Cross Creek, Maxis, Samsonite, Fred Lenzo, Cinta Sayang Golf Resort, Banana Boat, Schick, AXN, TVB, Astro Arena, Golf Channel, Golf Magazine, Fresh & White, Shokubutsu, Heineken, Gatorade, Sunrise Wines and Jake's Charbroil Steaks.

Since the Astro Masters began 15 years ago, nearly 37,000 golfers have experienced the joys and pleasures of playing this unique format that offers great challenges and exhilarating pleasures to golfers of any level.

Monday's opening round of the grand final will be played at the Siem Reap Booyoung Country Club, which is the city's longest golf links with a course yardage of 7,396. The action for the decisive final round on Tuesday shifts to the multiple award-winning Angkor Golf Resort, designed by Sir Nick Faldo.

Even as this elite competition moves into top gear, a more leisurely event in System 36 Stableford format for sponsors picks, special invitees and VIPs, in all numbering 53, will be rolling along simultaneously. The local organising effort has been handled by PSD Travel, a member of the golf global tourism organisation, IAGTO.

"This is a good opportunity to showcase Siem Reap golfing experience to a global audience. Through this event we do hope to raise Siem Reap's profile to a higher level as a golfing destination," PSD Travel general manager Candra Tanpatti told the Post yesterday.

"The mystical Angkor Wat is a great attraction for international golfers to visit Siem Reap," he added.

A remarkable mid-season recovery from a tardy start gives Pate 310 as good as an even winning chance when they face second ranked IRB the Lord at the Beeline Arena tomorrow in the Cambodian Basketball League sponsored by Western Union and Coca-Cola.

Three months ago even a reckless speculator would not have given Pate a fling to be in the position they are now after recording just one win from their first five games.

With Sok Tour driving the team along with some consistent displays, Pate have won their last three games to be well within range of a playoff spot. A victory over The Lord in their game, which tips off at 4pm, will push Pate up to seventh in the ranking table.

Despite surviving a close call against CCPL heat last week, The Lord remain second favourites to claim the title behind top-ranked Alaxan FR Patriots, the only side to inflict defeat on them this season.

The outcome of this contest against Pate will have no impact on The Lord's ranking order but a victory would keep the camp in good spirits ahead of November's play-offs.

The only other game featured on the day involves CCPL Heat and Galaxy tipping off at 2pm. If form book is any guide then a tottering Galaxy is likely to be seared by the Heat, who are still ruing their missed chances against The Lord.

For Heat team manager Davuth Sin, it is an ideal opportunity to reignite the passion in the side and keep the players on the hop for the crucial post-season.

At the back of every Heat player's mind will be those messed up turnovers against both Sela Meas and The Lord, and the team will probably hook up to a better defensive plan, keeping the rest of the season in their sights.

The scheduled third game between Sela Meas and Ganzberg had to be shelved for a dubious reason.

Ganzberg have now painted themselves as sour losers after the side decided to pull out of the tournament once they sensed their chances of making the next grade impossible after losing their fifth game.

A technical committee comprising officials from CBL and the Cambodian Basketball Federation has dubbed Ganzberg's actions as unsportsmanlike. Several team managers and players have also joined the tirade against Ganzberg, calling the team's decision to quit irresponsible and a slap in the face for Cambodian basketball.

There will be no tolerance for any misbehaving ministers in this term.

Nathan Horton's business model is straightforward. A professional photographer, Horton helps amateur photographers take pictures abroad.

Photo tourism is an increasingly lucrative trade in Cambodia. Horton, who runs half-day jaunts in Phnom Penh and longer journeys into the provinces, is one of the practitioners capitalising on the trend.

"There is a massive growth of people who want to have a holiday and learn something at the same time, photography in particular," said Horton, who has done well in the seven years he's offered tours in Cambodia.

What started as $50 half-day trips around Phnom Penh now cost $80. To the more ambitious, Horton sells inclusive 10-day tours for $1,800.

"What I offer in Cambodia is a lot better than what I used to offer because I know the country so well now," he said. "I'm always afraid that [the prices] will frighten people off, and invariably it doesn't. Actually it attracts just as many people."

Taking pictures and travelling have always gone together, so creating a business out of it is a natural progression.

Mohan Gunti, a consultant to the Cambodia National Tourism Working Group, called tourism and photography "modern twins".

"Photo tourism is not yet considered an independent type of tourism, but it is becoming an en vogue product due to growing demands."

As president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, Ang Kim Eang said local travel agencies should recognise the trend as a new revenue source.

Ang, who runs his own agency, Great Angkor Tours, is already profiting. Since May 2012, a Cambodian freelance photographer has led the excursions for Great Angkor.

"The more photography tours are offered, the more tourists will come," he said. "It will bring revenue and money into the economy and the tourism industry."

The trend, however, is not without potential downsides.

Cambodia has one of the worst records of tourism money trickling down to locals, Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism, said in an email.

"When [photography tours are] done well, the tours can benefit the local economy by using local guides and patronising local establishments," said Becker, who covered Cambodia as a reporter for the Washington Post in the 1970s. She added that local elites and foreigners take an unusually high percentage of profits from tourism.

But photography outings can also serve as a window into a country, enriching the visitor's understanding of a different culture, she said.

"These tours are a good example of education morphing into tourism."

The rage for photography is taking place in tandem with a pivot towards "authentic" tourism, in which daily life, not just ancient temples, is the object of fascination.

Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are no longer the only hot spots. In Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin and Pursat provinces, tourism grew 67 per cent from 2011 to 2012, according government data.

Over the same time period, tourism in the better-known coastal provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Kep, and Koh Kong grew only 45 per cent.

Images of everyday Cambodia that foreigners find novel are part of what fuels photography tours and tourism in general. In Cambodia, hardly anything escapes the hungry eye of the camera. During mass demonstrations against the ruling Cambodian People's Party earlier this month, tourists snapped photos of protests and barricades.

In a video that later popped up on social media, a group that appeared to be sightseeing crawled on hands and knees through a tangle of razor-wire, while friends on the other side recorded video of the manoeuvre. Memories!

Street vendors selling fried insects and other Western-unfamiliar treats on the riverside attract snap-happy tourists daily. But the attention can inadvertently annoy.

Triv Sreymao, 32, worries that a heavy camera presence scares off customers. Crowds of tourists sometimes block the stall.

"I don't mind when people take my photo," Triv said one recent evening, "But sometimes they interrupt my business."

As she talked, camera flashes lighted up baskets holding mounds of frogs, grasshoppers, crickets and worms.

Photography tourism works because few participants are in a rush. Less-avid photographers on a group tour may not want to linger long at a particular site. Bus drivers paid to drive from point A to point B aren't inclined to stop on the side of the road because the late-day light is just perfect.

But does it justify dropping almost two grand for a 10-day, organised tour?

Retired company director David Marsh seems to think so. At 68, he had traversed Cambodia's coastal provinces on his own. But as a keen photographer, he was looking for the tour that matched his hobby with his holiday. He found Horton's company online and booked the $1,800 package. By the end of June, he was seeing Cambodia through the lens of a Nikon D7000.

"The scope of the tour, with stopovers at several destinations and all accommodations pre-booked, seemed an excellent value," said Marsh in an email.

Horton has had difficulty keeping up with the demand. Until six months ago, he was a one-man business, reserving and confirming bookings, on top of guiding the tours. Now he's adding staff.

He isn't the only one.
"I'm getting more competition after seven years, but I think there's room for people to teach photography," he said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY HOR KIMSAY

Comment
After only his 13th match in charge of Sunderland (unlucky for some), Paulo Di Canio is the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season or, as they say in the trade, the first to be given the Spanish archer – the "el-bow".

It does seem rather incredible to sack a man just after he has brought in 14 new players to the club, but I suppose by today's fickle standards, five league matches into a new season is a lifetime in football.

However, Di Canio's volatile style of management did not help his cause, nor did his political past, and it is rumoured that he was considering playing a relative of Joseph Goebbels out on the right wing.

So who will be next for the chop in the circus that is the managerial merry-go-round? Let's take a look at the likely candidates. First up and the jolly favourite is naturally Martin Jol himself. The Dutchman's Fulham side needed a penalty shoot-out to beat lowly Burton Albion in the Capital One Cup, and The Cottagers have had only one league win so far against . . . wait for it . . . Sunderland.

Not a particularly auspicious start, and furthermore Martin Jol's choice of track suit attire has been rather poor lately. If any decision was based on dress sense alone, he would surely be next.

How about Chris Hughton? Not a good start for Norwich either, no goals in two league games away from home and an average of less than a goal a game in total. Hughton's most notable signing is Ricky van Wolfswinkel from Sporting Clube de Portugal.

However, with only one successful strike so far to his credit, Van Wolfswinkel is in danger of becoming known as Rip van Winkle, as he appears to fall asleep in front of goal.
Hughton, however, might be given more time as he always wears a nice suit.

Then there is "Mister Ridiculous", the Magpies' boss Alan Pardew. Pardew astonishingly was given a contract until 2020.

That would take him past two soccer World Cups, three Ryder Cups and seven Eurovision Song Contests. Can he really last that long when his Newcastle team cannot even beat newly promoted Hull at home?

What about Steve Clarke of West Brom? On the plus side there is the signing of the superb Stephane Sessegnon from Sunderland (Di Canio should never of let him go).

On the minus side, five points from five league games is a disappointing start from a side that promised so much last season. Even more on the minus side is the fact that Clarke seems to be wearing Martin Jol's tracksuit from the previous week.

Worth checking out this weekend's wear from the respective managers, if they are still in a job by then!

In a shift from their initial suspicions, police now believe that a 30-year-old Kampot town mother was stabbed to death by a co-worker on Monday.

Police arrested Krech Theuorn, 31, yesterday in connection with the murder of Sieng Channak, whose blood-soaked body was discovered by her 10-year-old son after she was stabbed 17 times with a vegetable knife, deputy Kampot police chief Moa Chan Makthurith said.

"The suspect said she killed the victim because of an ongoing dispute in the workplace," he said, adding that Theuorn worked at the same karaoke bar as Channak.

Police initially suspected that one of Channak's husband's two previous wives had killed her.

On Monday, neighbours reported to police that they saw a masked woman get off a motorbike taxi and enter Channak's home before they heard screams.

While police were looking for her yesterday, Theuorn attempted suicide using pills, Chan Makthurith said. Police found the suspect and took her to hospital.

Four days before July's national election, Cheam Chin received a letter from Sar Mor primary school in Takeo province, where he worked as a secretary, that said school officials had transferred him and two teachers to other schools more than 30 kilometres away.

"The acting school director moved us to other schools far away from our homes," Chin said. "They said I was absent more than 20 times in two months.… How could I have been absent that much? I am the one who records absences every day."

Chin, who says he never missed a day during that period, suspects the transfers from Sar Mor in Traing district's Khvav commune to schools in the district's Thloak commune had more to do with the trio's off-hours participation in the Cambodia National Rescue Party campaign than any performance issues.

In complaints filed with Adhoc, Licadho and the provincial and national education ministries, Chin, Chem Vannak and Klaing Chandara allege that then-acting school director Kem Tha's decision to transfer them came after he caught wind of their support of the opposition party.

Current Sar Mor director Chhung Sathya denies the former employees' allegations, and insists that his predecessor's move came in response to their track records of poor attendance and improper conduct.

"The school did not move them to another school because they support the CNRP, but because they did not respect the school principal and were often absent," Sathya said.

But notification of their transfers was the first indication Sar Mor gave any of the three that their performance was sub-par, Chin said.

In addition to individual complaints to various agencies, which all three filed about two weeks ago, the Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association plans to register a complaint with Takeo's provincial court on their behalf, CITA president Ny Chandaravuth said.

"We want all relevant officials to re-check and investigate this case," Chandaravuth said. "I think the transfers were politically motivated, due to [Chin, Vannak and Chandara's] support of the CNRP."

A Thai woman who claims she was only trying to meet her Facebook boyfriend now faces life imprisonment in Cambodia for drug smuggling.

Preedaporn Bucha, 36, was tried by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday for "keeping, transporting and trafficking" 13 kilograms of cocaine through the Phnom Penh International Airport in August 2012.

"She smuggled the drugs from Brazil to Cambodia, and her destination was to bring it into Thailand via a transfer in Cambodia," said Judge Heng Sok Na.

According to the police investigation, after meeting a Brazilian man named Nick on Facebook, Preedaporn searched for a way to meet her long-distance lover. A Thai woman named Kung offered an easy solution: She would buy Preedaporn's round-trip airfare and give her $1,000 if only she would fetch a suitcase belonging to Kung from a man named Kevin in Brazil.

Colonel Yeng Bunna, chief of the Anti-Drug Police Office, said on a stopover during the return flight from Brazil, police detained Preedaporn and searched her bags, finding 10 packages of cocaine.

While awaiting charges in a Cambodian prison, she discovered she was pregnant, and gave birth in jail.

During her trial yesterday, Preedaporn denied her involvement in drug trafficking.

"I confess that I was the owner of this luggage. It was sent with me by a … person named Kevin from Brazil to a Thai woman named Kung living in Bangkok. But I did not know that there were drugs hiding inside it," she told the court.

Preedaporn was one of several drug runners caught last August trying to smuggle substances from Brazil to Thailand. However, Yung Phanith, Preedaporn's defence lawyer, said his client was the only unsuspecting person used by the traffickers.

"My client did not know in advance and had no willingness to smuggle these drugs," he said. "Therefore, I would like to ask the court to reduce or suspend her sentence and allow her to return to her country."
Preedaporn's verdict will be delivered in court October 16.

A traditional healer accused of raping a 13-year-old girl was yesterday convicted of the lesser charge of having sex with a minor. Chin Ramo, 24, was sentenced in Phnom Penh Municipal Court to five years in prison and ordered to pay the victim 10 million riel ($2,500) after Judge Kim Rath Narin reduced the charge.

Lim Chan Lida, who represented the victim in court, argued that the court should have convicted Ramo of rape, for which he would have served up to 10 years. Chan Lida had also demanded $10,000 on behalf of her client.

She was unsure if her client would appeal the decision.

In response to the ongoing flooding that has taken 25 Cambodians' lives, Prime Minister Hun Sen asked for an increased emergency response during his first cabinet meeting.

After calling on officials to assure each area of evacuation has food, medical and health supplies, the premier suggested that damaged rice crop be replaced and that residents willingly evacuate if necessary.

"I appeal to the residents to be careful and stay safe during the flooding, and residents who live along the river bank in danger of collapsing need to temporarily evacuate for safety reasons," he said.

He also suggested that a group of doctors be sent to assist victims. The Ministry of Health has already sent 12 doctors to Kratie, one of the three hardest-hit provinces.

Three officials from Ratanakkiri's O'Yadav district were charged on September 10 for threatening and intimidating a villager after he filed a lawsuit related to the corrupt sale of community land in 2011, according to a letter obtained by the Post yesterday.

Romas Svang, 47, of Yatung commune, received a letter from provincial courts last Friday, detailing the court's decision to charge three officials for threatening to imprison and kill him if he spoke to the media after illegally selling community-owned land.

"I filed the lawsuit because they colluded with each other in selling 400 hectares of community land. One hectare is $800, so the money should have been $320,000," Svang said.

After he filed a complaint with district authorities in 2011, the court-issued letter states that local authorities began monitoring the three men.

Rochom Cheung, the first clerk of Yatung commune; Young Chou, the former commune chief; and Sen Voeun, a former commune police chief now working as deputy chief, are the three officials accused.

Upon receiving the money for the land deal, the officials allegedly distributed about 80,000 riel [$200] to each family and used the rest to purchase motorbikes and land.

Sen Voeun said yesterday that he had no knowledge of the recent charges, but had appeared before the courts for questioning in 2011 and this year.

"I do not know about land selling or intimidation. I invited him [Romas] to meet with the commune chief, but I do not know why he accused me of threatening him," he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday outlined the role of the newly christened Ministry of Public Function, explaining that the body would oversee the reform of the Kingdom's civil service, including the salaries of its employees – a major plank in the opposition's campaign platform.

As a part of a more than six-hour address, the premier promised that the new ministry would increase the Cambodian bureaucracy's efficiency by making it prompter, easier to deal with and more receptive to criticism from both citizens and the media, though the opposition maintained yesterday that anything less than a cultural shift in government was unlikely to yield results.

At times consulting with new Minister of Public Function Pich Bunthin, Hun Sen mandated that civil servants be promoted every three years, describing as untenable the current system in which bureaucrats sometimes languish in low-level positions indefinitely.

"Some are at the A1 level for 13 years and have not been promoted," he said. "Some have retired but were not promoted."

Raising bureaucrats' pay – an issue that the Cambodia National Rescue Party pushed hard in the build-up to the July elections – also took a place of prominence in the remarks on the new ministry. Without offering details, Hun Sen said that salary reform would take place from 2015 to 2018, and that the government was experimenting with direct-deposit payment schemes intended to improve transparency and prevent kickbacks demanded by supervisors.

Despite the opposition's vocal support of civil servant reforms and salary increases, CNRP chief whip Son Chhay said yesterday that the new ministry was "a waste of time and state money, because it is not going to work".

"All the institutions [here] are so weak, and only a few people have centralised power in themselves," he said. "Any new institution that is created doesn't have the power or ability to perform."