Chasing Cars Cambodian style, 17-10-2007

• How many people are allowed on a motorbike? Quite a lot. Khmer news reports of a motorcycle crashing at night into a parked lorry: 3 dead, 1 injured.

• River transport mishap: ferry catches fire and consequently the captain gets praise from Khmer police.

• Lacking proper police enforcing agents apparently, does not rule out society taking the law into the own hands. The new weapon: scouts! As witnessed and in this article, traffic on Norodom Avenue (the most elegant throughfare in Phnom Penh) scouts now flag when the light is red and ensure traffic keeps the zebra's free.

  'The students said most of the drivers respected the traffic law, but some high ranking officials and public servants - and foreigners - were difficult to deal with."The cars that drove fast and crossed the line mostly had RCAF [army] plates," said Lim Tek Hour. "The foreigners driving embassy cars were even worse," he said'.

  Despite these ordinary observations, they were also confronted with this:

  "When I asked a man to fasten his seatbelt, he took off his pants belt and said 'yes, this is my seatbelt'," said Ny Vy Sona, an 11th grade student from Sisowath High School who ...'.

  The article ends with the note that the students get paid to do this, $2 per day, nearly better than the traffic police themselves!

• Last week was P'chum Ben an official excuse to vacate the city leading to traffic jams in and out the city. The Cambodia Daily (16-10-2007) quotes the Cambodian Tourism Minister:

  ' "I have never heard of someone waiting for six hours" '.
  

  after being asked to comment on the situation on the main road from Saigon to Phnom Penh where a ferry is needed to catch and the waiting time was six hours.

• Getting away was also a pain. Cambodia Daily (october 11, 2007) reported that prices went up by 50%. taxi drivers make a killing apparently, up to five time their normal takings.

• Finally the sad news: killer cow gets butchered by its owner!