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Pov Sophal: Coach, Mechanic, Inspiration Cambodia
This is the first in a series of personal profiles of CNVLD Athletes, whose dedication to their sport make them true Cambodian Heroes.
Pov Sophal, one of the top coaches in the CNVLD Racing Wheelchair programme is also one of its most colourful characters.
After joining the Cambodian Army aged just 18 in Svay Rieng Province, close to the border of Vietnam, Sophal lost both legs five years later in a landmine accident on 8th April 1991 aged just 23 years old.
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The Man Who Got Duch, sort of...(Pt 1)
With the appeal of Tuol Sleng chief Comrade Duch against his pre-trial detention the ECCC is underway, which meant Phnom Penh was again home, very temporarily, to some of the world's media. The Associated Press (AP) was in town, supplying satellite feeds to news channels such as Al Jazeera, and CNN flew Australian reporter Hugh Rimington in to report from the courthouse and interview Tuol Sleng torture centre survivor Chim Mey.
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Raffles Hotel, Le Royal - The Princess in PP
Phnom Penh does not afford expats the fantastical royal treatment one might secretly dream of after too many viewings of the King and I at age 6. It's impossible to sit down at the royal palace for a 5 course meal - or at least I've never been invited. But Le Royal at Raffles Hotel does justice to its name. If your aim is princess-for-a-day, it's well worth the pricey royal treatment.
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Move over Milan, Phnom Penh style making a splash
Think world cities of style, think Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo... Phnom Penh? Well, in the hairstyle stakes, Cambodia just put itself on the map, taking two gold medals at the 11th Hair Olympics in Japan this month.
Sun Heang, a 27-year-old mother of one and proprietor of Christina's, captured the attention of judges in Tokyo at the Asia Pacific Hairdressers and Cosmetologist Association (APHCA) Hair Olympics, taking out the best show cut and best hair cut categories.
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The Cultural Mores of Moving House in Cambodia
We were both under the weather. We had packed the kids off to stay with friends and my Cambodian partner had decided to celebrate moving house by spending the night trawling bars, thoughtfully taking my keys with him and leaving me outside with the guard until the small hours of the morning. A whole dead chicken complete with head and legs on the doorstep was the last thing I needed, but there it was. Roasted, Chinese style, its eyes staring and looking a little rancid already in the morning heat and no more attractive for the fact it was reclining on a bed of fruit.
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In Cambodia, Recycling can be Deadly
In other countries, scrap collectors scramble for cans and bottles. In Cambodia, especially in provinces which experienced heavy fighting, your local "etchay" may have a stash of bombs and bullets.
Authorities in Banteay Meanchey district on the Thailand border confiscated 6,000 bullets and more than 1,000 bombs and grenades from scrap collectors in the past two days, saying they posed a threat to public order as the seven raided storage areas are mostly located in built-up areas.
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Looking good baby!
They can't help but be cute, and with so many adorable options out there in Phnom Penh it really is time to dress the kids.
Unlike us, toddlers have no concept of 'fat days' or concerns over "but I wore that two days ago" and will never retort with "floral?! That's so 2007!" Sure, they go through phases when all they want to do is run around naked or to be Batman forever, but these phases are still cute. Seeing a boy dressed as Spiderman in a supermarket aisle is something that never fails to raise a smile. Dressing children is great fun.