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.
This new work, by a Khmer American woman born in April 1975, just as her country was plunged into the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, is not another first person narrative of the events of that time. Rather, it is a narrative of a personal journey exploring the legacy of being ethnic Cambodian in the aftermath of Pol Pot, of living with the stories of war that live as a "disorderly chaos churning in my head." Ms. Phim is not the daughter of urban elites banished to the countryside as "new" people, as all of those to publish first person accounts have been to date.
Freebird is an old name in Phnom Penh. If you can get a copy of an old guide book, it will probably be described as "American-style bar with large injections of Australia and New Zealand." Or something very similar. Since its "re-launch" on Independence Day, 2005, the reviews tend to emphasise the "American-ness".
In 2005 the Freebird Bar and Grill was awarded "Best Restaurant" in Phnom Penh. A year later, after the categories were modified to separate bars and restaurants, Freebird was awarded "Best Value for Money".
Life starts early on the Tonle Sap. With the first glimmers of light creeping over the horizon come the first sounds of distant diesel engines coughing and spluttering their way towards Sisowath Quay. Eerie silhouettes emerge from the darkness to reveal small fishing vessels of the simplest construction. The engine cuts out and the boat glides towards the riverbank.
On a balmy tropical night in Phnom Penh earlier this year, a glamorous fashion show took place. But while a catwalk in Southeast Asia might be expected to rustle with the sound of sumptuous silks, it was recycled plastics as "rubbish couture" that shimmered and swirled when the models stepped out in at this unusual event.
Last month was the observance of World Fair Trade Day and many of the groups working in this area got together at Phnom Penh's National Cultural Center to celebrate it. The crowd included craft producers and the general public, checking out information booths, playing games, watching some performances and sewing a giant kromar together. We posed a few questions to organizers Nina Howard (Artisans Association Cambodia) and Annie Perng (Village Focus International):
Liquid Bar has really raised the stakes for interiors of shop-front style bars. With its polished concrete, gun-metal grey floor, chocolate leather seats, exposed tiled roof and well appointed and fabulously backlit bar (lots of real bubbles!), it really is a swish space indeed. You don't have to fight past the usually obligatory terrace furniture to get into the bar and once in you could swing a dead cat freely.
Crime is on the increase. Whether it's due to the magical disappearance of the amusement park on Sisowath Quay (a former favorite teenage hangout), or the new appearance of a growing middle class, some Khmer teenagers have begun to take to the streets with guns.
This last Saturday two Australian Ex-pats were walking home after dinner in the BKK neighbourhood and were stopped by a young man on an expensive bike with a very large handgun. He spoke one word of English to them "Money", took their cash, wallets, sense of safety and sped off.
Friday night at the Rising Sun is country music night. In fact, if the mood takes management, Thursday and Saturday nights might be heavy on the sounds of Johnny Cash et al as well. The pictures on the walls are from a past era in more ways than one - Minder, mods, scooters and The New Avengers.
But the Sun, as it is affectionately known, has stood the test of time for nearly a decade, and this English pub grub-style restaurant run by a long term expat Aussie never disappoints with its food.
Tucked away under the FCC is a favorite haunt for expatriates seeking Italian comfort food with a touch of class. Pop Café da Giorgio, owned, as the name suggests, by Italian Giorgio, is cool and classy, but its prices are very friendly on the pocket.
Pizza, lasagna and home made pasta are billed as the specialties of the house, and an impressive wine list leaning towards Italian vineyards top tempt diners from the blackboard of specials as they walk in.