The deputy commander of resistance forces has said he does not expect reintegration talks set for today to go smoothly because the government is not trustworthy, according to a Radio Free Asia broadcast aired Tues­day.

The government has accused opposition politicians of falsifying a statement in the name of the Constitutional Council dean that claimed intimidation from top officials forced him to flee Cambodia.

Koh Santepheap (Island of Peace) newspaper on Tuesday accused high government officials of being behind the shooting of its publisher and his bodyguard.

In a case international elections observers call a clear example of political intimidation, a Kompong Cham man was arrested and sentenced to a year in prison within days of his family reporting that a Sam Rainsy Party sign on their house had been shot at.

Some of the voters whose registration cards were collected by CPP representatives in the past month have had them returned with a little something extra—a second card urging them to vote for the CPP, according to human rights workers and opposition party officials.

The publisher of a well-known Phnom Penh newspaper and his bodyguard were shot Monday morning at a city wat. Both took bullets in the chest but are ex­pected to survive, according to doc­tors.

Investment laws, legal research and environmental protection are among the topics being ad­dressed during a conference on legal and judicial reform this week at the Council for the Dev­elopment of Cambodia.

Despite a surplus last year, the government will be forced to buy 40,000 tons of rice this year to feed poor Cambodians and ease food shortages stemming from unchecked cross-border trade, government economists and officials said Monday.

Environmental watchdog Glo­bal Witness has charged Cam­bodia’s forestry director with ne­gotiating a timber concessions transfer despite alleged government assurances not to do so.

Second Prime Minister Hun Sen held an unscheduled 90-minute meeting with King Nor­o­dom Sihanouk on Monday at the royal residence in Siem Reap. 

The two prime ministers signed a subdecree Monday forming a committee to investigate human rights abuses, including scores of extrajudicial killings after July’s factional fighting and the deadly March 30, 1997, gren­ade attack.

kompong siem district, Kom­pong Cham province – Army worms are ravaging hundreds of hectares of rice and vegetable fields here in what may be the worst infestation of the caterpillar the province has ever seen.

Two new businesses specializing in public access to the In­ternet have opened recently—a sign of growing interest in the medium, according to one expert.

Royal Air Cambodge has launched direct charter flights between Siem Reap and Bang­kok, the carrier announced Sat­urday.

It took photographer Nic Dun­lop four trips to Burma before he got the shot he wanted of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. 

First Prime Minister Ung Huot on Saturday warned opposition figures calling for a postponement of the scheduled July 26 elections that they risk five more years under the present regime. 

King Norodom Sihanouk has moved to squelch rumors that he is involved in the boycott of the Constitutional Council by the three members he appointed. 

The National Election Com­mittee lacks the time to investigate the “enormous” number of com­plaints it has received and will begin taking measures to lighten its load, panel officials said Sunday. 

Sok Ly from Kompong Cham province won first prize in the Mild Seven Cambodia Motor­cycle Grand Prix 1998 on Sunday by beating last year’s winner Som Visal.

“Before the race started, I was confident that I could win the first prize since no other racer can drive faster than I do,” Sok Ly boasted.

Thousands of spectators at Olympic Stadium watched the competitors on their 110cc motorcycles.

Many drivers criticized the course as being too small compared with last year.

At least four drivers crashed into barriers on tight corners.

Sok Ly led the entire way, beating Phnom Penh’s Som Visal and third-place finisher Lim Kong. All three won new motorbikes.

“I won second place because my motorbike had some problems and it started off slower than others,” Som Visal said.

He vowed to return next year.

Before the final, Frenchman Pier Katry won an exhibition race with five other foreigners who flew through the air.

A band of guerrilla fighters under the command of resistance generals Nhiek Bun Chhay and Khann Savoeun defected to the government last week in the coastal province of Koh Kong, according to the chief of national intelligence.