Phnom Penh (Ah!) Travel Tips - Three Cambodian Stories Make NR All-time Top 10 list - March 2007

Cambodia Royal Palace's Throne Hall - NR photo James Loving Dr Beat Richner - (Kuntha Bopha photo) Former Cambodian national team player Hok Sochetra in action - AFC photo ALL FRESHIE FINALIST PICTURES

DJ Ken - National Radio Text Service - Thursday March 29, 2007 - Update Friday April 6, 2007

Royal Palace - Dr Beat Richner - Hok Sochetra - The Funniest Story Ever - Football At Olympic Stadium

CAMBODIAN ALL-TIME TOP 10 NR STORIES

April 2007 will mark the 10th anniversary since the launch of the National Radio web site in April 1997.

This followed 10 years of supplying radio programming that has aired on seven networks on more than 1000 radio station in the USA.

Since the NR web site launch we have posted over 1000 stories with 650 stories currently on the site.

Surprisingly three Cambodian oriented stories made the NR All-time Top 10 list that indicated worldwide readers interests. The results varied with a travel story topping the list.

The story on the Cambodian Royal Palace ranked second overall. That was followed by a Human Interest story/Feature about Dr Beat Richner who founded the Kuntha Bopha Hospital's in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Sports rounded off the worlds Cambodian selections with a feature story on Hok Sochetra the former star of the Cambodian national football team.

While thinking back about all of the stories that we have done regarding Cambodian subjects we have our pick as our all-time favorite.

It's a sports and human-interest story that turned into a comedy. We're referring to the re-opening of Olympic Stadium after years and years of closure due to renovations. The event featured a boxing match of Cambodian vs. International fighters. What resulted was due to the fans displeasure with their local hero they indicated that they were NO HAPPY (as they say in Asia) and threw plastic water bottles (full and otherwise) to the ring.

That sent the fighters and their supporting staff scurrying for cover that they found by ducking under the boxing ring for safety. That created a stampede of fans rushing for the exits.

As I was holding on to my camera taking pictures the onrush was like being in Pamplona with the raging bulls coming to trample me. I wasn't afraid for myself my primary concern was to save my camera.

After a few minutes the disturbance settled down and those that were left near the arena returned inside. At that point the arena was virtually empty when the fights resumed. This event was televised and is worth of being televised on believe it or not.

So why is this my favorite story. As a friend of mine that was the one of the largest high school English departments in the USA said, "I can't imagine people smiling in Cambodia." Well this event made and still does make me smile. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen in sports.

As for the Khmer's they are smiling more than when I first landed on Cambodian soil in 1998. It's event's like this that bring a smile to one's face particularly when one considers that the year before in 1997 Cambodian's were throwing hand grenades and not water bottles. Nuff said…

NOTE:

Update Friday April 6, 2007

For those that are interested in football, games are played buy the top Cambodian football clubs at Olympic stadium on Saturday afternoons. They will continue through the month of April with the exception of Saturday April 14, the Khmer New Year.

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