I've been wondering about the story coming out of Cambodia about the new law passed last week that makes adultery a crime punishable by up to a year in jail.

Not that I'm any big fan of philanderers ... there have been plenty of times when I would have loved to have seen my own personal dalliers dangling by their danglies for 365 days ... twelve months in a Cambodian clink seems an excessive penance when polygamy has been the order of the day in the Khmer royal family for centuries.

Ah ha!

And there's the rub.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's group, oh so very enthused about, "... this law is aimed at protecting dignity, strengthening harmony within the family and mutual respect between a husband and a wife" and blah-blah-blah, also just happens to be not so happy these days with the leader of the opposition FUNCINPEC party, headed by a well known lady's man, Prince Nordom Ranariddh, who is often out and about with his mistress.

Handy, heh?

I doubt the Prince would have any trouble coming up with the 1 million riel (US $244) fine, but time in the slammer? The threat could just have him less inclined to stir up anything that might upset the adultery police.

A very casually mentioned side note to this story is that polygamy and incest are also outlawed now. Hey! There's a thought.

(I must remember to write about incest someday. I have a really good story ... )

And speaking of crimes, a former Cambodian chief of police as been booted out of Singapore and sent back to Phnom Penh after having his appeal for asylum in Australia turned down.

No Mr. Nice Guy, Heng Pov is wanted in Cambodia for allegedly masterminding the April 2003 murder of Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Sok Setha Mony, who was shot in his car. He has also been linked to failed assassination attempts against a newspaper publisher, an electricity authority official and the national military police chief.

Formerly an undersecretary of state in the interior ministry and an advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Heng has claimed he "knows too much" and will be killed if returned home.

He may have been right about that. A top Cambodian police officer says he's not heard a thing about him coming back, and a government spokesman and interior ministry folks know nothing about anything when it comes to Heng's present whereabouts.

Ooops.