IraHayes wrote:

Samouth wrote:

Sailorman wrote:I got pulled over by cops last week opposite Independence beach. They were interested in hearing me talk and asked if I had any guns. When they found out I was an American the smiles came out. Just around the corner were a bunch of cops with cop bikes. Kind of unusual.

Why did they smile because you are an American ?

Were they smiling or laughing?

I am clueless lol you have to ask SM

they smiled because he was not russian thus not the one they were wanting to detain.

Rarely do you hear the words "and he smiled because I was American" - gotta love the Russians for making us tolerable.

They were all business with no smiles before I spoke. After that it was smiles, friendly and joking. It may have been a first for an American, but dropping 1000lb bombs on their country may have blunted their fathers humor, but this generation doesn't seem to hold it against us, but they have bigger things to worry about like their present government.

MekongMouse wrote:Rarely do you hear the words "and he smiled because I was American" - gotta love the Russians for making us tolerable.

Sailorman wrote:They were all business with no smiles before I spoke. After that it was smiles, friendly and joking. It may have been a first for an American, but dropping 1000lb bombs on their country may have blunted their fathers humor, but this generation doesn't seem to hold it against us, but

they have bigger things to worry about like their present government

.

Are they really old? Many Cambodians did not know that USA dropped many bombs on our mother land, because it had not been taught at school and it will never though. I think it drew people attention about this when US government talked with our government about the debt we owed USA during the time (Kampuchea Republic. Then, our prime minister said, this present government bears no responsibility for this debt.

what do we worry about ?

A van load of immigration police including a Colonel from PP accompanied by a Deputy Director of Vocational Training and Labour (the work permit people) are going around the barang run business checking visas and for work permits.

They came to my place the other day, gave me a $125 fine/fee for not having a work permit (with official receipt) and told me to send someone up to their office to get me one. A couple of friends were doing some welding work in my basement. They made them come up. One showed them his passport and found out that his visa had expired 40 days previously and that he did not have a work permit. He also paid the $125 fee, plus they organised renewal of his visa for a good rate, plus administration fee and 40 days of overstay fines at $5 per day. Another friend helping him, SHV resident, did not have his passport available as it was in PP for a licence renewal, it cost a $50 unofficial fee.

All in all they were very reasonable and friendly and easy to deal with and not extortionate