DUELLING AUTOPSIES IN DAVE WALKER MYSTERY

Friends and family of deceased Canadian expat journalist and film maker Dave Walker are now intently waiting on the results of not one autopsy, but two.

One autopsy has been carried out by Cambodian authorities and a second is either still underway or just completed by Thai medicos in Bangkok.

On Monday May 26, Walker’s Canadian friend and investigator Peter Vronsky posted on the Find Dave Walker Facebook page that, “Cambodian authorities have still not released Dave Walker’s body to next-of-kin family pending results from outstanding pathology tests (probably toxicology tests.) The identification part was announced last week based on dental data.”

On Wednesday May 28 Vronsky again posted on the Facebook page saying , “Dave Walker’s body has been released by Cambodia and is now in a Thailand hospital for a family-commissioned second autopsy to determine cause of death. As per his wishes, Dave will then be cremated in Thailand.”

Meanwhile back in Siem Reap, Touch Malai, Deputy Chief of the Provincial Technical and Scientific Police Unit, told reporter Thik Kaliyann that Walker’s body had been sent to Bangkok on Friday May 23, following instructions from the Canadian embassy.

With the Cambodia police releasing the body, the obvious speculation was that they’d wrapped up their autopsy and at the time further speculation was that a coroner’s report was imminently imminent.

But to date there’s been no sign of a Cambodian report and the new speculation is that Cambodian authorities are waiting for release of the Thai autopsy report before releasing their own findings.

Which is perhaps a safe course, given the rampant pre-autopsy deducements about what Walker’s remains revealed about his death, ,and indeed his final moments. One report claimed that photos of the remains indicated that one of Walker’s legs had been broken. Another more dramatic claim was that Walker’s neck had been broken and that his hands showed that he had been traumatically clutching or clawing at the earth moments before death.

WATER FOR NOTHING AND CHICKENS FOR FREE

An ad on the Expat Blog spruiks a Siem Reap house for rent for $250 a month that features, “2bed rooms (inside 1bath room in each room, A/C, 1 chicken, free wifi,, 1fridge, washing c1othes machine, water with pression, TV cable, free water.”

Not sure what “water with pression” actually is, but hey, the promise of one chicken and a cable for the TV is, well, it sure ain’t chicken feed.

HAIR RAISING FAIR AFFAIR

The annual ISSR School Fair kicks off tomorrow, June 7, from 11am to 3pm to raise money for the Kantoo Village School. ISSR says: “There will be great food, games, stalls, bouncy castles and much more. Come along one and all for a good cause and fun time.” Specifically there will be a bake sale, a West Indian food stall, games like ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar,’ and the usual malarkey like ‘throw the sponge at the teacher.’ A quirky aspect of this year’s fair will be the public lopping of teacher James Campbell’s hair which has been kept long for ten years.

WELL TRAGEDY DRAWS RESPONSE

Saturday’s tragic events, whereby seven people, including four children, died in a well in Siem Reap province has prompted locals to leap into action. Glen Hulley, contacted this newspaper to say that local expat, Steve Cline, posted the Post’s article on Facebook which generated action.

Glen added that another local expat, Charlie Shoeless, has informed him that Bun Sarom and his wife Chey Yarin, owners of Ecstatic Pizza, are driving this effort that, according to Glen, “Restores faith in humanity.”