The Caring Gunman

Well this is certainly a weird news story I found on the wire service today at www.newkerala.com [ed note: it has since been removed. But here is a copy]. Research has found that bullets can be bad for one's health.

Forces Radiobiology Research Institute has been playing with lab rats to discover that tungsten bullets cause cancer in wounds.

"(The findings raise) extremely serious concerns over the potential health effects of tungsten-alloy-based munitions currently being used as non-toxic alternatives to lead and depleted uranium," the researchers said.

So what is the appropriate etiquette for today's "new age" gunman? When you are about to shoot someone, do you stop and think about their future health? Does the lone assassin on the grassy knoll need to think about what type of ammo his packing? How absurd.

And how does all this tie into our earlier trip? Well Phnom Penh has at an equally strange reminder of Cambodia's violent past.

In the middle of traffic roundabout is a giant statue of a perfectly detailed black handgun, tilted up on its handle so the barrel points into the air. Our tour bus raced past it, so you'll need to check this equally weird CD cover to see a picture of it

It was made from the metal of confiscated weapons, and the then Prime Minister Hun Sen is said to have donated his own gold-plated pistol to the mix. The monument is supposed to represent the new peace, but that may not immediately be apparent, as it can be difficult to discern that the gun chamber has a knot.

Thus the effect of the huge gun in the middle of traffic is oddly disturbing.