Cambodia mourns Water Festival dead

"As far as I am concerned we should demolish that bridge in order to prevent future problems. Although it is a newly-constructed bridge, it has killed so many people. So we should destroy it." - So Phum, survivor of Koh Pich tragedy

November 26, 2010

ABC Radio Australia

Crowds of mourners in Cambodia have offered flowers and incense at the site of a stampede that killed 347 people. The government declared a national day of mourning yesterday to honour those who died in the stampede, which was reportedly caused by fears that overcrowded bridge was about to collapse. A tearful Prime Minister Hun Sen, dressed in black, burnt incense at the foot of the narrow bridge, as he led the country at a short service. The stampede took place on the last day of the Water Festival. Questions are yet to be answered as to exactly what went wrong, but survivors say there was not enough security.

Presenter: Robert Carmichael

Speakers: Kep Chuktema, governor of Phnom Penh; Hy Sophan, bridge survivor; Kuth Vy, bridge survivor

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

CARMICHAEL: Cambodia held a day of mourning Thursday for 347 people who were crushed to death or suffocated when thousands of people were trapped on a 5-metre-wide pedestrian bridge earlier this week.

A number of ceremonies took place at the bridge that links mainland Phnom Penh across a narrow river to the entertainment area known as Diamond Island.

Thousands came throughout the day to place wreaths and flowers, and to burn incense in memory of those who died. Flags across the country were flown at half-mast.

People discussed the events of Monday evening, standing on the riverbank next to the 100-metre long suspension bridge, which had been cleared of thousands of personal effects - sandals, clothes, water bottles - in time for the ceremony.

It was a very different scene when I reached the bridge before midnight on Monday evening. Witnesses told me the crush had happened around two hours earlier.

I'm standing on the bridge and there are dozens of dead people lying on the ground here. It's impossible to count because actually there's probably another 30-40 metres of bridge, and they've only cleared the bodies off this first stretch of it. I mean there's easily 40 people dead, easily, and there are a lot of police and ambulances and military, but this is all far, far, far too late.

Survivors have spoken of a lack of security to control crowds, an issue taken up the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, which noted a clear failure on that score by the authorities.

The government's interim investigation report says between seven and eight thousand people were crammed onto the bridge, and claims people panicked when it began to sway.

At Thursday's ceremony, Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema said the bridge could not convey that many people.

CHUKTEMA: And that's why this happen this disaster - it is the very worst. And on behalf, on my position as the governor of Phnom Penh I am very sorry to our people and our family.

CARMICHAEL: There are hundreds of injured.

Survivors at Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital told harrowing stories of narrow escapes, a terrible crush and a lack of oxygen.

One 19-year-old man said he had tried to hold a child above him so the boy could breathe, even though he was struggling to get enough air himself.

But older people then told youngsters like him they had to jump off the bridge into the river to try and create space.

So he gave the child back, squirmed his way to the edge, and jumped. He said the woman and her two children probably died.

Others told how relatives and friends were killed.

Lying on a rattan mat in the corridor, a drip in his arm, garment worker, Kuth Vy, said he was crossing the bridge with four female colleagues from work when they became trapped. He hasn't seen them since.

Another garment worker, 17-year-old Hy Sophan, was crossing the bridge with relatives, and they too became trapped, unable to move forward or back. Although she cannot swim, she jumped into the river in a desperate bid to escape the crush. Others dragged her to shore.

HY SOPHAN: I will never go to it again. After having seen what happened I am really scared. Next year I will stay at home and won't even go out for a walk.

CARMICHAEL: Forty-year-old construction worker So Phum, recovering on a mat in the hospital corridor, spoke for many.

SO PHUM: In my opinion the government must focus on better security. In my whole life I never saw anything like that.

CARMICHAEL: Governor Kep Chuktema promises it will.

KEP CHUKTEMA: It is a very big lesson for me, for my authority. We will organise the big Water Festival with the big way to secure the people, because the Water Festival mean for Cambodia is a very big festival.

CARMICHAEL: The government will next week release its final report on this disaster, but it seems clear that nobody is prepared to take responsibility.

The government blames the developer of the Diamond Island entertainment centre for failing to provide enough security. The developer says security was the government's concern.

While the squabbling goes on, the dead have been reclaimed by their families and cremated, and the injured fill the capital's hospitals.

Across Cambodia, the nation is in shock that this happened, and that it took place during the Water Festival, typically a time of joyous celebration.

The government says it will build a memorial at the site. Survivor So Phum has a different idea.

SO PHUM: As far as I am concerned we should demolish that bridge in order to prevent future problems. Although it is a newly-constructed bridge, it has killed so many people. So we should destroy it.

A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y: A word unknown by P.Penh police chief Touch Naroth

Touch Naroth: The UNACCOUNTABLE Phnom Penh police chief

Touch Naroth rejects accusations made [against the police]

25 Nov 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soy

Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh city police commissioner, rejected all accusations made by the opposition and the civil society organizations. He declared that the deaths were not caused by the inability of the authority to reign in the situation, but that it was due to the stampeded by the huge crowd of people on a narrow bridge. He said: “I believe that the [police] authority completed their duty, they did good in helping and saving the victims on the Koh Pich bridge already. Personally, I worked hard to help them also, but we couldn’t help them on time because there was too many people, and the bridge was narrow so it was difficult to work there.”

"I think the government and the owners of the Diamond Island have to be responsible for the tragedy": Sat Narith, student at the National University o

Question raised on accountability for stampede on national mourning day

by Zhuli Ngoun Sovan

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- When Meas Neang bent down and plug joss sticks into the burner on the altar, the sorrow seemed so heavy that she could hardly stand up again.

"I am not blaming any small and big officials, I just wonder why 'happiness turned to anguish'," said the 57-year-old woman, who came from Kandal province to Phnom Penh to dedicate lotus buds and incense sticks to those killed in Monday's stampede.

She was worried that she might lose her younger brother forever in the tragedy, which, in the final day of the traditional Water Festival, claimed at least 347 lives and injured more than 300 others.

"My brother has gone missing since the stampede. He said he came to enjoy the Water Festival in Phnom Penh and asked me for 100,000 riel ($25) to enjoy the festival," she said, tears in eyes. And after that she had never heard anything about him. "I cannot find him, we asked our relatives, no one has seen him. And it has been three days."

The mourning rite site is right at the entrance of the bridge connecting Diamond Island and the mainland of the capital city. Monday night on that bridge, thousands of joyful people began to panicked on some rumor that the "bridge is collapsing," and the subsequent stampede killed hundreds of them.

As Thursday was announced the National Mourning Day for the dead, since early morning thousands of mourners have lined up and paid their homage to the dead, laying lotus, flowers, bananas, food and burning buddhist joss sticks to pray for the dead to rest in peace.

The official mourning rite begun at 7 a.m. as Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany Hun Sen showed up and offered incense sticks, followed by the top and lower-ranking government officials, senators, parliamentarians, monks, civil servants, private companies, ordinary people and students.

The entrance of the bridge has been piled with lotus, flowers, incense sticks and dozens of wreaths.

All schools, government agencies and private enterprises across the country fling flags at half-mast and all the places of amusement will keep closed till midnight.

As the initial shock, worry and sorrow faint, however, people began to raise questions why a tragedy like this happened.

"I just can't understand why so many people were killed; I wonder why the throngs were intertwined together and were hard to separate them; I also wonder now that the festival was very big and very crowded, why the security guards do not warn the people about the danger, " said Neang.

Sat Narith, 21, a student at the National University of Cambodia, said that she was very grieved with the unexpected accident in her country. "I would like to share my condolence with the families of the dead. I don't have any friend or relative suffered from the stampede, but I, as a Cambodian, came to mourn the dead," said she.

"I think the government and the owners of the Diamond Island have to be responsible for the tragedy," said she, adding that the government should strengthen its security forces to prevent such accident from happening again in the future. "They should warn people about the danger when it is too crowded," Narith said.

Om Yinteang, vice-chairman of the anti-terrorism unit and vice-chairman of the special committee for the accident investigation said Thursday that 395 injured are being hospitalized in various hospitals in the capital city and among them 20 to 25 percent are still in critical condition.

Drew McDowell, an American working in Phnom Penh, told reporters he was a Buddhist believer, after he offered the incense sticks to the altar.

"I am here to mourn the dead and one friend of mine was injured, "said the country manager of NGO-Village Earth in Cambodia.

His friend, a 14-year-old girl, used to be in the coma for two hours after surviving the stampede, and was still in the hospital. "now she can't walk properly yet, but she's recovering," he said.

He seemed still not able to accept what happened three days ago. "I work with young people in Cambodia for one and a half year and so many young Cambodia people just had died terribly. I still can't believe," said he.

Yes, a lot of motions had been taken by the government to look at in this accident, he said; and though not sure who should be blamed for this fault, he insisted "it's a lesson to be learnt for the government for the future -- they should not encourage so many people to converge at a small place like this bridge."

Opposition: Kep Chuktema and Touch Naroth must resign

Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman

25 Nov 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soy

On Wednesday, the opposition party and civil society organizations called on Kep Chuktema, the governor of the city of Phnom Penh, and Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh city police commissioner, to resign from their position because they were involved in the Koh Pich bridge tragedy. Kem Sokha, HRP president, said: “The government must punish high-ranking officials who are responsible in the administration, otherwise, they have to be removed from their position.” Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman, said: “I am calling on the government to suspend officials responsible for this tragedy in order to perform the investigation. We call on the Phnom Penh city governor [Kep Chuktema] and the Phnom Penh city police commissioner [Touch Naroth] to resign from their position also.”

"Who is responsible for the Koh Pich tragedy?": Incompetence of the authority, the police and the hospital

Survivors of Monday's stampede lie on a bed at Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010. Thousands of people stampeded during a festival in the Cambodian capital late Monday, leaving over three hundred dead and scores injured in what Prime Minister Hun Sen called the country's biggest tragedy since the 1970s reign of terror by the Khmer Rouge. (Photo: AP)

Hello VOA Program with interview of the eyewitnesses

Cambodia: AHRC expresses sympathy, calls for investigation of stampede

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Press Release: Asian Human Rights Commission
Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza

The AHRC wishes to express the deepest sympathies to the people of Cambodia in the aftermath of the Bon Om Touk festival stampede that this Monday night left at least 375 dead and 755 injured according to Cambodia’s Bayon TV.

Prime Minister Hun Sen recognized Monday night as "the biggest tragedy we have experienced in the last 31 years, since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime." The majority of those who perished were from rural areas. An estimated two-thirds of those who died were women, less able to fight their way from the crowds, indicating the extreme vulnerability of Cambodian women to disaster.

The AHRC calls for the government of Cambodia to adequately care for survivors and the families of those killed. Further, the government must thoroughly investigate the causes of the stampede as well as responses by police, emergency personnel, and hospitals to ensure such a tragedy does not occur again.

While the exact cause of the stampede last night remains unclear, with contradictory reports indicating it may have been instigated by either crowd antics or poor construction of the bridge to Koh Pich island, the failure of the state to control the crowd and limit the damage from the stampede is clear. Eyewitness reports state that the military used water cannons on the crowd after the stampede began, with the effect of causing electric shocks when the water intersected with the electric wiring on the bridge. In addition to death by crushing, suffocation, and drowning, there were multiple deaths due to electricity. The instances of electrocution must have stemmed from either the electric wiring on the bridge or military intervention. In either case, the government must investigate and make restitution.

It is clear, too, that Phnom Penh was unprepared for any large-scale disaster. Responses by police and military were lacking and may even have contributed to the stampede while hospitals were overwhelmed. Emergency and medical personnel resorted to piling bodies together, covering them with mats or sheets. Families were forced to attempt to lift sheets over bodies placed in makeshift morgue tents outside of the hospital or wander through corridors looking for victims. The capital possessed only 60 coffins altogether, requiring that others be gathered from outlying areas in order to provide accommodation for the bodies as they were prepared for identification and transport from the four major hospitals in the area.

About the Author:

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza is a young American scholar presently engaged with the AHRC as an intern.

About AHRC:

The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

Koh Pich Mourning - A Poem in Khmer by Sy Salen

Yo... Operatta Operetta King, where are you when your nation is in pain?

Has the Cambodian King disappeared?

A Nation in Grief - A Nation Transformed

A Cambodian man carries the body of his son killed in a stampede, at Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010. Thousands of people stampeded during a festival in the Cambodian capital late Monday, leaving over three hundred dead and scores injured in what Prime Minister Hun Sen called the country's biggest tragedy since the 1970s reign of terror by the Khmer Rouge. (Photo: AP)

A Nation in Grief - A Nation Transformed

Working Together as a Nation for the Safety and Security of Our People

November 25, 2010

The tragic deaths of our people leave our bodies numb. However, action must be taken for those who survived the tragedy and for the children who are now orphans. As a lawmaker, I will join my colleagues and many others in ensuring that an independent investigation will be conducted and the truth be told. Most important of all, that our people can depend on a safety and security system that is competent and trustworthy.

Thousands attended the annual three-day water festival on Koh Pich, located outside Phnom Penh. Most of the people were from the countryside, making their annual visit to the city of Phnom Penh to celebrate the festival, one of the most popular in Cambodia. Hundreds of people crossed a bridge over to the mainland when a stampede formed, crushing at least 385 people to death and causing severe injuries to hundreds of others. The majority of the victims were women from rural provinces outside the capital. Their souls are still will us and will be with us till the truth is told.

We will remember the terror of those who were trapped on the bridge, the horror of the survivors who had to let go of the hands of their children, sisters and brothers - as they were trying to grasp for air. We will remember the rows of bodies covered in white cloth, the cries of the families while searching for their loved ones. We will never forget.

Safety and Security - A System that can be trusted by the people

The Ministry of Interior should make public its policy on public safety and security in times of peace and in emergencies.

According to experts, there are clear standards and measures to control a crowd and to prevent panic and stampede. The question we need to ask the Ministry of Interior and the Phnom Penh Governor is: what are the full details of the plan for safety and security of the public? Was there a contengency plan for crises?. Furthermore, we need to know the experience and expertise of police officers on crowd dynamics. We also need to know, how information was passed on to the high ranking officials when the crowd surpassed the capacity limit on the bridge and on the premises of the entertainment facilities on the island. And where were these high ranking officials to guide the security police assigned to the Koh Pich? What are the details of the arrangements made between the governor of Phnom Penh and the owner of those facilities? What insurance plan covers liabilities on the island, a private facility used for public events?

Witnesses and survivors of the 22/11 stampede speak of police using water hoses against the crowd that caused further panic. When approach to crowd control is the use of force for crack-down - same measures taken in the past to crack-down demonstrators - the people then become the " enemies" and not human beings.

In order to have checks and balances in the search for the causes of the Koh Pich tragedy , there should be true independent and a by-partisan parliamentarian committee, a committee by civil society and concerned citizens, to investigate all causes that have now left Cambodia in a state of uncertainty and deep grief. High ranking officials of the Minsitry of Interior should not be part of the government investigation committee as they were the ones in charge of the water festival events and negligence occured. There should be a committee formed by the families of the victims and survivors, to conduct their own investigation and to formulate their request for fair and just compensation from the company that owns Koh Pich. All testimonies collected by any investigation committee should be public records and the protection and safety of all those who are coming forward with information that holds the key to the truth should be ensured.

Compensations to the families of the victims and to the survivors are not enough to let the souls of our sisters and brothers to move on in peace, there need to be courage from those in charge to face the responsibility and accountability which come with the position they each hold.

We pay respect to all police officers, medics, and civilians who showed true courage and heroism in saving lives.

We continue to be with the families of the vicitms whose sacred memories will be held forever.

Koh Pich stampede has transformed the nation - the people want a true share of governance and a democratic system that decentralize powers and engagement of ideas and opinions for a united Cambodia.

Mu Sochua, MP

Sam Rainsy Party

"Sokaneadakam Ti Buon" a Poem in Khmer by Hin Sithan

A reader's observation

ម្សិលមិញ ខ្ញុំបានទៅគោរពវិញ្ញាណខន្ធបងប្អូនរួមជាតិដែលបានស្លាប់នៅស្ពានពេជ្រនោះ នាវេលាម៉ោង ៥ ល្ងាចជាងហើយ៕

ប៉ូលីសម្នាក់ដែលប្រចាំការទីនោះ បានត្អូញត្អែរប្រាប់ខ្ញុំថា គេចាត់ឲ្យពួកខ្ញុំមកយាមទីនេះ តាំងពីម៉ោង ៤ ព្រឹក រហូតដល់ថ្មើនេះហើយ មិនទាន់មានកំលាំងមកជំនួសផង។

ពួកគាត់នើយហត់ក្រោមកំដៅថ្ងៃស្ទើរខ្យល់ចាប់។

បើយើងគឹតមួយភ្លែតដូចជាតូចទេ។ តែបើគឹតឲ្យសព្វ ឃើញថា របៀប ចាត់ចែង ការងារ របស់កំលាំង សមត្ថកិច្ច យើងអន់ ពេកណាស់។ នេះហើយជាបុព្ធហេតុមួយ ដែលបណ្តាលឲ្យជនរួមជាតិស្លាប់យ៉ាងច្រើនបែបនេះ ដោយគ្មានអ្នកទទួលខុសឡើយ មានតែអ្នកទទួលត្រូវ។

Translated from Khmer

Yesterday, at around 5PM, I went to pay my respect to the spirits of our compatriots who died at Pich Bridge. A police officer who was stationed there complained to me that he was ordered to stand guard at that location since 4AM, and up to now (5PM), nobody came to replace him yet. His group was very tired after staying under the scorching sun. When you think about it, [this standing guard by the police officers] was not too long, but if you think about it carefully, you can see that the organization of the police force was so lacking. This is one of the reasons why our compatriots died in such large number without anybody accepting the fault committed, whereas there are only those who accept the right thing they did [the author is playing with the world responsibility in Khmer: ទទួលខុសត្រូវ which translates to “accept what you did wrong and right”]