Posts
Throughout the year, the people of The Kingdom of Cambodia - particularly those from the Provinces - look forward to the Annual Water Festival that takes place in Phnom Penh during the month of November. It is a spectacular event that attracts literally millions of people who come to the city to watch the boat races on the Tonle Sap River. The city lights up, the Royal Palace becomes even more beautiful when it is outlined with myriads of lights at night and illuminated floats sail up and down the river. The opening ceremony is presided over by His Majesty The King. This ceremony signals the beginning of three days of racing that can involve maybe 400 boats and each day is capped off with a magnificent display of fireworks across the Tonle Sap River. To witness this festival is an incredible experience, but for me personally, having seen it twice I find the crowds too much, so now I leave the city for the few days it takes place. But by doing that I am not in any way trying to detract from the excitement and fun of the event as well as the many benefits it brings to the country and the people.
During the past year, the "powers-that-be" here have made some tremendous improvements to the city and especially in the area along the banks of the Tonle Sap River - known as Riverside - where the festival is held. These improvements have included garden and park areas and spaces for people to play, thus allowing so much more space. Perhaps it was because of these improvements and the added space made available, that so many more people were attracted to the city for this year's Water Festival last week. But whatever the reason, it has been estimated that up to 4-million people came to Phnom Penh this year against the normal 2-million in previous years. In anyone's language, that is a whole lot of people and no matter how good and controlled the people are, it will present problems somewhere along the line. Disasters can and do happen anywhere.
I returned to Phonm Penh around 9.30pm on the last night of the Festival and though the crowds made it almost impossible to move, it was obvious the people were happy and enjoying themselves. In the little park between my home and the Royal Palace, a stage had been set up and a concert was going strong and thousands and thousands of people were crammed into the park listening and singing along. It was a joyous occasion. About thirty minutes later that all changed. Police and ambulance sirens wailed, the concerts were stopped and the city was stunned.
This year a new suspension bridge was opened to make it easier to get to Diamond Island in the Bassac River just a short way from where the boat races were taking place. Diamond Island itself has also been developed with many businesses, shopping areas and restaurants, and in addition a concert was arranged on the last night of the Festival. It was to all of this that many people decided to cross over to the island after the day's racing was finished. Many of those crossing - (and it is now estimated at the time of writing, that over eight thousand were on the bridge at any one time) - were unaware that suspension bridges are built to sway under stress. So when the bridge swayed a little, then some believed it was collapsing and panic ensued. What followed is history. Three hundred and fifty-six young people died and almost four hundred were injured.
When something like this happens in a far off country, there is always shock and sadness for those affected, but if a person is in any way involved, then it becomes very real.
I did not know personally anyone involved in the accident, but the following day I was asked to help locate four teenage brothers who were missing. Not a pleasant task. The boys had come from Battambang in the north for the Festival but now they could not be located again. With their older brother who had come to try to find them, I visited the injured in the hospitals - many of whom were in a dazed state, not realizing quite what had happened. We visited the place where those who died were placed lying in rows on mats on the floor waiting to be identified.
I have been in several disasters around the world in my time but this was something I had never encountered before and I am not ashamed to say I cried a lot. Lying side-by-side fully dressed in their jeans and T-shirts or whatever and just looking as if they were sleeping because none had any visible injuries, were maybe 80 young people - boys and girls - and none more than perhaps in their early twenties. This is a young country population-wise, where 67% of the population is under aged 25 and now these young people were no more. A huge chunk of the future of the Kingdom was gone in a matter of minutes.
Later that night we found the four brothers for whom we had been searching. They were in a hospital injured, but they will recover in time. For so many the story did not end the same way. Speaking about those who died, a Cambodian friend of mine said "We cannot be sad again now for them because they are now happy and will have no more upset. Now we must think of those of their families who are left behind and those who are still recovering." That is perfectly true.
The people of this wonderful country are very resilient and I love all of them dearly. They have been through so much and so many horrors within the last 30-years yet they still keep going and still smile and they will do so this time too. It is an honour and pleasure to live among them.
However, when something like this happens anywhere, questions will always be asked, lessons will always be learned and changes to some things and ways of doing things will always have to be made. Cambodia will be no exception and the future festivals here, I am sure will benefit from the lessons learned from this year's happenings.
