Boat race during the Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) (Photo: RFA)Monday, November 6, 2006
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Management of this year's Water Festival is proceeding smoothly with few problems encountered so far, city officials said Sunday.
"We can say that in general [it's] very good, better than last year," Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said by telephone from the Chroy Changva peninsula where he was observing city and Health Ministry officials distribute condoms and medicine to visitors from the provinces. He had begun his day monitoring the city's trash collection, he said.
The city's thorough preparations to welcome 1.5 million visitors from the provinces had paid off, Mann Chhoeun said, though he didn't yet have an estimate of the number of people who had arrived in the capital by Sunday.
Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth said that security was also under control and revelers had nothing more than pickpockets to watch out for.
Seven pickpockets were arrested at the start of the festivities Saturday; by noon Sunday, police had arrested another four men for attempting to swipe the valuables of people watching the boat races, he said.
Thousands of policemen from every district were out in the streets maintaining order, Touch Naruth said.
"Today there is more security than yesterday because we learned from the first day," he said.
Two rowers have so far been injured in boating accidents on the Tonle Sap, he added.
The boat races, which were officially opened by King Norodom Sihamoni on Saturday afternoon, have been proceeding smoothly, officials said.
"Most of the boats seem faster this year," said Hok Sam Oeurn, 65, who was announcing the pairings of boats for each race from a barge floating off the quayside.
On Saturday 203 pairs of boats had raced and by Sunday afternoon another 38 pairs had competed, he said. Earlier Sunday afternoon, a motorboat had sunk after colliding with a racing boat. But there were no injuries, he added.
The Ottdom Mony boat’s 28-man team, which had been training for the races since early September, won both its races on Saturday but lost its first one Sunday, said boat racer Mey Peng Chhuon, 39.
Sitting under an umbrella along the riverfront by Phsar Chas, where crowds were milling at a fairground with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, he spoke of his boat, adding that this was his tenth time competing at the Water Festival.
"I hope we’ll win again when we're on the inside path," Mey Peng Chhuon said, referring to the inner and outer channels where the boats race.
(Reporting by Douglas Gillison, Pin Sisovann and Saing Soenthrith)
"We can say that in general [it's] very good, better than last year," Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said by telephone from the Chroy Changva peninsula where he was observing city and Health Ministry officials distribute condoms and medicine to visitors from the provinces. He had begun his day monitoring the city's trash collection, he said.
The city's thorough preparations to welcome 1.5 million visitors from the provinces had paid off, Mann Chhoeun said, though he didn't yet have an estimate of the number of people who had arrived in the capital by Sunday.
Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth said that security was also under control and revelers had nothing more than pickpockets to watch out for.
Seven pickpockets were arrested at the start of the festivities Saturday; by noon Sunday, police had arrested another four men for attempting to swipe the valuables of people watching the boat races, he said.
Thousands of policemen from every district were out in the streets maintaining order, Touch Naruth said.
"Today there is more security than yesterday because we learned from the first day," he said.
Two rowers have so far been injured in boating accidents on the Tonle Sap, he added.
The boat races, which were officially opened by King Norodom Sihamoni on Saturday afternoon, have been proceeding smoothly, officials said.
"Most of the boats seem faster this year," said Hok Sam Oeurn, 65, who was announcing the pairings of boats for each race from a barge floating off the quayside.
On Saturday 203 pairs of boats had raced and by Sunday afternoon another 38 pairs had competed, he said. Earlier Sunday afternoon, a motorboat had sunk after colliding with a racing boat. But there were no injuries, he added.
The Ottdom Mony boat’s 28-man team, which had been training for the races since early September, won both its races on Saturday but lost its first one Sunday, said boat racer Mey Peng Chhuon, 39.
Sitting under an umbrella along the riverfront by Phsar Chas, where crowds were milling at a fairground with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, he spoke of his boat, adding that this was his tenth time competing at the Water Festival.
"I hope we’ll win again when we're on the inside path," Mey Peng Chhuon said, referring to the inner and outer channels where the boats race.
(Reporting by Douglas Gillison, Pin Sisovann and Saing Soenthrith)
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