Sombre: The mood is subdued as family members of the victims emerge from a briefing by the Singapore ambassador to Cambodia.
Terrible wait: The tension is palpable as this family member awaits news from the rescue teams.Mood is sombre as family members await news of missing
November 26, 2007
By Jonathan Choo and Kor Kian Beng
Electric News (Singapore)
WORRY marked their faces, and silence was their armour against the despair they must have been feeling.
The family members of the five missing Singaporeans were grim and reluctant to speak to the media as they arrived in Cambodia yesterday, but they were still holding out for a miracle.
At press time, the five rowers from Singapore's male dragon boat team were still missing.
About 10 relatives had travelled to Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon in the company of Radm (Ret) Kwek Siew Jin, who is president of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA), and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Upon arrival, they were whisked away to a hotel, where members of the Cambodian search and rescue team briefed them on the operations so far. It was attended by the Singapore ambassador to Cambodia. The Singapore media was not allowed into the meeting room.
There was talk that a body had been found, but one family member we approached after the meeting said it was not so.
'The news that one of the bodies was found is not true at all,' he said, but would not say more.
Tensions ran high when the meeting ended. The group became worked up when they saw the media and immediately returned to their rooms.
Officials shielded them from photographers, while hotel employees refused to let the media approach the team members.
Later though, The New Paper on Sunday managed to speak to one of the rowers, who said that the team had agreed not to talk to the media.
When asked why, he said: 'I also don't know.' He added that he had feared for his life when the boat flipped.
How long was he submerged underwater? He paused for a long while before he said he could not recall.
He said the team was feeling better yesterday, compared to the day of the incident.
Possibly referring to the talk that a body had been found, he said each time the team heard a piece of bad news, their mood would sink again.
The New Paper on Sunday overheard other team members saying that they had lost the race to Brunei and had decided to row back before the accident took place.
They had not been going very fast.
Radm (Ret) Kwek said: 'They had their first race. On the way back, while turning to the embarkation point, the boat got swept towards a pontoon.
'When it hit the pontoon, the boat got stuck and all the people got thrown out and then they reappeared in the water; 17 of them were rescued.'
Dr Lam Pin Min, senior vice-president of SDBA, said there is still no news of the five missing people, adding that the authorities had also arranged for psychologists to accompany and counsel family members and survivors.
When asked if the dragon boaters were wearing life vests, he said: 'The rowers are not required to wear them. It's not a must in international races.'
But he added that the SDBA would look to investigate if there are any safety concerns.
He said: 'It's an unfortunate incident and we are praying for the safety of the five people.'
November 26, 2007
By Jonathan Choo and Kor Kian Beng
Electric News (Singapore)
WORRY marked their faces, and silence was their armour against the despair they must have been feeling.
The family members of the five missing Singaporeans were grim and reluctant to speak to the media as they arrived in Cambodia yesterday, but they were still holding out for a miracle.
At press time, the five rowers from Singapore's male dragon boat team were still missing.
About 10 relatives had travelled to Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon in the company of Radm (Ret) Kwek Siew Jin, who is president of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA), and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Upon arrival, they were whisked away to a hotel, where members of the Cambodian search and rescue team briefed them on the operations so far. It was attended by the Singapore ambassador to Cambodia. The Singapore media was not allowed into the meeting room.
There was talk that a body had been found, but one family member we approached after the meeting said it was not so.
'The news that one of the bodies was found is not true at all,' he said, but would not say more.
Tensions ran high when the meeting ended. The group became worked up when they saw the media and immediately returned to their rooms.
Officials shielded them from photographers, while hotel employees refused to let the media approach the team members.
Later though, The New Paper on Sunday managed to speak to one of the rowers, who said that the team had agreed not to talk to the media.
When asked why, he said: 'I also don't know.' He added that he had feared for his life when the boat flipped.
How long was he submerged underwater? He paused for a long while before he said he could not recall.
He said the team was feeling better yesterday, compared to the day of the incident.
Possibly referring to the talk that a body had been found, he said each time the team heard a piece of bad news, their mood would sink again.
The New Paper on Sunday overheard other team members saying that they had lost the race to Brunei and had decided to row back before the accident took place.
They had not been going very fast.
Radm (Ret) Kwek said: 'They had their first race. On the way back, while turning to the embarkation point, the boat got swept towards a pontoon.
'When it hit the pontoon, the boat got stuck and all the people got thrown out and then they reappeared in the water; 17 of them were rescued.'
Dr Lam Pin Min, senior vice-president of SDBA, said there is still no news of the five missing people, adding that the authorities had also arranged for psychologists to accompany and counsel family members and survivors.
When asked if the dragon boaters were wearing life vests, he said: 'The rowers are not required to wear them. It's not a must in international races.'
But he added that the SDBA would look to investigate if there are any safety concerns.
He said: 'It's an unfortunate incident and we are praying for the safety of the five people.'
1 comment:
Cambodia has a good reputation of recovery operation-- but notorious reputation with rescue operation. The aftermath: Devastation and tragety.
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