A man tries to control a fire at slum area of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh which destroyed more than 200 homesPHNOM PENH (AFP) — Thousands were made homeless early Friday after a slum fire in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh destroyed more than 200 homes, police said.
The blaze broke out in an area crowded with poorly-built wooden shacks, police said, adding that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
"Hundreds of houses were completely destroyed," said Pong Savrith, military police deputy commander.
"They were all small wooden houses that were built in a disorderly manner," he told AFP as a column of thick smoke continued to billow into the sky.
Neighbourhood residents swarmed into nearby streets, struggling to rescue their belongings, while others huddled on the curbside, crying as their homes burned.
About 200 firefighters and volunteers worked for five hours to douse the blaze, said fire chief Sok Vannar.
"This is the biggest fire this year," he said, adding that no one had been hurt.
Although large neighbourhood fires are increasingly rare in Phnom Penh, a series of suspicious blazes several years ago destroyed a number of slum areas, forcing tens of thousands to flee.
The blaze broke out in an area crowded with poorly-built wooden shacks, police said, adding that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
"Hundreds of houses were completely destroyed," said Pong Savrith, military police deputy commander.
"They were all small wooden houses that were built in a disorderly manner," he told AFP as a column of thick smoke continued to billow into the sky.
Neighbourhood residents swarmed into nearby streets, struggling to rescue their belongings, while others huddled on the curbside, crying as their homes burned.
About 200 firefighters and volunteers worked for five hours to douse the blaze, said fire chief Sok Vannar.
"This is the biggest fire this year," he said, adding that no one had been hurt.
Although large neighbourhood fires are increasingly rare in Phnom Penh, a series of suspicious blazes several years ago destroyed a number of slum areas, forcing tens of thousands to flee.
14 comments:
This is one of the ways to get rid of dirt poor Cambodian population slum dweller by fire and make way for so called development! Something like this happen is like God send from above and I am sure this new empty land is on the way to be developed by the rich and the powerful!
Blame it on the fire!
Agreed. :[
Leading with FEAR by current government of Cambodia
No mention the FEAR and PTSD of the KR. Our current government leadership has fabricated the situation to intensify FEAR through:
1. Repeating past brutality
2. Power monopoly of Hun Sen and his cronies in the government.
3. Policemen and military including higher ranking Buddhist monk leaders are not neutral and belonging to national institution. They are inclining to political party (CPP).
4. Major national mass media both TV and Radio are performing one side interviewing or reporting. No media ethic for those reporters being practiced to create justice and non-fear for the audience (listeners) at all.
5. Land-grabbing is likely doubling
6. Politically-affiliated judiciary system is widely conducted.
7. High ranking officers are not working for the nation and Cambodian peoples. Major part of their work is to favor political party (CPP).
8. Hun Sen's public political rhetoric is still showing the prospect of FEAR.
9. Many murderers are still floating without punishing. Culture of impunity is the main source of FEAR.
10. Dissents are always threatened. Opposition parties are being split from inside through threatening, positioning, bribing, or using government court.
11. Complex procedure of voting system in Cambodia is supportive to FEAR for less educated Cambodians.
12. etc
KY
To avoid the repetition of this type of dramas, authorities have to make sensitive the population exposed to these dramas to be taken in their everyday life of the effective precautionary measures.
Prevention is better that cure.
How do you put video on this site? I am living less the 1 km from this pace and went there with a camera when i saw the enormous smokecloud this morning...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbYStJWwjYs
I agreed with the first comment.
Hun Sen burned down the people home for new illigal construction. This is the way Hun Sen tries to help Khmer people. He used all kinds of means to ensure he and his regime gaining control over the poor Khmers.
Why don't he go to burn ALL HANOI VILLAGE IN TONLE SAP ALSO. KHMER PEOPLE NEED TO BURN THOSE BOAT HOUSES DOWN TO CLEAR IT FROM DESTROY OUR RESOURCES.
The fire might broke out accidentally; nonetheless, the fire department must be fully equipped with everything necessary in case of need like such, because the top-level authorities of Hun Xen government are extremely rich.
If poor's people have to vote...
They vote for freedom...
So make them homeless, then not
allow to vote...
Communists do everything that
I can't do, as free mind people.
Khmer Canadian
"The blaze broke out in an area crowded with poorly-built wooden shacks, police said, adding that the cause of the fire was still under investigation."
That is what the ECCC should be doing with the millions of dollars, investigating the cause of the Khmer Rouge, not prosecuting dead old men.
this is an opportunity for gov't to step in to help with humanitarian aid for the fire victims. accidence like this do happen from time to time, you know. even if they are living like slum in the first place, the authority should rebuild for them, perhaps in exchange for something else, so to act appropriately as gov't to help the people who suffer the most and who have no where else to go. thank you.
even gov't claim that some people live illegally on gov't property. well, that may be true in a way, thanks to the idiot KR regime, however as long as people who need a place to live don't live in a park or other occupied place, then gov't should do something to help them as they are poor, people looking for a better life in the capitol city. if the gov't land or space is unoccupied for so long and there are plenty of spaces, then build a low-income housing there or something to help the poor people who really need and place to live and raise their family. this way, gov't can help the future of cambodia as a whole as these new refugees become well-established in the growing city of phnom penh, things aren't going to be the same again for them as they become better, they can contribute to khmer society and the nation as well. there are the future of khmer people in general and gov't of cambodia should do something to help all khmer people, especially the poor, disadvantaged ones. i mean everyone got to start somewhere. even the rich have to start somewhere for most people are not bornt rich, they become rich as they get better, either by getting better education, lady luck struck them or what have you out there. but the bottom line is people from all walks of life got to start somewhere, and gov't for the people and by the people should help them in anyway possible. it's called responsible gov't. thank you and god bless cambodia.
This is the time to send in the cashes to the victims, not to Ah Xam Rainxy notorious killer who burn people alive to gain power.
Can any decent folk help one of the chatters who might have one side of the brains? In each one of his comments, he has nothing to express but to cuss all the time. He might need a dog's or a monkey's brain to fill the other half the his.
should watch vietcong's tricks behind this tragedy,vietcong have more freedom then the owner of the land in Cambodia because a lot of gov.officers are thieves from vietname that hun sen and cpp gov.protect them for a reason.
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