Dear Friends of Cambodia,
The world stood still as the tragedy unfolded from the airwaves of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. At around 10:00 PM local time, November 22, as the three-day traditional Water Festival wrapped up, "chaos" enveloped on Diamond Island. The investigation is on-going, however, what credible sources are saying is some type of event created a "panic" on the newly built bridge. The outcome devastating - over 340 dead, mainly from suffocation and drowning, and 500 injured - at the time of this writing.
As friends and family to the people of Cambodia mourn, I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences and offer some resources to members of the Khmer American communities as they cope through these times. If you live in a Khmer populated city, please stay in touch with the local pagodas and community leaders as ceremonies will be organized. Visit http://www.templenews.org/networks/index.htm for a comprehensive of Khmer Buddhist Pagodas across the States. If you have family and friends in Cambodia, please give them a call. The phone lines might be tougher than usual, but please persist. If you have access to the Internet, please visit http://www.khmerlive.tv/ for live video feeds and update from various TV channels in Phnom Penh.
For those connected to social media, a couple things can be done to raise awareness about the event. If you are on Facebook, please change your Profile Icon to one of any three images currently being circulated around the website. Please keep the icon to November 25th - a nationally declared Day of Mourning. On Twitter, please help "ReTweet" related news to your Followers. By doing these simple acts, you acknowledge that the lives lost are not forgotten and that your prayers are with them and their loved ones.
If would like to keep updated with more news and information about the event, you may contact me directly via e-mail and find me on all social media outlets under my full name, "Phatry Derek Pan." You may also visit a working document of resources available for members of community at: http://jinja.apsara.org/2010/11/resources-stampede/.
I hope we remain strong and find comfort in the presence of our love ones.
With peace and blessings, Derek
New York, New York
1 comment:
Your Majesty Samdech Ta former King Norodom Sihanouk,
Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen,
Thank you for your both kindness and understanding.
What we need is prevention methods, not to let this type of accident happen again in the future.
It also makes me very worried to see so much alcohol allowed to enter or be produced in our beloved Kingdom of Cambodia? What about “ YA BA “ and other types of DRUGS from Thailand and Vietnam?
Can His Majesty Samdech Ta and Samdech Hun Sen stop all sorts of drugs coming to Cambodia? The accident may not be related to drugs and alcohol but just some thing that I could not sleep peacefully from now on to the future, in the names sake of true Khmer citizen.
Can Samdech Hun Sen kindly ask all 5 million Vietnamese illegal immigrants to peacefully return to Vietnam, so Koh Pich will not be too crowded more and more every day, every month and every year to come.
All Vietnamese illegal immigrants can easily come in and settle inside Cambodia even though they already have their own country Vietnam.
When Cambodia is too crowded, definitely we Khmer people can not go to settle inside Vietnam, can we?
Please Vietnamese, you said you came to rescue us from Pol Pot, and you don’t want to return home, it is not right according to 23rd October 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, can all of you go back to your country now.
Vietnamese illegal immigrants, you see because 5 million of you are inside Cambodia, it makes us too crowded and we wasted our lives at Koh Pich without good reasons.
Your Vietnamese Communism expansionist mind in Cambodia, is to give an excuse to China mainland to occupy your Spratly Islands, Parcel Islands, the whole of your Eastern sea border and perhaps the Northern border sooner or later.
5 million Vietnamese illegal immigrants in Cambodia, please go back home to defend your country from Chinese mighty economic invasion.
May I pray to God and the Lord Jesus Christ that those who have lost loved one will be comforted.
My condolences to all the victim's family.
Regards,
Kulen Monorom
(The rice farmer's son)
Post a Comment