Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 08 December 2010
“For me, I don’t trust that bridge from now and for another 10 years.”
Diamond Bridge, the site of the deadly Nov. 22 festival stampede, re-opened to the public on Wednesday, just two weeks after a tragedy that shocked the country and left more than 350 dead.
After an opening ceremony led by Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, a group of monks from the city’s pagodas led a water blessing to clear the bridge of its misfortune.
About 100 people gathered for the ceremony, and when it was finished, they crossed the bridge to Diamond Island, the site of a commercial development that has struggled since the disaster.
“Today is a good day,” Kep Chuktema told reporters. “We’ve reopened the bridge in order to get more tourists to visit Phnom Penh. The Cambodian government intends to have the Diamond Center, because when this develops, Phnom Penh develops, and when the city develops, the Kingdom of Cambodia develops too.”
Diamond Center is a commercial center with shops, restaurants and banquet halls for weddings that was originally opened in 2009 and closed for several days following the bridge stampede.
Mok Sarith, a 30-year-old cleaner at the Diamond Center, said he agreed with the bridge reopening.
“This bridge is just a tourist site in Phnom Penh,” he said. “And we will get more tourists here after the bridge is open.”
But at least some bridge survivors said they did not want to see the bridge reopened so soon—if ever.
Ros Kong, who was on the bridge the night of the stampede, when thousands of people panicked as they were crushed together after Water Festival celebrations, said the government should keep the bridge as a closed historical site and a memorial for those who died.
“For me, I don’t trust that bridge from now and for another 10 years,” he said. “I’ll never forget what happened that day.”
Kim Sour Phirith, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said the government should be considerate of the feelings of victims and how they might be affected by the opening of the bridge.
“In my idea, the Cambodian government could close the bridge and keep it as an isolated site for tourists to visit,” he said.
A new bridge should be built for business to Diamond Island, he said.
Kep Chuktema said the owners of the Diamond Center would build two more bridges in coming months to prevent a future disaster.
14 comments:
however, we scare of the spean koh moronak. we do not go there. koh land was confiscated from poor people with low compensation, koh moronak's owner earn from people's blood.
Hun Sen said no bodies is going to blame for this dead? meaning Dead person Reserved the DEAD???? come on Khmer people wake up???? Your life is worth for nothing under this man rule???
Hun Sen said no bodies is going to blame for this dead? meaning Dead person Reserved the DEAD???? come on Khmer people wake up???? Your life is worth for nothing under this man rule???
KEP CHUKTEMA SAID ABOUT KOH PICH.
WHEN DIAMOND CENTER DEVELOPS, PHNOM
PENH DEVELOPS, WHEN PHNOM PENH DEVELOPS, THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
DEVELOPS... SO THEN MY BANK ACCOUNT
DEVELOPS THEREFORE BUN RANY'S ACCOUNT FLOURISHES. SCREW THE DEADS
AND THE INJURED!!!
AH KEP CHUKTEMA SAID WHEN THIS ISLAND DEVELOPS MEANS HIS POCKET WILL DEVELOP ALSO! AH KEP AND AH YOUN HENG SOY!
The next election, some stupid Khmers will vote for Ah Hun again because Khmers already forgot what Ah Hun did to them, after that Ah Hun will kill some more Khmers to fulfill his Youns boss.
All wrong stupid CPP and the ignorance Cambodia! No about bridge but the crowd controle the ability of the goverment that make you not trust Hun Xen forever!
I believe more people will refuse to use that bridge because it will bring back bad memories .
nOT THE BRIDGE THAT KILL PEOPLE IS THE IGNORANCE OF ADMISTRATOR AND THE LACK OF BABILITY OF SEEING CIMING TROBLE BY THE GIVERNMENT OF AH hUN xEN!@ THAT KILL PEOPLE! AND WILL BE MORE WITH THAT KIND OF PhD WITH NO EDUCATION RUN THE COUNTRY NWITH CHEATING AND SUPPRESSION FORCE!
kep chuktema we know the money in your pocket develop more then phnom phenh itself. how much is that that brand news mecedes anyway?
ពួកអាមន្រ្តីឆ្កួត កុំនាំរាស្ត្រឆ្កួតទៀត
គ្មានក្រុងពាលីឯណាមកកាច់ឬធ្វើឲ្យរាស្ត្រស្លាប់នោះទេ
គឺការឆ្កួតលីលារបស់ពួកអាឯងទាំងអស់គ្នានោះទេ
ដែលធ្វើឲ្យរាស្ត្រស្លាប់នោះ។ដើម្បីឲ្យរាស្រ្តបានសុខ
ត្រូវអាករបង្ហូរឈាមពួកឯងទាំងអស់យកទៅសែនខ្មោច៣៥៣នោះ ទើបប្រទេសខ្មែរបានសុខបើពួកអាឯងមិនទាន់ងាប់អស់ទេ ថ្ងៃក្រោយរាស្រ្តរឹតតែស្លាប់ច្រើនជាងនេះទៅទៀត។។
ek odum khmer, who in the hell gave such a title to those brainless human?
honey, it's not that you don't trust the bridge, it was just you were shock to see what had happened there on that bridge. oh, you'll get over it sooner or later. it's all in the head, really! be strong, be tough and be smart, ok! avoid crowded places with no way out. yes, use common sense, too, ok!
next time, authority should have one way for going traffic, and one way for coming traffic, and make sure the traffic flow, not bottleneck, ok, especially on a narrow space like this bridge, you know! wake up, ok!
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