Dragon boater had bad instinct about race in his last blog entry

The blog entry, which was posted at 10.06am on Nov 21, ended with this sentence: 'The short talk I had with coach (right) before disembarking worries me.' -- PHOTOS: ST

Nov 30, 2007
The Straits Times (Singapore)

Rueben Kee had a foreboding that the trip to Phnom Pehn 'will be a fight in more ways than one'.

ON the eve of their departure to Phnom Penh for the dragon boat race, Reuben Kee, 23, had a chat with the team coach and became very worried.

He also had a foreboding that 'this trip will be a fight in more ways than one'.

He wrote about his fear and bad-feeling in his last entry on Nov 21, in his blog (www.compositious.blogspot.com).

Titled Stronger shadow from stronger light, and accompanied by piano music, Mr Kee, a music composer, wrote:

'Closer and closer.

I heard it today, and yesterday. Its getting worse.

What I feared so much, feels so good.

To not give a damn, to give in to it.

Maybe it preparation for going into unfamiliar territory. If anything would happen there, he would be able to ensure any threat would be nullified.

Its so hard to fight against instinct sometimes. Yet sometimes instinct is the only thing that will keep you alive. But it can also strip you of what makes you human.

This trip will be a fight in more ways than one.'

The entry, which was posted at 10.06am on Nov 21, ended with this sentence: 'The short talk I had with coach before disembarking worries me.'

Two days later, Mr Kee and four other team-mates - Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, Mr Poh Boon San 27, and Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31 - drowned after their boat capsized as it was trying to dock after completing the race. Seventeen others survived.

Mr Kee was not the only who had bad feeling about the race.

The coach of the national dragon boat team and several other paddlers felt that way, too, after they surveyed the Tonle Sap River when they arrived in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

In an interview with The Straits Times five days after the tragic accident, coach Nasiman said that he was still haunted by the question if he should have trusted his gut instincts more and pulled the team out of the race.

'The water looked calm, but the currents were strong,' he had said.

The team discussed it and decided to carry on because they felt bad pulling out after having been invited by the Cambodian government to take part.

The veteran dragon boat racer, who has almost two decades' experience racing in places like Australia, Sweden, Hong Kong and Japan, said that he had never experienced such strong currents as in the Tonle Sap river during the Cambodian Water Festival.

On Friday, the day of the races, the Singapore team paddled around for about 20 to 30 minutes, wearing life jackets.

They later discussed whether to wear their life jackets for the race.

'I told the team - two, three times - that if they didn't feel confident, they should wear life jackets. The captain told them that too,' said Mr Nasiman, 57.

'But, collectively, the team agreed not to wear life jackets. They felt they would be an obstruction and they wanted to perform their best.'

He added that most of the other teams - including a women's team - were not wearing life jackets.

He said the team did not face any problem during its race against Cambodia - which it lost.

After the race, the team decided to paddle back to a pontoon located close to a kilometre from the finish line. Others did too, Mr Nasiman said.

'The men wanted more practice in the water and I felt there was no problem in that,' he said.

Tragedy struck when their boat hit the pontoon, tipped over and threw the whole team overboard. Seventeen were fished out of the waters immediately. Five went missing and their bodies were found 40 hours later on Sunday.

[S'pore] President Nathan thanks Cambodian king for search efforts

Nov 29, 2007

PRESIDENT SR Nathan has written a letter to Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni to thank him for his condolences and his country's efforts in the search and recovery operation mounted during the recent dragon boat tragedy.

The Cambodian monarch had sent Singapore a condolence letter on Sunday, two days after the tragedy that killed five Singaporean rowers at Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap river.

President Nathan's reply was dated Wednesday.

Mr Nathan wrote: "I am deeply appreciative of all the cooperation and assistance rendered to the Singapore Embassy and the families of the bereaved, the injured and other team members, following the mishap.

"Singaporeans of all walks of life also greatly appreciate the assistance rendered and sympathy expressed by many Cambodians in Phnom Penh."

Saying that Singapore and Cambodia share close bonds in many areas, Mr Nathan added: "The untiring efforts of Your Majesty's Government in helping us in this tragic episode underscores this very close link.

"On behalf of the people of Singapore and the bereaved families, I thank you for your kind words of comfort."

Survivor recalls: I Felt I Was Going To Die

Details of the Singaporean boat mishap during the 2007 Boat Race Festival (Graphic: Electric News)

November 28, 2007
By Mindy Tan
Electric News (Singapore)

HE has two words to describe his ordeal in the murky water of Cambodia's Tonle Sap river - 'near death'.

Mr Tan yesterday, after arriving back in Singapore.

For more than 10 seconds, national team dragon boat rower Darren Tan, 20, was trapped under a tugboat after the Singaporean dragonboat capsized.

And those seconds seemed like an eternity as he lost his orientation in the 10-metre-deep water, his eyes tightly closed.

At that same time, he was not swimming, because he simply couldn't.

He felt the force of the water swirling him backwards in circles, round and round.

'I was travelling rapidly,' he recalled.

His arms were flaying uncontrollably and his right hand hit a limb, but he could not be sure whose it was.

Mr Tan also swallowed three mouthfuls of muddy water, choked, and ran out of air.

That was when he felt he was 'going to die'.

It felt like the water was 'sinking', he added.

Only when he swam up 'at the right moment' and managed to hit the surface did he open his eyes.

Mr Tan's account of what happened that fateful Friday in Phnom Penh is likely the first to emerge from the tragic accident that claimed the lives of five Singaporean rowers.

He is among the 17 survivors of the 22 national team rowers whose boat capsized as they were heading towards their docking point after their race .

The bodies of Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, Mr Poh Boon San, 27, and Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23 were recovered on Sunday and brought home in a military aircraft last night.

Mr Tan told The New Paper why their boat had capsized. About 50m away from where they were supposed to dock, their boat was passing by a pontoon when it swerved towards it and collided with a tugboat near the pontoon.

It also hit the pontoon, which is the size of a basketball court.

According to witnesses, a sudden swirling wave had hit the boat and pushed it towards the pontoon.The boat tilted to the right.

Mr Tan's account is similar to that of Mr Surash Raman Mukundan, the secretary-general of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, who said the accident happened as the boat hit a stationary tugboat near the pontoon.

The collision caused the 500kg boat to spin towards the pontoon. As it was about to hit the pontoon, the rowers tried to use their hands to push against it.

Said Mr Surash: 'But in doing so, they pushed the dragon boat downwards causing water to enter. That eventually made the boat sink.'

He said right after the accident occurred, he saw about six people surfacing in the water immediately.

But some were swept underneath the pontoon, including team captain Yeo Chin Hwei, who remains too distraught to talk about the experience.

Mr Tan said that as the boat began to capsize, some rowers on the front left grabbed onto the tyres along the pontoon to try to climb out.

Those at the rear tried to grab onto the tugboat's tyres.

The rowers on the right, however, were mostly thrown into the water.

Mr Tan hit the hull of the tugboat and was forced under the murky water.

He struggled for more than 10 seconds without air before he found his way to the surface.

By that time, the current had swept him to the other end of the tugboat.

Mr Tan said: 'You would normally float in a swimming pool. But the water there doesn't allow you to float,' he said.

He felt lucky to be alive because 'somehow, I decided to swim up at the right moment. Then I saw light.'When he surfaced, a teammate caught hold of him immediately and pulled him towards a tyre, which he grabbed.

In that same moment, Mr Tan also saw a teammate floating pass him.

He reached out in time to grab his teammate by his singlet, his other hand still holding the tyre.

Suffering from fatigue after the race and the struggle underwater, Mr Tan used all his energy to pull his team-mate towards the tyre until he could reach it and save himself.

'I had exhausted all my energy by then,' he said.

The rowers were pulled one by one up to land and taken to the hospital for chest X-rays.

Of his narrow escape, a visibly affected Mr Tan murmured: 'Near death...'

VICTIMS SAT IN FRONT

While family members have questioned why the rowers were not wearing life jackets, it appears that they might not have made a difference if the victims were dragged under the pontoon.

It is understood the five victims were seated in the front of the boat - which was parallel to the pontoon.

A Cambodian official said that boats taking part in the Tonle Sap races had been warned about strong currents and swirling waters on one side of the river.

Dr Nhim Vanda also said the Singapore team had been warned not to approach a pontoon on that side of the river.

Singapore officials would not verify if the team had been warned.

And Mr Tan said he was not aware of such a warning.

Dr Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said traditional Cambodian boats that take up to 85 men can withstand such conditions, but not the smaller 22-man boat used by the Singaporeans.

That evening, when the team cleared the bus of their belongings, Mr Tan said he saw a shoebag lying in a corner by a seat.

It belonged to Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, a close friend who drowned.

Mr Tan hugged Mr Chee's shoebag to sleep that night.

But waking up in tears later, he said: 'I dreamt of Wei Cheng, he came to me and told me not to wait anymore.

'He said goodbye.'

Goodbye For The Last Time

November 28, 2007
By Kor Kian Beng in Cambodia
Electric News (Singapore)

HE had just gone through a near-death encounter, but Mr Yeo Chin Hwei, 27, has had to put aside his personal trauma to be the face and voice of the Singapore dragon boat team.

As team captain, he has faced the media, dealt with questions from distraught parents and accompanied officials to identify the bodies of five team-mates who drowned.

Despite breaking down several times at the mortuary, he has been putting on a brave front.

It's his responsibility as team captain, said Mr Yeo, a PE trainee teacher at National Institute of Education.

'The parents wanted to know the truth. So I was just giving them that. That is my responsibility to the parents,' he said.

How was it like seeing the bodies of his team-mates?

'It was tough but it was my responsibility. I had to do it.'

Yesterday, he mustered courage and inner strength one more time to lead his 16 surviving team-mates to pay their last respects to their five dead team-mates at the pontoon where the accident took place.

He said: 'It's been devastating and traumatic for us. It was a near-death experience for all of us. Most were fearful to relive the experience but we wanted to come here to pay our last respects to our team-mates.'

Mr Yeo said the past two days had been hard.

'Most of us were still clinging to hope that there might be a miracle,' he said of his team-mates whose bodies were found two days after their boat capsized.

Breaking down in tears, Mr Yeo added: 'I just want to say they were all good guys with promising futures. They were great friends, great team-mates.'

The sad, traumatic memories came flooding back the moment the team arrived at the pontoon around 8am.

A few broke down after alighting from the bus while others hugged and put their arms around one another for support. Some looked pensively at the water that took the lives of their team-mates.

Later, the team threw chrysanthemum flowers and joss sticks into the water as a form of respect and mourning for the victims.

Mr Yeo told the team to offer one joss stick each to a Buddha statue at a tree in front of the pontoon, so that their team-mates would be watched over.

A similarly touching scene was repeated at noon when the family members of Mr Jeremy Goh, Mr Poh Boon San and Mr Chee Wei Cheng held Taoist rites for the victims.

Many broke down in tears as the victims' brothers knelt and shouted their names, trying to recall their souls.

Mr Chee's mother, who was looking on, told her younger son: 'Ask kor kor (brother in Hokkien) to wake up! Wei Cheng, mummy is here to wake you up. You must wake up! Can you hear me?'

Families of three of the deceased and the bodies were sent back to Singapore in a C130 plane.

The team members and family members of two of the deceased reached Singapore earlier at 1pm.

The father of victim Reuben Kee, 23, a musician and winner of Mr World Singapore 2006, asked to speak to the parents who were there to meet their sons.

According to Mrs Pamela Tan, mother of survivor Mr Darren Tan, the elder Mr Kee told them 'treasure your children'.

'He said he didn't know Reuben had so many friends until he went through his handphone,' she said.

Additional reporting by Mindy Tan

Nhim Vanda didn't sleep nearly 3 days trying to find missing S'poreans racers ... would he do the same for the missing lonely Khmer racer?

So Sad That I Couldn't Speak For Several Minutes

Cambodian general on search mission says finding rowers' bodies was devastating

November 28, 2007
By Kor Kian Beng in Cambodia
Electric News (Singapore)

FOR nearly three days, he had only two hours of sleep.

The Cambodian general's main concern: The five Singaporeans who were missing.

General Nhim Vanda, 59, was given full powers by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to oversee search efforts.

The first vice-president of the Cambodian National Disaster Management Committee could have left it to his rescue officers to do the job.

But this was a man who wanted to get involved personally.

The reason: Gratitude.

He told The New Paper that he wanted to do his utmost to locate the Singaporeans and help their families because his country had received aid from Singapore in the past.

He said during the early '90s there was a severe shortage of rice and fuel in Cambodia.

BORROWED RICE, FUEL

Gen Vanda, 59, who lost his left arm in a grenade attack in 1974, visited Singapore several times to try and get help from the business community.

He managed to get a Singapore company to lend Cambodia 5,000 tonnes of rice and 7,000 tonnes of fuel, which was repaid with rubber over two years.

He said: 'The investors from Singapore were kind to me. I appreciate very much the relationship with Singaporeans. That is why I wanted to return the favour.'

He said he also activated all the help possible because he had received direct orders from Mr Hun Sen to accede to whatever requests the Singapore ambassador had.

Ambassador Tan Yee Woan said she was appreciative of the Cambodian authorities' assistance and that they have been accommodating to almost all the demands and requests from her and the affected Singaporean families.

But it has been an extremely gruelling time for the general since the accident on Friday evening.

On Saturday, just after he got into bed for a much needed rest, he had to crawl out again at 2am when his officers called to tell him that a body was found.

He immediately made his way to the scene. It was the body of a Cambodian man, not one of the five Singaporeans.

He was back at the scene hours later, travelling up and down the river in a speedboat to supervise search efforts.

That was why he could remember with pinpoint accuracy the exact location and the time each body was found.

He said around 300 men, comprising policemen, military officers and members of the public, were mobilised for the search and rescue efforts during the 36-hour period.

He said he also wanted to help the families because the victims' profiles reminded him of his oldest son, aged 26.

Gen Vanda has four other children.

He said: 'As a father, I can understand the parents' worries. Fathers are the same everywhere. So are mothers. We all want to know that our children are safe.'

SLEEPLESS FOR TWO NIGHTS

For two nights, he couldn't sleep and even dreamt about the victims being found.

That is why he said he was shocked beyond words when he saw the bodies. He was on the speedboat with the Singapore ambassador when the bodies were found. He said all five were found by boats combing the river with nets underneath them.

He said: 'I was so shocked and saddened that I couldn't speak for several minutes. Seeing their bodies made me feel sympathetic towards their families.'

He also said he is relieved that they managed to find the bodies quickly, so that the families can at least find closure.

Said Gen Vanda: 'We tried our best to find them. We're sad, but we're also relieved to help the families find their beloved ones.'

Moving on, he said they will look into how they can tighten safety measures and prevent similar incidents.

He said: 'It's an expensive lesson we have from this. We will definitely try to improve from now on.'

Inquiry panel to be set up to investigate dragon boat incident

27 November 2007
By Patwant Singh
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: An independent panel of inquiry will be set up next week to investigate the Cambodian dragon boat tragedy.

The Singapore Sports Council (SSC), which will lead the multi-agency team, said the panel would take a few months to deliberate and come out with its findings.

The death of five Singaporeans in Cambodia during a dragon boat event last Friday has jolted Singapore's sports fraternity. It has also raised questions about risk management in overseas sports competitions.

The panel of inquiry will address this issue and get to the bottom of the latest incident.

The Sports Council will release details of the panel members at a later date.

CEO of the SSC, Oon Jin Teik, said: "We want to let the athletes and officials speak freely, and I think many of them would want to speak freely. Many are feeling very emotional after reading reports that may not be consistent with what they went through."

The post-mortem will also provide a learning experience for the general sports scene in Singapore.

As for the 17 survivors, the Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) said they are still shaken by the incident. They have not been barred from talking to the media, although reporters have been advised to be sensitive to the situation.

The rowers will be visiting the wakes of their deceased team-mates before attending the funeral and memorial on Thursday.

President of the SDBA, Kwek Siew Jin, said: "The families have requested for a 'conjoined' ceremony for all the five families, together with all their friends. They feel that all the five rowers had common friends and it would be good if all the friends could come together at the same time to pray and send their friends off safely."

The association said it is doing all it can to help the affected families. It does have insurance for the athletes, but officials could not confirm the amount.

One thing is certain – the association will enforce the use of life vests for all future overseas competitions.

On a separate note, the secretary general of the SDBA, Surash Raman Mukundan, and executive secretary of the organisation, Lim Wee Kok, have returned home from Phnom Penh on Tuesday evening.

They were the last to return after giving priority to family members of the deceased.

Both men, escorted by the police and officials from SDBA and SSC, declined to speak to the media.

Family, friends gather at wakes of the 5 dragon boat rowers

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2nd from right) at Jeremy Goh's wake

27 November 2007
By Lynda Hong
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: Family members of the five dragon boat rowers who died in a tragic accident in Cambodia said the best thing to do is to move on and ensure such an incident does not happen again.

Friends and relatives on Tuesday gathered at the wakes to pay their last respects to the five athletes.

Jeremy Goh will be remembered as a member of the national dragon boat team – something his family is proud of, despite the incident.

While grappling with the loss, Jeremy's mother questioned how the tragedy could have happened.

She said: "The officials said wearing a life jacket was not compulsory in Cambodia and naturally, you would be at a disadvantage if you wore a life jacket – some might even mock you for being afraid to die. But it is best to wear life jackets and to make it a rule. Being at sea is already very dangerous, especially when you are exhausted after a strenuous competition."

Jeremy's family are residents at Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's constituency in Ang Mo Kio. Mr Lee paid his respects at Jeremy's wake and told his parents that the grassroots organisations would do everything they could to help the family tide over this difficult period.

He also urged surviving team members to be strong and carry on with their passion in the sport.

Mr Lee said: "As Jeremy's brother-in-law told me, he would have wanted the rest of the team to go on with the sport because he was passionate about dragon boating. He spent a lot of time on it – represented his polytechnic and raised funds through the sport.

"Although he's gone, he would have wanted fellow Singaporeans to go on. When something like this happens, we are shattered but we help each other and life goes on. We'll pick ourselves up and become stronger."

The family of Chee Wei Cheng did not wish to speak to the media. Those at the wake of Poh Boon Sang also requested privacy.

At the wake of Stephen Loh, Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam described the athlete as a "model teacher".

Many National Junior College (NJC) students were also at Stephen's wake as he was a popular teacher in the school. The college plans to have a permanent display in memory of him.

Mr Tharman said: "Stephen was someone who added zest and fun into everything he got involved in and it was something that inspired students because he was not just a teacher, he was a friend.

"He inspired them to do what they loved and what they were passionate about and I think that's going to stay with them for a long time. I was looking at a book of messages and poems written by NJC students and it's probably the most moving book I have ever read."

For Reuben Kee's family, closure was what they wanted. His father, Freddie Kee, said there was no point blaming others.

"We should not be blaming this person, that person; we should not blame the Cambodians for not telling us this and the officials for not doing that... incriminations and blame cannot bring our children back. We just want to prevent something like this from happening in the future," he said.

The funeral for the five rowers will take place at Mandai Crematorium on Thursday.

Cambodia survivors come home

Time to mourn the dead first, post-mortem of accident will come later

Tuesday • November 27, 2007
Leong Wee Keat
weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg
MediaCorp Press (Singapore)

THE rain pelted down as 17 surviving members of the national dragon boat team touched down at Changi Airport on flight MI601 yesterday afternoon.

Quietly, after expedited clearance through Customs, they slipped out through the exit — too devastated, according to officials who met them on arrival, to speak to the waiting media.

About 10 hours later, the bodies of their five compatriots — Chee Wei Cheng, 20, Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, Reuben Kee En Rui, 23 and Poh Boon San, 27 — were brought home from Cambodia on a military plane.

Now, given time off by the Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) and with counsellors' help, the survivors must pick up the pieces following the post-race freak accident last Friday that killed their teammates.

This "isolated and unfortunate event" is the sport's first fatality in the SDBA's almost 20-year history, according to Dr Lam Pin Min, its senior vice-president and a parliamentarian.

Speaking to the media at the airport, he and Mr Teo Ser Luck, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, said they would give the families of the five dead rowers all the necessary help, and carry out a post-mortem on the accident.

Dr Lam said: "The committee will interview the surviving members to find out what happened — to see if there are any lapses in safety procedures, and if areas can be improved upon so that such incidents will not happen in the future."

Mr Teo said other government agencies, such as the Foreign Affairs Ministry and his own, would try to assist the association and the Singapore Sports Council.

One of the many questions already being raised: Why were the rowers were not wearing life jackets during the race?

Former People's Association Adventure Club chairman Henry Ling noted the "double standards" when it came to mandating the use of life jackets. While rowers here have to wear life jackets, he said there are no international rules on this.

Under International Dragon Boat Federation rules, if a person is a good swimmer and can swim 50 metres, the rower may not need a life jacket. Mr Ling feels the rule needs to be changed.

SDBA president Rear-Admiral (Retired) Kwek Siew Jin had said the association might insist that, in future, paddlers wear life jackets in all races, no matter where the venue or what the rules of the competition.

But for now, the association's "first and utmost priority" Dr Lam said, is to help the grieving families with the funeral arrangements and wakes, and the state of the 17 surviving members.

Asked if a memorial service would be held, Dr Lam and Mr Teo said they could not give an answer immediately.

Before making their journey home yesterday, the rowers had paid an emotional visit to the Tonle Sap River — where a wave had capsized their boat in Saturday's annual river races — and they knelt to pray, observing a minute's silence before tossing white and yellow Chrysanthemums into the river.

While describing morale in the association as at "an all-time low", Dr Lam is confident the national team and the sport would bounce back. The sport "is pretty safe" here as dragon boating is done mainly in controlled environment, such as reservoirs, he said.

"Most of the rowers are very strong in mind. With the necessary support, we will pull through this difficult time," Dr Lam added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has expressed his deepest gratitude to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for his government's help in the search and rescue operations and for assisting bereaved families and injured team members.

He said Cambodian officials worked closely with staff from the Singapore Embassy and went out of their way to extend their full assistance and cooperation.

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has also written to President S R Nathan extending his "sincere condolences and profound sympathy" to the families.

An SDBA official meanwhile told Today that national team coach Nasiman Haji Karim's elderly father had died early on Sunday morning. The coach had arrived back on Sunday night.

Khieu Kanharith: "It was possible the five Singaporeans who drowned did not know how to swim" -sic!-

Bodies of Drown Singaporean Boat Racers Repatriated

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 November 2007

"My son's a very strong swimmer. He was with the Navy when he served his National Service. He's a sporty person who loves outdoor activities. He runs a lot too" - Poh Bock Tho, father of boat racer Poh Boon San

The bodies of five drown Singaporean boat racers were sent home Monday, following a boat accident Friday that cast a pall over the annual Water Festival.

A boat of 22 Singaporeans capsized in the strong currents of the Tonle Sap River, following an exhaustive race. The bodies were recovered Sunday "one by one" about 2 kilometers downstream, said Nhim Vanda, first vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management.

The body of a Cambodian, Touch Vorn, 38, a racer from Kampong Cham, was also found, Nhim Vanda said.

The accident was the worst in the history of the annual races. This year's festival had competitive racers from eight other Asean nations, among 440 boats.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Monday the government had committed a plane to return the bodies of the Singaporeans, and that the water currents would be studied ahead of next year's festival in the hope future accidents can be prevented.

It was possible the five Singaporeans who drowned did not know how to swim, he added.

Our sincere condolences ...

Chee Wei Cheng

Jeremy Goh

Poh Boon San

Reuben Kee En Rui

Stephen Loh Soon An

KI-Media team would like to present our sincere condolences to the family members, friends, and team members of the 5 Singaporean boat racers who lost their lives during the 2007 Boat Race Festival. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Sincerely,

KI-Media Team

Families hold religious rites for drowned dragon boat rowers

26 November 2007
By Hasnita Majid
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

PHNOM PENH: Family members of Chee Wei Cheng, Poh Boon San and Jeremy Goh held religious rites for the three men at the accident site along Phnom Penh’s Tonle Sap River on Monday afternoon.

In an emotional half-hour ceremony, a Taoist priest from Singapore conducted the rites at the edge of the pontoon near where the ill-fated dragon boat capsized.

Earlier in the morning, officials and members of the Singapore dragon boat team also visited the site to offer prayers.

The families of the other two men, Reuben Kee and Stephen Loh, who also perished in the river, also made a stop at the area before they headed for home.

PM Lee expresses "deepest gratitude" to Cambodian PM for help

26 November 2007
By Margaret Perry
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has expressed his deepest gratitude to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen the government's help in the dragon boat tragedy.

Mr Lee thanked the Cambodian government for its massive search and rescue operation and for helping bereaved families and injured team members.

He said Cambodian officials worked closely with staff from the Singapore Embassy and went out of their way to extend their full assistance and cooperation.

He said this is a reflection of the very close and strong ties between Singapore and Cambodia.

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has also sent a letter to President S R Nathan to extend his "sincere condolences and profound sympathy" to the families of the five Singapore national dragon boaters who lost their lives in the tragic accident.

In his letter, the King said his people shared in "the sufferings of the people of Singapore".

Cambodia to repatriate dead Singaporean dragon boat racers: official

Monday November 26, 2007

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - The bodies of five Singaporean rowers who drowned during Cambodia's weekend Water Festival boat races will be repatriated late Monday, officials said.

"The bodies will be flown back to their homes late Monday by a Singaporean plane," said Nhim Vanda of Cambodia's National Disaster Management Committee.

The five died after their boat capsized as it tried to dock on Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap river after competing Friday in the first day of the annual races.

Their bodies were recovered Sunday after a search that involved hundreds of people, including Singaporean navy divers.

Seventeen other crew members were hospitalised after the accident, which was caused when strong river currents swamped the long, narrow dragon boat.

None of the crew was wearing a life jacket.

"It was an unfortunate accident," Nhim Vanda told AFP.

Singapore's foreign ministry named the victims as Chee Wei Cheng, Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, Stephen Loh Soon Ann, Reuben Kee En Rui and Poh Boon San.

Relatives of the dead, who arrived in Cambodia Saturday as searchers scoured the river, visited the scene of the accident and joined Cambodian officials for a memorial service Sunday evening at Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital.

Nhim Vanda also said at least one Cambodian drowned during the weekend races, which draw millions of spectators, holidaymakers and participants to Phnom Penh.

More than 440 boats, including a number of foreign crews, entered this year's races. Ten nations in Southeast Asia had boats competing in the colourful event.

Accidents are common during the boat races, which involve dragon boats crewed by as many as 70 rowers competing against each other in the sometimes choppy waters in front of Phnom Penh's royal palace.

'We have been through a near-death experience': dragon boat captain

Mr Yeo said the boating accident and tragedy had been a 'devastating and traumatising' experience for the rest of the rowers. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG

Nov 26, 2007
By Judith Tan in Phnom Penh
The Straits Times (Singapore)

AS rescuers and army divers searched for the five missing Singaporean national dragon boat rowers, their 17 team-mates were clinging to hopes they would somehow be found or had survived the accident after their boat capsized as it was trying to dock after completing a race at the Cambodia's annual water festival.

'Until yesterday when we received news that their bodies had been found, most of us were clinging to some hopes that there might be a miracle and they could be found alive, or they could have somehow survived,' Mr Yeo Chin Hwei, 27, captain of the 22-strong Singapore team, told The Straits Times in an interview here on Monday morning.

Their hopes were dashed when the body of Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, washed out on an island a few kilometres south of where his dragon boat had overturned on Friday afternoon.

Over the next four hours, the bodies of the other four missing young men were recovered, ending a 40-hour search by nearly 200 fishermen, rescue workers and a team from the Singapore Navy's diving unit, who scoured the Tonle Sap river over the weekend.

In a choked voice, Mr Yeo, a trainee teacher at the National Institute of Education, said the boating accident and tragedy had been a 'devastating and traumatising' experience for the rest of the rowers.

'We have been through a near death experience for most of us. It is fearful to relive that experience again but we want to come here to pay our last respects,' said Mr Yeo, fighting back tears as he spoke after the team bade their final farewell to the five dead rowers in a simple ceremony on the pontoon of the Tonle Sap river banks, where the tragedy struck.

He said it was painful for the rowers to return to the accident site, and many of them took it badly. Some sobbed while others huddled together as they burned joss sticks and tossed white and yellow chrysanthemums into the river.

The last three days had been especially traumatic for Mr Yeo himself as he had to relate the accident over and over again to the parents and relatives of the five dead rowers.

'I have to give them the truths of what happened, and provide them the details they wanted to know. It has been rough but that's my responsibility as the captain.'

Mr Yeo had known the five rowers - Mr Chee, Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, Mr Poh Boon San, 27, and Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23 - for between one and five years. He and Mr Loh took part in the SEA Games in 2005.

'They were all good guys. They had a promising future. Good friends and good team-mates,' he said, tears flowing down his face.

The 17 rowers had all been in touch with their parents and families and are on the way back to Singapore on Monday. The bodies of the five will be brought back in a Singapore military plane on Monday evening.

Mr Yeo said over the last few days they drew their strengths and support from each other in the team, as well as the Singapore officials, counsellors and their parents.

'They have all been a great help. The parents have been understanding throughout,' he added.

Asked if the accident had given him phobia of rowing, he said: 'I don't know...I haven't given it a thought yet.'

Nhim Vanda of Cambodia's National Disaster Management Committee, said one Cambodian drowned during the weekend races, which draw millions of spectators, holidaymakers and participants to Phnom Penh.

More than 440 boats, including a number of foreign crews, entered this year's races. Ten South-east Asia nations had boats competing in the colourful event.

Accidents are common during the boat races, which involve dragon boats crewed by as many as 70 rowers competing against each other in the sometimes choppy waters in front of Phnom Penh's royal palace.

Team-mates pay last respects to rowers at boating tragedy site

Mr Reuben Kee (far left) and Mr Jeremy Goh (second from left) pose for the camera with two of their dragon boat buddies. -- COURTESY OF THE GOH FAMILY

Nov 26, 2007
By Judith Tan in Phnom Penh
The Straits Times (Singapore)

The remaining 17 Singapore national dragon boat rowers paid their last respects to their five team-mates who died when their boat capsized in a freak accident last Friday before they flew back to Singapore on Monday morning.

Along with their team captain and four officials of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association and Singapore Sports Council, they gathered at the pontoon on the banks of Cambodia's Tonle Sap River, the boating tragedy site, at about 7.45 am to pray for the five, whose bodies were recovered on Sunday morning after nearly 40 hours of search.

The rowers, clad in their red and white track suites, knelt on the edge of the river to pray and observed a minute's silence before tossing white and yellow Chrysanthemums into the river.

When they arrived at the pontoon, the parents of Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23, and Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, were already there. When they saw their sons' rowing mates, the mothers of Stephen and Rueben broke down and had to be quickly led to the waiting van.

Some of the rowers sobbed, while others huddled together. A few snapped final photos with their digital cameras.

The joss sticks were then lit and the team, together with officials, offered a last prayer before making their way to shore and placing the joss sticks on an altar under a small tree.

The rowers then boarded a bus and headed to the airport - with Cambodian police outriders opening the way for them.

They should be back in Singapore just after noon.

The other three who died in the accident were Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, and Mr Poh Boon San, 27.

The bodies of the five will be flown back by a Singapore military plane later on Monday.

The 22-strong Singapore national team was in Phnom Penh to take part in the Water Festival, which included international teams for the first time.

The Singapore boat was docking after the race when a freak wave overturned it. Seventeen of the rowers were pulled from the waters but the five vanished.

Their bodies were fished out of the murky river after a 40-hour search involving about 200 fishermen, soldiers and a team from the Singapore Navy's diving unit.

Two of the bodies were recovered about 4 km away from the accident site.

Singapore working with Cambodia to fly bodies of five Singaporeans home

Rescuers retriving the body of a Singapore rower in Cambodia.

26 November 2007
By Hasnita A. Majid
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE : Singapore officials in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, are working with family members and the Cambodian authorities on the repatriation of the bodies of the five men who died in a dragon boat accident at the Tonle Sap River on Friday.

At this point, it is still not clear when the bodies will be brought home.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the authorities are exploring the possibility of transporting the bodies home through non-commercial flights.

Some family members of the five men have said they want to go to the site of the accident to perform some rites or offer prayers before they head home.

The bodies of the five men were found on Sunday morning, two days after their dragon boat capsized in the annual Cambodia-ASEAN Traditional Boat Race.

The body of Chee Wei Cheng was found first at about 7.50 on Sunday morning, followed by that of Jeremy Goh near to the accident area.

The bodies of Stephen Loh, Poh Boon San and Reuben Kee were washed further downstream a few kilometres away, and were found near a small island off the Tonle Sap River, in the late morning the same day.

All were found by Cambodians.

Meanwhile, the family members were visibly distressed and distraught when they came to identify the bodies of the five men at the mortuary of Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh.

Parents and siblings of the men broke down several times especially after they had to identify their loved ones.

One mother did not want to see her son's body, so she wouldn't have to remember him that way.

Counsellors from Singapore were on hand to help them overcome their grief and come to grips with the grim reality.

The families of the dead men all said they were very passionate and avid sportsmen.

Rower Stephen Loh's father, 64-year-old Victor Loh, said his son even gave up an engineering career to pursue his love for sports.

Stephen, the second in the family of three boys, was a Physical Education teacher at National Junior College.

The elder Mr Loh said his son had plans to take up sports science, describing his son as "very focussed."

The brother of Jeremy Goh, who did not want to be named, said his brother enjoyed the team spirit that dragon boating offered.

He also described his brother as a very caring and good brother.

The rest of the team's 17 rowers are expected to leave Cambodia for Singapore on Monday morning.

Dragon Boat Mishap In Cambodia: Silent Agony

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.'