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.

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

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.

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.'

Dad of missing S'pore rower says: MY SON IS A VERY STRONG SWIMMER

Sad: Two of the upset Singapore members in Cambodia. - Picture: Jonathan Choo

November 26, 2007
By Joyce Lim
Electric News (Singapore)

IT has been more than 24 hours since his son went missing under the choppy waters of the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

And there is still no news of him, or any of the other four Singapore dragon boat rowers who disappeared when their boat capsized two days ago.

Even though he is hoping fervently that his son will be found alive, Mr Poh Bock Tho is prepared for the worst.

'I think there's no more hope,' the 66-year-old said in Mandarin when The New Paper on Sunday visited him at his flat in Yishun.

A relative who was with the family said: 'We're waiting for a miracle to happen.'

HOPING FOR MIRACLE

Glancing at his wife who was sobbing uncontrollably behind him, Mr Poh shook his head and added: 'Of course, I hope for a miracle to happen. We can only wait.

'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.'

His son, Mr Poh Boon San, was among 22 rowers from Singapore who took part in a traditional dragon boat race which drew millions of spectators to the Cambodian capital. Teams from South-east Asia were in the race which was part of a three-day event to celebrate Cambodia's annual water festival.

The boat Mr Poh was in reportedly hit swirling currents and flipped.

The New Paper on Sunday understands that after reaching the finishing line, the rowers had decided to row back to the docking pier leisurely instead of having their boat towed back by a towing boat.

The rowers were not wearing life vests.

More than 200 divers, fishermen and police in Cambodia have been searching for the five missing Singaporeans. They were reportedly not confident that they would find the five recent university graduatesalive.

A team of seven divers and one medic from the Singapore Navy are also taking part in the search.

They arrived yesterday evening.

Of the 22 people in the boat when it capsized, 17 of them were rescued immediately and taken to hospital.

Singapore's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they were treated for minor injuries and discharged. They are resting in their hotel rooms.

The ministry also said that the next-of-kin of the five missing Singaporeans have arrived in Phnom Penh and visited the site of theaccident.

They were briefed by the Cambodian authorities and Singapore's Ambassador in Cambodia on the search-and-rescue operations.

For the elderly Mr Poh, who works as a cleaner, he stayed home with his wife while his eldest son and daughter flew to Phnom Penh to try to get more news on the mishap.

Mr Poh said: 'The boat had hit the pontoon and capsized near the dock. Boon San is probably trapped under some structure.

'If only he were out in the big open sea, maybe he could still survive.'

His son, who is in his mid-20s, is the youngest in the family and has three older brothers and a sister.

He also has a girlfriend whom he has yet to take home to meet hisparents.

The older Mr Poh said that his son's girlfriend had called the family after she learned of the news from the Internet.

The family had already known about it by then because two Members of Parliament visited their flat.

The older Mr Poh recalled: 'The MPs told me that my son's boat capsized and his name was not on the list of those who were rescued.

'My wife and I have not been able to sleep after hearing that.'

He said his son just graduated this year with a second-class honours degree in Electrical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

He recalled how his youngest son was often one of the worst students in primary school.

'It was only when he reached Primary 6 that he bucked up and studied harder,' he said.

'From then onwards, I never had to worry about his school grades. He was a very independent boy who's close to his brothers.

'It was his eldest brother who motivated him to pursue a degree after he got his diploma from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

'He only started working as an engineer two weeks ago.'

Relatives, who were with the family when The New Paper on Sunday team visited them last night, described the younger Mr Poh as a filial son.

On Wednesday, he had called home to ask his parents to help him look for his passport.

The following day, his mum called him in the afternoon when he was at Changi Airport waiting to board his flight to Phnom Penh.

The older Mr Poh said: 'He's been with the national team for four to five years. It's very normal for him to go overseas for competitions.

'He started dragon boating when he was studying in polytechnic. Our relatives' sons are also into dragon boating. We didn't think anything would happen to him.'

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No strict life vests rule in overseas races

LIFE vests are a must in Singapore waters and there are even officers on patrol boats to enforce it.

But it's a different story when it comes to races held overseas.

Ex-national team rower Kho Hao Yuan said that not all overseas organisers enforce such a rule.

Mr Kho, who has been rowing for about 20 years, explained: 'Wearing life vests will hinder movements when participating in high-level competitions.'

Rowers said that they have come across PUB officials stopping their boats to take down the particulars of those without life vests. Their club's committee will then be served a notice.

Mr Kho, 35, participates in three or four races a year, both local and overseas. He has been coaching for about seven years and said he has never been in a dragon boat which capsized.

'It is not easy for a dragon boat to capsize, unlike a canoe or kayak. A dragon boat's body is made wide enough to prevent it from overturning,' said Mr Kho.

Another rower, Mr Edwin Soon, 29, said that dragon boats are very heavy.

'You need more than 10 people to carry it. Sometimes during our training, we rock the boat hard to try to overturn it but it's not easy,' said Mr Soon.

'It's very tedious to complete a 1.5km race. The rowers were probably very tired and could have been caught unaware by the current which hit their boat.'

---------------
PM LEE HSIEN LOONG SAYS:

I am saddened to learn of the boating accident in Phnom Penh, and of the five members of the team who are still missing.

I share the deep concerns of the families of the five Singaporeans. The Singapore Government will do all it can to provide the necessary assistance.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the Cambodian authorities for the help they have rendered in rescuing the 17 Singaporeans and in the ongoing search-and-rescue operations.

Grief, tributes for dragon boaters

Monday • November 26, 2007
ANSLEY NG
ansley@mediacorp.com.sg
MediaCorp Press (Singapore)

It was clear from Friendster profiles that the five men from the national dragon boating team loved their sport.

Many of the photos that Jeremy Goh, 24, Reuben Kee, 23, and engineer Poh Boon San, 27, posted on the networking website showed them posing with teammates and medals they had won.

This was before Friday's tragedy abruptly doused that flame.

After finishing a race on Cambodia's Tonle Sap, the trio, along with physical education teacher Stephen Loh, 31, and student Chee Wei Cheng, 20, vanished when their dragon boat capsized in a freak accident. Seventeen other Singapore teammates were rescued.

Yesterday, the bodies of the five were fished out of the murky river, following a 30-hour search involving about 200 fishermen, soldiers and a team from the Singapore Navy's diving unit. Two of the bodies had drifted some 4km from the accident site.

On their Friendster accounts, people who knew the dead dragon boaters wrote messages that paid tribute to their passion for the sport.

"So long captain. It's an honour to have fought many races with you in NYP (Nanyang Polytechnic) and Safsa," wrote Mr Goh's friend, Darren Goh.

Mr Goh — the youngest of three children, whose other interests included motocross racing and photography — was the vice-captain of NYP's dragon boating team.

Distraught relatives arrived in the capital Phnom Penh on Saturday, accompanied by counsellors from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Health.

One by one, they entered a makeshift tent outside the Calmette Hospital to identify their loved ones, reported Channel NewsAsia.

Wails of grief rang out as they had one final look before the bodies were embalmed; many had to be supported by relatives.

The five bodies are likely to be flown back to Singapore today after relatives have conducted prayers at the accident site.

Family members were struggling to come to terms with their loss.

Mr Poh's two elder brothers flew to Cambodia on Saturday while their parents waited for news at home. The call that came at noon yesterday, telling him his son's body had been found, dashed Mr Poh Bock Tho's hopes.

"I had been hoping that he was all right and that somebody had saved him. But it has happened and there is nothing we can do now," he told Channel NewsAsia.

Mr Loh's father, retiree Victor Loh, described his son as "a very fit and focused person" whose "life revolved around his work and leadership training courses that he taught in school".

The 31-year-old had made a mid-career switch from being an engineer just six months ago. National Junior College principal Virginia Cheng described him as a "teacher of promise".

"The kids loved him," she said. "When they said he was among the five who were missing, that was a terrible moment for us."

Mr Goh, who was a second-year full-time student with the SIM-University of London programme for Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Business, was popular among schoolmates.

"He is very humorous and likeable and brightens the mood of those around him," said Mr Aaron Ang, a third-year business student. Six other SIM students on the dragon boat crew in Cambodia survived.

The Singapore team were in Phnom Penh to take part in the Asean Cambodian Traditional Boat Race, with 10 teams from the region.

As they were rowing back to the start line, their boat capsized after reportedly being hit by a sudden wave in the seemingly calm waters of the river.

The 22 crew, who were not wearing life vests, were thrown off and many had to cling onto a pontoon to avoid being swept under by the current. It was not clear if the five who drowned all knew how to swim.

Cambodian official Nhim Vanda, from the National Committee for Disaster Management, said the tragedy occurred due to a strong whirlpool near the docking area.

In a letter to the president of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association on Saturday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said he was "deeply saddened" by the accident and expressed his sympathies to the families.

Cambodian king sends condolences for Singaporean rowers

Nov 25, 2007
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's king Norodom Sihamoni has sent his personal condolences to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after five young Singaporeans drowned at the nation's annual Water Festival, Tourism Minister Thong Kong said Sunday.

'The king has sent his personal condolences, as has Prime Minister Hun Sen. I too express my deepest sadness to the families and the Singaporean people on behalf of my ministry,' Thong Kong said at the closing ceremony of the three-day river races.

'We all deeply regret such a tragedy could befall those people while they were visitors to Cambodia,' he said.

'It is unthinkable that this could happen at the Water Festival. Many people asked many times to invite foreign teams to compete at this wonderful event, but we must also be able to protect their safety.'

The bodies of the five rowers who were swept away when their boat capsized Friday were recovered earlier Sunday.

Organizers said they could not recall the last time there had been a fatality at the races, which celebrate the end of the monsoon season.

Principal says Stephen Loh was 'a teacher of promise'

25 November 2007
By Asha Popatlal
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: National Junior College Principal Virginia Cheng described 31-year-old physical education teacher Stephen Loh Soon Ann, who died in Friday's boating accident in Cambodia, as a teacher of promise.

An engineer who made a mid-career switch to become a teacher only six months ago, Mr Loh had already made an impact in the school by building up a strong squash team and being involved in leadership building and the track and field team.

"We are saddened because in the six months, he was very, very engrossed with teaching... he was a teacher of promise and (his) switch to (the) teaching profession was a good one. The kids loved him," said Mrs Cheng.

Naturally, the news came as a shock for all.

"They knew that Stephen had gone to Cambodia. Everybody was very anxious and when they said he was among the five who were missing, that was a terrible moment for us," she added.

With news that his body was found on Sunday morning, the school will now meet teachers and students to offer help and counselling.

"Usually when such tragedy strikes, the reaction sets in later. We think we should be there for the children and the teachers, and also those who have worked with him. I am sure Stephen will want us to be strong," said Mrs Cheng.

The school is also in touch with his family to offer whatever help they can.

Family of Poh Boon San [one of the 5 drowned Singaporean boat racers] coming to terms with the tragedy

25 November 2007
Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: 27-year-old Poh Boon San, a MINDEF engineer, is one of the rowers who died in Friday's tragic boating accident in Cambodia.

His two elder brothers went to Cambodia on Saturday while his elderly parents stayed behind in Singapore for more news.

It was a difficult moment for the young rower's father, Poh Bock Tho, when he received a call at noon on Sunday, informing him that his son's body had been found.

He said: "I had been hoping that he was all right and that somebody had saved him. But it has happened and there is nothing we can do now. His mother knows about it and she is very sad."

Boon San, the youngest son in the family, had always been very active and had represented Singapore in many dragon boating competitions.

Recalling the past, Mr Poh said his son used to be very naughty when he was young and only started studying seriously in secondary school.

He eventually made it to Nanyang Polytechnic and then to Nanyang Technological University, where he graduated with an honours degree.

Mr Poh said he just hopes his son's body can be repatriated as soon as possible.

Searchers recover 6 bodies after boat race accident in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 25-(Kyodo), Cambodian authorities recovered Sunday the bodies of five Singaporeans and a Cambodian who went missing two days ago after an accident during the country's annual boat race festivities.

Touch Naruth, the Phnom Penh police chief, told Kyodo News the dead bodies of the six were found floating in the Tonle Sap River as far as 2 kilometers downriver from the accident site.

He had said earlier that a whirlpool caused the Singaporean's boat to capsize and six of 23 boat racers aboard went missing.

The accident happened around 5:40 p.m. Friday when the boat had completed its race and was within meters of riverbank.

Some 100 rescuers from the navy and paratroops along with fishermen continued to search for the missing boat racers from Friday night until the bodies were recovered Sunday.

Touch Naruth said a nine-member rescue team from Singapore had arrived in Cambodia on Saturday to help in the search.

Cambodia's water festival, or boat races, is a three-day event recalling the long history of a Cambodia that defeated enemies using boats.

It began Friday with an estimated 2 million people flocking from the countryside into the capital.

It is the country's biggest festival in which farmers have the chance to visit the city after months of hard work in the rice fields.

Chea Kean, deputy secretary general of the National and International Festival Committee, said 432 boats with 26,100 boat racers from across the country registered for the races.

Last year 409 boats participated.

Chea Kean added the Singaporeans, all in their 20s, were joining with another eight foreign boat teams representing each Association of Southeast Asian Nations state except Myanmar.

As in previous years, many of the boats in the race are named after top government officials, with Prime Minister Hun Sen's name being dominant, officials said.

King Norodom Sihamoni presides over the races, accompanied by members of the foreign diplomatic corps and government leaders, including the prime minister.

The 1,700-meter race course is just in front of the Royal Palace on the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh.

Recovery of missing Singaporean boat racers

Medical workers cover the body of a Singaporean dragon boat racer after it was found in Chaktomouk river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. Two bodies were recovered Sunday morning 1.7 km (1 mile) from the site of the dragon boat race which had taken place the day before. Five Singaporeans had drowned when their boat capsized during the race. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Medical workers cover the body of a Singaporean dragon boat racer after it was found in Chaktomouk river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. Two bodies were recovered Sunday morning 1.7 km (1 mile) from the site of the dragon boat race which had taken place the day before. Five Singaporeans had drowned when their boat capsized during the race. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Medical workers cover the body of a Singaporean dragon boat racer after it was found in Chaktomouk river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. Two bodies were recovered Sunday morning 1.7 km (1 mile) from the site of the dragon boat race which had taken place the day before. Five Singaporeans had drowned when their boat capsized during the race. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Medical workers carry the body of a Singaporean dragon boat racer to an ambulance after it was found in the Chaktomouk river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. Two bodies were recovered Sunday morning 1.7 km (1 mile) from the site of the dragon boat race which had taken place the day before. Five Singaporeans drowned when their boat capsized during the race. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Medical workers carry the body of a Singaporean dragon boat racer to an ambulance after it was found in the Chaktomouk river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. Two bodies were recovered Sunday morning 1.7 km (1 mile) from the site of a dragon boat race, after five Singaporeans had drowned when their boat capsized during a race on Saturday. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Search for the missing Singporean boat racers

A Singaporean naval diving team conducts a search for the five missing Singaporeans whose boat had capsized during a dragon boat race at the port in Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

A member of the Singaporean naval diving team carries a piece of search equipment to be used while looking for the five missing Singaporeans whose boat had capsized during a dragon boat race at the port in Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 25, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea