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| Security officers and bystanders pick their way through discarded shoes and sandals on the bridge to Diamond Island after the deadly stampede last November. (Photo by: Heng Chivoa) |
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post
Chomrieng Samnoak Spean Pich - Diamond Bridge Tragedy Song
The annual Water Festival is reviving memories of the hundreds of people killed last year in the stampede on the bridge to Diamond Island. Many survivors say they cannot block the images of tragedy from flashing in their minds and creeping into their dreams.
“Images of the stampede are racing through my mind,” Ung Nget said. “I’m still afraid of crowded places.”
The 27-year-old repairman said he was lucky to survive but remained haunted by what he saw.
“I was one of the people who were tangled in the pile of victims on the bridge,” he said.
“I want to try to force myself to walk across that bridge, but I cannot. I cannot push away the images of the dead and injured people all around me. I can still hear them,” he said.
“When I dream, the dead people are calling me to go with them. I try to hit them until I wake up.
“Even when I am talking to you about this now, I feel goose bumps.”
Most of the 347 who died in the stampede were women. It began about 10pm as crowds crossed the bridge for concerts and other attractions.
Ung Nget was in the midst of the stampede, and tangled among the bodies of those who had fallen. He was covered in blisters and close to death when he was rescued.
He recalls feeling panic, terror, then a final hopelessness. He remembers calling for help from his grandfather, who had died three years before. He felt his grandfather’s spirit come to him and believes this is why he survived.
“I will not go [to this year’s event] and told my brother not to go, because I feel that the same thing will happen again,” Ung Nget said.
Another survivor, who asked that only her first name, Leoung, be used, said it was unbearable to even hear the name of the bridge.
“I am lucky to be alive, but I lost my baby sister,” Leoung said.
Like others who survived or lost family members, she refuses to use the bridge. “I cannot forget the sounds of people screaming for help. I cannot forget the images of the dead.
“The Water Festival is a time for all Cambodians to remember those who died.
“I don’t want to say the festival should be cancelled, because it is our traditional festival, but I will not participate in it for the rest of my life.”
Motodop Sok Keang, 35, said there was an eerie feeling in the city this year.
Sok Keang said he had stayed in Phnom Penh rather than visiting his family in Prey Veng province because he was hoping to earn money during the festival, which had always been an easy time to get customers.
Yesterday, he parked his motorbike a few metres from the bridge waiting for customers.
“I waited for an hour, but there were no customers,” he said.
7 comments:
Decho Hun Sen, Mr Sam Rainsy asked you to sue him at a French court about your murders of the Khmer people. Why don't you dare to do it as you have done at the Cambodian court?
Being a strong man as well as a Prime Minister of one country, you should not be coward to face the real justice at a French court or International court. Unless, you are the real murderer in Cambodia that is the reason why you fear Mr Sam Rainsy at a real and fair justice court.
Decho Hun Sen, you rubbed the Cambodian people's well being, health care, dignity and sell Cambodia out to Vietnam in a cheap price as long as you can stay in power. Isn't that true, Samdach Decho Hun Sen?
How many Cambodian people's lives have you killed in your lifetime so far? Can you be honest to tell the truth?
As one Prime Minister of one country, you job is to bully your own people for just talking about Paris Peace agreement 1991 and about Vietnam's encroachments into Cambodia's territory. Why?
Samdach Decho Hun Sen, Why are you so scared of the truth? Why are you so scared of Mr Sam Rainsy when he asked you to sue him at a French court? You are a strong man as you claimed on the TV screen?
Samdach Decho Hun Sen, you shouldn't be scared of Mr Sam Rainsy because Mr Sam Rainsy has no weapon of mass destruction as you do. You are the murderer; you must be strong to face Mr Sam Rainsy at a French court as Mr Sam Rainsy has invited you to do so.
Samdach Decho billion dollars Hun Sen, Please face Mr Sam Rainsy as Mr Sam Rainsy has invited you through the world media. You used to win on Mr Sam Rainsy many times in a Cambodian court of justice. There is no reason why you should be worred about...if you have never killed anyone in Cambodia. Isn’t it true, Decho Sen?
The Cambodian people hope to see Samdach Decho Hun Sen has the gut as a leader or a man to sue Mr Sam Rainsy at a French court as Mr Sam Rainsy has invited Samdach Decho many times through Radio and world media.
Be a man Decho Sen! One in your life be a man Decho Sen! Be a man to face Mr Sam Rainsy at France court and international court.
We are personal bodyguards of Samdach Decho would like to see Decho Hun Sen be a man with Mr Sam Rainsy at a French Court. Otherwise, Samdach Decho is not worthy to protect because why do we have to die for protecting a traitor, a murderer, a blood sucker. Isn’t it true, Samdach Decho Hun Sen? Do you agree with that?
The reason of the disaster wasn't haunting,
but was government poor management.
Any movement of any kind, whether is car, water, or human needs management and regulation.
The goverment of cambodia is at fault.
this is called post traumatic stress disorder (ptsd); anyone can have a flash back to traumatic experience like the case of the stampede. go talk with a psychiatrist or psychologist about it, ok! they are trained professionals.
Ah Kwack do not know how to govern! Mothe-fucker give all the power to private sector!
See what he let security guard of a private company arrest people!
He let the private company sponsor "owne?" an army briguard!
Now the private companies use the sponsor soldiers to oppress and grab land from people!
Soon the compnies will fight each other and use ah Kwack choy maray 's army in private fighting!!!!
Can any World Organazation help us reform the killing Army????
it was mismanagement like most things in cambodia, that's because cambodia was lacking for too long, you know! make sure next time to train and educate everybody properly so disaster like that won't happen again, ok! some people, country, etc had to learn the hard way, you know! take it as a life lesson and ethical lesson or moral lesson, etc, etc, ok! that's all! don't be stupid forever, like i said, ok!
having good morale is very important for cambodia and khmer people! do not abuse the morality of our khmer people!
AH FUCKING HUN SEN IS SO STUPID!! HE ALLOWED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE TO DIE ON THE BRIDGE, FROM ELECTROCUTION, DROWNING AND FROM STAMPEDE!!
THIS IS WHY KHMER PEOPLE ARE DUMB!! LEARN TO STAND UP DUMB KHMER!! ITS A HUN SEN FAULT, $200 ISNT ENOUGH, AND ITS NOT YOUR FAULTS!! HES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AH FUCKIGN HUN SEN!!
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