'No punishments' over Cambodian stampede

A relative prepares coffins with the bodies of Thong Vanna, 35, (L) and her son Ly Hin, 10, who died in a bridge stampede, at their funeral at a temple in Phnom Penh November 24 , 2010. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Mon Nov 29 2010
ninemsn News, Australia

Cambodia's prime minister says that no one will be brought to justice over a festival stampede last week that left more than 350 people dead, but admitted the government was at fault.

"Nobody will be punished for the incident," Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday after the worst tragedy in Cambodia for decades.

"The incident that happened was the responsibility of the government," he said, describing it as "a historical lesson that we must remember".

The country's annual water festival ended in tears last Monday after crowds panicked on a narrow crossing leading to Phnom Penh's Diamond Island, one of the main event sites, and 351 people were left dead in the ensuing chaos.

"They have accused us of inability. We must accept this because of the deaths," Hun Sen said at the inauguration of a new government building in the capital.

"We were careless," he added. "This was a joint mistake that nobody expected."

Hun Sen said any criticism from the opposition of the government's handling of the stampede was aimed at "political gain".

Despite the dramatic end to this year's festival, the three-day event will go ahead as scheduled next year, the premier said.

Also on Monday, the government announced the findings of the official probe into the stampede.

The crush was the result of a combination of factors, said Prum Sokha, who sits on a government committee investigating the tragedy.

There was a "jam of people walking in opposite directions on the small bridge", causing some to faint, he told reporters.

Then rumours rippled through the crowd that the suspension bridge "was collapsing" and "that people were being electrocuted", he added.

"That made people panic and then the stampede happened," the secretary of state of the interior ministry said.

His comments back up the committee's preliminary findings, which were released last Wednesday.

Prum Sokha added that suffocation was the main cause of death among the crush victims, the majority of which were women. Some also died of internal injuries, he said, ruling out any deaths from electric shocks.

Hun Sen has described the stampede as Cambodia's worst tragedy since the Khmer Rouge's 1975-1979 reign of terror, which killed up to a quarter of the population.

The festival, which marks the reversal of the flow between the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, usually draws millions of visitors to the capital to enjoy dragon boat races, fireworks and concerts.

A national day of mourning was held on Thursday, led by an emotional Hun Sen who wiped away tears as he lit incense and laid flowers at the foot of the bridge.