PHNOM PENH, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Although the boat racing in the Water Festival, scheduled this week, was cancelled due to flood devastation, Phnom Penh’s police chief said some 5,000 police forces would still be deployed in the city to ensure safety and security for strollers during the holiday.
“Despite no boat racing in the river in front of the Royal Palace this year, but other entertainment activities such as concerts and exhibitions are still on schedule, so visitors still can come to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, for the celebration,” Touch Naroth, Phnom Penh Police Chief said Monday.
Cambodia’s Water Festival is the largest annual festival in the Southeast Asian nations, around three million Cambodians, especially those from rural areas converged to Phnom Penh to enjoy the regatta.
On Oct. 13, the Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the cancellation of the boat racing event this year from Nov. 9-11 due to the flood devastation.
Touch Naroth said security would be tightened during the period to avoid any incident as it was in last year’s celebration.
Last year, during the last day of the Water Festival, 353 people had been killed during a stampede at the Diamond Bridge caused by the panic which soon after led to the stampede.
No comments:
Post a Comment