Cambodian Buck-Passing

The inquiry into the Koh Pich disaster continues. Expect nothing but a white-wash.

Expect that most of the blame is laid upon those who were on the bridge at the time of the disaster. Expect that the inquiry will say that these folk panicked when they believed that the swaying of the bridge meant it was going to collapse.

That's despite the fact that more than 7,000 Cambodians were allowed onto the 5-metre by 50-metre bridge and some were stuck there for more than four hours in sweltering temperatures. And that will be despite the fact that the police and the private owners of Koh Pich had a duty to provide reasonable security.

And what would be a reasonable security force for an event where you are expecting hundreds-of thousands of revellers. The private owners thought that number was 15. That's how many manned security at the bridge.

 F-i-f-t-e-e-n!

They claim though that it was the police's responsibility. Or perhaps the bame lays at the feet of the Municipal authority, they say.

Phnom Penh Police Chief, Touch Naruth, who sees no need for any resignations doesn't think so. He believes that the police did a lot of good work during the festival.

'We helped a lot of people,' he said.

Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh's governor, seems to agree that they got most thing right, too.

The deaths were 'an anomaly,' he said.

350 dead and that's an anomaly?

Expect that they will have their way though; the inquiry is made up almost entirely of government and municipal officials and the police. Oh, and the head of the company that owns the island, Mr. Pung Kheav Se.