The entire craft sank into the water, and I popped back up with the back of my head lodged against the side of the pontoon. The principal of the school declared the incident to be "the darkest co-curricular activity incident ever occurs in the school’s history". [5][12], Some officials, especially Shamsir Mohamed, officer of Marine Department (northern region) and Lai Chew Hock, chairman of Penang Dragon Boat Association, voiced concerns about the suitability of the area for water sports. The 23 of us, accompanied by a coach and an official, knew little about the inaugural competition, apart from a link to Cambodia’s annual Water Festival. 42 talking about this. All paddlers who wore life jackets were unable to swim. The 2010 Penang dragon boat tragedy (Chinese: 钟灵龙舟翻覆) was an incident that occurred on 17 January 2010 in Penang, Malaysia. Why couldn’t we have swum out from under it? Only three of the eighteen paddlers wore life jackets, and despite the precautions, two of them died at the scene. Hours before the tragedy, the Singapore dragonboat team posed for this photo. The force of the collision caused their boat to capsize. Those five men, brothers to us, were our fittest and most capable and surely would have swam to shore somewhere - perhaps they were stranded at a village along the snaking river, just waiting to be rescued ... Then, word filtered through on Sunday morning that they had recovered the bodies. Jump to: navigation, search. The side of their boat had also hit a tugboat docked near the pontoon. Posted In: Channel NewsAsia; Some Related Posts. Penangites especially the Chinese society really struck with this incident. Dragon Boat Canada … Home Read More » Behind them on the riverfront, music and dance performances played their part in an ancient celebration signaling the start of Cambodia’s rice harvesting season, coinciding with the Tonle Sap reversing its flow - supposedly the only river in the world to do so. 2007 Singapore dragonboat tragedy: The accident. I spin out and away, my limbs scraping the rough, barnacled underside of the pontoon. On Nov 23, 2007, five Singaporean dragonboaters - Chee Wei Cheng, Jeremy Goh, Reuben Kee, Stephen Loh and Poh Boon San - drowned while representing their country in a race in Phnom Penh. Dragon Boat 2007. 10 years ago in Cambodia, Channel NewsAsia’s Justin Ong was a member of the Singaporean national dragonboat crew struck by tragedy. I’m not sure if I passed out, or worse, but Cambodian festival helpers later said I was the last to be picked up, with my teammate on a rescue boat grabbing me by the tights as I floated past lifelessly. Two bodies were retrieved: Chin Aik Siang, a teacher, at 11:00 am and Jason Ch'Ng, a student, at 2:50 pm. It was later revealed by the Penang Education Department that the school disregarded the safety guidelines for co-curricular activities by not seeking approval and clearance before conducting the training. Lim Choo Hooi, chairman of Penang Forward Sports Club, responded by saying that neither the wave tides nor the monsoon season posed a problem for training sessions. I hazily recall choking on water as I came to, a local’s open mouth hovering over mine, his fist on my chest. I was nearly thrown off my seat, my paddle slipped in my grip and in front of me Reuben chuckled nervously. Team Singapore dragon boat tragedy (2007) From Wiki.sg. We opted to do the same, agreeing it would be good to get more practice and a better feel of the water conditions. The training was unscheduled as it occurred upon students' requests to a new teacher already interested in joining the training session. Multiple high profile figures, including Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang and Datuk Wira Ayub Yakoob, deputy communication for Penang police chief, visited the tragedy site. Brighton Dragon Boat Club Est.2007, Brighton, Ontario. Kids mucking about, swimming and peeing into the water. Report. Twelve paddlers were admitted to Penang General Hospital after being rescued by fishermen in two nearby boats or having swum to safety. Except maybe disbelief. Others were more conventionally powered by about 20 seated individuals - but still not entirely stable given the conditions. Huddled together in one hotel room, we would veer from fearing the worst to dreaming up all manner of optimistic scenarios. Why am I stuck? A few metres downstream, a villager scooped up water to rinse clothes. After being brought to shore what was crystal-clear then to me, and everyone else, was that five were still missing: Reuben, Jeremy, Wei Zheng, Boon San and Stephen. [3], On 18 January 2010, in memory of the deceased, the flag of Chung Ling High School was flown at half-mast and a memorial ceremony was held inside the school. The night was spent sleepless and sick in between violent coughing fits dispatching green-black river sediment. Me myself were one of them. Rescue boats searching for the missing five on Nov 24, 2007 (Photo: Reuters / Chor Sokunthea) “This case was very complicated,” said Vanda. Earlier that day, in the morning of Nov 23, 2007, the Singapore national dragonboat team arrived for the first time at the venue for the ASEAN-Cambodia Traditional Boat Race in Phnom Penh. I glanced left at Jeremy - unflappable as always - but in the background, the pontoon appeared to be rushing towards us, looming larger and nearer at startling velocity. It is one of a family of traditional paddled long boats found throughout Asia, Africa, the Pacific islands, and Puerto Rico. Three of the fatalities were female while 4 were male, according to PCG spokesperson Armand Balilo. Strong water currents caused the helmsman to lose control of the dragon boat and collide with a tugboat. On 23 November 2007, a dragon boat carrying a 22-member team representing Singapore overturned in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap river after strong currents caused it to collide with a tugboat moored at a pontoon. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. May 11, 2020. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 25) — Seven paddlers died when their dragon boat capsized off Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan on Wednesday, the … He recalls that fateful Friday evening of Nov 23, 2007. Maybe more than one, but it’s impossible to tell in the flurry of hands thrashing wildly, blindly in the murkiness. A cancer survivor dragon boat team promoting wellness, camaraderie and positivity. High quality Dragon Boat gifts and merchandise. All the information on the upcoming Club Crew World Championships (CCWC) and World Nations Championships. I am underwater, but can still hear the top of my head pounding against the floor of our upside-down boat - a dull, metallic soundtrack to the panicking voice in my head. And because of that, there are some truths that just aren’t spoken about enough. WELCOME TO DRAGON BOAT CANADA Dragon Boat Canada (DBC) is the official governing body for the sport of dragon boat racing in Canada, and is recognized as such, internationally, by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). We are close - a tuft of hair grasped, a jawline palmed away - and over the years I’ve never stopped wondering who it could have been. A decade later: Returning for the first time. Chew Hock claimed the area was unsuitable for any water sports activities due to debris from fishing boats and strong currents. Invitation. 12th Club Crew World Championships France (August 24-30, 2020) EVENT CANCELLED. Kai-Lan and Rintoo lost the first race because Rintoo didn't listen to the drumbeats of the peeking mice and now he's mad. Dragon boating is a bit like a a cult. It was this time, this tide, which claimed the lives of five Singaporean national dragonboaters in 2007. Lining the banks were massive crowds, both tourists and locals, engaging in a surreal mix of the mundane and the carnival. The first Dragon Boat World Championships were held in Kaohsiung, Taipei, in 2006, with events being contested in men's, women's and mixed 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 metres. Surely we could have held our breath for the length of that thing. [2] Concerns were raised when two boats collided during the race. [7], There are several controversies that occurred before, during and after the incident. I am going to die. Learn More. He also said that the tragedy site was protected from tsunamis and strong waves and had been used for training for three years, making it one of the safest stretches of public shoreline. I don’t know if I deserve this second shot, but I must carry on, and make the most of my remaining years. Today's the big Dragonboat Festival. Mit nunmehr 13.500 qm Produktionsgebäuden und -flächen auf einem Areal von 25.000 qm ist die Werft mit neuester Technik ausgerüstet. November 17, 2017. The dragon boat then capsized and killed six of the eighteen paddlers, including a teacher and several students. [1] Eighteen paddlers took part in this activity. I tried to swim one stroke forward - and a swirling eddy immediately sucked me down and below. No telling if I’m anywhere near getting out from under this basketball court-sized contraption - much less reaching the surface of 10m-deep waters. 2007 wurde das Firmengelände im Industriegebiet von Koropi ausgebaut. The pontoon looked smaller, less threatening than I’d come to imagine. Dragon Boat 2007. Chian did not travel to Phnom Penh for the race, but clearly remembers the paranoia, misconceptions and negativity stirred up in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. A memorial service was held on the following day in the school. And the Tonle Sap turned out to be like no race site we’d ever seen. At first, there was nothing. I felt relief. MANILA (2nd UPDATE) - Seven members of a dragon boat team died Wednesday after their vessel sank in the waters of Boracay island, Aklan. Some officials said that the incident location was unsuitable for the water sports due to busy traffic, uncertain weather conditions, strong currents, and debris left by fishermen from boat repair. Out on the water, each of the 21 paddlers - and one coxswain - were subject to different but no less harrowing experiences: Some avoided being dragged below; some went under briefly but were quickly swept out; some clung on to a tugboat moored close by, others emerged at the end of the pontoon after navigating its entire 45m length. That was a workout in itself, and the ensuing 1,700m race proved testing as well, with blustery gusts and choppy waves battering our boat throughout. The search operation, totaling RM 84 million, ended at 5:00 pm. Justin Ong is in the middle, seated and wearing sunglasses. It is pitch-black. 61 likes. [13] The parent of a deceased victim questioned the rationale of conducting the training session during the north-east monsoon season and added that any water sports activity should only be conducted after monsoon season. [10] Lok Yim Pheng, the secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP), criticized the organizers, coordinators and teachers for developing a reputation of a lack of safety sense, citing another tragedy involving three woman who drowned on a 1Malaysia school camping trip due to collapse of suspension bridge in Perak. Where most saw light and made for the surface, I never did. I remember the moment, and the profound sense of loss and anguish harboured since. Near our rest area a topless toddler defecated into the river. The school was found to have disregarded the safety guidelines for co-curricular activities set by Penang Education Department, which required school management to inform security authorities of the activities to ensure that students' safety could be ensured prior to extracurricular outdoor activities. This is "Dragon Boat Races 2007" by Easternjourney.com on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. How were the bodies found? Coaches would need to check sea and weather conditions prior to conducting training sessions. It is the least I can do on my part, to give any meaning to their time in this world, their memory, their legacy, their lives. Everybody got to see Mr. Dragon soon after. Shamsir cited busy traffic, unpredictable weather, and strong currents for his concerns. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} dragon boat - dragon boat stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images . The site of the accident. What’s happening? Just get out of this now, I tell myself confidently, a split-second before it dawns on me: Dusk was approaching as we made the trip back to shore after our race, sitting on a safety vessel with our boat in tow. Racing boats for Southeast Asian countries, lined up near the launching and docking points. 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