Incident at Pich Bridge during CCU's members visit on 10 December 2010

Source: CCU

In the morning of 10 December 2010, Mr. Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU) which regroups the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA) and the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), led a group about about 1,500 teachers and factory workers to pay respect to the victims of the Koh Pich Bridge stampede (22 November 2010).

Rong Chhun and Chea Mony lead the procession to Koh Pich Island

Rong Chhun gave a speech to pay respect to the victims

Chea Mony gave a speech in the memory of the victims at Pich Bridge

Teachers and workers pay respect to the victim at Pich Bridge

While paying respect to the victims on Pich Bridge, an incident took place when Ms. Cheam Chanda, a 30-year-old factory worker from the Cambodia Handsome factory, was seized with trance. She fell down and started crying, and she would not say anything when asked. She was later transported to Wat Langka Pagoda to have the monks perform an exorcism on her.

Ms. Cheam Chanda was seized with trance

Monks started to pray for the factory worker seized with trance

After questioning from the monks, the woman who was seized with trance indicated that: the spirits want a new bridge to be built, they want a monument to be built at the location of the stampede incident, and the woman who was seized with trance should observe silence for 3 years. She is now taken out of Wat Langka to Wat Kamsan Pagoda.