The Cambodian embassy in South Korea has provided winter wellness tips to more than 60,000 Cambodians currently residing in that country to help them stay safe in the cold weather season as there are deaths due to the frigid conditions there each year.
The embassy laid out nine guidelines for Cambodians in South Korea to follow to protect their health.
The guidelines advised them to wear thick clothes, a scarf, a hat and gloves when travelling to work or staying outdoors. People should get enough rest and do simple exercises at home regularly.
“Before sleeping, turn on the humidifier or put one glass of water in your room or open the window slightly, but do not turn up the heater too much. Keep the temperature in the room at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.
“Do not shut the window too tight. Open it up a crack to ensure enough flow of fresh air. You should also open the window fully for 10 minutes, two to three times a day to get fresh air,” the guidelines said.
The embassy also advised Cambodians residing there to eat nutritious foods, especially foods rich in vitamin D such as fish, egg yolks, liver and cheese. They should also drink enough water to avoid dehydration.
In a live video stream last week, Cambodian ambassador to South Korea Long Dimanche said that among the over 60,000 Cambodians living in that country, 50,000 are employed. Ten to 15 per cent of those workers have overstayed their visas with expired employment terms but have not yet returned home.
About 10,000 Cambodians are married to Koreans and there are around 400 Cambodian students.
“Our Cambodian citizens living in [South] Korea experienced happiness and sorrow, and we have solved many problems for them. On another note, one of the problems we have encountered, which is our greatest sorrow, is the death of between seven and 15 Cambodians yearly,” he said.
Dimanche attributed the deaths to various reasons, including chronic diseases, traffic accidents, suicide and homicide.
“I would also like to inform you that among these reported deaths, about 60 per cent are the result of a heart attack, where some of them died in their bedroom,” he said.
Dimanche explained that most Cambodian workers who had experienced a heart attack had been facing mental problems, suffering from malnutrition, insufficient sleep and extremely cold weather.
“Our embassy always tries to help our fellow Cambodians when they face life-threatening situations,” he said.
