On the one-year anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Na Kry Daro, who lost his life to a tragic fireworks accident during public celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of King Norodom Sihamoni’s coronation, his grieving parents yesterday renewed calls for compensation.
The university student was taking part in festivities in the capital’s Chroy Changvar district when a fireworks canister set up by soldiers exploded, sending debris into the crowd. The misfire injured seven people and killed Kry Daro at the scene.
As the celebratory fireworks once again sounded over Phnom Penh last night, Kry Daro’s mother Phan Chhun Teng called for the government to offer greater assistance.
“We had one son and one daughter, and now we have lost him; I am in grief,” she said. “We are in hard times now because all of my land was sold to support his studies in hopes that his salary would support the whole family, but everything went wrong and now I am hopeless.”
While the family accepted about $2,000 from the committee behind the display in the wake of the tragedy, they claim that the compensation has proved inadequate.
“Please, Samdech [Hun Sen] kindly gives us some aid. The people who died during the water festival and national holidays, their families received compensation,” she said, referring to the victims of a 2010 stampede on Koh Pich.
The families of victims of the stampede were each allotted about $1,200 from the government and were reportedly given a $2,000 donation by then-governor Kep Chuktema, as well as additional private donations.
City Hall spokesman Long Dimanche reiterated yesterday that the family had been compensated and declined to comment further.
