Singapore to help in search for five missing Singaporeans: PM Lee
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 24 November 2007 1750 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he is saddened to learn of the boating incident in Phnom Penh, where five Singaporeans have gone missing.

In a statement to the media, Mr Lee says he shares the deep concerns of the families of the five missing Singaporeans.

He says the Singapore government will do all it can to provide the necessary assistance.

The SAF will be deploying a team to help in the search and rescue efforts.

Mr Lee also expressed his appreciation to the Cambodian authorities for their help in rescuing the 17 Singaporeans and the ongoing search and rescue operations.

Some members of the families of the missing Singaporeans are already in Phnom Penh.

They left on a 4.30pm flight on Saturday together with the President of the Dragon Boat Association, Kwek Siew Jin.

The accident, which happened on Friday at about 4.20pm, was caught on camera by a MediaCorp viewer Joey Paraiso who was in Phnom Penh to watch the annual race.

The boat capsized as the 22 men were rowing back to the starting line at the end of the 1.5 kilometre Cambodia-ASEAN Traditional Boat Race.

Apparently, it was swept by a sudden wave and hit a pontoon, causing the boat to overturn.

Reports say the rowers were not wearing life jackets when the accident happened.

Earlier rescue divers say it was a challenge to find the missing dragon boaters.

In Singapore, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said he was distressed when he heard news about the accident.

He added: "Right now our priorities are to find them, to provide comfort to the family members and then find out exactly what happened and then take stock of the situation. We have a good dragon boat team with strong interest among young Singaporeans and we do regularly send teams overseas to participate in this and that's why this becomes even more shocking and distressing."

He added that the other priority is to ensure the safety of the other 17 Singaporeans who were rescued.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "We obviously will want to bring them back as soon as possible. I'm sure they want to get back here as well but our priority is to make sure they have all received full treatment and that their conditions have stabilised before we bring them back."

The Ministry says Singaporeans who are concerned about relatives and friends in Cambodia participating in the event can contact the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Hotline: 63320000 (24 hours)
Fax Number: 6476-7302
Email:mfa_duty_officer@mfa.gov.sg.

The Singapore team is one of the 400 dragon boat teams that took part in this year's race, which attracted millions of visitors to Phnom Penh. - CNA/ch