Mattress factory blaze bill could reach $3M

THE cost of t he f i re t hat dest royed t he Heng Heng Mattress Factor y in Me a n c h e y d i s t r i c t ’s B o e u n g Tompun I commune i n t he capita l on Fr id a y c ou ld b e a s h i g h a s $ 3 million, Phnom Penh Municipa l Gover nor K huong Sreng sa id on Su nday.

Fi ref ig hters i n 45 eng i nes foug ht t he bla ze for hours usi ng 261 water t r uck s before it was broug ht under c ont rol, but t wo bu i ld i ngs – one s i x-s t or e y a nd one f ou r – were ra zed to t he g rou nd.

Nat iona l Committee for Disaster Management f i r st v ice-president Ku n K i m, who led f i ref ig hter s i n t he oper at ion, told T he Post on Su nday t hat t he bla z e had been br oug ht u nder c ont r ol before i t spread to ot her proper t ies.

The f ire-damaged buildings were bei ng tor n dow n to prevent t hei r col lapse.

“T h e bu i l d i ng s’ f r a mes wer e r u i ned i n t he f i re. We have d i smant led t he fou r-storey bui ld i ng housi ng t he matt ress factor y.

“We wi l l now d isma nt le t he si xstore y bu i ld i ng. We ma naged to br i ng t he f i re under cont rol before it c ou ld spread to ot her propert ies,” K i m sa id.

Sreng sa id on Su nday t hat whi le t he aut hor it ies were d isappoi nted not to have been a ble to re s c ue resident s’ belong i ngs, no l ives had been lost.

“It is too early to tell exactly how much damage was done, but it could be more than $3 million. However, the main thing is that the fire did not claim any lives,” Sreng said.

Deput y municipa l gover nor Suy

and we had a positive conversation. We both agreed to withdraw troops from the Mom Bei area that has not yet been fully demarcated.

“We also agreed to continue negotiations with each other, so the situation is not tense. Our two countries’ soldiers have eaten meals together, so please all citizens, don’t worry,” Hun Sen told Fresh News.

Political analyst Meas Nee said differing reports made it difficult to assess the situation at the border.

Some media outlets had said local authorities were ready to move the residents of the four villages in Choam Ksan district in case shots were exchanged, while senior government officials were saying there was no confrontation.

“If we look at information from local officials, it seems tense, while the Ministry of National Defence and the prime minister said the situation is not serious. With differing accounts, it is difficult to assess the situation,” Nee said.

Kin Phea, the director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the situation at the border had calmed after dialogue between the prime ministers.

He said Cambodia’s policy was to live peacefully.

“This issue is calm now after talks because Cambodia does not wish to cause problems with any country, regardless of whether strong or weak, as we want to live in peace with our neighbours.

“We are still developing the nation and have no intention of having conflicts with any country or grabbing territory,” Phea said.

The Cambodia-Laos border issue has been ongoing since August 2017, when Laos sent troops into a disputed area in S t u n g Tr e n g p r o v i n c e , demanding a halt to a road being constructed by Cambodian military engineers. This led to a tense standoff.

According to border officials, Cambodia and Laos share a 540km border and need to install 145 demarcation posts. So far both sides have installed 121 posts, with 24 in Preah Vihear and Stung Treng provinces still outstanding.

Late last year, Hun Sen and Thongloun called on the French government to supply maps and other related documents to settle the dispute.

Cambodia and Laos were part of French Indochine until gaining independence in 1954. French maps have been used to help settle a border dispute with Vietnam.