This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Four people were crushed to death Thursday by a crowd that gathered in front of a prominent businessmen’s house in Phnom Penh to receive red envelopes full of cash ahead of the Lunar New Year, police said.
A large crowd gathered in front of tycoon Sok Kong’s home to receive the red envelopes, a bag of rice and other gifts, Phnom Penh police spokesman Sam Vichheka told Radio Free Asia.
There was no organized line – just a mass of people outside the home. Five others were injured as the crowd pushed toward the gates of the large home, he said.
Sok Kong, a close ally of Senate President Hun Sen. is one of Cambodia’s wealthiest businessmen with interests in entertainment, hospitality and petroleum, according to Agence France-Presse.
The tycoon has distributed the red envelopes -– a traditional gift in Asia during the Lunar New Year holiday -– in previous years. This year, they contained about 40,000 riel (US$10), according to Facebook posts from people who were at the event.
Sok Kong announced later on Thursday that he would provide a coffin for each of the four deceased, as well as US$6,000 to the families of the victims, while the five injured would receive 4 million riel, or US$1,000.
Police were not conducting a criminal investigation into the deaths, and didn’t believe that Sok Kong was to blame for the tragedy, Sam Vichheka. The four deaths were mostly due to the victims’ poor health, he said.
“Sok Kong is a kind-hearted person who is willing to help people and the gift is his heart,” he said. “It is a health issue. It isn’t related to anything else.”
