nick’s (n)-line life

2nd updated: 19 June ‘05, new links added

Image courtesy of the Guardian Unlimited. More images from the BBC

Kindergarten classes from an international school in Cambodia have been taken hostage by armed gangs, the BBC reports

Armed men storm Cambodia school
Gunmen have taken several dozen people hostage at an international school in north-western Cambodia, police say.

Six men stormed the school in Siem Reap, and are holding children aged between two and six, from countries including the UK, the US and in Asia.
[...]
Correspondents say the school is used mainly by foreign residents in the gateway town for Cambodia’s most popular tourist attraction, the Temples of Angkor.
[...]
Acts of terrorism are extremely unusual in Cambodia, the BBC’s Guy Delauney reports from the capital, Phnom Penh.

They’re not actually demanding very much (US$1000 and a car) but clearly the government can’t be seem to give in to these demands or they are asking for a large number of repeat incidents. [update: demands later escalated to US£30,000 a truck, and weapons]

Obviously foreigners are always going to be targets in such areas because of their relative wealth and depending on how this incident is handled things could degenerate in the region and this could become more commonplace.

Just what I needed to know about a place I’ll be visiting in a couple of months!

Photos of the region from past trips can be found in the gallery. (oops, I really will upload some more photos soon)

Update: Siege ended in firefight, 3 year old killed

One of the Canadian Children, a boy aged 3, was killed when the authorities refused to meet the demands. Two of the hostage takers were killed in the resulting firefight.

Taking innocents and using them as fodder to make money like this ::shakes head:: I just feel lost for words.

I know one child pales in comparision to the hundreds who die each day in Cambodia, but this death was the willful action of a group of men in their efforts to make money. In my mind this was a calculated plan to play on the heart strings of the government and international community in order to extort money and it was carried through to it’s conclusion.

Very sad indeed.

A more detailed article has been released, and another here.
Extensive eye witness accounts have also been published.

One mother’s account puts the story in perspective.