STORY: Cambodia's Water Festival returns after 3-year hiatus due to pandemic
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 26, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 27, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:01
LOCATION: Phnom Penh
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Khmer): LAY SOTHEARA, Boatman
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): YAN CHANTHAVY, Spectator
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (Khmer): SETH SREYNE, Spectator
4. various of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni watching boat races
5. various of the boat race
6. various of people in the Water Festival

STORYLINE:

The annual Water Festival, Cambodia's grandest festival, returned on Sunday after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
   
Boat race is the centerpiece of the three-day festival, which sees tens of thousands of oarsmen and spectators from across the Southeast Asian nation flocking to the riverfront in the capital Phnom Penh.

Bou Chumserey, vice chairman of the boat-racing technical control committee, said some 337 boats with about 20,417 crew members took part in this year's regatta.
   
"Oarsmen will race their boats along a 1.7-km-stretch of the Tonle Sap river that runs in front of the royal palace," he told Xinhua.
   
The boat race honors the strength of the powerful Khmer marine forces during the ancient Khmer Empire in the late 11th century, he added.
   
The festival is also to mark the end of the annual rainy season and the unique reversal flow of the Tonle Sap River that connects the Tonle Sap Lake with the Mekong River, the official said.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Khmer): LAY SOTHEARA, Boatman
"My boat has 75 rowers and this is the second time I join this event. This is to help preserve a legacy left by our ancestors. I would like to urge all Cambodian people to come and enjoy this Water festival because it's very happy and there are a lot of people."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): YAN CHANTHAVY, Spectator
"I come to watch this boat race with my three siblings, and it's my third time to watch it. I like it because it makes me feel happy. This Water festival is very good to preserve our old tradition, and to tell our younger generations that in ancient times, boats were used as a transport means for the fight in wars and for waterway travel."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Khmer): SETH SREYNE, Spectator
"This is the first time for me to watch a boat racing. I'm excited to see crowds of people. It is a glittering boat racing event, with a lot of people watching it. There are also food sales and trade fairs. This festival helps promote our country to foreign visitors, and helps promote our Cambodian culture to foreigners. I wish to see more tourists coming to Cambodia because our country enjoys full peace, with good security and safety."
   
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, along with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other dignitaries, watched boat races from a stage erected on the riverbank in front of the royal palace late Sunday afternoon.
   
Besides viewing the regatta in the daytime, festival-goers can enjoy the procession of illuminated floats and fireworks as well as concerts at nighttime.
   
Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Khuong Sreng said on Saturday that more than 10,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure security and safety for the festival-goers during the three-day holiday, which lasts until Tuesday next week.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh.
(XHTV)