Cambodia to renew Water Festival

Cambodia will restart its annual Water Festival celebration on Nov. 27-29 after last year's cancellation due to flood devastation, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday. "This year's Water Festival will be celebrated on schedule at any cost after last year's halt,"he said during a graduation ceremony of students at the Human Resources University. Last year's festival was canceled due to flood devastation that killed at least 250 Cambodian people and affected some 1.4 million across the country. Water Festival is the largest annual festival in the Southeast Asian nation. Around 3 million Cambodians, especially those from rural areas, converge in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, to enjoy the regatta. Meanwhile, the premier also appealed to people to continue to be on high alert to avoid dangers and property damage due to floods. Cambodia's eight provinces have been hitting by flash floods since early last month. According to a report of Cambodian Red Cross, the floods had killed at least 14 Cambodian people so far, and some 14,100 families have been affected. In addition, about 140 schools have been submerged, affecting some 49,000 students, Sam Sereiroth, secretary-general of the education secretariat at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports