2010 Penang dragon boat tragedy

Coordinates: 5°24′28″N 100°20′46″E / 5.40778°N 100.34611°E / 5.40778; 100.34611
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2010 Penang dragon boat tragedy
RM 84 million on rescue operation
Participants15 students
2 instructors
1 teacher[1]
100 person involved in rescue operation
Deaths6
Non-fatal injuries12
Burial19 January 2010
WebsiteOfficial Facebook
Official Twitter
2010 Penang dragon boat tragedy
Hanyu Pinyin
zhōng líng lóng zhōu fān fù

The 2010 Penang dragon boat tragedy (

capsized and killed six of the eighteen paddlers, including a teacher and several students. A memorial service was held on the following day in the school. The school flag was flown at half-mast, and funerals
were held on the second day following the incident. The school and government subsequently donated the money to the victims' families and survivors.

It was later revealed by the Penang Education Department that the school disregarded the safety guidelines for

fishermen
from boat repair. Penang Forward Sports Club countered that the area was safe for a training session as a trained coach had checked the sea and weather conditions.

History

On 17 January 2010, the

fishermen in two nearby boats or having swum to safety. A 100 person rescue team in sixteen boats consisting of policemen, firemen, marine law enforcement bureau and civil defense officers arrived at the accident area. Two bodies were retrieved: Chin Aik Siang, a teacher, at 11:00 am and Jason Ch'Ng, a student, at 2:50 pm.[1] The remaining bodies, all students, were recovered the following day. Goh Yi Zhang was first discovered at 8:00 am, followed by Brendon Yeoh at 12:10 pm, and Wang Yong Xiang and Cheah Zi Jun, found at 4:25 pm. The search operation, totaling RM 84 million, ended at 5:00 pm.[3]

On 18 January 2010, in memory of the deceased, the flag of Chung Ling High School was flown at half-mast and a memorial ceremony was held inside the school. The school Board of Governors, Parent-Teacher Association and Alumni Association donated RM 10,000 to the families of the victims. An additional RM 2,000 was donated to the injured paddlers. The principal of the school declared the incident to be "the darkest co-curricular activity incident ever occurs in the school’s history".[4] The funerals for the deceased took place the following day at multiple victims' homes in Penang. Multiple high profile figures, including Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang and Datuk Wira Ayub Yakoob, deputy communication for Penang police chief, visited the tragedy site.[5] The Home Ministry then donated RM 3,000 to six of the deceased victims' families in addition to RM 1,000 from Education Ministry. An additional RM 200 from Education Ministry was donated to each survivor of this incident.[6] The school offered psychological counseling to help victims and family members affected by psychological trauma as a result of the tragedy.[7]

Controversies

strong currents
.

There are several controversies that occurred before, during and after the incident. The school was found to have disregarded the safety guidelines for co-curricular activities set by Penang Education Department, which required school management to inform security authorities of the activities to ensure that students' safety could be ensured prior to extracurricular outdoor activities.[8] The revelation also found out that the group did not seek approval or get clearance to conduct training session in this area.[9] On 4 November 2010, Penang Forward Sports Club revealed to a parent of a deceased victim that the dragon boat training was unscheduled and conducted due to student requests to a new teacher already interested in joining the training session.[10] Lok Yim Pheng, the secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP), criticized the organizers, coordinators and teachers for developing a reputation of a lack of safety sense, citing another tragedy involving three women who drowned on a 1Malaysia school camping trip due to collapse of suspension bridge in Perak.[11]

Most of the paddlers did not wear

life jackets during most of the regular training as they knew how to swim, but three of the paddlers did wear them. Geh Thuan Tek, the secretary of Life Saving Society Malaysia Penang, who was also involved in the search and rescue mission, stated that life jackets would not guarantee that the wearer survive a drowning, especially if worn improperly. One of the victims is believed to have died after their unfastened life vest trapped them underneath the boat. Only one of the victims who wore a life vest survived. [10] Not all of the students who attended the training were able to swim, as attested to by multiple family members.[5][12]

Some officials, especially Shamsir Mohamed, officer of Marine Department (northern region) and Lai Chew Hock, chairman of Penang Dragon Boat Association, voiced concerns about the suitability of the area for water sports. Shamsir cited busy traffic, unpredictable weather, and strong currents for his concerns. Chew Hock claimed the area was unsuitable for any

strong waves and had been used for training for three years, making it one of the safest stretches of public shoreline.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Teacher and student drown, four missing after dragon boat mishap". The Star. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Multiple blunders blamed for dragon boat tragedy". The Star. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Bodies of four missing students found". The Star. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. ^ "降半旗示哀　钟灵最痛一天" [School flag flown at half-mast. It's Chung Ling High School's most painful day ever.]. Kwong Wah Yit Poh (in Chinese). 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Dragon boat tragedy: Tears and more tears from family, teachers and friends". The Star. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Student safety is paramount". The Star. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Students and families of dragon boat tragedy to be counselled". The Star. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Dragon boat tragedy: Guidelines not followed (Update)". The Star. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Danger warnings ignored before fatal dragon boat capsize". The Star. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "Dragon boat run carried out at students' request, inquest told". The Star. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  11. ^ Azizan, Hariati; Loh, Joseph; S. Bedi, Rashvinjeet; Naidu, Sumisha (24 January 2010). "How safe are our schools?". The Star. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Lament of a distraught parent". The Star. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  13. ^ "It's only the dam now for Penang dragon boat races". The Star. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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