Discovery at Tuek Thla Pagoda sparks alarm; Korean community questions "heart attack" deaths amid rising concerns over expat safety.
 |
| Tuek Thla tại thủ đô Phnom Penh, Campuchia - Ảnh: YONHAP |
The discovery at the Tuek Thla Pagoda in Phnom Penh has amplified anxieties within the local South Korean community, which is already reeling from a series of violent incidents and deaths linked to criminal operations in the region.
A staff member involved in cremations at the pagoda confirmed the presence of the three additional bodies to Yonhap, noting they were currently being held in the facility's cold storage.
"Although we cremated the South Korean student yesterday, there are still three other Korean bodies being stored in the cold room, and this has been recorded in our internal report," the staffer stated.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that this count does not include yet another South Korean man, aged in his 50s, who was discovered deceased in a hotel room in the coastal city of Sihanoukville on October 20.
"Heart Attack" Deaths Raise Immediate Suspicion
According to the pagoda's internal report, all three of the unidentified individuals are male, and their official cause of death was listed as "heart attack."
However, this finding has been met with immediate and profound skepticism from the South Korean community in Cambodia. Sources within the community allege that bribing local doctors to falsify a cause of death as "heart attack" is a distressingly common practice, often used to obscure more sinister circumstances, such as foul play or medical negligence.
Another pagoda employee confirmed the presence of the "three other South Korean bodies" but told Yonhap they could not recall exactly when the bodies had been brought to the facility.
A Site of Tragedy for Foreign Nationals
The Tuek Thla Pagoda has been under an intense and somber spotlight. It was the facility that stored the body of a 22-year-old South Korean student, identified only by his surname Park, for over two months.
Park's case shocked South Korea. He left his home country on July 17, telling family he was attending an "exhibition." He was instead lured to Cambodia, where he was allegedly detained and tortured within a centralized scam compound near Bokor Mountain in Kampot province. His body was discovered less than a month later in a car. After a long wait for administrative processing, his remains were finally cremated at the Tuek Thla Pagoda on October 20.
The pagoda serves as one of the few facilities in the Phnom Penh area equipped for cremation, making it the default morgue and funeral site for most foreigners who die in Cambodia, as locals often hire services to conduct cremations at home.
The workload at the facility highlights the dangers faced by foreigners in the country. The staffer noted the cold room, which has a capacity for about 100 bodies, is currently "nearly full."
"On average, we cremate two to four bodies a day," the staff member said, adding that "in the last two weeks alone, [we] have cremated two murdered Chinese nationals and a Filipino citizen."
The pagoda's procedure requires strict verification. "When an ambulance brings the body of a foreigner, we verify their nationality and personal information," the employee explained. "However, we are only allowed to cremate them when we receive contact from relatives or the embassy."
Embassy Responds Cautiously
The South Korean Embassy in Cambodia acknowledged the situation but urged caution, attempting to quell fears of a direct link to the recent murder.
"We cannot disclose the exact number of South Korean bodies being stored at the pagoda, but upon initial verification, there are no cases currently believed to be related to crime," an embassy representative said.
Despite this official assurance, the discovery of three more bodies at the center of a recent high-profile murder, coupled with suspicious causes of death, has sent a chill through the expatriate community, raising urgent questions about the safety and security of South Koreans living and traveling in Cambodia.