Tragedy Born of Poverty: Man Dies in Untried Fishing Method, Leaving Newborn Wife and Three Young Children

In Kandal Province, Kien Svay District, a tragic incident occurred where a man struggling with extreme poverty lost his life while attempting an unfamiliar fishing method. Around 9 PM on September 5, 2026, in a paddy field west of the second Japanese bridge in Kok Thom village, the 34-year-old man, Chai Song, died in an accident while fishing with an electric shocker. Song was a daily wage laborer, and his wife, Sok Sobun, 29, had just given birth to their third child. They have three other young children. According to sources, Song was a gentle and diligent person who took on any work to make a living. However, the family was in a state of extreme poverty, living in a dilapidated zinc-roofed hut with leaky roofs, where the five family members slept huddled together. During storms, they would sit up wrapped in blankets. On the day of the accident, after returning from work, Song went to the paddy field about 1 kilometer from his home to catch fish for his wife and young children the next morning. He used an electric shocker, a method he had no experience with. Seeing neighbors fishing, he decided to try it himself, but unfortunately, he suffered an electric shock and died, leaving behind his wife and young children in an even more dire situation. Tragically, the family lacked the funds for the funeral. With the sympathy and support of neighbors, candles and sugar were purchased, but they could not afford to rent a coffin for cremation. Therefore, village elders and residents collaborated, cutting down banana trees to build a makeshift pyre, and the funeral was held on the evening of September 6. Source: Koh Santepheap Khmer