500-year-old tree draws big crowd

Villagers gathered in the Chhoeu Teal commune in Kandal province’s Kean Svay district yesterday in a show of respect and offer prayers to a 500-year-old tree. The massive tree, which has a trunk diameter of about 7 metres and is 30 metres high, was hauled from the Mekong River on Friday after the riverbank it grew on collapsed and the tree toppled into the water.

When word spread that the tree had been placed in the grounds of the Chhoeu Teal commune hall for preservation, villagers from near and far made a beeline for it. Kean Svay district police Deputy Chief Lieutenant Colonel Se Vong said: “Villagers have been coming to offer prayers to the giant teak tree because it is the name of this village and the commune. The tree represents their village.”

“They see the tree as a precious and powerful object. They say it is the owner of the land and water here,” he said. “When word spread, people started to come from all over the place.”

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