Nearly three years have passed since PMT Air Flight U4 241 crashed into the mountains of Kampot province and still the families of the 22 passengers who died onboard have not been compensated for their loss.
The PMT flight killed all 22 passengers-13 South Koreans, five Cambodians, three Czechs and an Uzbek pilot-aboard the Antonov AN-24 aircraft.
“I have received nothing to this day from the company besides regret,” said Heang Sorphon, wife of co-pilot Uth Chandara, who died in the June 25, 2007 crash.
Ms Chandara said yesterday that she had not been able to contact representatives from PMT for more than a year and believed that the airline has closed down its operations in Cambodia.
“There is no solution at all and the company has been shut down for a long time,” she said. “My husband worked too hard for that company but received nothing.”
Representatives with PMT could not be reached for comment yesterday.
However Mao Havanall, secretary of state for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said yesterday that negotiations between PMT and its unknown insurance company are ongoing.
“It is not over yet. We are working on it and on the amount that the company can pay,” Mr Havanall said, adding that negotiations have been complicated as the victims’ families are asking for more than the airline insurer is willing to pay.
“The negotiations have been taking a long time because some victims do not agree with the amount of compensation,” he said.
Mr Havanall said that the Cambodian families would most likely receive $10,000 though the South Korean families are demanding more.
“I have just recently signed off on a report and sent it to the Council of Ministers over the amount demanded by the victims to see whether it is suitable or not,” he said, adding that he could not remember the name of PMT’s insurer or how much money the South Korean families are asking for.
Council of Ministers Secretary of State Prak Sokhon said he was too busy to speak to a reporter about the PMT compensation.
