Fearing fiery stampede, Cambodia bans helium balloons
Helium is a non-combustible gas.
Wednesday`s incident was not the first time officials have accused something seemingly innocuous of having the potential to cause chaos.
In 2012, the daily quoted a member of the Buddhist patriarchy as saying that spit-roasting cows “is a show of support for violence in a country that believes in the Buddhist religion,” and could “instill the ideas of a massacre to a child and push them to commit violence in society.”
In the late afternoon, balloon sellers typically set up their operations along Sihanouk Boulevard, a main thoroughfare where the prime minister’s opulent mansion is situated, as well as near the Royal Palace and along the riverside.
On Wednesday evening, a few balloon-sellers remained dotted along the boulevard with their wares, both with and without helium tanks.
Balloons festooned with cartoon characters such as Despicable Me’s Minions fluttered in the breeze as a small group of armed police stood watch near the premier’s house.
City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada could not be reached for comment.
The district governor`s targeting of balloon sellers came just hours before a grenade was lobbed into the middle of a street before 8 p.m. (0100GMT) Tuesday, injuring three people and damaging two cars.
On Monday, authorities barricaded a road leading to the headquarters of the opposition and deployed armed police to street corners.