Cambodian police fire on striking garment workers

Cambodian police fire on striking garment workers

Second clash in two days as striking workers in the country's key industry clash with military and police 

The Guardian (UK) | 3 January 2014

Cambodian garment workers clash with military police in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images

Several striking Cambodian garment workers were killed when police opened fired during a confrontation with the protesters, witnesses said.

An Associated Press photographer and human rights workers said police fired AK-47 rifles after several hundred workers blocking a road south of the capital Phnom Penh began burning tires and throwing objects at them. Several wounded workers could be seen after the shots were fired.

Chan Soveth of the human-rights group Adhoc said one person was killed and at least five wounded, but the death could not be immediately confirmed by officials or medical authorities.

The workers are part of a nationwide strike demanding a doubling of the minimum wage to $160 a month.

About 500,000 Cambodian are employed in the garment industry, the country's biggest export earner. The government has offered $100 a month.

A day earlier Cambodian soldiers forcefully quelled a separate demonstration by striking workers, detaining Buddhist monks and labour leaders.

The violence comes at a time of political stress, as the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has protested daily against the prime minister, Hun Sen, calling on him to step down and call elections. Hun Sen won elections last July that extended his 28-year rule, but protesters led by opposition head Sam Rainsy accuse him of rigging the vote. Hun Sen has rejected their demand.

Although the wage and election issues are not directly linked, Cambodia's opposition has had long and close ties with the country's labour movement.