Cambodian Security Sweep Clears Out Protesters

Cambodian Security Sweep Clears Out Protesters

Unrest Comes Amid Nationwide Strike Crippling Country's Garment Industry

Cambodian authorities cleared opposition supporters Saturday from their main rallying point and locked down the area. 

By Chun Han Wong , Sun Narin / Wall Street Journal | 5 Jan. 2014

Security officers disperse Buddhist monks from the site of anti-government protests.

Associated Press

 

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—Cambodian authorities cleared opposition supporters Saturday from their main rallying point and locked down the area in a dramatic security sweep, after summoning two opposition leaders to court over their roles in the ongoing political unrest.

The dragnet at Freedom Park—near the riverside tourist district—was deployed a day after military police shot and killed at least four protesters amid escalating political and labor unrest, including a series of opposition-led anti-government protests and a nationwide strike that has stalled Cambodia’s mainstay garment industry.

The sweep prompted opposition leaders to scrap plans for a Sunday protest at the park and raised concerns Prime Minister Hun Sen may be resorting to strong-arm tactics to overcome what analysts say is his toughest political challenge in more than a decade.

Witnesses said about 100 men—including police and men wearing unmarked uniforms, armed with sticks and metal pipes—entered the park and chased away scores of monks and civilians who had gathered near a stage set up by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.

Police officers, many with batons and shields, later arrived and sealed off roads to the park. Scores of workers then proceeded to tear down the opposition’s rally stage, while helicopters and riot-police trucks circled the park. At the park’s perimeter, some shopkeepers closed their stores and dozens of onlookers stood by to observe the police.

“I’m afraid there may be trouble. … This move affects the rights of protesters,” said Yong Saron, a 51-year-old who sells shoes and hats in a shop beside Freedom Park. “I think this move shows the government is worried about losing power.”

Phnom Penh municipal prosecutors served a summons Friday to Rescue Party President Sam Rainsy and Deputy President Kem Sokha, asking them to attend hearings Jan. 14 to answer allegations they may have incited crimes and undermined public security, according to prosecutors and opposition officials. Mr. Rainsy told reporters Sunday that he and Mr. Sokha will attend the hearings.

“We have done nothing wrong,” Mr. Rainsy said. “It will be an opportunity for us to help expose the truth.”

Opposition leaders say the government’s actions were harassment and denied protesters their right to demonstrate. “We denounce the authorities’ violent actions against demonstrators,” said Yim Sovann, a Rescue Party spokesman. “We call on people to stay calm for a period of time, while we plan our next activities.”

Government spokesman Phay Siphan denied clearing the park had had infringed upon protesters’ rights and was meant to “restore order to the area, protect livelihoods of residents, and preserve public security.” He declined to comment on the court summons, saying it was a matter for the judiciary.

On Friday, a weeklong strike by garment workers turned deadly when police opened fire on demonstrators calling for higher wages. Activists said at least four people were killed and about 30 others were injured in the clash, which officials say occurred after protesters started hurling objects at police. Activists and witnesses said the workers were protesting peacefully.

The strike has coincided with renewed protests against Mr. Hun Sen and his government, launched last month by the Rescue Party. This included marches in Phnom Penh that drew tens of thousands of supporters—the largest protests since 1998.

Opposition leaders, who have enjoyed long-standing ties with labor groups, are demanding Mr. Hun Sen either resign or call a fresh vote, alleging his Cambodian People’s Party won July’s election by rigging votes—allegations the ruling party has denied. The Rescue Party has openly backed the garment strike, and thousands of workers have in turn supported the opposition protest.

Mr. Hun Sen, in power for 28 years, has said he would neither step down nor hold a new election.

The escalation of violence came after thousands of garment workers defied government orders to end their strike by Thursday, and instead reiterated demands for the garment industry’s minimum wage to be raised to $160 a month—$60 higher than the government’s latest offer.

The strike, started Dec. 24 by tens of thousands of workers, has forced many factories to halt production, widening potential fallout for this Southeast Asian economy that relies heavily on garment manufacturing as its biggest export business and formal-sector employer. Cambodia’s garment sector supplies apparel to retailers mainly in the U.S. and the European Union.

The country has about 800 garment and footwear factories that employ around 600,000 workers, mostly women, labor officials say. Manufacturers favor Cambodia for its low wages, but strikes are frequent because of what union leaders say is widespread discontent with meager salaries, poor working conditions and lax enforcement of labor laws.