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| Disgruntled workers look on as tyres burn outside the Tack Fat Garment Factory in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district yesterday. Police and protesters clashed during the day after about 1,000 former employees of the factory briefly blocked National Road 2. The workers are demanding compensation following the closing of the factory earlier this month. (Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun) |
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| Garment factory workers scuffle with police during a protest outside Tack Fat Garment Factory in Meanchey district yesterday. About 1,000 former employees participated in the protest. (Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun) |
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Tep Nimol
The Phnom Penh Post
Hundreds of police wielding electric batons cracked down on a demonstration of close to 1,000 former employees of the now defunct Tack Fat garment factory yesterday, leaving about 50 people “slightly injured”, a union official said.
The demonstration was the latest flare up of a dispute between Tack Fat and more than 1,000 employees it laid off earlier this month when the company declared bankruptcy – offering only limited severance pay to those affected.
Man Sen Hak, a consultant for the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, said yesterday workers had blocked National Road Number 2 to demand government intervention in the dispute.
“The workers blocked National Road Number 2 about five minutes before hundreds of authorities arrived at the place and pushed them to go to the sides of the road in order to avoid traffic congestion,” he said.
The company’s compensation offers, he said, fell short of their obligations under Cambodia’s labour law, and government inaction on the issue had prompted the latest demonstration.
“The workers want their compensation only but there has been no resolution, reaching [the point where we decided] to put up the road block.”
Kim You, a lawyer representing Tack Fat in the dispute, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Chheang Thida, a representative for workers at Tack Fat, said the dispute had reached the point where industrial action was the only way forward.
“Workers come to a standoff. We know that demonstrating affects [public] order [but] if we are silent, no one will help us resolve this; this time, I know that Cambodia is corrupt,” she said.
Huy Pich Sovann, a human rights program officer at the Community Legal Education Centre, said the intervention of government authorities in the demonstration indicated a “joint conspiracy”.
“[It’s] a violation of people’s right of expression,” he said.
Meanchey district deputy governor Bi Nay, said authorities were forced to break up the demonstration because the road block had caused a serious traffic jam.
“Workers have the right to hold demonstrations but they have no right to block National Road Number 2,” he said.
“It is what the authorities have to do to quell [the demonstration] in order to stop the traffic jam.”
14 comments:
រដ្ឋាភិបាលហ៊ុន សែនបង្កើតតែបញ្ហាអោយ ប្រជាជន!!
រដ្ឋាភិបាលហ៊ុន សែនមិនដែលឃើញ ដោះស្រាយបញ្ហាអោយប្រជាជន!!
រដ្ឋាភិបាលនេះគួរអោយថោកទាបមែន!!
សមត្ថកិច្ច នៃរដ្ធាភិបាលអាឆ្កែកញ្ជះយួន ហ៊ុន សែន ដែលមាន ទាហាន ប៉ូលីស ប៉េអឹម ពេល ដែលបញ្ជូនទៅរៀននៅស្រុកយួន យួនមិន ដែលបានហ្វឹកហ្វឺនផ្នែកជួយសង្គ្រោះជីវិត ឬ
ការពារសុវត្ថិភាពពលរដ្ឋទេ
យួនគិតតែហ្វឹកហ្វឺនផ្នែក បាញ់, កំទេច,សម្លាប់, ពិឃាត, ប្រហារជីវិត, ផ្ដាច់ជីវិត, បំផ្លាញ,ច្បាម, ឆក់, ប្លន់, ដុតផ្ទះ, ដណ្ដើមយក, កៀបសង្កត់, សង្កត់សង្កិន, ជិះជាន់, វាយបង្ក្រាប, ទាត់ធាក់ និងបោកគ្រាប់បែកសម្លាប់
ប្រជារាស្រ្តស្លូតត្រង់ជាដើម។ល។
បើមិនជឿសួរ ពួកអាមកពីហ្វឹកហ្វឺន ពីស្រុកយួន ១០០ ពួកវាថាដូចគ្នាទាំង ១០០ ។
To make a world history, We should start Cambodian Women Revolution.....Or Saffron Robe Revolution.
Those uniformed policemen are Yuon/Vietcong dogs, Hun Sen and CPP Yuon bodyguards. Those stupid idiots are a bunch of uneducated, that they beat women like that.
In the U.S., Canada, UK, etc, their policemen never beat ladies or women or even children.
Cambodia is under the control of Vietcong/Yuon Hanoi masters who order Hun Sen and CPP Yuon members to hurt Cambodian people.
Those bastards are greedy and crooks.
Good start for the cause of freedom and democracy!
Do not suffer in silence. Use whatever means at disposal to overcome oppression and oppressors.
Do not stand aside thinking "this has nothing to do with me" for everything good or noble has its effects and consequences.
Use civil protest and non-conformity to unsettle dictatorship.
Do not believe in official propaganda.
Believe in the evidence provided by your own heart.
2:56PM,
I agree with your point...but instead SHOULD....we MUST...we MUST stand up...we MUST be true to ourselve...we MUST not stand idle anymore.
newKhmer
Yea! burn that tires...dont forget to throw in the 1 liter of gasoline at the street! It time Khmer people..peaceful protest will not work.............we are 100% behind you.
let us all joint the protest people. this is the right time to do it.
1000 women against maybe 100 cops and soldiers. These women should fight back to protect their rights, these cops have no rights to beat up women. They will do that if you let them.
These cops are specially recruited and trained to fight with women and innocent Khmer. When Vietnamese and Khmer teen tugs do stupid things out there. They scare and won't dare to fight with them because they're going to beat the hell out to them back. And they have weapons too. I would like to see these cops do something better than beating up and arresting women and innocent Khmer. On the other hand, these cops are heartless. They should do a better job on protecting Khmer.
The current CPP-Hun-Viet government is not representive of the real Cambodian people.
UK
Used Bomb and fire Khmer protestor! dont bring stick to a gun fight.......bring gun and knife....then the police will not showup....but ARMY well. There is no laws that why the company didnt want to pay your poor Khmer....they think we are stupid
For those who stand with the Khmer poor, I support you. We must show that Khmers still love each other. Please keep this momentum up and continue to encourage our people to not let off the pressure. These cops and Tep Vong are not on the Khmer side. They use their power to abuse the poor, the weak, and the powerless. They protect the crooks. They use violence to smother other all Khmers who are just trying to survive with a bit more dignity and justice.
The current government is in co-hoot with Yuon trying to destroy Khmer society and lives. They inflict more pain on our people are being treated less than animals. Look at the inhumane acts being committed on our Khmer poor. For decades now, we the Khmer poor are left to fend for ourselves. Our supreme leaders never care to protect us except hurting us and taking every thing away from us.
Folks, please remember the land they are taking away from our Khmer poor belongs to all Khmers, not the few at the top. The billions of US dollars that these top leaders have belong to our people. They steal from us. This money will be taken away from them when we could topple them, just like the US is now freezing 33 billions US dollars that Moama Gadhafi has stolen from the Libyan people.
Time is coming. We must stick together. The truth and good deed will prevail. We will see a new, liberal, and glorious Kampuchea in our lifetime.
Love and Peace.
Damaged Soul.
they burn the tire, that's how the road is damaged!
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