PHNOM PENH May 8 (Reuters) - At least 15 people were injured when armed police broke up a protest in Cambodia on Sunday by at least 2,000 mostly female garment workers demanding unpaid bonuses after their plant was closed by a fire, police and witnesses said.
Police armed with guns, shields and electric stun batons were deployed to clear demonstrators blocking the main road to Phnom Penh's international airport. Eight female protesters and seven police were injured.
The clashes were the latest setback for Cambodia's garment manufacturing industry, which employs 300,000 and is a major source of revenue for Cambodia's fledgling $10 billion economy.
Protests and strikes over factory closures and pay disputes have become increasingly common since the global economic crisis slowed demand for garments in Europe and the United States, Cambodia's biggest markets for textiles.
Protesters told Reuters that riot police fired shots into the air to disperse workers demanding unpaid bonuses of $100 from a local firm, June Textiles, since its factory was destroyed in a recent fire. The firm had offered $20.
"This is an injustice. Some workers were hit in the head and some had broken arms. They have worked so hard for the factory," said Ros Ratha, 32.
Lay Narang, also 32, said she saw a policeman holding a pistol to a garment worker's forehead.
"Police had rifles and the workers only had water bottles," she said, adding that several of her colleagues were arrested.
Phnom Penh's police chief Touch Naruth said his officers had no choice but to disperse the protest. He blamed the injuries on a hostile crowd hurling stones, beer bottles and chairs.
"They blocked the whole road. We begged them not to block the road to the airport," Touch Naruth said. "We pushed them a little and they turned violent on us."
Garment manufacturing is Cambodia's third-biggest currency earner after agriculture and tourism.
About 30,000 jobs were lost in 2009 at the height of the global economic crisis. Average monthly wages in the industry stand at about $60.
The downturn led to a strike by more than 210,000 garment factory workers last year and more mass strikes have been threatened over moves by the government to regulate trade unions.[ID:nSGE72E03M]
Cambodia exported garments, textiles and shoes to the value of $2.3 billion in 2009, down from $2.9 billion in 2008. According to the World Bank, the sector is in recovery and exports grew 24 percent in 2010 after a 20 percent contraction.
Cambodian factories produce clothes for many Western brands, including Gap Inc , Nike Inc , Marks and Spencer Group PLC , Tesco PLC , H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMb.ST), Puma , Next Plc and Inditex , the world's biggest clothing retailer and owner of Zara.
(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Martin Petty and Ron Popeski)
2 comments:
If you want to have yourself have to work hard and sacrify more
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer every day.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Koh Tral was a Cambodian island, and technically and legally, remained a Cambodian island until today.
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
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