Showing posts with label Rong Chhun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rong Chhun. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Cambodia – Court summons issued to trade union leader and human rights defender Mr Rong Chhun
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| Photo: The Phnom Penh Post |
Source: CCHR
Cambodia – Court summons issued to trade union leader and human rights defender Mr Rong Chhun
On 29 August 2012, human rights defender Mr Rong Chhun received a summons to appear at Kandal Provincial Court on 11 September for questioning in relation to criminal allegations made against him. Rong Chhun is President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions and a prominent labour rights advocate.
The summons issued to Rong Chhun relates to a complaint made by Mr Jack Liu, Director-General of Tai Yang Enterprises, alleging that the trade union leader incited Tai Yang Enterprises employees to protest illegally and also accusing him of defamation. It is reported that Mr Wu Ming Huor, a factory manager for Tai Yang Enterprises, also accused the human rights defender of destroying the company's business, claiming that several large international customers have drastically reduced their orders as a result of a strike at Tai Yang Enterprises factories.
The complaint against Rong Chhun relates to protests against the reported refusal of Tai Yang Enterprises to pay bonuses provided for under national labour law. These protests began on 25 June and over 3,000 workers have taken part in a number of peaceful demonstrations. It is believed that the allegation of defamation against Rong Chhun may be related to comments he made about the changing of the name of the company. During the protests he reportedly said that Tai Yang Enterprises had changed its name in order to avoid paying seniority bonuses to staff and taxes to the state.
Authorities attempted to arrest Rong Chhun on several occasions during the protests. However, the striking workers surrounded him on each occasion in order to peacefully prevent his arrest.
Front Line Defenders believes that the summons received by Rong Chhun is directly related to his peaceful and legitimate activities in the defence of human rights, particularly his attempts to improve working conditions in Cambodia, and is concerned that this may be an illegitimate attempt to intimidate the trade union leader and Tai Yang Enterprises employees into desisting from any further protest actions.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Cambodia to:
- Immediately cease the judicial harassment of human rights defender Rong Chhun, as Front Line Defenders believes that it is solely motivated by his human rights work, namely the leadership that he gives to workers demanding the realisation of their labour rights;
- Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Cambodia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Labour leader summonsed to court
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| Rong Chhun (C), president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, speaks to reporters during a protest by Tai Yang Enterprises workers in Phnom Penh last month. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post |
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Mom Kunthear and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post
Global brands Levi’s and Gap had continued slashing orders at the Tai Yang and Camwell factories in Kandal province, costing the company that owns them about US$6 million, its manager claimed yesterday.
Tai Yang Enterprises manager Wu Minghuor said the brands had reduced their orders from the factories by 80 per cent as a result of the strike over seniority bonuses, which began on June 25.
“We have found we have lost about $6 million in revenue and 80 per cent of orders from [Gap and Levi’s],” he said – less than a week after telling the Post the brands had cut orders by 20 per cent.
The man responsible was Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun, who had “destroyed the company” by inciting workers to protest, Minghuor said.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Factory strikes lead to cut in orders
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| Un Saveoun, one of many Tai Yang Enterprises workers who have been on strike since June. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post |
Friday, 24 August 2012
Mom Kunthear and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post
Tai Yang needed to “put two and two together” and realise the link between the strike and big brands reducing their orders
Global brands Levi’s and Gap had slashed their orders from the Tai Yang and Camwell garment factories by 20 per cent, the factories’ boss said yesterday, amid the longest strike in the industry’s recent history.
Tai Yang Enterprises manager Wu Minghuor said his company had shuttered its Tai Yang II factory this week in response to the big brands’ decision to buy less – which he blamed on the strikers and their unions – and had relocated staff to its neighbouring factories.
“Our buyers, Gap and the Levi’s company, have reduced orders for our products. That’s the reason we closed the factory,” he said. “We really regret this. If the workers had not gone on strike like this, my factory would not have closed. We definitely can’t accept them back to work now,” he said.
Monday, August 06, 2012
Schools toughen up on exam cheats
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| Grade 12 students are blessed by Buddhist monks during a ceremony yesterday at Wat Samrong Andeth in Phnom Penh. Grade 12 final exams begin today. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post |
Monday, 06 August 2012
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Anxiety levels will peak as students across the nation take the senior high school examination begining this morning, but they’re not the only ones who will feel the pressure.
Educators are seeking ways to stamp out cheating, which in recent years has affected the integrity of the exams, as widespread collusion between exam proctors and teachers have resulted in exam answers being leaked to students ahead of the test.
Rong Chhun, the president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, last week suggested to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS) that taking a preventive approach to exam-centre cheating might reduce the problem on test day.
According to MOEYS, 110,000 students nationwide will sit the senior high school exam from today to Wednesday.
In a letter issued last Friday, Rong Chhun said that this year again a number of exam supervisors are cooperating with the grade 12 teachers to make the answer sheet available for students by photocopying them and selling them.
Friday, August 03, 2012
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Factories claim worker support
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| Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun (right) speaks outside the US Embassy in Phnom Penh last month while accompanied by striking garment workers from the Tai Yang Enterprises company. Photograph: William Kelly/Phnom Penh Post |
Thursday, 02 August 2012
Mom Kunthear Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post
Workers at Tai Yang and Camwell factories in Kandal province, where a strike has lasted five weeks, have thumb-printed their support for legal action against Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun, management claimed. (sic!)
Wu Minghuor, manager of the two factories in Ang Snuol district, said workers were sick of the dispute over seniority bonuses and were taking a stand against Chhun, who has been heavily involved in strike action outside the factories and in Phnom Penh.
“We are organising documents related to Rong Chhun,” he said, adding that all but 20 employees had returned to work. “Workers have given their thumbprints to us because they see what [Chhun] did is not right.”
Chhun, however, said the factory, with the help of other unions he wouldn’t name, had forced employees to thumbprint the document.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Students Forced to Pay Bribes
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| Cambodian students travel on boats to school through floodwaters in Kandal province, east of Phnom Penh, Oct. 3, 2011. (AFP) |
Reports of bribery in Cambodian schools underscore the country's uphill battle against corruption.
2012-07-26
Radio Free Asia
Cambodian schoolchildren are being forced to pay bribes to pass high school admissions tests, a senior local educator said on Thursday while calling on the country’s Ministry of Education to have students retake their most recent exams.
“These tests must be taken again, as the results of the previous tests are not valid,” Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association president Rong Chhun told RFA in an interview.
Proctors and examiners for junior high school students are requiring payments of between U.S. $30 to U.S. $60 for a passing grade on high school entrance exams, Rong Chhun said, adding that “middlemen” are charging similar amounts for assurances the bribes will reach the right people.
“There is a price for middlemen between U.S. $30 to U.S. $50. I urge the Ministry of Education to work with local authorities to bring the suspects to justice,” Rong Chhun said.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Cops allegedly attacked garment strikers
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| Workers employed by the Golden Gain Shoe company protest yesterday in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post |
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post
Police have been accused of punching and shoving garment workers from Tai Yang and Camwell factories in Kandal province as the month-long strike over bonuses continued yesterday.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said 11 people had been slightly injured after being attacked by about 60 police who were trying to prevent them from standing near National Road 4 in Ang Snuol district.
“The police officials came to push and beat the workers without talking with us in advance,” he said.
“Nine workers and two union leaders – me and Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance Trade Union – were slightly injured,” he said.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tense and violent situation at the Tai Nan factory
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| SRP MP monitors the situation at the Tai Nan factory strike (All photos: CCHR) |
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| SRP MP and Senators monitoring the situation. |
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| CCU Rong Chhun talking to the workers |
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| The cops who allegedly kicked the workers. |
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| Rong Chhun showing his swolen leg after he was kicked by the cops |
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| Rong Chhun talked to workers. |
US big brand boycott called for by workers
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post
Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post
Some 100 workers, along with the president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, delivered a letter yesterday to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh asking Americans to boycott clothing made by Tai Yang Enterprises.
Surrounded by protesters, CCU President Rong Chhun said that the group was left with no other choice after authorities failed to find a suitable solution for the employees of the Levi’s and Gap supplier.
“We appeal to all American people to stop buying or using the products or clothes from this factory … [The US government] will not keep quiet, and they will put pressure to this factory,” said Chhun.
Tai Yang workers have been on strike since June 25 over allegations that a change in the company’s name had stripped them of seniority benefits.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Garment strikers set sights for capital again
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| Strike at the Tai Yang factory (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) |
Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post
Strikers from Kandal province’s Tai Yang and Camwell factories, which supply Levi’s and Gap, will converge on the capital again today to keep pressing for seniority bonuses, Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun said.
The 150 workers who remain on strike – of about 4,000 who have stopped work at the factories since June 25 – will deliver a petition to the US Embassy in an attempt to appeal to the factories’ mostly American buyers, Chhun said.
The workers, who have been demanding seniority bonuses of US$170 per year, claim Tai Yang changed its name in 2010 to avoid paying such benefits, allegations management denies.
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