Labor
Baby saved from ‘traffickers’
A 7-month-old baby, a woman and two men en route to Malaysia were rescued from two alleged traffickers near the Cambodia-Thai border in Banteay Meanchey’s Poipet town, police said yesterday. Heng Chhun, 48, and Som Na, 38, will face charges related to human trafficking, Prum Sonthor, ...
Sen David
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/baby-saved-%E2%80%98traffickers%E2%80%99
Complaint Lodged Against Security Chiefs Over Woman’s Shooting
A protester involved in Tuesday’s clash between SL Garment Factory workers and security forces filed a complaint yesterday against Phnom Penh’s municipal and military police chiefs, accusing them of responsibility for the death of a 49-year-old street-food vendor who was killed by police gunfire, according ...
Anniversary marked by inaction
Six months after two of her co-workers were crushed to death when a storage level collapsed at the Wing Star Shoes factory in Kampong Speu, employee Yu Manith is noticing the cracks in a factory wall beginning to expand. Shortly after police rummaged through the ...
Shane Worrell and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/anniversary-marked-inaction
Social Media Challenges ‘Official’ Version of Events
Seeing is believing—particularly in a country where the government controls the broadcast media and current affairs news, aired on pro-ruling party TV and radio, is often at odds with the country’s few independent media outlets. But in the aftermath of a violent clash between striking garment ...
Kuch Naren and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/social-media-challenges-official-version-of-events-47012/
Police Deny Responsibility for Shooting Civilians
Police on Wednesday denied any responsibility for the shooting death of a street food vendor after they fired live rounds during clashes with garment factory workers in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district on Tuesday, with a government spokesman saying the security forces can use “any means” ...
Lauren Crothers and Phann Ana
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/police-deny-responsibility-for-shooting-civilians-46937/
Hun Sen Set to Weigh In on SL Garment Factory Dispute
Officials at the Ministry of Labor who mediated talks Wednesday between the management of SL Garment Factory and union leaders who have led a three-month-long strike at the factory said that they would send the results of the meeting to Prime Minister Hun Sen to ...
Khuon Narim and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hun-sen-set-to-weigh-in-on%E2%80%88sl%E2%80%88garment%E2%80%88factory-dispute-46952/
Garment Workers Block Road, Protest for Higher Wages
There were major traffic delays along Phnom Penh’s Veng Sreng Boulevard in Pur Senchey district Wednesday after about 200 garment workers from the Alim Cambodia Co. Ltd. garment factory formed a gated roadblock and protested for higher wages. A line of halted container trucks stretched for ...
Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/garment-workers-block-road-protest-for-higher-wages-46954/
Police in strike shootings to be investigated
Police officers who defied orders not to open fire on rioting garment workers on Tuesday – an act that resulted in the fatal shooting of 49-year-old rice vendor Eng Sokhom – could lose their jobs, a National Police spokesman said yesterday. Kirt Chantarith told the Post that a ...
Shane Worrell and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/police-strike-shootings-be-investigated
Hun Sen’s Sister Linked to Private Security Firm at SL Factory
The younger sister of Prime Minister Hun Sen is the owner of a private security firm that has been hired to protect the SL Garment Factory from its workers, who have been on strike for more than three months, officials at the firm said Wednesday. Hun ...
Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hun-sens-sister-linked-to-private-security-firm-at-sl-factory-46946/
Cambodian police send 2 suspects to court after deadly clash in garment protest
The Phnom Penh Municipal Police on Wednesday sent two suspects to court with the charges of ” vandalism and causing injuries on police” in a Tuesday’s clash between the police and protesting garment workers, which resulted in the death of a woman and several injuries. Eang ...
Global Times News Staff
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/824631.shtml#.UoQswPlgd8E
Strikers, police clash
A woman was killed and at least six others shot yesterday morning when police fired live ammunition into a crowd of hundreds of rioting garment workers in the capital’s Stung Meanchey district. UN reports said police also arrested 37 people, including seven monks, as a result ...
Sean Teehan, Mom Kunthear and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/strikers-police-clash
At Embattled Factory, an Unmovable Manager
In an industry rife with labor strikes, the workers at the SL Garment Factory in recent months have been strident, and sometimes violent, in their efforts to have their demands for better working conditions met by factory bosses. Tuesday’s clash with police near Phnom Penh’s Stung ...
Aun Pheap and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/at-embattled-factory-an-unmovable-manager-46900/
UK: Cambodia worker health part of M&S Plan A progress
UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) is trialling a new campaign aimed at helping 14,000 garment workers in Cambodia deal with common health issues, as part of its Plan A ethical programme. The company, which aims to become the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015, ...
Katie Smith
http://www.just-style.com/news/cambodia-worker-health-part-of-ms-plan-a-progress_id119714.aspx
Mfone’s Assets Sold For Hugely Reduced Price
The assets of bankrupt mobile operator Mfone, which owes creditors more than $160 million, have been sold to a single buyer for the bargain price of $10 million, a lawyer involved with the case said Monday. Khan Sereyvuthy, a legal adviser to the government-appointed administrator handling ...
Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/mfones-assets-sold-for-hugely-reduced-price-46861/
US Ambassador Advises More Labor Skills as Asean Integrates
US Ambassador William Todd on Thursday urged the Cambodian government to strengthen the skills of its laborers, in order to meet the needs of an integrated Asean in 2015. The 10 Southeast Asian countries that comprise Asean are all moving toward an integrated economic block, which ...
Kong Sothanarith
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/us-ambassador-advises-more-labor-skills-as-asean-integrates/1785729.html
Spending on Defense and Security up 17% in 2014
The country’s draft $3.4 billion national budget for 2014 proposes yet another $920 million in new debt to make ends meet, the same amount taken on this year, according to a copy of the spending bill obtained Thursday. The draft budget calls for nearly $400 million—or ...
Kuch Naren and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/spending-on-defense-and-security-up-17-in-2014-46747/
Cambodia's garment export surges 24 pct in first 10 months
Garment industry, Cambodia’s largest income maker, reported a 24 percent rise in exports in the first ten months of 2013, according to figures of the country’s Ministry of Commerce Thursday. The figures showed that the country exported garment products in equivalent to 4.76 billion U.S. dollars ...
Xinhuanet News Staff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2013-11/07/c_132867226.htm
‘Ban’ for three more unionists
Three more unionists have been suspended as a result of the violent strikes at a Kampong Speu garment factory in May and June, a Free Trade Union official said yesterday. Sabrina (Cambodia) Garment Manufacturing factory’s FTU president Sun Vanny, vice-president Sem Sopheak and general secretary Chi ...
Mom Kunthear and Sean Teehan, P.6
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Rise of the bureaucrats
When the ruling Cambodian People’s Party promised civil servants a pay rise earlier this year, some suggested it was also trying to give them a reason to vote for it in July’s national election. The 20 per cent increase came amid the opposition Cambodia National Rescue ...
Daniel Pye and Sen David
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rise-bureaucrats
SL strike ‘bad’ for industry’s rep, says union
A labour union representing a minority of workers who have been striking at SL Garment Processing (Cambodia) Ltd for nearly three months released a statement yesterday, calling the strike bad for the industry’s reputation. Without specifically mentioning the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) ...
Mom Kunthear and Sean Teehan
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/sl-strike-%E2%80%98bad%E2%80%99-industry%E2%80%99s-rep-says-union
New hope for SL strike resolution
With union and company officials at one of Asia’s largest garment factories making no progress in resolving a strike that has lasted nearly three months, a pair of labour relation groups are working on an agreement that all sides hope will end the deadlock. officials from ...
Sean Teehan and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/new-hope-sl-strike-resolution
Fears SL strike could get ugly
Union officials fear violence that occurred at two separate rallies in front of the SL Garment Processing (Cambodia) Ltd factory last week will continue at one scheduled this morning. About 10 SL strikers were injured during demonstrations on Thursday and Friday, when uniformed and plain-clothes SL ...
Sean Teehan
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/fears-sl-strike-could-get-ugly
Massage Parlor Raid Suspects Sent to Court
Seven Vietnamese nationals arrested during simultaneous raids on a pair of massage parlors in central Phnom Penh on Thursday night have been sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for their role in the alleged trafficking of minors, police and a child-protection NGO said Sunday. “We ...
Ben Woods and Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/massage-parlor-raid-suspects-sent-to-court-46521/
2014 Draft Budget Reaches Assembly, Still Under Wraps
The National Assembly’s 12-member permanent committee will take its first look at the country’s $3.54 billion draft budget for 2014 on Monday, though officials are still refusing to offer a breakdown of how the money will be spent. The draft, which allocates more than $400 million ...
Hul Reaksmey
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/2014-draft-budget-reaches-assembly-still-under-wraps-46514/