Social development
Human rights
CAMBODIA UN Envoy Meets Activists Calling For Release of Detained Cambodians
The U.N. special envoy for human rights in Cambodia on Monday met with about 100 activists in the capital Phnom Penh who sought his help to gain the release of nearly two dozen people arrested during recent violent government crackdowns on striking factory workers. Envoy Surya ...
Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/envoy-01132014175223.html
Relatives Call On Government To Release 23 Detainees
Relatives and human rights activists on Sunday called on the government to release 23 men beaten and arrested during clashes between police and garment workers just more than a week ago, and said they would defy a ban on public gatherings if they were not. The ...
Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/relatives-call-on-government-to-release-23-detainees-50449/
Rights groups critical of gov’t investigations
The government announced on Friday it would set up two commissions headed by Interior Minister Sar Kheng to investigate clashes between police and protesters early this month that left at least four dead, more than 20 injured and 23 arrested, a move criticised by rights ...
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rights-groups-critical-gov%E2%80%99t-investigations
UN envoy expected to arrive in Cambodia for human rights assessment
United Nations envoy is expected to arrived in Cambodia today, a week after the deadly crackdown by government forces against protesting workers on Veng Sreng street, which left five people dead. This is the first visit of Surya P. Subedi, UN Special Rapporteur on human ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=11&token=ZGYzMjE1Y2E4NWI
Groups Demand Mandatory Minimum Wage, Threaten Protest
About 100 people, including 20 monks, held a ceremony in Phnom Penh on Friday in memory of the five people killed a week beforehand when military police opened fire on protesting garment workers, and demanded that the government introduce a mandatory, sector-wide standard minimum wage. In ...
Khy Sovuthy and Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/groups-demand-a-mandatory-minimum-wage-threaten-to-protest-50428/
Committees to ‘Research’ Minimum Wages, ‘Study’ Killings
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday assigned former Finance Minister Keat Chhon as the head of a newly formed committee tasked with researching the government’s capacity to introduce wage increases for civil servants and factory workers. The statement said that Mr. Hun Sen also spoke ...
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/committees-to-research-minimum-wages-study-killings-50431/
Despite bail, 15-year-old still in jail
A juvenile accused of destroying a police car during a violent strike by SL Garment factory workers in November remained in Prey Sar prison yesterday, despite the Court of Appeal having granted him bail. Sary Bothchakrya, a lawyer from the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) representing ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Daniel Pye
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/despite-bail-15-year-old-still-jail
Freedom Park tune cut short
In keeping with authorities’ indefinite ban on assembly, security forces yesterday morning dispersed a small gathering of nine youth activists who had planned to call for new elections and justice on behalf of recently slain protesters while singing songs about nonviolence in Freedom Park. Hoping to ...
Meas Sokchea
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/freedom-park-tune-cut-short
Lawyers Prevented From Seeing Protest Detainees at CC3
Lawyers and human rights workers were prevented from entering Kompong Cham province’s Correctional Center 3 (CC3) prison on Thursday when they attempted to meet with some of the 23 protesters, union leaders and garment workers detained last week after protests were lethally suppressed by government ...
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/lawyers-prevented-from-seeing-protest-detainees-at-cc3-50395/
Group Condemns Threats Against Leader of NGO
A coalition of international human rights groups on Wednesday issued a petition to press opposition CNRP leader Sam Rainsy and senior members of the government to publicly condemn and investigate the death threats against local rights group leader Ou Virak, following his criticism of comments ...
Simon Henderson
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/group-condemns-threats-against-leader-of-ngo-50405/
Adhoc Workers Say They Were Targeted by Driver
A provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc claimed Thursday that a representative of a company the group was investigating attempted to crash his car into him and two of his colleagues in Mondolkiri province. Sok Ratha said he had received a complaint in December about a ...
Eang Mengleng
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/adhoc-workers-say-they-were-targeted-by-driver-50407/
Families of Killed and Missing Protesters Compile Complaints
Family members of striking garment factory workers killed, wounded and missing after military police violently suppressed last Friday’s Veng Sreng Street protests have begun preparing complaints to file with authorities and rights NGOs. At least five people were shot dead, and more than 40 were injured, ...
Major Brands Concerned About Cambodia Violence
Major labels that have clothing manufactured in Cambodian factories have written an open letter expressing concern for the recent shootings of workers demonstrating for higher wages. Adidas, Gap, H&M, Levi’s and Puma were among those that signed the January 7 letter to the Phnom Penh government, ...
VOA News Staff
http://www.voanews.com/content/major-brands-express-concern-for-violence-against-striking-cambodians/1826132.html
UN wants probe into Cambodian violence
The UN human rights agency urged Cambodia to launch an investigation into the “disproportionate” use of force by security forces last week against garment factory workers striking over pay. Military police opened fire on workers protesting outside a factory in Phnom Penh on January 3 and ...
Peninsula On-line News Staff
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/news/asia/267595/un-wants-probe-into-cambodian-violence
Strikers fired in Svay Rieng
Factories in Svay Rieng province’s Manhattan Special Economic Zone have fired or suspended more than 200 workers – and are pursuing legal action against some – for participating in a strike last month that saw some 30,000 walk off the job. An accountant at Kingmaker (Cambodia) ...
Mom Kunthear and Sean Teehan
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/strikers-fired-svay-rieng
Khmer Krom targetted, says NGO
The leader of an organisation of monks from Kampuchea Krom, the part of southern Vietnam that once belonged to the Khmer Empire, accused security officials at the recent crackdowns at Freedom Park and last Thursday’s garment protest of singling out Kampuchea Krom monks for arrest ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/khmer-krom-targetted-says-ngo
SL protester, 15, released after months
A juvenile suspect held on charges of violence and criminal damage for his part in the SL Garment workers strike last November has been released on bail. The 15-year-old suspect was released under court supervision yesterday, after an appeal was launched against his pre-trial detention. ...
Lieng Sarith
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/sl-protester-15-released-after-months
South Korean Embassy Denies Role in Strike Suppression
The South Korean Embassy on Wednesday denied a news report that it had lobbied Cambodian military authorities to “crack down on protesters” in a bid to shield Korean investments in the garment industry, prior to Friday’s killing of five protesters and the wounding of more ...
Denise Hruby
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/south-korean-embassy-denies-role-in-strike-suppression-50364/
Silence broken at last
Notification that her son is being detained at Correctional Centre 3 in Kampong Cham came as a relief to Touch Sart yesterday, after spending nearly a week wondering whether he was even alive. Since her son, Theng Saroeun, was arrested along with 22 others at demonstrations ...
May Titthara and Sean Teehan
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/silence-broken-last
Workers Vow To Continue Wage Strike
Union leaders say workers will continue to strike over low wages, despite a violent crackdown by authorities last week and threats this week from factories who say they will be forced to move to other countries if strikes continue. Five different union say their workers will ...
Khoun Theara
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/workers-vow-to-continue-wage-strike/1825142.html
Police still mum on protesters
The whereabouts of 23 people arrested last week during a crackdown on demonstrations in Por Sen Chey district remained unknown yesterday, with prison officials and police refusing to divulge the information to family members and rights groups. ...
Sean Teehan
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/police-still-mum-protesters
Rights Groups Condemn Killing of Protesters
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), along with local rights groups Licadho and Adhoc, denounced the Friday shooting of protesting garment workers by police in a joint statement released in Paris on Monday. “The killing of demonstrators by government authorities is totally unacceptable. The government ...
Denise Hruby
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/rights-groups-condemn-killing-of-protesters-50315/
Firm has soldiers in pocket, say villagers
Hundreds of families in Banteay Meanchey province’s Thma Puok district filed a complaint yesterday to rights group Adhoc, claiming their community farmland is being bulldozed by a company under the protection of soldiers. ...
Sen David
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/firm-has-soldiers-pocket-say-villagers
‘Stubborn’ furniture firm vexes villagers
Twenty families from Ratanakkiri’s Kon Mom district are seeking intervention after a private company allegedly encroached on 10 hectares of their land. The unnamed company produces furniture from wood acquired from embattled Vietnamese concessionaire Hoang Anh Andong Meas, and over the course of the last two ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/%E2%80%98stubborn%E2%80%99-furniture-firm-vexes-villagers