‘Like animals in a cage’
A day after union leader Vorn Pov was violently arrested during garment strikes in early January, he was driven to an unknown location and told by armed officers to get out of the vehicle. … The union leader said his group of co-accused share a cell with about 180 others. His main concern in Correctional Center 3, however, is a lack of proper medical treatment. Despite having been shifted to a medical room in which only four prisoners are kept, Pov said staff have access only to paracetamol and thermometers and he is not able to schedule appointments with doctors from outside. … Pov was one of 10 people arrested by forces from RCAF’s Special Command Unit 911 outside the Yakjin garment factory in the capital’s Por Sen Chey district on January 2. Pov claimed he was merely informing workers of their rights during the strike over the government’s refusal to double the minimum garment wage. … Pov said he was beaten and dragged into the factory before being transferred to a nearby military base. The following day, he was taken to Phnom Penh Municipal Court, where he spent five hours, before being transported to an unknown destination – the journey upon which he feared for his life. …
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/%E2%80%98-animals-cage%E2%80%99
