Four Dead in Cambodia Garment Strike
A weeklong strike by Cambodian garment workers turned deadly Friday as police shot and killed at least four people and wounded several others in an attempt to break up a protest for higher wages. The violence came after weeks of escalating political and labor unrest marked by a series of opposition-led antigovernment protests and a nationwide strike that has stalled Cambodia’s mainstay garment industry. Activists worry that the shootings could signal the government’s growing propensity to use deadly force against its opponents, amid what political analysts say is Prime Minister Hun Sen’s toughest political challenge in more than a decade. At about 10 a.m. local time Friday, military police armed with assault rifles opened fire on several hundred workers who were blocking a road on the southern fringe of the capital, Phnom Penh, after the protesters started hurling objects at officers, police officials said. Chuon Narin, deputy chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, blamed “gangsters” and “anarchists” for instigating “violence toward the police,” saying “Police are trying to defend themselves.” … Clashes recurred in the afternoon, local media reported, with military police firing live ammunition as they approached a group of protesters at the same location as the earlier shooting. At least one worker was hurt, activists said. Police officials didn’t comment on the number of injured in afternoon or morning clashes. Opposition leaders and rights activists condemned the use of deadly force. Sam Rainsy, president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, called for an “immediate stop of violent acts” and said his party would seek an international criminal probe into the shootings, according to statements posted on his Facebook page. Until Friday, the protests had been marked by relatively minor clashes in which police used tear gas and batons. The escalation came after thousands of garment workers defied government orders to end their strike by Thursday, reiterating demands for the garment industry’s minimum wage to be raised to $160 a month—$60 higher than the government’s latest offer. The Asia Floor Wage Alliance, a group of trade unions and labor-rights activists, estimates that a fair “living wage” for Cambodian garment workers would be $283 a month. … Cambodia’s garment sector supplies apparel to retailers mainly in the U.S. and the European Union. It earned nearly $5.1 billion in the first 11 months of 2013, up 22% from 2012 period, according to the Commerce Ministry.Cambodia has about 800 garment and footwear factories that employ about 600,000 workers, mostly women, labor officials say. Manufacturers favor the country for its low wages, but strikes are frequent because of what union leaders say is widespread discontent with meager salaries, poor working conditions and lax enforcement of labor laws. …
Chun Han Wong and Sun Narin
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304325004579297511167310046
