Second death confirmed on Kompong Speu sugar plantation
A 44-year-old woman was run over and killed by a harvesting machine on Sunday while working on a sugarcane plantation in Kompong Speu province owned by CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat, marking at least the second death on the plantation since December. Y Mom, originally from Kandal province, was run over by the harvester after her crew took a break from work to wait for the machine to be fixed, said Sar Sok, second deputy chief of Thpong district’s Omlaing commune. ... Seng Nhak, the managing director of Phnom Penh Sugar, and Mr. Yong Phat’s son-in-law, said the death was an unfortunate accident and that the woman had violated company policy by falling asleep in the field. ... Equitable Cambodia’s Executive Director Eang Vuthy said the multiple deaths in the space of a few months were proof that safety conditions on the plantation were inadequate. ... Human rights groups accuse Phnom Penh Sugar of encroaching on 2,000 hectares belonging to 1,000 families and want the European Union to suspend the duty-free access to Europe the company’s exports currently enjoy. They also want ANZ Royal, a subsidiary of Australia’s ANZ Bank, which finances Phnom Penh Sugar, to pressure the plantation into helping the affected families as well. ANZ says it has asked the plantation to talk with the communities.
Kuch Naren and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/second-death-confirmed-on-kompong-speu-sugar-plantation-54417/
