At least 3 injured in Cambodian police, garment protesters clash

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-11-12 13:28:35

Cambodian anti-riot police and garment protesters clashed on Tuesday morning, leaving at least 3 injured and one police car and two motorcycles set on fire, a spokesman said.

The incident occurred in the capital's Meanchey district when hundreds of protesting workers at SL Garment Processing (Cambodia) Ltd had tried to march to Prime Minister Hun Sen's house for help with demand for payrise and better working conditions, but the police did not allow them to march, blocking the road.

"In the clash, strikers threw stones at police and set a police car and two motorcycles on fire," Kheng Tito, spokesman for the National Military Police, told Xinhua. "The police have retaliated by using water cannons and smoke bombs to disperse protestors."

He said at least a policeman was injured on his head by protestors' stones.

Eyewitnesses said at least two protesters got wounded by live bullets shot by police. However, Kheng Tito denied that the police have shot real bullets on protesters.

"We have never fired live bullets on protesters, it is against the law," he said.

Ath Thon, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, who led the protest, said the violence broke out as police prevented about 2,000 strikers from marching to Prime Minister Hun Sen's house.

SL Factory workers have been on strike since early August to demand payrise and better working conditions.

Garment industry is the country's largest income earner, accounting for than 80 percent of the country's exports. Last year, the country earned 4.6 billion US dollars from garment exports, according to the report of the Ministry of Commerce.

Currently, the country has about 500 garment and footwear factories employing some 510,600 workers.


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