Fired RFA Staff Seek US Ambassador Intervention

Angry with the sacking of one of their colleagues on Thursday 24th, five Radio Free Asia's staff had staged a protest by burning tyres (pictured) in front of the RFA's Office. Now the five renegade staff had been sacked.

Phan Sophat (aka Ath Bonny), leader of the group, was the 5th (4th?) man sacked by RFA, after Ms. Sieng Spohorn was sacked on Thursday and Mr. Huy Vannak and Mr. Thai Sothea were sacked on Friday. Phan Sophath said he led a protest because he could not stand to look at his colleagues being sacked one by one.

Phan Sophat’s sacking was announced in a communiqué distributed on Saturday after he participated in a work boycott and he also participated in a tire burning-strike held in the evening of Friday 25 September.

RFA so far has said that the staff were laid off due to the organisation's restructure, but those RFA staff disputed the claims by saying that the sackings were selective and not transparent and were carried out with nepotism and cronyism.

Click to read their letter seeking intervention from US Ambassador.