Australia's ABC News Network
PHOTO: An individual wearing the South Korean insignia (far left) and the same military fatigues as his Cambodian counterparts engaged in clearance operations. (Facebook: camnews.org)
South Korean embassy officials and factory workers had direct contact with the security forces behind the violent dispersal of striking garment factory workers near the Cambodian capital last week.
A possible motivation for the sudden confrontations outside Phnom Penh emerged via a South Korean embassy statement released, and now deleted, on Facebook.
A two-week garment workers' strike was violently broken by police and military firing into protesting crowds on Friday, leading to the deaths of up to five people.
In a statement released Monday on the Facebook page of the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia, officials detailed pleas to both the ministries in Hun Sen's ruling government and the key opposition party led by Sam Rainsy.
In a translation obtained by the ABC from its original Korean, the Facebook post, since removed from the site, said embassy staff had actively engaged Cambodian police and military to protect South Korean assets.
"We've prepared concrete actions with the co-operation of the police and the army for protection of our labourers," said the statement.
"With our companies, we've visited the army office of city protection and explained the real situation.
"Then they sent armies only for our companies in Canadia industrial complex, protecting against fires and plunder [from the strike and protests]."
South Korea is Cambodia's largest investor, owning the majority of its sprawling garment making industry.
Clothing manufacture is the country's largest industrial sector, accounting for some $US5 billion per year in exports.
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia puts losses to garment industries as a result of the strike at more than $200 million.
That's nearly Seoul's entire 2012 investment in the country.
Factory owners made direct pleas
In a wide-ranging investigative report by the GlobalPost news website, an administrative officer with South Korean-US garment maker Yakjin, which supplies products to Gap and Walmart among others, said the pleas of factory owners extended directly to the military.
But the officer, Kong Sokunthea, said she believed the violent dispersal wasn't planned.
"People, and not just the labour union, gathered and tried to literally push into the factory," she said.
"There is a military unit behind the factory, and a worker [inside the factory] knew a soldier, so we asked the military to step up.
"The military came in front of the factory door and tried to convince the workers to return, but they declined, so the military got a few people.
"The government's order was also the reason why the military was able to subjugate the strike in such a fierce manner."
She denied that Yakjin had been working with the South Korean government, and was unaware of any meetings with the military.
The statement from the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia however, suggests some very high level consultations between Seoul and Phnom Penh officials.
"We sent a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen for the re-normalisation of our company's business in this early strike," it said.
"We contacted the leader of national committee against the terror explaining to him about the deep worry for our foreign companies.
"With these actions, we believe that the Cambodian government accepted our appeals and raised their concerns for our companies."
South Korean insignia on strike breaker
PHOTO: An individual wearing the South Korean insignia (far left) and the same military fatigues as his Cambodian counterparts engaged in clearance operations.(Facebook: camnews.org)
The emergence of the South Korean statement confirming representations between Seoul and Phnom Penh also raises questions about a fluke video snapshot recorded during the dispersal of the garment workers.
A video posted on Facebook on January 2 shows several frames of an individual wearing the South Korean insignia and the same military fatigues as his Cambodian counterparts engaged in clearance operations.
A spokesman for the Cambodian Council of Ministers, Phay Siphan, told GlobalPost that the individual had no link to the military.
"The Cambodian military unit does not have Korean flag bearers," he said.
"What you saw could be a private individual and not a unit from Korea."
Meanwhile, the United Nations' human rights office says it is alarmed by Cambodia's crackdown on protesters and urged the authorities to show restraint.
Spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, urged Cambodia to launch a "prompt and thorough investigation" of the security forces' actions and ensure that members found to have used disproportionate and excessive force are held accountable.
"We are following the situation in Cambodia with serious concern and are deeply alarmed by the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials in responding to demonstrations," he said.
He expressed concern about the disappearance of 23 people detained after last week's protests, including at least one minor.
The UN human rights office also announced that the world body's Cambodia monitor, Surya Subedi, would visit the country from January 12-17.
Facebook statement
PHOTO: Clear admission on Facebook page links South Korean factory interests to violent dispersal of Cambodia factory strikers. (Facebook: South Korean Embassy in Cambodia)
19 comments:
Time for SK to pay the price. Go get them boy!
Cambodian Army for hire. If there are money you can just hire any army. Don't know who really control the arm forces. Cambodia is arm force are Mercenary for hire.
South korean afterall behave arrogant the same as the Japanese's rule on Korea pennisula and China during 1920 to 1943.
So why Korean people cries foul about the Jap treated you during WW II, since you are acting no difference now with Cambodian than the Jap back then treared you. Take a sleeping pill and go to bed.
Are you sure the Korean behinds all this? Hun Sen went to HANIO recently to seek advise from his master and we all know that......!
sent ah south korean back home.
File ICC complain against SK Embassy.
There are some Khmer who will never thank Vietnam for saving Cambodia from Khmer Rouges, will never thank South Korea for bringing jobs to Cambodia.
That is wrong. Who will want to bring jobs to Cambodia in the future? Who will save them next time?
-Drgunzet-
Drgunzel! You and I need to get some Kim cheese. It's all about making money and it never about taking care of the poor Cambodians, if you asked me.
Save Cambodian next time from who? Vietnames again!
By asking yourself a dumb question and then giving a dumb answer to yourself is being called crazy. You need help. I mean mentally need help.
Really? Seems you are a fking dumb ass. Idiot. Don't you understand the implication of that question and answer? If not, well you are more than a fking idiot!
You needs help.
My country, my problem. Our country, our problem. Let us take this matter to our matter hand and not to deal with these un-goddly people. You can not negotiat or work with them. They are beyond human, they are worst than animal. They will justififying anything to destroy our country. We have so little time less to get ride of these evil or we will be never get our country back. Next election is too late. We may not have a country call home again. Our race will be forever gone. When that happen who will step in to restore our race?
Protesters are excercising their right to protest. Protesters were protest peacefully and yet arm soldiers who used Khmer tax money opened fire and murdered those protesters right on the street while the world was watching. Then, government used gang style civilian to beat up protesters and monks- of that result, the government accused the protesters of inciting. How is it one even can open its mouth to say such a thing? My God! This is just freaking so unreasonable. Make us mad as hell!
Certain Korean company is unfairly operating busniess in Cambodia. These company sanction by the Korean embassy, however, I am not sure if the Korean back home know about these issues. For example, in Siem Reap, Korean compnay sponsored Cambodia-Korean friend ship by organizing festival. With this context, Cambodian government ask people to make space for the festival activities and promise to the pople that they can move back once it is over. However, when the festival is done, Cambodian govern would not allow people move back to their land and told them the land is part of Absara. Yet, it turns out the land actually hands to the Korean company. What is wrong with us as Khmer? Why CPP and the government keep working for foreigner whethere Vietnames, Chinese, or Korean? Can this government start working for Cambodian?
Why Cambodian government keep on killing its own people? Hun Sen should show that he has spine by working for Cambodian rather than foreigners. Killing your own people is not a hero. Do not be fooled by foreigners who praising you for killing your own people. Work for Cambodian and Cambodian will protect you and ain't foreigner such as Vietnamese, Thai, or any race can not touch you.
Since Vietnames Prime Minister is coming to Cambodia, which also known as Saigon Meuy, what part of Cambodia land or island that Hun Sen is going to hand to Vietname. What is any of additional treaties signature Hun Sen going to sign?
Drgunzet.
Can the south korean investors thank cambodian working for them for .28 cent an hour.? Can VN apologize cambodian for its role in the making of Khmer Rouge which in turn killing many at the first place?
After they did that then cambodian can say thank you
Vietnam created Cambodian Communists to include all ethnics in Cambodia to fight French colonial power. The Khmer in the Cambodian Communists seized power and changed it to Khmer Rouges which had only Khmer.
But Khmer Rouges group only had about 500 fighters, then Sihanouk called the people to join Khmer Rouges, thus Khmer Rouges movement took off into a 50,000 strong.
I am well versed in history. I read a couple thousand books. Among them, I read a couple hundred books in histories. Among the history books I read a couple dozen books about the Vietnam war and Cambodia history.
I have German superiority and power. My reading rate is 10-20 times as fast as any Khmer I met. My learning rate is about 100 times as fast.
I met this one German. The guy wrote and memorize about 100,000 to 1 million lines of program codes in his head. I suggest the Khmer folks to find way to improve yourselves. I actually offered to teach the Khmers what I learned from the Germans but the Khmers were always angry at me.
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