NGOs call for 'thorough investigation' of Bavet shooting, urge Puma to conduct own probe

A security guard walks past broken windows at the Kaoway Sports factory in Svay Rieng province following a protest yesterday during which at least three people were shot. About 6,000 workers reportedly turned out for the protest. Photo courtesy of Phnom Penh Post by derek stout.

Published: 21-Feb-12

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - Cambodian authorities and international clothing and footwear companies such as German sportswear giant Puma AG should conduct thorough investigations into the shooting of three protesting factory workers in Bavet, two non-governmental organizations said Tuesday.

In a joint statement, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Lichado) and the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), noted that gun violence directed at unarmed protestors had recently been "on the rise" throughout Cambodia.

"Licadho and CLEC urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of this shooting," the joint statement said.

"We also call on the buyers of goods produced at these factories, in particular Puma, to cease relying on the biased information supplied by the factories themselves, and to send a team of investigators to conduct their own reviews of the incident instead.

"All buyers involved in Cambodia must make it clear to both the factories and the government that such violence is unacceptable and has serious consequences."

The statement noted that Monday's shooting in Svay Rieng province came during a protest by more than 1,000 workers from three factories in the Manhattan Special Economic Zone in Bavet, a casino and factory town on the Cambodia-Vietnam border.

Apart from Kaoway Sports, which supplies Puma, the other two factories were Kingmaker and Sheico which supply international brands Clarks, New Balance, Ecko, K 1 X and Body Glove, it said.

Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor for Licadho, said the shooting "appears to be a clear-cut case of attempted murder. Reports indicate that the gunman shot directly at the protesting workers. There can be no question that such actions constitute premeditation and an intent to kill under the Penal Code.”

Yeng Virak, the CLEC executive director, asserted that Cambodia’s workers earned less than a third of a living wage. “At the current rate, workers are at risk of consuming far too few calories per day. They can’t even begin to think about saving for their futures,” he said.

Added Naly Pilorge, director of Licadho: “Unless arrest and prosecution of these crimes to the full limits of the law becomes the rule and not the rare exception, as it currently stands, the frequency of such violence will no doubt continue to increase.”