Cambodian officials have defended the arrest of NagaWorld unionist Chhim Sithar among pressure from both local and international labor rights and foreign affairs groups, including the US Department of State.
Sithar, who has led a series of protests outside the Phnom Penh integrated resort over its decision to lay off 373 workers late last year, was arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport and placed in pre-trial detention last Saturday after returning from a 12-day trip to Australia. The trip was reportedly to attend the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) World Congress in Melbourne, however authorities claim it was also in breach of bail conditions after she was previously released from prison in March.
Her latest arrest has resulted in widespread outcry, with the US Department of Justice issuing a statement which read, “The United States is deeply concerned by the recent arrest of Chhim Sithar, president of a labor union in a year-long dispute with NagaWorld, after her return to Cambodia from a labor conference in Australia. Cambodian authorities have previously interfered with the exercise of workers’ rights by detaining union leaders and workers protesting the wrongful termination of NagaWorld employees.
“We urge Cambodian authorities to release Chhim Sithar and all detained trade unionists exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, drop charges against them, and move to constructively resolve their disputes. We also reiterate our call for Cambodia to release US citizen Theary Seng.
“We continue to call on the Cambodian government to uphold its labor rights obligations and commitments and mediate a resolution between NagaWorld and the labor union representing terminated employees.”
A joint statement from Cambodian civil society organizations and unions also accused the government of persecuting Sithar and others holding similar sway.
“They represent the legitimate interests of many workers who have called on employers to respect labour laws and workers’ legal rights. The government should appreciate their heroism,” the groups said.
In response, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and the Ministry of Justice issued statements of their own on Wednesday in which they insisted Sithar’s arrest was solely due to her breaching bail conditions.
“We ask those organisations to check the legal procedures before drawing any conclusions or making inferences and accusations just to cover for their friend’s wrongdoing,” said justice ministry spokesman Chin Malin.
“All of these procedures are stated clearly in our laws and – in a democratic society operating under the rule of law – they must be followed.”
The NagaWorld protests kicked off late last year, with protestors demanding the reinstatement of the 373 workers laid-off by the casino operator in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. NagaWorld had described the layoffs as part of “proactive measures to manage the [COVID-19] situation” with the company looking to save up to US$2 million per month in run-rate operating costs.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior said this week that a total of 249 of the 373 employees have now accepted seniority payments to put an end to their employment contracts with the company.
