More than 1,000 Cambodian garment workers defied a Government ban on marching to deliver a petition to the National Assembly in Phnom Penh. The workers vehemently expressed their demand for higher minimum wage and more freedom of assembly by raising slogans during a gathering to mark ‘May Day’. The police, however, ensured there were no untoward incidents.
The protesters, holding banners, thronged the street that was only a short distance from the parliament complex. Gradually, the crowd started advancing noisily towards the National Assembly until they were stopped by a barricade and lines of police, holding batons, shields and guns that were capable of firing gas canisters. The protest continued for several hours and was finally discontinued only when a representative from the Assembly came out and accepted the petition.
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The workers, who staged the protest, were from the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union. One of their major demands was increasing the minimum wage from US $ 153 to US $ 208 per month. It is to be noted that the apparel industry has been one of the biggest export earners for Cambodia.
