U.S. calls for the release of Cambodian labor activist

NagaCorp

29/11/2022 23:31

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The United States on
Tuesday said it was deeply concerned by Cambodia's arrest of
union leader Chhim Sithar and called for her release and that of
other detained trade unionists.
    The State Department said Sithar, whose union has been in a
year-long dispute with the NagaWorld casino, was arrested after
returning to Cambodia from a labor conference in Australia. 
    It said Cambodian authorities had previously interfered with
workers' rights by detaining union leaders and workers
protesting the 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," the
department said in a statement.
    The State Department also reiterated a call for the release
U.S. citizen Theary Seng and said the Cambodian government
should uphold labor rights obligations and mediate a resolution
between NagaWorld and the union.
    Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American lawyer and human rights
activist, was among 60 opposition figures jailed in June on
charges of conspiring to commit treason, after a mass trial
condemned by the United States and rights groups as politically
motivated.
    Chhim Sithar is head of the Labor Rights Supported Union of
Khmer Employees of NagaWorld and was at the forefront of a
strike at Cambodia's biggest casino, facing off against scores
of riot police at protests in Phnom Penh.
    A statement released on Monday by the Cambodian Center for
Human Rights on behalf of 69 civil society groups said Sithar
was arrested on Saturday and accused of violating bail
conditions that allegedly prohibited her from leaving the
country.  
    It said Sithar was released on bail in March following a
previous January arrest and that neither she nor her lawyers
were informed of any bail conditions.
    Employees of the NagaWorld casino, which is run by Hong
Kong-listed Nagacorp Ltd  3918.HK , began protesting in December
against the layoff of 365 workers in the wake of disruption
caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
    Police called the strike illegal and said the protests
threatened public security. NagaWorld described the layoffs as
unavoidable.
 (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Simon Lewis; editing by
Stephen Coates)
 ((david.brunnstrom@thomsonreuters.com; +1-202 354 5835;
Twitter: @davidbrunnstrom;))