Murder of Labor Leader Roils Waters in Cambodia

Jim Lobe, OneWorld US

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 26 (OneWorld) — The
assassination of Cambodia’s most important trade-union
leader has sharply increased tensions surrounding the
unsettled political situation in the Southeast Asian
nation and could jeopardize Cambodian textile exports
to the U.S.

Thousands of mourners turned out Sunday for the funeral
of Chea Vichea, who was both the leader of Cambodia’s
textile workers and a prominent political foe of the
government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He was only 36
years old.

Rights groups expressed uncertainty as to whether his
murder was motivated by his opposition activities or
his labor organizing efforts, which have been strongly
opposed by many of the owners of the country’s fast-
growing textile industry.

Several prominent personalities, including a radio
journalist and a popular singer—both associated with
the opposition royalist party (FUNCINPEC)—have been
slain by unknown assailants over the past three months.
Vichea was a leading member of a second opposition
party, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), named after its
leader.

"This assassination will surely exacerbate the climate
of fear for workers, journalists, environment and human
rights activists who speak out or publicly demonstrate
to express their views," said Sara Colm a senior
researcher at New York-bawed Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"It is a watershed killing that will not only send
shockwaves through the labor movement, but may also
silence and intimidate opposition activists and
journalists," she added.

Vichea, who reported receiving several death threats
from a variety of sources over the past year, was
reportedly shot several times to the head and chest by
two assailants while reading a newspaper at a highway
newsstand, and died on the spot.

When police officers attempted to remove his body to
arrange for an immediate cremation, trade unionists
intervened and took him to the headquarters of the his
30,000-member strong trade union, the Free Trade Union
of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, according to
the Brussels-based International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU).

In a strong letter to Hun Sen, the ICFTU detailed a
number of the death threats that had been conveyed to
Vichea and noted that a retired military colonel, who
served as head of security at one garment factory, had
physically attacked and beaten Vichea as he was
distributing leaflets inviting workers to a May Day
labor rally earlier this year. Vichea won a court
victory against his assailant last September.

Noting that Vichea had been forced into hiding on a
number of occasions and that the government had failed
to provide him with protection, the ICFTU called on Hun
Sen to "issue a public guarantee that Cambodia’s trade
unionists will benefit from full protection by state
authorities against any future occurrence of similar
events."

The U.S. State Department also strongly condemned the
assassination and called on the government "to
undertake immediate and effective action to bring the
perpetrators to justice."

"A culture of impunity in Cambodia must not be
tolerated," said deputy spokesman Adam Ereli who also
called on Phnom Penh to ensure the security of Vichea’s
family and colleagues.

Vichea’s murder came as Hun Sen has continued to
negotiate with other parties to form a new government
since the July elections that were won by his Cambodian
People’s Party (CPP) which failed, however, to get a
majority of seats in the national legislature. The CPP
has effectively ruled Cambodia since Vietnam ousted the
Khmer Rouge (news - web sites) regime in 1979.

The two main opposition parties, SRP and the FUNCINPEC,
have formed their own alliance in the negotiations, and
the resulting impasse, combined with the recent string
of high-profile murders, has itself raised tensions.
Some analysts have charged that the government is
trying to intimidate the opposition.

Rainsy, who gave an emotional address at Sunday’s
funeral, declined to assign blame. "Chea Vichea has
done many things that have affected the leaders of the
country, but I cannot say whether (his killing) is
politically motivated or not’’, he said, adding,
however, "Those who protest against the government -
you see the result."

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihanouk, however was less
restrained. From Beijing, he charged that the recent
killings were "unquestionably political."

HRW noted that a senior adviser to FUNCINPEC leader,
Prince Norodom Ranariddh (Sihanouk’s son), was killed
last January; a judge and court clerk were murdered
three months later; and 13 opposition party activists
were killed in the run-up to the July elections. In
addition, a series of attacks on opposition supporters
had also gone unpunished, the group said.

"Unfortunately, Cambodia has a poor track record in
bringing to justice the perpetrators of political
killings," said Colm. "The Cambodian authorities must
take immediate steps to enforce the law and protect
those who struggle for basic freedoms, including labor
rights."

Two senior Republican senators, Majority Leader Bill
Frist and Mitch McConnell, also strongly denounced the
killing and insisting that Hun Sen should be held
accountable for the failure to provide security to
opposition figures.

In addition to the political fallout, Cambodia’s
textile trade could also suffer a setback from Vichea’s
killing. Under an unusual 1999 trade accord, Washington
agreed to increase the import quotas for apparel
assembled by Cambodia’s textile factories so long as
plant owners and the government are in "substantial
compliance" with international core labor standards.

Vichea’s killing, particularly if there is a strong
suspicion that apparel interests may have been
involved, is likely to draw renewed scrutiny to how
well the right to organize is being protected.

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