US demands that a Cambodian labour activist be freed

• On January 4, 2022, casino employees in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, demonstrated in favour of the reinstatement of fired coworkers.
• On Tuesday, the United States expressed its serious concern about the detention of union leader Chhim Sithar in Cambodia and demanded the release of both of them as well as all other arrested trade unionists.
• Police deemed the strike illegal and said that the demonstrations endangered public safety. The layoffs, according to NagaWorld, were unavoidable.

On Tuesday, the United States expressed its serious concern about the detention of union leader Chhim Sithar in Cambodia and demanded the release of both of them as well as all other arrested trade unionists.

According to the State Department, Sithar was detained upon his arrival in Cambodia from an Australian labour conference. Sithar’s union and the NagaWorld casino have been embroiled in a year-long dispute.

It claimed that the detention of union officials and workers who were protesting the firing of NagaWorld employees was an instance of Cambodian government interfering with workers’ rights.

The department issued a statement urging the release of Chhim Sithar and all other detained trade unionists who were peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, the dismissal of all charges against them, and the beginning of a constructive dispute resolution process.

The State Department also demanded Theary Seng, a US citizen, be released and urged the Cambodian government to uphold its obligations in relation to labour rights and mediate a settlement between NagaWorld and the union.

Theary Seng, a human rights advocate and lawyer of Cambodian descent, was one of 60 opposition figures imprisoned in June on treason conspiracy charges following a mass trial that the US and rights organisations criticised as being politically motivated.

Chhim Sithar, the leader of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, led a strike at the largest casino in Cambodia and engaged in street battles in Phnom Penh with dozens of riot police.

According to a statement issued on Monday on behalf of 69 civil society organizations, Sithar was detained on Saturday on suspicion of breaking bail terms that allegedly forbade her from leaving the country.

According to the report, Sithar was arrested in January and released on bail in March. Neither Sithar nor her attorneys were made aware of any bail terms.

As a result of the disruption brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, workers at the NagaWorld casino, which is operated by the Hong Kong-listed Nagacorp, started protesting in December against the 365 employees who were laid off.

Police deemed the strike illegal and said that the demonstrations endangered public safety. The layoffs, according to NagaWorld, were unavoidable.

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