One killed as Khmer police clash with striking workers
Phnom Penh - A woman was killed in Phnom Penh after police reportedly fired into a crowd of striking garment workers, an activist group said.
Eng Sokhom, a 49-year-old food vendor, was a bystander and not participating in the demonstration when she was fatally shot in the chest, said Chan Soveth, of the activist group Adhoc.
Three other people were injured, and 16 arrested, said Chan Soveth, deputy head of land and resources issues for the group.
Workers at the Singaporean-owned SL Garment Factory in Phnom Penh's manufacturing district have been striking for months overworking conditions, wages and the presence of police guards at the factory.
Journalists and rights monitors at the scene said protesters set a police car alight and threw rocks, while police fired live rounds and rubber bullets.
The SL factory produces clothes for clothing brands Gap and H&M. Garment manufacture is Cambodia's biggest export industry, worth4.44 billion dollars last year.
The industry has been criticised by workers' groups and unions for its monthly minimum wage of about 75 dollars and safety concerns in some of the country's factories.
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