Activists Accuse Cambodian Authorities Of Using Omicron To Stop Casino Workers Strike

Activists in Cambodia gain accused officers of using the COVID-19 omicron variant as an excuse to speak no no longer up to 200 NagaWorld casino workers to protect residence and pause all protests outdoor the IR. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

29 protesters tested sure

Cambodian authorities gain ordered the demonstrations by no no longer up to 200 NagaWorld On line casino workers to pause after 29 protesters tested sure for the Omicron stress of COVID-19, experiences the Union of Catholic Asian Files.

UCA reported the cessation speak by the Phnom Penh Municipal Price to Combat COVID-19 on Monday. The ban has resulted in Cambodian activists accusing authorities of using Omicron as an excuse to full the shut to 2-month strike.

NagaWorld labor case is generally framed as coloration revolution to now Covid-19 an infection.”

Sopheap Chak, executive director of the Cambodian Middle for Human Rights (CCHR), took to Twitter to speak that the “NagaWorld labor case is generally framed as coloration revolution to now Covid-19 an infection.”

Chak moreover acknowledged that six strikers bought arrested Monday and handiest three were launched.

Since December, hundreds of workers and their union representatives gain peacefully demonstrated outdoor NagaWorld’s integrated resort (IR) in Phnom Penh, tense the reinstatement of 365 workers laid off in April by holding company NagaCorp Ltd.

Authorities ordered the inserting casino workers to protect residence and straight away pause all protests outdoor the IR, warning the demonstrators that they risked fines and imprisonment if they didn’t tag the COVID-19 directive.

Stark warning issued

“Could maybe presumably moreover merely collected protesters be defiant and proceed to assemble for rallies, which in most cases is a catalyst for a neighborhood outbreak of Covid-19, the folk causing hassle — by no longer following the neatly being and administrative measures — will be legally to blame,” UCA cites the Phnom Penh municipal physique as mentioning.

“No excuses,” warned the authorities-backed physique.

Demonstrating team were moreover ordered to self-isolate for seven days although attempting out adversarial. This comes after one protester tested sure on Friday night, resulting within the neatly being physique’s speak for all protesters to gain tested interior three days.

The Voice of Democracy (VOD) reported that 255 NagaWorld workers were tested for COVID-19 on Saturday, and that the neatly being ministry issued an announcement Monday asserting that 29 of the workers had tested sure.

Striking casino supervisor Mey Vanna informed VOD that he thought “the guideline isn’t proper, [it] also can merely collected handiest practice to of us who test sure.”

prosecutor sent letters of summons to four protestors on February 5

In response to the Phnom Penh Put up, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s prosecutor sent letters of summons to four protestors on February 5. The four must characterize to municipal police headquarters on February 19 for the value of “blocking the enforcement of Covid-19 measures.”

Several union contributors late bars

In response to Monday’s media experiences, eight union contributors are late bars. The arrest that introduced worldwide condemnation, nevertheless, changed into that of the president of Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Workers of NagaWorld, Chhim Sithar. Thmey Thmey affiliate Cambodianess reported that plainclothes police arrested Sithar early January outdoor the Australian embassy within the Cambodian capital, inserting her in a headlock and forcing her into a automobile. The violent arrest of Sithar precipitated a response from the US Embassy in Cambodia, which bought onto Twitter to relate it changed into “following intently the troubling arrests of union contributors for his or her composed expression.” 

Phnom Penh police gain singled out Sithar as being the strike’s ringleader. They relate she has connections to foreign organizations and native NGOs looking out to destabilize operations of the NagaWorld IR, the nation’s greatest casino.

Police gain warned demonstators they possibility getting charged with inciting severe social unrest in violation of articles 494 and 495 of Cambodia’s penal code.