At Least 10 Injured During Protests Outside Information Ministry
Jan. 27, 2014 3:59 a.m
Mam Sonando, center, and other activists run as military police disperse the protest in Phnom Penh, Monday. tang chhin sothy/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—At least 10 people were injured in the Cambodian capital on Monday when military police broke up a demonstration in front of the Information Ministry, as the government continues trying to enforce a citywide ban on protests.
Rights activists said about 1,000 people were at the demonstration, which was led by independent radio journalist Mam Sonando, who said he was protesting the government's decision to turn down his request for more bandwidth for his radio station, Beehive Radio. Mr. Sonando often discusses political and social issues on his network.
Phnom Penh had been relatively calm in the past two weeks following a government crackdown on protests on Jan. 2-4. But unrest flared Sunday, when security forces tried to stop protesters from entering Freedom Park, which has become a rallying point for opposition supporters and labor unions seeking for better wages for garment workers.
Outside the Information Ministry on Monday, military police, equipped with batons and shields, fired smoke canisters and charged at protesters, according to rights activists who said they observed the events. Several protesters were arrested, they said.
Military police spokesman Brig. Gen. Kheng Tito confirmed that there were clashes Monday. He said several hundred officers were involved. "We have informed [the protesters] not to do the demonstrations. But they still did it, [so] we took the action against them," he said.
The spokesman said he didn't immediately have information on the number of people arrested or injured during Monday's latest clashes. Moeun Tola, a labor-rights advocate at the Community Legal Education Center, said he was at the protest and that roughly 10 people were hurt.
Activists said 10 people were also hurt in Sunday's clashes, when protesters marched to demand higher wages for garment workers and the release of 23 people detained during the Jan. 2-4 crackdown.
Mr. Sonando said he plans to continue his protest, adding that his demands are legal and in accordance with Cambodia's Constitution. "We regret that the authorities used imbalanced force on people," he said.
Officials from the Information Ministry weren't immediately available for comment Monday. They have previously said there wasn't any more bandwidth to offer Mr. Sonando.
Government and police officials have said they are trying to preserve public order.
Before the crackdown in early January, tens of thousands of garment workers walked off their jobs and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party staged a series of protests, alleging that voting fraud had robbed it of victory in elections last July. The party is demanding that Prime Minister Hun Sen either calls a new vote or resigns, ending his 28-year rule. Mr. Hun Sen has rejected the demands and his ruling Cambodian People's Party has denied rigging the elections.
Security forces started arresting labor protesters on Jan. 2. Clashes turned deadly the next day, when police shot and killed at least four people. Authorities then cleared opposition supporters from Freedom Park and banned protests in the capital indefinitely.
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