Cambodian police kill striking garment workers

Cambodian police have shot and killed at least three striking garment workers in Phnom Penh.

The workers, many of whom work in factories supplying American retailers, are seeking to increase their $80 per month minimum salary to $160 per month.

The garment protests have coincided with a political protest against the nearly three-decade rule of Cambodian strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Hun Sen won another term in office last year, but the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party has refused to accept what it calls fraudulent results and has boycotted Parliament. 

{mosads}The New York Times said police justified the killings as needed for restoring order.

The local Cambodia Daily newspaper Friday quoted a human rights official as saying five people have perished in clashes with police.

The violence comes as the United States is negotiating a free trade agreement with Vietnam, which is closely allied with Hun Sen, and whose garment and textile industry is linked to Cambodia’s. 

Cambodia has for years sought an end to high tariffs on its garment exports to the United States and has argued that its factories, which are monitored by International Labor Organization inspectors, are a model for the region.