Protestors in Phnom Penh call for the release of then-imprisoned union leader Chhim Sithar in 2020. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Union leader defiant

A union leader who was imprisoned for striking against the biggest casino in Cambodia has said she will continue fighting after her release.

Chhim Sithar was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in May 2023 for incitement to commit a felony, relating to her part in the casino workers’ strike against Nagaworld in Phnom Penh.

more than 1,300 employees, mostly union members, were laid off

Sithar had been one of the leading figures of a strike which started in December 2021 after more than 1,300 employees, mostly union members, were laid off amid financial troubles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She attended a demonstration before she was arrested and charged in January 2022. Several other union members were also charged, although all received suspended sentences.

Cambodia’s longest strike

Despite her imprisonment, Sithar remains undeterred and has vowed to continue the industrial action. Speaking to The Associated Press, she said: “We will continue holding strike action until we get a solution. That’s the position we have determined since the first strike.”

As long as there’s no justice, our struggle continues.”

“Unfortunately, as of today, after nearly three years, our workers have still not gotten justice. Therefore, as long as there’s no justice, our struggle continues.”

Nagaworld, which is owned by the estate of the late Malaysian billionaire Chen Lip Keong, is the largest casino in Cambodia and has been operating since receiving its license in 1994.

The strike, taking place in the capital of Phnom Penh, was far more high-profile and long-running than other industrial action in Cambodia’s history, which drew a harsh response from authorities. Seeking to avoid a demonstration at the prison, Sithar was released at dawn on Monday and escorted back to her home in Phnom Penh.

Union members attacked

Union members were subjected to police violence as well as other intimidation tactics, which Cambodian human rights campaign group LICADHO called “relentless efforts by authorities to suppress the strike — including sexual harassment, physical assaults, and judicial harassment.”

At the time of the strike, Amnesty International also condemned the response, saying union members were “prosecuted solely for exercising their basic rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”

Protests continued after Sithar was detained. In December 2022, more than 200 protestors accepted an offer of compensation, but the remainder fought on, despite the risks.

“No one wants to be in prison and I can say that we were afraid,” said Sithar. “But I want to make a comparison … Which one is the scarier? For me, the scare of losing the rights to a union, the scare of losing the right to unionize, is more scary than putting me in jail.”