Dozens honour slain Free Trade Union leader
2 mins ago - BREAKING NEWS

Dozens of unionists, garment workers and members of civil society marked the 15-year anniversary of former Free Trade Union leader Chea Vichea’s death today by holding a religious ceremony and urging police to speed up an investigation into his murder.

Friends, family and peers gathered just metres away from where Mr Vichea was slain almost two decades ago. Attendees held a Buddhist ceremony and gave speeches honouring the former Free Trade Union leader.

Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun said Mr Vichea was a hero to many garment workers and that his deeds were never forgotten.

Mr Chhun said Mr Vichea deserves justice, and the government has shown no interest in finding out who the real killer is.

“It has been 15 years, but we cannot see a single shed of light of justice for Mr Vichea,” he said. “As a union leader, I never forget his sacrifice for garment workers. I feel disappointed to know the authorities have no real intent on arresting the real killer.”

Cambodian Labour Confederation president Ath Thorn said Mr HE called for investigations into the deaths of Mr Vichea and other activists such as Hy Vuthy and Ros Sovannareth.

However, despite the call from the country’s top leader, no justice has been provided, Mr Thorn added.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/571224/doz ... on-leader/

16 years ago now... 22 January was the anniversary of the murder of trade union leader, Chea Vichea. Still no justice.

Unions Repeat Call to Find Justice for Murdered Labor Leader Chea Vichea
2 min read
Khut Sokun, Wed Jan 22, 2020 7:11 pm
Union leaders on Wednesday urged a reinvestigation into the murder of labor leader Chea Vichea, who was shot dead while buying a morning newspaper in Phnom Penh 16 years ago.

About 100 unionists and friends gathered at Vichea’s statue near Wat Langka to mark the anniversary, placing flowers around the statue and paying tribute to the former president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

They urged authorities to find Vichea’s killer and end the culture of impunity in Cambodia.

“I would like to appeal to and ask the police, and especially the government, to investigate and find the real killer,” said Mann Seng Hak, vice president of Vichea’s old union.

In 2014, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court had issued a letter to national police to investigate the case and send evidence to the court, but there was no progress, Seng Hak said.
https://vodenglish.news/unions-repeat-c ... ea-vichea/

It was.. who done it

There are various suspects, among them let's say some foreign factory owners.

Workers plan memorial for slain union head Chea Vichea
Soth Koemsoeun | Publication date 21 January 2021 | 22:48 ICT

Fifty members of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) plan to gather on January 22 for a ceremony to pay respects to the late union leader Chea Vichea, who was shot dead 17 years ago on January 22, 2004, in Phnom Penh.

Vichea was killed in front of a newspaper stand near Wat Langka pagoda. The Phnom Penh Municipal Administration has allowed his family to hold a ceremony there annually since his death.

FTUWKC president Touch Seu said the ceremony is attended every year by the union’s leaders and members and Vichea’s family and relatives.

“We requested permission for 150 people to attend the ceremony but the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall has only allowed us to have 50 people because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our programme this time is nothing new compared to previous years. We will have monks recite prayers, lay wreathes and then say a few words to our members,” he said.

Municipal hall spokesman Met Meas Pheakdey said the municipal administration had agreed to allow the members of the union to organise the programme according to their traditions but they have to try to maintain social distancing.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Hall announced the results of a meeting held on January 19 that would allow the union to perform the ceremony with the Covid-19 related limitations in place.

Those limitations include the aforementioned social distancing measures and it also stipulated that the FTUWKC must hold the gathering on January 22 from 8:30am to 10:30am at the statue of the late Vichea, which is located to the west of Independence Monument.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... hea-vichea

In memoriam
Chea Vichea

17 years on, workers mourn assassinated union leader Chea Vichea and decry culture of impunity
22 January 2021 5:09 PM
Sorn Sarath

Union leaders and garment workers commemorate the 17th anniversary of the assassination of union leader Chea Vichea in Phnom Penh on Friday. Panha Chhorpoan

Dozens of workers and unionists gathered Friday to mourn the death of Chea Vichea, an outspoken union leader who was assassinated in broad daylight while reading a newspaper at a roadside newsstand outside Wat Langka in 2004.

Just a few meters from where an unmasked gunman fired two shots into Chea Vichea, killing him instantly, members of a worker movement he pioneered called for authorities to track down those behind the brazen murder.

“The government is responsible for finding justice for workers, especially crimes against union leaders, or there will be no justice for the people,” said Ath Thon, president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation.

“We keep calling again and again for authorities to find justice, not only for Chea Vichea but for all.”

As president of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Chea Vichea was at the forefront of a nascent labour movement being built on the back of mass expansion of the garment industry in Cambodia.

He was a staunch critic of Prime Minister HE and an ally of now exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy – and his murder came amid a spate of politically-connected assassinations in Phnom Penh.

Days after Chea Vichea was killed, police arrested two men, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, but a judge dismissed the case against them for a lack of evidence.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court overturned that decision and both men were sentenced in 2005 to 20 years jail for the murder before they were exonerated by the Supreme Court and freed in 2013.

Police said it reopened investigations into the murder, but there has been no indication of progress since.

“Chea Vichea’s case is still open and the process of seeking justice and the ongoing investigation remain in place,” Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin told CamboJA.

“These so-called ‘perfect crimes’ are common and occur in many countries, including the United States and Europe, where justice is not found after 20 or 30 years,” he said, rejecting claims of impunity that have echoed around the murder since 2004.

Shortly after Chea Vichea’s death, his wife and children fled to Finland, where they have lived since.

Five months after the killing, Ros Sovannareth, a Free Trade Union committee member, was shot dead and, in 2007, Hy Vuthy, a president of the movement at the time, met the same fate.

No one has been held accountable for the killings, which are an example of the impunity that runs rampant in Cambodia’s justice system, said Chak Sopheap, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

“This detrimental culture of impunity robs citizens of their fundamental rights and instills a lack of confidence in the judiciary,” Sopheap said.

“We will not forget Chea Vichea. His case serves as a reminder to the Royal Government of Cambodia and to the public of the importance of accountability, transparency and rule of law to combat impunity and corruption.”

In 2016, Chea Vichea’s brother, Chea Mony, who took control of the Free Trade Union for some years, called for the government to shut down the investigation and stop pretending it was trying to find the killer.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that there were few new leads to follow, with various witnesses having fled the country.

“No one comes to provide testimony and it seems they no longer care about it anymore,” he said. “However, the case is still open.”

National police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun declined to comment.

In a park next to Wat Langka, where a small statue of Chea Vichea was erected in 2013 after years of blockages by the government, garment worker Ly Thary lit incense and said the bravery of Chea Vichea would never be forgotten.
https://cambojanews.com/17-years-on-wor ... -impunity/

Whatever about the politics, I hope they can get some better memorial together than that awful statue.

Relatives and supporters gather at memorial for murdered union leader Chea Vichea
23 January 2022 10:21 AM
Sorn Sarath

Relatives, unions and civil society groups gathered Saturday on the 18th anniversary of the murder of unionist Chea Vichea to call on the Cambodian government to find the perpetrators and end a culture of impunity.

More than 100 people gathered to commemorate the former president of the Cambodian Free Trade Union, who was gunned down on the morning of January 22, 2004 while reading a newspaper in front of Wat Lanka. Two men widely viewed as scapegoats were arrested for the murder and spent a total of nearly six years in prison before being acquitted.

Speaking to the crowd, Chea Mony said that his family continued to urge the government to seek justice for his brother.

“We will not drop our demands and our pain will never be forgotten. We urge the government to find the murderer and those who behind other murders, not just Chea Vichea’s case,” he said.

Mony said the murder involved powerful people, which is why prosecutors did not dare to hold a legitimate investigation. In 2015, Prime Minister HE set up a special committee to investigate the killing and that of two other unionists shot shortly after, though there has been little progress since.

“We think that the establishment of the interministerial commission is just an excuse to prolong the time as this murder is related to those in power,” he said.

Five months after Chea Vichea’s killing, Ros Sovannareth, a Free Trade Union committee member, was shot dead. In 2007, Hy Vuthy, a president of the movement at the time, met the same fate.

Unionist Rong Chhun, who has long been an outspoken critic of the government, said that 18 years on, the shadow of justice remains unseen. Chhun, who was recently released from prison after serving more than one year for what rights groups say was a politically motivated conviction, urged the authorities to end impunity in Cambodia.

“Cambodian authorities have the capacity to identify the murderers, but the authorities are unwilling to do so and prolong the case for 18 years of injustice,” he said. “[This case] has let the perpetrators live freely for 18 years now, and impunity in Cambodia is remain.”

As president of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Chea Vichea was at the forefront of a nascent labor movement being built on the back of mass expansion of the garment industry in Cambodia.
https://cambojanews.com/relatives-and-s ... ea-vichea/