By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON, Jan 26 2004 (IPS)

Labour and human rights groups are warning that the killing of a Cambodian labour activist could herald a clampdown on activism in the politically troubled Southeast Asian nation.

Thousands of mourners turned out Sunday for the funeral of Chea Vichea, 36, who was both the leader of Cambodia’s textile workers and a prominent political foe of the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He was killed Thursday in a drive-by shooting in the capital Phnom Penh.

Rights groups expressed uncertainty whether his murder might have been motivated by his opposition activities or his labour organising efforts, which have been strongly opposed by many of the owners of the country’s fast-growing textile industry.

Several prominent personalities, including a radio journalist and a popular singer – both associated with the opposition royalist party (FUNCINPEC) – have been murdered by unknown assailants over the past three months. Vichea was a leading member of a second opposition group, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), which is named after its leader.

"This assassination will surely exacerbate the climate of fear for workers, journalists, environment and human rights activists who speak out or publicly demonstrate to express their views," said Sara Colm a senior researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"It is a watershed killing that will not only send shockwaves through the labour movement, but may also silence and intimidate opposition activists and journalists," she added.

When police officers attempted to remove his body to arrange for an immediate cremation, trade unionists intervened and took him to the headquarters of his union, the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), reported the Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the world’s largest trade union organisation.

FTUWKC is Cambodia’s largest independent union, with some 30,000 members.

In a strong letter to Hun Sen, the ICFTU detailed a number of the death threats that had been sent to Vichea, and noted that a retired military colonel, who served as head of security at a garment factory, had physically attacked and beaten the unionist as he was distributing leaflets inviting workers to a May Day rally earlier this year.

Vichea won a court victory against his assailant last September.

Noting that the activist had been forced into hiding on a number of occasions and that the government had failed to provide him with protection, the ICFTU called on Hun Sen to "issue a public guarantee that Cambodia’s trade unionists will benefit from full protection by state authorities against any future occurrence of similar events".

The U.S. State Department also strongly condemned the assassination, and called on the government "to undertake immediate and effective action to bring the perpetrators to justice".

"A culture of impunity in Cambodia must not be tolerated," said deputy spokesman Adam Ereli, who also called on Phnom Penh to ensure the security of Vichea’s family and colleagues.

The murder came as Hun Sen continues to negotiate with other parties to form a new government after the July elections, which were won by his Cambodian People’s Party. The CPP, however, failed to get a majority of seats in the national legislature.

The party has effectively ruled Cambodia since Vietnam ousted the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.

The two main opposition parties, SRP and FUNCINPEC, have formed their own alliance in the negotiations, and the resulting impasse, combined with the recent string of high-profile murders, has itself raised tensions. Some analysts have charged the government is trying to intimidate the opposition.

Rainsy, who gave an emotional address at Sunday’s funeral, declined to assign blame. "Chea Vichea has done many things that have affected the leaders of the country, but I cannot say whether (his killing) is politically motivated or not”, he said, adding however, "those who protest against the government – you see the result".

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihanouk was less restrained. From Beijing, he charged that the recent killings were "unquestionably political".

HRW noted that a senior adviser to FUNCINPEC leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh (Sihanouk’s son) was killed last January; a judge and court clerk were murdered three months later; and 13 opposition party activists were killed in the run-up to the July elections.

In addition, a series of attacks on opposition supporters had also gone unpunished, the group said.

"Unfortunately, Cambodia has a poor track record in bringing to justice the perpetrators of political killings," said Colm. "The Cambodian authorities must take immediate steps to enforce the law and protect those who struggle for basic freedoms, including labour rights."

Two senior U.S. senators from the Republican Party of President George W. Bush, Majority Leader Bill Frist and Mitch McConnell, also strongly denounced the killing and insisted that Hun Sen should be held accountable for failing to safeguard opposition figures.

Besides the political fallout, Cambodia’s textile trade could also suffer a setback from Vichea’s killing.

Under an unusual 1999 trade accord, Washington agreed to increase the import quotas for apparel assembled by Cambodia’s textile factories so long as plant owners and the government are in "substantial compliance" with core global labour standards.

The killing, particularly if there is a strong suspicion that apparel interests might have been involved, is likely to draw renewed scrutiny to how well the right to organise is being protected.

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