Cambodia’s Arrest of Union Leader Chhim Sithar

The United States is deeply concerned by the recent arrest of Chhim Sithar, president of a labor union in a year-long dispute with NagaWorld, after her return to Cambodia from a labor conference in Australia.  Cambodian authorities have previously interfered with the exercise of workers’ rights by detaining union leaders and workers protesting the wrongful termination of NagaWorld employees.

We urge Cambodian authorities to release Chhim Sithar and end prosecutions against trade unionists exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, drop charges against them, and move to constructively resolve their disputes. We also reiterate our call for Cambodia to release U.S. citizen Theary Seng.

We continue to call on the Cambodian government to uphold its labor rights obligations and commitments and mediate a resolution between NagaWorld and the labor union representing terminated employees.