PHNOM PENH - A woman was killed in Phnom Penh on Tuesday when armed police fired at a crowd of striking garment workers, an activist group said.
Striking Cambodian garment workers throw rocks to police during a protest in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, Nov 12, 2013. A woman was killed when police reportedly fired at the crowd. (EPA photo)
Em Sokhom, 49, a food vendor, was a bystander and not participating in the demonstration when she was fatally shot in the chest, said Chan Soveth, of the activist group Adhoc.
Three other people were injured, and 16 arrested, Chan Soveth said.
The clashes broke out between hundreds of striking garment workers and police, who reportedly fired into the crowd.
Workers at the Singaporean-owned SL Garment Factory in Phnom Penh's manufacturing district have been striking for months over working conditions, wages and the presence of police guards at the factory.
Journalists and rights monitors at the scene said protesters set a police car alight and threw rocks. They also reported seeing one protester shot and injured.
The SL factory produces clothes for clothing brands Gap and H&M.
Garment manufacture is Cambodia's biggest export industry, worth US$4.44 billion last year.
The industry has been criticised by workers' groups and unions for its monthly minimum wage of about $75 and safety concerns in some of the country's factories.