On the night of October 16, 2006, police forces resorted to violent and brutal measures as they attempted to disperse 2,000 garment workers during a peaceful strike at the Singaporean-owned Bright Sky Garment Factory in Dangkor district, Phnom Penh. In the clash of riot police and shocked garment workers, police fired several shots over the heads of workers and beat them with their electric batons. The police were sent in to disperse the workers who had gathered in the factory's main compound in order to settle an ongoing dispute over working conditions.

The 2,000 night shift workers had gathered in the compound at around 6pm on Monday, October 16, 2006. During the previous week the workers had been on strike calling for the abolition of six month contracts and the adoption of clear probation periods and permanent contracts. The factory owner had apparently promised to respond to the demands of the workers on that day and therefore the workers had gathered expecting to hear from the factory owner.

After a two hour wait with no word from the factor owner, more than 200 Dangkor district and Phnom Penh municipal police and military police armed with tear gas, riot shields, electric batons, hand guns, and assault rifles, surrounded the factory compound. The police forces were apparently attempting to arrest the local Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) union president Chi Samon who was in the crowd. Four fire engines cordoned off the factory's gate to block workers from entering or exiting the premises. Police forces then made their move to arrest Chi Samon however the crowd of workers surrounded him and prevented the police from reaching him. The police forces then reacted violently as they fired several shots into the ground and over the heads of the workers. Chaos and confusion erupted as frightened workers attempted to flee and police beat the workers with the butts of their guns, shocked several people with electric batons and used tear gas.

During the operation, an innocent female bystander, a garment worker at a nearby factory suffered a gun shot wound to her abdomen. With the assistance of human rights groups she was able to get medical attention and had to undergo surgery. A pregnant worker was also brutally kicked in the stomach by a police officer, and as a result lost her baby. Two other workers were detained by the Dangkor district police, apparently accused of inciting the strike. One worker was later released; however the other was only freed in the afternoon of the following day after the joint intervention of human rights groups and worker's unions.

After the violent confrontation, the factory owner announced the closure of the factory's night shift and laid-off 1,600 workers. The owner asserted that a fall in demand from buyers and the violence that surrounded the strike attributed to the decision to close the night shift. The police authorities rejected the accusation that they used violent measures against the workers, stating that they only acted in self-defense and that the gun shot victim could have been injured by someone in the crowd.

Union workers blacklisting in aftermath of strike
In the weeks that followed the October 16 strike, the Bright Sky Garment Factory fired several day shift workers who were representatives of the FTUWKC union. The union representatives were then blacklisted as their names and photos were distributed to the authorities, other factories and the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia. After a month, a group of these blacklisted workers reported to LICADHO they were still unable to find work in a new factory.

The distribution of blacklists with names and pictures of workers identified as union representative is common practice in Cambodia amongst its garment factories. The practice effectively renders such workers unemployable in the garment industry and infringes on their right to freedom of association.

Both local and international organizations have condemned the brutal methods employed by the police in cracking down on the garment workers. The actions violated the workers' labor right to conduct peaceful strikes while the police authorities employed unjustifiable methods to disperse the gathering. LICADHO calls for the government to be accountable and responsible for the behavior of the national police and the military police; furthermore, there needs to be an immediate investigation into the conduct of the police authorities during the incident.

USA company GAP Inc. is one of the main buyers for the Bright Sky Garment Factory and LICADHO urges international clothing buyers to uphold their commitment to social responsibility by ensuring labor rights and basic human rights are respected.