Political Journal Report
Article: Cambodia: Troops Break Up Strike
Author: The Associated Press
Date Published: January 2, 2014
Link: Click here to read this article.
Author: The Associated Press
Date Published: January 2, 2014
Link: Click here to read this article.
In this article, it highlights the issues of the fight for higher wages in present day Cambodia. Workers in garment factories have gone under a strike to increase wages from $80 a month, to about $160 dollars a month. The strikers has thus begun to throw stones, iron objects, and other items, in order to destroy the factory property. The government had called in the Cambodian military in order to control the situation at hand, even while harming citizens in the process with AK-47s, metal pipes, knifes, and several other weaponry.
The situation that is currently in Cambodia as stated in the article is quite saddening. The workers are on strike in search for more pay for a better lifestyle than what they probably currently live. It's upsetting how although the workers feel that they're doing the right thing by striking in order for a change, they're also negating any hopes of improvement by destroying their employers' property. The military was called in and had used force on the strikers to control the disruption that they were causing, injuring many, which could have easily been avoided.
This article highlights the growing dissensions between the working class and the upper class. With the military having to be called in to stop a strike, it shows that the political foundation in Cambodia isn't very strong. The military had to come in, and they ended up injuring many strikers that were fighting for the betterment of themselves, their families, and their coworkers. The government had immediately gone in and relied on military force to hinder the strike, instead of attempting peace talks with the strikers before the military force was enacted upon the strikers.