Camboya - Threats against Ath Thorn (2011)

Anonymous phone calls were made to colleagues of Ath Thorn, president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) and the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), threatening the union leader. The calls were made on 17 and 28 August, shortly prior to the holding of a nationwide strike in the garment sector. In the call made on 28 August, at 5.15 p.m., the anonymous caller told Ath Thorn’s colleague to pass on this message: «Tell your boss not to be too strong, to watch out.» In light of the three union leaders murdered over recent years in Cambodia, these threats have to be taken very seriously.