Tuk-Tuk Group Says Licadho Edited Bus Driver Attack Video

A relationship of tuk-tuk drivers on Wednesday hit back at feedback of its individuals for brutally assaulting a gathering dissenting Capitol Tours transport drivers in Phnom Penh on Satur­day, asserting a rights bunch re­leased footage of the assault that neglected to recount the entire story. The assault happened when a gathering of 40 let go transport drivers and a modest bunch of supporters—who have been dissenting for quite a long time—accumulated outside the organization's base camp in Prampi Makara area to request their occupations back, asserting that they were unlawfully released for endeavoring to unionize. At the point when the drivers endeavored to obstruct a transport from leaving the region, a comparative number of tuk-tuk driv­ers in coordinating dark caps—all individuals from the Cambodia for Confederation Development As­sociation (CCDA)— assaulted them with wooden shafts, metal bars and sledges, as per rights bunch Licadho.

 

A video discharged by the gathering seems to affirm this record. Amid a question and answer session at an eatery over the road from the organization's central command, how­ever, CCDA president E So­phors said Licadho utilized just clasps that upheld its story that the tuk-tuk drivers began the battle. "They just took photographs and video after the brutality had begun," Mr. Sophors said. "I expect that later on, individuals will see that NGOs don't remain for hu­man rights; they are organizations that just show givers one side damaging the law."

Mr. Sophors said his individuals had consent to stop outside the Capitol Tours warehouse and re­lied on the organization's clients for business. He said that while his individuals were the first to utilize brutality on Saturday, the transport drivers had pushed them too far lately. Their endeavor to hinder the transport, Mr. Sophors said, was past the pale. "Those drivers made the viciousness by hindering the transport—how could roughness not happen after that?" he said. "In the event that dissidents request that travelers quit utilizing the bus­es… where will my individuals procure the cash from?"

Am Sam Ath, specialized facilitator for rights bunch Licadho, denied that his NGO had utilized particular footage, including that the video was not discharged with the in­­tention of setting fault on eith­er side. "The footage and video we have is an exact representation of what happened on Sat­ur­day," he said. In a choice that has been impacted by unmistakable work pioneers, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Monday charged six individuals over the challenge, including Ath Thorn, president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation (CLC) and Kong Athit, the confederation's secretary-general, who say they were not even pres­ent amid the showing.

Additionally charged were Eang Kim­hun, secretary-general of Cambo­dia Transportation Work­ers Fed­er­ation (CTWF), Sok Chhun Oeung, president of the Cambodian In­formal Eco­nomic Workers As­so­ciation, let go transport driver Nan Vanna and work dissident Ros Siphay. Mr. Vanna and Mr. Siphay were captured promptly after the savagery and have subsequent to been sent to jail to anticipate trial. The others stay free. On Wednesday, Mr. Sophors ex­plained that the CCDA had documented a police grievance against the four work pioneers, likewise naming Nin Kosal, VP of the CTWF, as one of the instigators of the dissent. "It was driven by the CLC. We are not going to accuse the transport drivers," he said.

Reached by phone, collective police boss Pat Samnath—who has said that his officers made no endeavor to mediate on Sat­ur­day in light of the fact that they were terrified of getting hurt—additionally rebuked the nonconformists for the brutality. "The drivers obstructed the street, so the tuk-tuk drivers attempted to make them move. This is the primary explanation behind the roughness," he said, declining to expound. Mr. Kimhun said the CTWF—an associate gathering under the CLC—was wanting to document its own protest against Mr. Sophors and CCDA VP Suth Menghy. He said he was not stressed in regards to the tuk-tuk affiliation's dissension. "They can document a grievance against us on the off chance that they need," Mr. Kimhun said. "Remember to bring proof. Our casualties were harmed and individuals saw that, and the NGO video