Around 3,000 mostly female workers blocked a road outside their factory owned by Sabrina Garment Manufacturing in Kampong Speu province
Police used cattle prods to move the group protesting over their low pay
At least 23 women injured and a two-month pregnant worker lost her baby
PUBLISHED: 17:31, 27 May 2013 | UPDATED: 07:45, 28 May 2013
Cambodian police used cattle prods to stun workers protesting over pay at a factory that makes clothing for U.S. sportswear company Nike – injuring at least 23 women and causing one to miscarry her baby.
Police dressed in riot gear were deployed to move around 3,000 predominantly female workers who had blocked a road outside their factory owned by Sabrina (Cambodia) Garment Manufacturing in Kampong Speu province, west of the capital, Phnom Penh, in Cambodia today.
Among the 23 women injured in the incident was a two-months pregnant worker who lost her child after military police pushed her to the ground, Sun Vanny, president of the Free Trade Union (FTU) at Sabrina said.
Police clashed with around 3,000 predominantly female workers protesting over pay outside a factory owned by Sabrina Garment Manufacturing in Kampong Speu which makes sportswear for Nike (stock image)
‘There was a pregnant woman among them. She lost blood and then she lost the baby,’ he said.
According to the International Monetary Fund, garments accounted for 75 pct of Cambodia’s total exports of $5.22 billion in 2011.
Low-cost labour has attracted manufacturers making clothes and shoes for Western brands but strikes over pay and working conditions have become common.
This month, two workers were killed at a factory making running shoes for Asics when part of a warehouse fell in on them. Police revised the original death toll of three given by a minister.
A series of deadly incidents at factories in Bangladesh, including the collapse of a building last month that killed more than 1,000 people, has focused global attention on safety in factories in Asia makes goods for Western companies.
Previous incident: A Cambodian rescue team searches for missing workers after a shelter at a garment factory collapsed in Phnom Penh in Cambodia on May 20
Poor conditions: Members of a rescue party search through rubble after thirteen workers were injured when a shelter at a Chinese garment factory collapsed
Sun Vanny said the workers making the Nike clothing had been staging strikes and protests since May 21.
They want the company, which employs more than 5,000 people at the plant, to give them $14 a month to help pay for transport, rent and healthcare costs on top of their $74 minimum wage.
‘Police used an electric baton to hit me on the head and if other workers hadn’t pulled me away, I would be dead,’ Leng Pros, a 28-year-old male worker, said from his hospital bed. ‘I didn’t know what happened next, I fell to the ground.’
Police and military police officials declined to comment on the clash, saying they were still collecting reports. No immediate comment was available from Nike Inc.
More incidents: Two workers were killed when this factory collapsed in Kai Ruong village, south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 16
Reduced to rubble: Rescue workers and soldiers search through the site of the accident in a shoe factory in the Kong Pisei district of Kampong Speu province, 30 miles west of the capital, Phnom Penh on May 16
5 Million Volt Cattle Prod Developed For “Crowd Control”
BattleProd designed for pain compliance
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
October 2, 2012
As law enforcement agencies and the federal government accelerate their preparations for civil unrest, a new 5 million volt tactical cattle prod has been developed for the purposes of “crowd control” and pain compliance.
In the video above, Donovan Hunter of Stunning Developments, Inc. showcases the new BattleProd, the world’s first weapon-mountable pain compliance-inducing stun baton which Hunter says is designed for use in “crowd control applications.”
The weapon was on display at the recent 2012 SOFIC (Special Operations Forces Industry Conference), described as “the defense industry’s premier event,” and attended by military and police professionals. The event was sponsored by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
According to a write-up of the BattleProd by Defense Review, the weapon is “intimidating” and “loud”.
“This thing is just too much fun. I mean, what’s not too like? It gives you 3-5 million volts of compliance-inducing electricity either in your hand (handheld variant) or at the end of your weapon (rifle/carbine, weapon-mountable variant). Touch the BattleProd anywhere on the rod (front, sides, etc.), and you’re goin’ down like a sack a’ potatoes. Actually, you’re probably goin’ night-night for a little while,” writes David Crane.
The most powerful Tasers can only reach around 50,000 volts and despite being described as “non-lethal” have killed at least 500 Americans. Given that the BattleProd can achieve 5 million volts, concerns surrounding the safety of the device will obviously be paramount. However, in the clip Hunter claims that the weapon cannot kill and that victims fully recover after around 20 minutes.
