Protests Turn Deadly

Conventional wisdom believes that the rich exploit the poor. I suppose there are always cases of that, but it is not universally true. This past month we’ve faced a government in virtual shutdown, with offices closed, ministries not functioning, road traffic blocked by either opposition party members, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, or union members forcing factory workers to strike for the doubling of their wages, or both working in unison.It was very difficult to move about the country. Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians took to the streets with their demands. I was held up for three hours while union members invaded a factory 45 kilometers from Phnom Penh demanding that workers join their strike, most just fled the scene. The government responded by closing all factories for a week.A few days ago, as protestors were demonstrating an altercation happened and the police fired into the crowd to disperse it. There were a number of fatalities.Just today, the US Embassy in Phnom Penh in issued a security message for US Citizens about the potential for violence and severe travel restrictions in and around Phnom Penh. A major demonstration has been called for by the opposition party despite a prohibition issued by the Royal Government of Cambodia.