Leaders of the opposition CNRP said Sunday that the party will hold demonstrations throughout the country on December 10 to demand an investigation into the use of live ammunition by police during a garment worker protest in Phnom Penh last week.
CNRP President Sam Rainsy said the demonstration would seek justice for the victims of the police violence at the SL Garment Factory protest on Tuesday, who included Eng Sokhom, a 49-year-old rice vendor who was shot dead nearby.
“There will be demands for an investigation of the violent incident, and there will be demands for an investigation to find the perpetrator,” Mr. Rainsy said.
The CNRP president added that party leaders will meet today to discuss the details of the demonstrations, and the cities around the country in which they will take place.
He confirmed, however, that the event would not be confined to Phnom Penh.
“There is a demand from people all over the country to hold demonstrations in their provinces, so it will take place in at least several places,” he said.
The CNRP has held two three-day mass demonstrations in Phnom Penh since the disputed July 28 national election, with an estimated 25,000 people marching through the city on the second occasion last month.
Mu Sochua, the CNRP’s director of public affairs and the organizer of the marches last month, said that December 10 had been selected by the party to coincide with International Human Rights Day.
She confirmed that details of the planned demonstration, aside from its date, had not yet been set.
“It is our plan to have it nationwide, but we have not formalized the plan,” Ms. Sochua said.
