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A joint statement was issued on 1 May by all Cambodian trade unions, including EI member organisation the Cambodia Independent Teachers' Association (CITA), calling for investigation into the murder of trade union leaders.

Hy Vuthy, a local president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) was shot dead on 24 February 2007. His murder followed a series of nine other violent attacks on union leaders in Phnom Penh in 2006. Vuthy's national President, Chea Vichea, was also assassinated back in 2004, four months before another local president Ros Sovannareth was murdered.

No one has been brought to justice for these attacks, and the murders have created a climate of fear for union leaders and members.

In the statement, the unions urge the Cambodian authorities to carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the murders and prosecute those responsible. The government should also take all appropriate measures to prevent and punish all acts of violence against union leaders and members.

The statement was published in six major newspapers in Cambodia on Labour Day, in both English and Khmer. It is endorsed by 74 Cambodian NGOs and 158 foreign and international organisations, including EI.

Please click on the link below to download the statement in pdf format.