Chhim Sithar, a prominent Cambodian union leader, was released from prison on 16 September 2024 after serving nearly two years for leading a high-profile strike at the NagaWorld Hotel and Entertainment Complex in Phnom Penh.

Upon her release, Sithar pledged to continue advocating for better wages and working conditions for workers in Cambodia, particularly at the casino and hotel where the labor dispute began.

Sithar, leader of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees, was sentenced in May 2023 to two years in prison for “inciting social chaos.”

She was initially detained in December 2021 after the strike against NagaWorld began, following the company’s dismissal of over 1,300 employees, many of them union members.

Cambodian authorities have claimed the strike is illegal, alleging foreign involvement in its organization.

“It is a mistake for those who think that putting people in prison can stop workers from protesting,” Sithar told Radio Free Asia.

She reiterated that workers in Cambodia have the legal right to organize and strike, and stated her commitment to continue the fight despite the challenges faced.

The ongoing strike has been met with a violent crackdown by Cambodian authorities. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court also sentenced eight other union members, though their sentences were suspended.

Sithar’s arrest and conviction were condemned by civil society groups, the U.S. State Department, and human rights organizations. Amnesty International noted that the union members were “prosecuted solely for exercising their basic rights.”

Sithar’s release was met with anticipation by supporters, who had planned to gather outside Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh.

However, authorities transferred her home before dawn, reportedly to avoid demonstrations.

According to Ou Tep Phallin, president of the Federation of Food and Service Workers of Cambodia, officials “fear the public’s attention,” indicating a broader governmental concern over public protests.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) also welcomed Sithar’s release but condemned her imprisonment, calling it a politically motivated effort to suppress union activism.

The organization’s Executive Director, Mary Aileen D. Bacalso, urged the Cambodian government to cease its repression of union leaders, saying, “No one should lose their freedom for exercising their fundamental rights, as Chhim Sithar did.”

FORUM-ASIA regards the case as the continued misuse of “incitement to commit a felony” by Cambodian authorities to suppress peaceful activism is a direct attack on unions and workers fighting for their fundamental rights, and further undermines Cambodia’s already restricted civic space.

NagaWorld, one of the most profitable gambling centres globally, is owned by a Hong Kong-based company with reported ties to Cambodian political elites, including family members of Senate President Hun Sen.

The labour dispute continues, with workers demanding wage increases and the reinstatement of employees dismissed during the pandemic.

The UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia (OHCHR) has praised Thailand for its decision to withdraw its reservation on Article 22 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a move expected to improve the protection of refugee and asylum-seeking children in the country.

Cynthia Veliko, the OHCHR Representative for South-East Asia, hailed the decision, calling it “a significant, positive step” toward aligning Thailand’s laws with international standards. “This move helps protect the rights of all children on the move, no matter their nationality or origin,” Veliko said.

The Thai Cabinet’s decision to withdraw the reservation took effect on 30 August 2024. Article 22 of the CRC ensures that refugee and asylum-seeking children receive protection, humanitarian assistance, and equal access to services provided to national children, in line with international human rights laws to which Thailand is a party.

This withdrawal is also expected to strengthen the implementation of Thailand’s National Screening Mechanism (NSM), introduced on 22 September 2023.

The NSM grants the status of “protected person” to individuals who cannot return to their home countries due to the fear of persecution. However, despite these legal advancements, children without legal status in Thailand remain at risk of being detained in immigration facilities.

The UN has raised concerns over the continued detention of children despite the Thai government’s 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on Alternatives to the Detention of Children (MOU-ATD). The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has reaffirmed that every child has a fundamental right to liberty and should not be detained based on their migration status.

Veliko urged Thailand to focus on ending child immigration detention and adopting human rights-based alternatives.

“Children on the move are children first and foremost,” Veliko stressed, adding that detention due to migration status is never in the best interests of children.

The UN Human Rights Office expressed its readiness to assist the Thai government in developing alternatives to detention, ensuring that all children receive the protection and care they need.