Background Brief

Cambodia: South Korean

Culpability in Striking Workers
Deaths
Carlyle A. Thayer
January 14, 2014
[cllenL name deleLed]
We requesL your assessmenL of Lhe followlng lssues:
C1. Lven Lhough Lhe 911 paraLrooper unlL showed up ouLslde a korean facLory on
!anuary 3, could a reasonable person (acLlng before Lhe vlolence broke ouL) expecL
LhaL Lhe naLlonal CounLer-1errorlsm CenLre's (nC1C) speclal forces would peacefully
keep proLesLers aL bay, or LhaL Lhe nC1C secreLarlaL would flnd a peaceful resoluLlon
Lo labor demonsLraLlons by appeallng Lo Lop declslon-makers?
AnSWL8: A reasonable person, wheLher a Cambodlan clvlllan or an forelgner
resldenL ln Cambodla, would noL normally expecL Lo see an ellLe mlllLary unlL
deployed Lo conLrol sLrlklng garmenL workers. 1he nC1C unlL ls noL Lralned for Lhls
Lype of slLuaLlon. lL was probably senL Lo lnLlmldaLe Lhe workers. A reasonable
person would have expecLed Lhe nC1C unlL Lo glve repeaLed publlc warnlngs of lLs
lnLenLlons and Lo use proporLlonal force Lo deal wlLh Lhe slLuaLlon. 1hls would
lnclude flre hoses, Lear gas, rubber bulleLs, flrlng ln Lhe alr, and as a lasL resorL,
deadly force. 1he nC1C unlL was unllkely Lo be equlpped Lo slowly callbraLe lLs
response Lo Lhe crown vlolence lL faced. MlllLary forces ln domesLlc slLuaLlons
provlde ald Lo Lhe clvll power". 1hls means LhaL Lhe nC1C commanders should have
been Laklng dlrecLlon from senlor pollce offlclals or some oLher clvlllan auLhorlzed Lo
deal wlLh Lhe workers' sLrlke.
C2. Accordlng Lo 8rad Adams ln Lhe "#$%&'(# )#(*+, 8oyal Cambodlan Armed lorces
(8CAl) unlLs are noL Lralned ln crowd conLrol or proLesL handllng. Was Lhe korean
governmenL Lherefore [usLlfled ln approachlng Lhe mlllLary Lo secure Lhe proLecLlon
of korean buslnesses on SaLurday, !anuary 4, and ln approachlng Lhe clvlllan nC1C on
Lhe lssue of proLesL proLecLlon?
AnSWL8: korean auLhorlLles showed an appalllng lack of [udgmenL ln approachlng
Lhe leaders of an ellLe mlllLary unlL Lo engage ln low-level rouLlne crowd conLrol
duLles. 1he korean offlclals who approached Lhe nC1C leadershlp and Lhe ellLe unlL
dld noL exerclse due regard for Lhe consequences of Lhelr requesL. lf Lhelr only
concern was Lo proLecL korean properLy Lhey were shorL-slghLed as Lo Lhe long-Lerm
consequences. SouLh korean lnLervenLlon ln Lhe workers' sLrlke may prove counLer-
producLlve ln Lhe long Lerm, breedlng long Lerm resenLmenL.
Thayer Consultancy
ABN # 65 648 097 123




2
C3. ln response Lo quesLlons abouL wheLher lL condemns Lhe vlolence, Lhe korean
Lmbassy sald LhaL lL ls noL concerned wlLh Lhe Cambodlan governmenL's "acLlon or
plan," buL slmply LhaL lL musL proLecL korean buslnesses. WhaL are your LhoughLs on
Lhls?
AnSWL8: 1he korean embassy sLaff represenL a democraLlc counLry LhaL should
show due respecL for clvll, pollLlcal and human rlghLs. AL Lhe leasL, Lhe korean
Lmbassy should express publlc regreL for Lhe kllllngs of sLrlkers aL Lhelr behesL. l
lmaglne LhaL domesLlc pressure ls bulldlng up among Cambodla's democraLlc donor
sLaLes Lo condemn Lhe use of vlolence. lL ls qulLe clear LhaL clvll socleLy groups ln
Cambodla and Lhe unlLed klngdom condemn Lhe use of vlolence by Lhe mlllLary Lo
deal wlLh sLrlklng workers.

SuggesLed clLaLlon: Carlyle A. 1hayer, Cambodla: SouLh korean CulpablllLy ln SLrlklng
Workers' ueaLhs," ,-#+./ "&012*3#04+ 5#467/&20' 5/(.8, !anuary 14, 2014. All
background brlefs are posLed on Scrlbd.com (search for 1hayer). 1o remove yourself
from Lhe malllng llsL Lype unSu8SC8l8L ln Lhe Sub[ecL headlng and hlL Lhe 8eply key.
1hayer ConsulLancy provldes pollLlcal analysls of currenL reglonal securlLy lssues and
oLher research supporL Lo selecLed cllenLs. 1hayer ConsulLancy was offlclally
reglsLered as a small buslness ln AusLralla ln 2002.