Cambodian factory fires Chinese supervisor in Sihanouk faux pas
Woman manager sparked near riot at factory by cutting up portrait of late king
Factory managers expressed regret and dismissed a Chinese supervisor yesterday after angry Cambodian garment factory workers demanded that she be punished for tearing up a poster of their late former king.
Police, who were called in to prevent a riot, escorted Wang Zia Cha, manager of the Top World factory, to a make-shift shrine honouring Norodom Sihanouk, where she lit incense and knelt down as employees looked on.
"The workers were very angry with her. If we hadn't stepped in on time, the situation could have turned serious," said Phnom Penh police chief Chuon Sovann.
Wang will remain in detention as authorities investigate whether she broke the law.
The incident happened after some employees at the factory stopped work to gather around two pictures of Sihanouk.
"When the Chinese lady saw the pictures, she grabbed them … she tried to tear the photos, but she was unable to and she used scissors to cut them," factory employee Sroy Phalla, 42, said.
