Factory Riots - I Escaped by Walking Across the Deadly Veng Sreng Street

"Return to your rooms, grab your important belongings, your cash and your passports immediately and be ready to evacuate the factory anytime now," - these were the words that came from a call on Friday morning, the 3rd of January, at about 8 am while I was at work as per normal at my desk; except that the situation was a far cry from normal since a week ago.

Although the latest instructions from the caller didn't come across as particularly surprising given the heightened protests the night before, I was no doubt unnerved that we had to resort to an emergency evacuation.

"Now? As in now now?" I asked the caller.

"Yes. Now."

Immediately, I stopped whatever I was doing and told Lynsey to stop work and return to her room to grab her stuff.

Not willing to believe that the situation was this dire, and wanting to verify the information that was passed down, I ran across to the main office building and true enough, desks were empty. I asked one of the management staff what the situation was, and he said the same thing - pack up and be ready to run.

Remembering my company macbook and my Wacom tablet was still at my desk, I returned for it to see Lynsey still working away.

"Geez Lynsey, hurry back and pack your stuffs, we gotta evacuate this place asap," I couldn't believe she hasn't budged. After conveying to her what was actually happening, she finally realised the seriousness of it, and we went back to our hostels and I started to pack.

Pack. Where do I even begin packing? I looked around my room and came to the realisation that Phnom Penh isn't a place that I'm sent to for work trips anymore - I am based here. By basing here, it means that I've got heaps of belongings. I actually LIVE here. And by having heaps of belongings, it means it's tough deciding what to bring, and what to leave behind. (Not that tough anymore after having experienced this.)

So many questions raced across my mind as I instinctively picked up my pink backpack, and searched around the room for the foldable & durable hand carry Longchamp. What will happen to this hostel? Will this room still remain? What if this place is burnt down or ransacked by fuckers looters? In that case, what should I bring with me? Is everywhere in Phnom Penh unsafe or is it just the factory areas? Food? Will there be people selling food still if this becomes a nation-wide emergency? Will this become a war like the 1997 riots in Phnom Penh? Bombs? Will the rioters bomb this place to prove a point? Shit, they are gonna do that now, aren't they, thats why we were asked to leave? Holy shit, just how much time do I actually have to run!?

The sound of people pacing the hostel corridors and the knocking and closings of hostel doors did nothing to sooth my nerves. To calm myself down and to convince myself I was not gonna die anytime soon, I rang Chris up to see what he was up to, and whether he has packed his stuff.

"Hey, are you done packing already?" I asked.

"Err, not yet, have you?"

"What? Where are you? Are you not back in your room yet?" It was a silly question. It was obvious that he was still at his desk from the background noise.

"I'm just finishing this report and gonna send it out now,"came his reply, like it was perfectly normal to be sending out reports before an impending disaster.

"No way on earth you're still working at this moment. Everyone has gone upstairs to pack up, hurry, you don't have much time. Are there still people working on their desks at the moment?" I asked, half-guessing that everyone has gone except him.

"Oh shit, you're right, everyone's gone upstairs. I'll go now too then, ring you later."

Alright. So I better be starting to pack then. Where should I start? Knowing that this emergency packing would be slightly different from packing for a holiday or a short work trip, I made a mental (however you want to pun it) list which goes like this:

*I've never came across such situations before in my entire life or overseas working experiences. This list should never be a guide to what you should be packing during emergencies, and you'll see what I meant. As a Singaporean girl who has lived in safe cities with no manmade or natural disasters for all her life, just know I wasn't really thinking. If this was war, I would have died in the first few hours. And if you were in my shoes, I'm sure you'd understand.

1. Basic Toiletries - That includes shampoo, conditioner, skincare products, facial cleanser, makeup remover, cotton pads etc etc. I have them in travel sizes already before and they are all in a bag. Easy for this. Even refilled my mini-sized shampoo bottle in the midst of the 'rush' wtf. Will leave the treatment and hair mask alone for now.
2. Cosmetics  - Can't let myself be robbed of any traces of first-world sanity. And they are expensive to restock too. Again, they are already in a bag, so this was easy.
3. Clothes - Okay, I shall pack all my latest buys, as well as all the comfy harem pants and camisoles. Maybe one or two woven shirts too. Shall leave the dresses behind, don't think it's safe to be wearing dresses in such situations. At the end, I took about 15 sets of coordinates which was about 30% of my whole wardrobe in Phnom Penh. Whilst packing, I regret even browsing through the clothes as though I was shopping. Think of all the time wasted. 
4. Passport - Oh yes, I have it lying somewhere on the extra bed. Found it.
5. Cash - Oh right. Cash. CASH of course omg. Rummaged through some 5 different handbags and amassed quite a huge amount of papers. And of course, foreign currencies that I have in another cash bag. Found it. Put them together. I'm set. And wow, didn't realised I am that rich lol.
6. Jewellery - Now where is that sterling Silver birthday ring that I bought for myself last year? I wear it almost everyday, but forgot to this morning. There, found it somewhere amongst my junk on the table (Table is always a mess btw). I put on my Thomas Sabo necklace Victor got me, and then put the Coach 'friendship trio ring' Fay gave to me into my pocket. What else? Oh yes, the black bracelet from Rena and the green wooden beads bracelet Riccardo bought me from Fiji. The rest of the F21 and H&M crap accessories can stay.
7. Food. And water. - Now I'm not sure how bad the situation can get, and if it gets really bad, I'd be a genius if I brought along some of these. I opened my food cabinets and took 2 mini bottles (200ml) of Pokari Sweat and 3 mini bottles (330ml) of Fiji Water out. My eyes noticed the pack of Ocean Spray Craisins on the table and they went into my bag too. Repeat after me: Dried foods are always great for survival. In my food grabbing frenzy, I also put in instant Miso Soup packets and Kagoshima Instant Black Boar Tonkotsu Ramen (no idea at that time how I'd cook this, but because it is so delicious, I'll find a way in the wilderness). A huge packet of Doritos Nacho Cheese Flavoured was just beside the Ramen and I put those into my sack too. I later took those tortillas out in the end as I thought the high sodium in there would totally dehydrate me. Gosh I still have my wits around me I realised.
8. Nail Polishes. Now, seriously, before you start laughing your asses off or accusing me of being vain or impractical, just know that if this was a certain escape of life and death, I'd definitely leave them (my entire collection of colours in bottles). Who the fuck cares about nails when you don't even have food?! (Ok, I have packed some food *and water too*, but you know) In the end I decided maybe I'll just bring two colours with me, just in case if I escaped to SG, I wouldn't lament that I left my two favourite colours back in the ruins of a hostel in Phnom Penh. So I took with me OPI's Fly, and Party in My Cabana, together with a base coat, and my Seche Vite topcoat. Women. You really don't understand them yea? Well, I honestly don't understand them either. "Fuck the polishes," I can already hear some of you say.
9. Internet Banking security device - You might not believe me, but it was the exact idea of bringing with me the nail colours that actually reminded me of bringing this too. They were kept in the same drawer! Bagged the device with a winning grin. You don't know how much trouble I went through just to verify that device as I am residing somewhere different to the address registered to in HK.
10. Running Shoes. I would need them to run if needed to, don't I? Yes I need my runners. And no, sorry to disappoint anyone waiting to pounce on a bimbotic moment, but I didn't bring any heels along. =D 

Okay I'm about done packing now. Oh yes, and the 2 laptops, and other electronic devices blah blah.

Though unbelievable, it was only 8:10 am after I'm done with the packing. Record time really, considering all the rubbish I put in my bags. 3 big bags, to be exact. Someone would have to help me.

And the phone started ringing. It was Kenneth. We've communicated on phone several times these days too because of the strikes (he is in another garment company in Phnom Penh), and this particular phone call was darn important. Why? Because he has learnt of the actions that the authorities and rioters would take and he knew it was gonna be dangerous within this hour. His vehicle was nearby and will come for us and gonna help me evacuate. Thank you very much Kenneth.

(A little backtracking to what happened before the evacuation call on Friday morning.)

By Thursday evening, it was apparent that the situation has taken a drastic dive and was no longer the non-violent strikes, as I saw thick black fumes filling the skies coming from the burning of tires just outside our factory gates. People were shouting and making noises with metal rods as they gathered outside along Veng Sreng Boulevard and near the entrance to the Canadia Industrial Park area. All our local workers were again told not to come to work since Thursday and were told to stay away from the factory until further notice for their own safety.

I was at my desk on Thursday evening when I saw some male colleagues walking past, carrying a couple of fire extinguishers from different directions and dismissed it as the routine fire extinguisher checks that takes place regularly. It wasn't until half an hour later that I finished up my work and was walking back to the hostel building, that I saw what was actually happening. Rioters were setting fires to tires right at our doorsteps, although not targeting at our factory in particular but at the whole garment industry in general, we were included obviously.

The smell was intoxicating and wind was bringing the thick smoke into the direction of where we were. Our main gate was barred with really thick metal bars and everyone was told to stay away from it. Expat employees who live outside the premises gathered around the drive way, not knowing what to expect, unsure of how they could leave the factory to go back to their homes. It wasn't total chaos, but it seemed like a very different day. Only the next day would I realise, that it was going to be a really different weekend.

Heading back to my hostel as per normal, feeling lucky for the moment, that I had my own room in a secure compound, and not living outside the factory. About half an hour later, when the noises from outside did not mellow down, I went to the roof and joined the other curious ones gathered at the roof of our hostel building where we could see what was happening at our main gates - people were still there and they were still burning things and shouting even louder now. And, besides burning tires, they were also having bonfires. Our gates are still secure and the metal bars were doing their jobs well.

I later heard from Kenneth that at other smaller factories, the rioters were destroying factory fences and properties and cars. They were even throwing objects over the fences blindly.

The next thing that happened kind of made me feel uneasy. They were asking all the male foreign staff (Chinese, Philippinos, Burmese etc etc) to take turns in small groups, to patrol the whole factory. Shit just got serious.

Somehow, amidst all these, I couldn't help but think of The Walking Dead - We are all stuck here.

...

Okay maybe not. But it was pretty serious. At 11pm, there were still noises coming from the main roads. I saw Lynsey and she told me, "You know, somebody told us to pack some valuables and passports in a bag just in case this gets serious?"

I wasn't sure what to make of that. To be honest I thought that advice was quite extreme. Can't be that bad right? I mean, people will get tired and they would want to go home for a shower and have a good night's sleep. And even if they don't, and want to stay around Veng Sreng Street, our gates have metal bars as thick as the cross-section of a shoebox. This place is secure anyway, I thought, and went to bed. I think I had a dream about zombies again on Thursday night.


(Anyway, lets go back to Kenneth's phone call on Friday morning.)

So by 8:30, everyone gathered at the lobby of the main office building with their belongings. Chris had to help me with my backpack, which weighed about 15kg (main culprits were: Macbook pro 15"- 2.5kg, Macbook pro 17"- 3kg, Wacom Tablet - ~1kg, and all the chargers of the gadgets) with some Fiji Water and Pokari Sweat, my running shoes and some food stuff in it as well. Lesson learnt? Get Macbook Air if you want to run for your life with more ease.

We communicated with Kenneth and it was agreed that he would come meet us in the factory. How was he gonna come in? The main gates where cars could enter were barred, the side gates' locations were quite unknown to outsiders. Final solution? Walk in through the main gates, like a boss. (After some trouble with security which was settled by a management staff).

He has brought his local driver along and together the four of us, Kenneth, Mr. Driver, Chris and I, escaped the premises through one of the side gates. I was so grateful, and still is, that they have come for us, and we were one of the first few to evacuate as a result. It was like we were the guinea pigs of a huge experiment. Will we be stoned to death once we step out? Will we be targeted as escapees? Will they spot us and immediately know people from the factory are planning their great escape? Is it really safer staying put in the factory instead then? With all that baggage, even an idiot would know we are escaping for our lives. Though the walk to the side gates were short, it felt like eternity. I kept telling myself this - "the moment we stepped out of the factory, we are civilians."

Well, not quite yet.

We have one big hurdle now. HOW on earth are we going to make it to Kenneth's parked vehicle?!?!

By foot. Yes. By foot. WTF BY FOOT?!?! A couple of years ago, I would never have imagined that one day in the near future, I'd be carrying my belongings and running for my dear life in a third world country in search of safety. Then again, I haven't imagined a lot of things that would be happening but they are still happening now anyway. World doesn't revolve around my imagination apparently.

Once we stepped out of the factory premises, Kenneth and Mr. Driver contemplated on which way to head, the vehicle was parked beyond the Canadia Industrial Park due to countless roadblocks everywhere. Turn right, and we would be heading straight to the main road Veng Sreng where everything is happening; Go straight and we will have to do a big detour, but still had to cross Veng Sreng at some point.

Finally, one kind local man approached Mr. Driver, and after a few exchanges of sentences, we started turning right. So they've decided to go for the first option, Veng Sreng Boulevard that is.

Let's just say we were sticking out like a sore thumb. No, a very very sore thumb to be exact.

This is the 4 of us:
Mr. Driver - a Cambodian,
Kenneth - a Hong-Konger (whose outfit that day resembled a Korean man, there are many Korean-owned garment factories around and resembling a Korean expat was not really particularly useful at this instance),
Chris - an English (who really had no apparent reason to appear at this part of Phnom Penh which was far away from the touristy sites), and
Me - a Cambodian-looking girl having a backpack bigger than herself on her back (Yea yea, I've been repeatedly mistaken for a Cambodian ever since I stepped into Phnom Penh. What's new really. Singaporeans do have the tendency to be mistaken for locals in any parts of asia. Cambodia is no exception)

There was no way we will pass off as tourists. And there was no way we were part of the crowd.

Upon hitting Veng Sreng Boulevard, my adventurous and curious cells got the better of me. As much as I dared not look at anyone, I just couldn't help doing so. My eyes scanned the surroundings without my head actually turning, as I followed closely behind Kenneth crossing the big road, hoping no one notices me - after all I'm short and petite and they would not spot me to begin with anyway.

Although prepared for what would greet me at Veng Sreng, I still couldn't believe this very street that I travelled on so frequently would look even more of a mess than it was before all these started. It was in a sorry state. On my left was a pile of tires still burning their worth out, and rioters were fueling it. On my right was a lively bonfire with wooden planks found from the nearby Phsar (market) Ekreach stalls. At my ten o'clock, I see a rusty metal pull-cart sitting in the middle of the road, with burning ashes in it.

That was not all. At my 3 o'clock was this giant wide metal fence which was erected by huge rocks at the bottom, with 3 very fierce looking Cambodian youths squatting on each side of the fence, holding metal rods with sharp & rusty ends. I do not like this. I hastened my pace, which was hindered by the heavily rock and stone littered road. Big and small chips of bricks, probably from other destroyed factory walls, were all distributed all over the roads. There were many locals standing along Veng Sreng Boulevard. I could sense that many were staring at our group in sheer confusion and curiosity. Some of them had sticks in the hands, some rods, some even had branches and twigs with leaves. Some were just bystanders who really have no business to stand there endangering their lives. Why are they doing this! If you have nothing to do with the rioters, leave the place! Why be there when you're so vulnerable to any attacks that comes this way? Why stay and watch the world go by at a violence-prone area of all places? I could never understand. When I was about to get to the other side of the road, a small stone hit the ground and missed my right foot by 10 centimeters. This was definitely not a good idea. I stopped my thoughts and re-focussed on escaping.

And it took a great deal of self-restraint to keep my phone in my pocket instead of taking stealth shots.

We finally made it across Veng Sreng Street, and continued to make our journey to the vehicle that was parked some distance away from the Canadia Industrial Park. Throughout the 15 minute walk, eyes were constantly on us and it kept me on the edge. I saw many Cambodians, both males and females, squatting on the sides of the roads, as though they were waiting for something to happen. Stall owners were still selling food and groceries in the small roads that was adjacent to Veng Sreng. Finally we reached the vehicle, and hurriedly placed everything in the boot and got into the car.

First phase of escape over.

Mr. Driver began to drive on the small roads and we passed by many smaller factories. Rioters were walking in mobs and carrying anything they could get their hands on. Some carried wooden sticks, some had metal rods, some twigs with leaves - but it was different from the strikers at Veng Sreng. These people were more 'intimidating'. They weren't just walking, they were chanting. I saw rioters hit the metal sheetings of factories with their rods. I saw them throw stones into the fences. I even saw a female youth foraging through a pile of something. And when she stood up again, she was holding a bent rusty metal rod. She swung with it for a few seconds as though to test it out, and then handed it over to her male friend. He walked off with the rod to join the mob trailing off behind us towards Veng Sreng. This was very disturbing as I dread to think what they would be doing with those weapons. And I felt extremely lucky to be the first few to leave the factory grounds and being escorted to somewhere safer.

We took about 10 more minutes to drive through the small roads of the Canadia Industrial Park, now avoiding eye contact with the people we pass by, hoping that they would not stop our car. I told Chris to look down, and keep his phone away from sight, preventing any possibility of opportunity-inspired robbers.

When we finally passed the 'danger zones', I looked back and thought of what would happen to the factory. As anger could really drive people out of their minds, making them do things they wouldn't usually do, I'm afraid some of the rioters might do things that they would end up regretting. And all my colleagues still in the factory waiting to evacuate? Would they evacuate in time before the military police start cracking in on that area? How have the others made their escape? Would they have passed by those mobs too? Who were still left in the factory compound? I sent texts to the management staff who helped Kenneth get into the factory to get us, thanking him and letting him know we are safe for now. I tried ringing Lynsey for the 10th time, but her phone service was off. I had to reach her via Wechat and she finally replied. So she is out of the factory as well, which was great.

On hindsight, walking through these crowd and crossing that problem road probably wasn't the best choice nor the best idea around, but considering the choices we had at that point, that was a desperate situation calling for a desperate measure. I was totally curious as to how the others have made their escape; would they have passed by those mobs too? Who were still left in the factory compound?

Kenneth suggested we head to his office which was near the airport first, so that we could calm our nerves and send whatever email updates that we have to send. His new office was really cool but that's story for another day. We placed down our bags, and finally felt relaxed. And that was when I received information that there were gunshots heard outside the factory.

Before this, I've planned to just keep the whole dangerous strikes incident from my folks and friends back home, since strikes happen really often in Cambodia. This was different. It directly affected us and people were speculating that if nothing was done, it would escalate to a disaster like in 1997.


This whole saga started out rather mildly with only the unsatisfied factory workers not turning up for work. Then, some factories' workers who were still working in another factory got attacked by their own countrymen apparently - because they did not join the strike. That made other factories start sending their workers home on boxing day for the workers' own safety. The day after boxing day, my factory even had some union members and a couple of rioters insisting their way in to check if there was any production going on, luckily our factory workers were all told to stay home and to not come to work that day, and only the office staff were working. Even so, we had to send all of them to hiding in our hostel rooms, afraid that they might get attacked like how the others did as well. I told Roy to hide in our meeting room, close the door and have the lights off. We had to switch off all the lights and everyone was told to go up to their rooms and wait till the 'visitors' were gone. And then finally, it became so political, that I began to think the minimum wage strike was just a ruse, made use of to start all the strikes on the July poll which some felt was rigged*. And workers being workers, they do not understand how big this minimum wage issue will affect their whole economy. They could only see the immediate 'benefits' of this 100% increment that was sand-castled to some of them.

By 'some of them', I meant those who are currently on the minimum wage - and note here, not ALL workers take home ONLY the minimum wage. Most of the workers in factories (not just factories in Cambodia but factories in China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia etc. too) get paid based on productivity, meaning the more efficient they are and the more skilled they become, the more they are able to earn on top of the minimum wage. And if for the entire month you sit there and do nothing but stare at the sewing machine, you still get paid your US$80(the min. wage before this) + many other cash bonuses (which is around US$23-$43), although you'd very soon be asked to leave in that case so that another hardworking person would be able to feed their family taking your place.

And striking for a 100% increment is basically tantamount to suicide. Just imagine a smaller factory having 1000 workers now, with the wage adjustment, they would have to only keep the ones who are double productive and terminate the less productive to be able to keep the manpower cost marginally the same. Still it wouldn't work, as it is practically impossible for 500 workers to be doing the job of 1000. And what about the 500 people who has suddenly lost their jobs? Who will feed their families? The opposition party? And if the factory can't earn or produce as much as before, they lose income, and they would not be able to survive in Cambodia; They would have no choice but to move the business elsewhere. And we are only talking about 1000 workers. What about 600,000 then? And lets not go into the possible price hikes from stall owners near the factories who has learnt that everyone now has an extra $80 to spend. No no no, the Trey Char (fried fish) stall owner at the corner there would not increase his food prices because everyone else now has gotten $80 richer.

As much as the media is trying to paint an image that the workers here are working in the harshest conditions(though some small locally-owned factories really are horrible), made to do overtime, and earning only minimum wage, it is not always true. I don't blame them for doing that, because how else are they going to get readership or incite interest in their readers? Is there a higher chance of you clicking on "Workers mass-fainting in a shoe factory in Cambodia", or "New power-turbo ceiling fans in Cambodian workers' lunch cafeteria"? For people who would rather click on the latter, congratulations, you're a very positive-inclined person. I'm sure the majority would click on the first one, because it is a piece of news that excites you more. Why? Because you want to know just HOW bad other people's lives are, just so you could feel better about yourselves and your good lives. I'm half kidding, but you get my point - the media wants readership.

Amongst all that, I'm really really happy and consoled to know that my factory is one of the best in terms of welfare of the local workers. I've heard about stories (media again) way back when I was still schooling, that factory workers in this part of the world were treated so badly, not even allowed to rest or eat. That kind of explains why I dreaded to be posted here initially, because I do not want to be associated with anything inhumane. I didn't have to, as it turns out, with this one. The sewing areas are airy, spacious and bright with natural & fluorescent lights, the laundry areas are properly ventilated, the canteens are spacious with clean seats and ceiling fans, and the workers get so many breaks in between their shifts. And you wont believe this, some of them shared with me, that they actually want to come to work deep down even when the others are on strike because they like it here.

*Disclaimer: The above is written from my personal experience, an account of what happened on that day/week in my life. I do not speak for any organisation, nor do I represent any. It is purely based on my personal thoughts and opinions. I'm not into Cambodian politics, and have no comments on political poll results. Any offense to anyone is deeply regretted (you don't have to read my blog).