The Svay Rieng Provincial Court has issued summonses to a slew of witnesses in the case of four garment workers arrested for throwing rocks at a factory during violent strikes in Bavet last month.

“We have questioned the four workers over the past two weeks. Next week we will summon the factory side and a victim who was injured in the head by the workers; while next Tuesday and Wednesday, we will summon another seven or eight relevant people who know about this incident,” investigating judge Tith Sothy Borachhard said yesterday.

Borachhard said the four workers, who were arrested on December 18, caused a head injury to a Chinese interpreter.

“We also issued summonses [Tuesday] for five witnesses to appear [next] Wednesday, and we will ask about this incident and why normal strikes became violent and caused damage and injured people.”

The judge maintained that a few of the four workers, who remain under detention despite an earlier pledge to release them on bail, had already confessed.

“[My clients] did not damage property or cause injuries, and we hope they are released on bail,” said Heng Bon, the workers’ lawyer.

A total of 11 workers have been charged over the violent weeklong protests, which began on December 16 over what workers considered an insufficient increase to this year’s minimum wage.