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Monday, outside a factory owned by Puma manufacturer, Kaoway Sports, protests turned violent when an unidentified man fired shots into a group of strikers, critically injuring at least one factory worker. Located in the Cambodian province of Svay Rieng, the Kaoway factory is part of the district’s Manhattan Special Economic Zone where some 3,000 workers have been on strike for higher wages and better working conditions for the past week.

 

According to police reports, strikers set fire to tires and destroyed factory property while police fired warning shots. Eyewitnesses claim either a factory security guard or a man dressed in police uniform was responsible for the shooting. Reports differ, however, on how many people were shot or potentially injured.

Puma, in a statement released yesterday, denies that Kaoway workers are among the protesters: “Factory management…agreed to the demands raised during the general labor unrest in the region, although Kaoway Sports workers had not participated in the demonstration.”

The other strikers are said to work for two Taiwan-based footwear and apparel companies.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Puma has come under fire for its labor practices in the Southeast Asian country. Last April, 800 workers at the footwear brand’s Cambodian factories fainted and after an investigation into the mass faintings, Puma alleged that they had taken measures to improve workers’ conditions. [WWD, sub req'd]