Police on Tuesday made their first arrest over a mass garment strike that has temporarily shut down entire special economic zones (SEZs) in Svay Rieng province.

A day after an allegedly violent demonstration at the Manhattan SEZ, Chan Sarin, a 21-year-old employee at the economic zone’s Best Way factory, was arrested on property destruction charges, provincial police said.

“He destroyed the car of a Chinese man intentionally, and was charged with destroying property,” said To Sithorn, Chantrea district’s police chief.

Sarin’s arrest comes amid a mass strike in Bavet town that began after factories reopened after the Khmer New Year break. Striking workers demand a one-time $50 bonus.

Continue reading:Arrest as Bavet strike goes on