PHNOM PENH, Jan 3 (Reuters) - At least three people were killed on Friday when Cambodian military police opened fire to try to quell a protest by garment factory workers, two witnesses said.
Two human rights workers who witnessed the chaos said three or four protesters had been killed as security forces armed with assault rifles and pistols shot at demonstrators who hurled rocks, bottles and petrol bombs outside a factory in the capital, Phnom Penh.
The workers are among 350,000 on strike, demanding higher pay.
Military police spokesman Kheng Tito said only one was killed and several were wounded.
"We're just following our duty, role and tasks. Now we are securing the situation," he said. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul and Pring Samrang; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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