Nearly 100 workers in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district and neighbouring Kien Svay district in Kandal yesterday delivered a petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen seeking his intervention in obtaining their December salaries, still owed them after their factories apparently shuttered.

The workers are part of a group of 600 who last week protested at Kbal Koah Garment Co Ltd and Top World Garment Cambodia Ltd, which are owned by the same Hong Kong-based proprietor. Srey Nang, a worker at Kbal Koah, said the delay was creating a serious financial burden.

"We do not have money for supporting our families," she said. Khen Va, Kbal Koah’s chief of administration, said he had heard nothing from the owner since the situation began, adding that, as an employee, he also was affected by the situation. "The owner hasn’t contacted me, and we haven’t announced we are going bankrupt, yet," he said.

"We cannot make any decisions if the . . . owner does not appear."