A Chinese woman will be deported for nearly sparking a riot among workers after ripping up photos of the late Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia’s former king, as the country mourns for the death of the royal.
Wang Zia Chao was ordered to leave the country and was handed a one-year suspended sentence for “intentionally damaging photos” of the revered royal. She also must pay a fine of two million riel ($500), Judge Seng Neang at Phnom Penh municipal court said. Wang was fired from her job as manager of the Top World garment factory.
Wang was reportedly annoyed because work was delayed while the staff looked at the photos. “When the Chinese lady saw the pictures, she grabbed them … she tried to tear the photos, but she was unable to and she used scissors to cut them,” a factory employee told AFP.
The workers were so outraged that police had to be called in to calm down the crowd. Wang was handcuffed and escorted by police to a shrine in honour of Sihanouk where she publicly apologized. She also claimed that she was unaware of who was in the pictures.
“If I had known … I would not have done it. I feel regret for the mistake and I would like to say sorry for everything,” Wang said.
