"Phnom Penh Appeal Court upholds lower court verdict on Sihanoukville building collapse", 6 August 2021

The Appeal Court in Phnom Penh … upheld the decision of the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court, which … sentenced four Chinese nationals to 2.5 to 3 years in prison for their role in the … building collapse in Sihanoukville that killed 28 people and injured 26…

The collapse of the seven-story Chinese-owned building …, which was still under construction, brought widespread attention to the slapdash development of Sihanoukville and lack of enforcement regarding construction codes.

Chinese nationals Cheng Kun, 39, building owner; Deng Xing Gui, construction supervisor, 48; Xie Ya Ping, 43; and Gao You, 29 were convicted and sentenced in July 2020 on charges of involuntary manslaughter and causing unintentional injury, damage and deaths. A fifth individual, Vietnamese national Nguyen Thi Thuy Hao, who went on the run, was sentenced in absentia.

In addition to the sentencing, the Preah Sihanouk provincial court ordered the group to pay a total of 60 to 100 million riel [about $15,000 to $25,000] to the families of each of the dead as well as 20 million riel to each injured worker. The court also ordered them to pay for damages caused to homes near the site of the collapse.

… Secretary general of the Building and Wood Trade Union, Yan Thy told … victims shouldn’t have to wait so long to get compensation as most are facing severe financial difficulties.

“The victims possibly could not get justice soon, so the government should intervene in finding justice for them,” said Yan Thy.