According to local news agencies, the Ministry of Labor confirmed the month-long closures of garment and footwear factories in Cambodia are just rumors. In a statement recently issued Cambodian authorities expressed the concerns caused amongst both employees and employers in that manufacturing industry.

The same source indicated that in December, besides the official public holiday (on the Human Rights Day), there will be no other holidays.

The statement also called on the public, particularly employees and employers, to cooperate with the authorities in order to arrest the rumor-spreaders for prosecution.

The Cambodian garment and footwear sector includes more than 1 000 factories and employs roughly 700 000 workers, according to government figures, making this exporting oriented sector, one of the most important contributors to the Asian country’s economy.