CAMBODIA has deployed armed troops in its capital as garment workers held rallies to revive a campaign for higher wages that had helped to stoke a year-long political crisis.

About 500 textile workers rallied in an industrial suburb of Phnom Penh, demanding a sharp hike in the monthly minimum wage from $100 to $177.

As they marched, dozens of soldiers armed with assault rifles looked on. Witnesses said army helicopters had also flown over the factories earlier.

In Svay Rieng province, which borders Vietnam, about 100 police were deployed at economic zones where garment workers had also gathered.

Naly Pilorge, director of rights group Licadho, said: "Why is our government so afraid of its own people, especially people who are only protesting to earn a basic salary?"

Two union leaders had been arrested by police, he said.

The growth of the garment sector has become a vital but troublesome issue for the government of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen. It has been a boon for the fledgling economy, providing as many as 500,000 jobs and generating £3.5 billion annually, but frequent protests by increasingly assertive unions have tested the government's patience.

The government fears that if the campaign leads to prolonged strikes it could result in reduced orders from firms that outsource to Cambodian factories, such as Gap, Nike, H & M Hennes & Mauritz and Zara.

Ath Thon, president of the biggest independent union, said: "We want to send a message to all buyers they must provide a basic wage."