Cambodian opposition figure barred from flight in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Nov 13 (AFP/APP): Exiled Cambodian opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy was Wednesday blocked from getting on a flight from Malaysia to Indonesia, after strongman Hun Sen pressured countries in the region to bar him.

Rainsy, who has lived in France since 2015 to avoid jail for convictions he says are politically motivated, and other members of his party are seeking to get back to Cambodia to unite pro-democracy supporters.

But Hun Sen — who has ruled Cambodia for over three decades — has described their planned return as a coup bid, threatened them with arrest and urged neighbouring countries to help thwart the exiles.

Rainsy failed to make it to Cambodia by Saturday, as he had pledged, but got to Malaysia — another Southeast Asian country — and vowed to stay in the region and seek to get home.

Cambodia lifts house arrest restrictions on opposition figure

But on Wednesday afternoon he was barred from boarding a flight at Kuala Lumpur airport to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, where he had planned to spend several days.

“Malaysia Airlines denied boarding of (Rainsy) under the instruction of the Indonesian authorities,” the airline said in a statement to AFP.

Tian Chua, a vice-president of the People’s Justice Party, part of Malaysia’s ruling coalition, and a friend of Rainsy’s, said the opposition figure was “barred from Jakarta”.

Indonesian immigration department spokesman Sam Fernando confirmed Rainsy was not in the country — however he denied authorities had barred him from entering.

Rainsy and other members of his Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) did not immediately respond to requests to comment.

Last week Rainsy was blocked from getting on a flight in Paris to Thailand, from where he hoped to cross into Cambodia, forcing him instead to fly to Malaysia.

His party was dissolved ahead of elections last year, paving the way for the ruling party to win all the seats in parliament.

After facing international pressure over the opposition crackdown, Hun Sen at the weekend released Kem Sokha, the co-founder of the CNRP, from house arrest. He was charged with treason in 2017.

Exiled Cambodian opposition figurehead arrives in Malaysia