Cambodia’s exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy barred from flying to Indonesia

Rainsy, who now lives in France, had hoped to return to Cambodia on Saturday but is currently in Malaysia

Cambodian leader Hun Sen has pressured countries in the region to bar the opposition figurehead

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Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy leaves the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:55pm, 13 Nov 2019Updated: 12:46am, 14 Nov 2019

Exiled Cambodian opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy was on 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 return to Cambodia to unite pro-democracy supporters.

But Hun Sen – who has ruled Cambodia for more than 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 and vowed to stay in the region and seek to get home.

Self-exiled Cambodian opposition party founder Sam Rainsy speaks to journalists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Reuters

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.