Scores of activist groups in Cambodia urged the government on Monday to release and drop charges against a prominent union leader, who was arrested last week and accused of falsely claiming that land had been ceded to neighbouring Vietnam.
Rong Chhun, a border activist and top trade union leader, was arrested on Friday and charged with incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest, which could see him jailed for two years if convicted.
Cambodia has for centuries fretted about territorial encroachments by Vietnam to the east and Thailand to the west. The issue is highly emotive and many Cambodians are suspicious and resentful of both neighbours.
