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.
