Bangkok (AP) — The leader of a Cambodian anti-government group who was at risk of being extradited to his homeland for imprisonment said Friday he is safely back in Denmark, where he has had political asylum for seven years.
Sam Serey, head of a fringe opposition group called the Khmer National Liberation Front, said by message that he was deported from Thailand on Friday morning after being arrested Wednesday for overstaying his visa. Cambodian authorities had said they would seek his extradition, but apparently did not make a formal request.
A Cambodian court in 2016 sentenced Sam Serey in absentia to nine years in prison for allegedly planning terrorist acts. He acknowledges seeking regime change, but denies allegations of planning or advocating violence. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of also plotting bombings during this month’s traditional New Year’s celebration, but there were no incidents.
Rights groups charge that courts in Cambodia are not independent, and generally make decisions favorable to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party of Hun Sen, who has held power for more than three decades. The country’s main opposition party was harassed by the courts, which finally dissolved it last November, depriving its lawmakers of their seats in parliament.
In his message sent via Facebook, Sam Serey confirmed that he was detained Wednesday for overstaying his visa, and said he could not get an extension because his name is on a blacklist.
He said wanted to thank the Danish Embassy, the U.N. and human rights groups who intervened in his case, and “all Thai officials that stand with the international law and democracy to send me back to Denmark while Cambodian government want to extradite me back to Cambodia.”
Thailand’s foreign ministry said it had no comment, and immigration police also declined to comment.
Sunai Phasuk, a senior Thai researcher for Human Rights Watch, said Thai authorities acted swiftly in Sam Serey’s case because they did not want to attract attention.
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