Exiled Cambodian opposition figurehead arrives in Malaysia

Cambodia’s exiled opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy arrived in Malaysia Saturday as he sought to get home to rally his supporters against strongman Hun Sen, while security was ramped up at the kingdom’s borders and in Phnom Penh.

Rainsy, who has lived in France since 2015 to avoid jail for convictions he says are politically motivated, had promised a dramatic return on November 9, Cambodia’s Independence Day.

But Hun Sen, who has ruled the poor Southeast Asian country since 1985, has repeatedly vowed to arrest him and other exiled members of his party if they come back.

Dozens of activists have been rounded up in recent weeks in Cambodia, while the authoritarian leader has called on neighbouring countries to help thwart the opposition’s attempts to return for what he has described as an attempted coup.