Sam Rainsy Expelled from Malaysia
Sam Rainsy arrived in Malaysia on May 29 and was welcomed by a group of Cambodian Muslims at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Photo: Sam Rainsy / Facebook
- By Phoung Vantha
- May 31, 2023 5:10 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia’s exiled opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, and his colleagues were expelled from Malaysia on May 31, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced.
“Excellency Anwar Ibrahim has told me clearly that he would not allow him [Rainsy] to enter and I told back ‘if [you] allow him to enter, the relationship between [our] two counties will be hurt,” PM Hun Sen said.
He added that the Malaysian Premier had made that promise on four occasions and that Rainsy used his French passport to enter the country.
Sam Rainsy arrived in Malaysia on May 29, according to his Facebook page. He was welcomed by a group of Cambodian Muslims at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
But Malaysian authorities did not allow him and his entourage to hold any political meetings or to stay in the country any longer.
Prime Minster thanked Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for expelling Sam Rainsy from the country.
Rainsy has told his supporters that he would return to Cambodia via Thailand, taking advantage of the political changes in Thailand, after the general election.
PM Hun Sen said that he is ready to welcome Rainsy with a BM-21 Grad, referring to a multiple-rocket launcher from the Soviet era.
