Cambodia’s exiled opposition leader arrives in Malaysia on his way back home.

Rainsy heading home to Cambodia to lead movement to oust PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Cambodia’s exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy arrived in Malaysia on Saturday, making partial progress in his quest to return to his home country to lead a movement to try to oust long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Rainsy arrived in Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon after announcing earlier that he was boarding a plane in Paris, his home in exile, without disclosing his destination.

He and fellow members of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party had publicly declared that they planned to return to their homeland on Saturday, Cambodia’s Independence Day, to end the authoritarian rule of Hun Sen and restore democracy.

Hun Sen’s government has vigorously opposed their return and declared they would be arrested immediately if they made it onto

Cambodian soil.

In what may be a possible turnaround in the Cambodian government’s position, however, its influential deputy prime minister and interior minister, Sar Kheng, said on his Facebook page Saturday, “As of now, there is not any announcement by the Cambodian government to bar culprit Rainsy and his colleagues from entering the country.”

Sar Kheng said Rainsy — who has several convictions with prison sentences to serve along with charges pending for several other alleged offenses — can return as an ordinary person but will have to face due justice. Rainsy considers the legal actions political persecution.

It was unclear if Sar Kheng’s Facebook post represents government policy. Cambodia’s long holiday weekend runs through Tuesday.

Rainsy spoke to reporters briefly on his arrival in Kuala Lumpur and appeared to acknowledge that he would not make it to Cambodia on Saturday, saying he had been invited by Malaysian lawmakers to meet with them on Tuesday. He declared that his visit was a private one and that he was grateful to the Malaysia authorities.

His comments appeared to sidestep the issue of whether he was interfering with Cambodia’s internal affairs while on Malaysian soil. Malaysia and Cambodia are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which maintains a policy of noninterference in each other’s affairs. Malaysia and Thailand have both hindered the free movement of opposition party leaders, drawing criticism from human rights groups.

“Keep up the hope. We are on the right track. Democracy will prevail,” Rainsy said. “Democracy has prevailed in Malaysia, democracy will prevail in Cambodia. We look up to Malaysia as our model to strengthen democracy in a peaceful way.”

Sam Rainsy