Aussie protesters ‘dogs’

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, criticised by rights groups for a crackdown on the opposition and media, yesterday denounced protesters in Australia as dogs for burning his effigy.

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years, has forced the closure of an Englishlanguage newspaper and the dissolution of the main opposition party and jailed government critics.

Hun Sen last week threatened to beat up protesters if they burnt his image during an Asean-Australia Summit on March 17, prompting a Cambodian community in Australia to burn his effigy. – Reuters