BANGKOK – The leader of a Cambodian anti-government group who was at risk of being extradited to his homeland for imprisonment says 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.