KNLF founder Sam Serey flown to Denmark after arrest in Thailand

The Phnom Penh Post
Phak Seangly and Daphne Chen

KNLF founder Sam Serey is seen in a photograph included in a government dossier of evidence purporting that Serey planned to bomb Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Serey, who was arrested in Thailand on Wednesday, was flown to Denmark late Thursday. Supplied

Political fugitive Sam Serey, wanted by the Cambodian government for allegedly operating a "terrorist" group, flew to Denmark early Friday morning with the assistance of the Danish government, according to a senior Khmer National Liberation Front member based in Bangkok.

Serey, founder of the dissident group KNLF, was arrested in Bangkok on Wednesday after overstaying his visa. Cambodian authorities put in a request for his extradition on Thursday, citing Serey's past convictions for trying to "topple the government". He was sentenced in absentia after being granted political asylum by Denmark, where he lives.

The source, who asked for anonymity, confirmed that the Danish government and a human rights group intervened in Serey's case and that Thai authorities allowed him to leave around 1:20am on Friday morning.

He said he was not sure why the Thai government agreed to allow Serey to go to Denmark instead of Cambodia.

“Only him [Serey] and Thai authority could answer it," he said. "We as members are not aware of that."

Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, applauded the decision.

“Thailand deserves credit for making the right decision to respect Sam Serey’s continuing refugee status and sending him back to Denmark, the nation that is providing him with refugee protection," Robertson said in a statement. "Clearly, the Royal Danish Embassy, UN agencies and other like-minded diplomats in Bangkok were very determined in persuading the Thai government to respect Sam Serey’s refugee status and not send him back to Cambodia."

When contacted Friday, Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said he did not know about the situation. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Chum Sounry could not be reached.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs also did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokeswoman at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok, meanwhile, said she had "no new confirmed information." In a statement Thursday, the embassy confirmed only that a foreign citizen with permanent residence in Denmark was detained in Thailand.

Past convictions of Serey and several other members of the Denmark-based KNLF were widely seen as politically motivated.

This version adds comment from Human Rights Watch's Phil Roberston and other attempts at obtaining comment. A previous version of this article stated that Sam Serey flew to Denmark on Thursday. The article has been updated to reflect the fact that he traveled early on Friday morning.