Cambodia: 'no haven' for dissidents

The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, has reiterated his government's unwillingness to grant asylum to twenty-four Vietnamese dissident refugees detained in the past ten days.

He told journalists he would not allow Cambodia to be a safe haven for foreign anti-government groups.

Hun Sen did not make clear whether orders had actually been given for the repatriation of the refugees, who belong to Vietnamese hill-tribe minority groups recently involved in political unrest. The human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has said the refugees would face persecution if forcibly returned.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service