Cambodian King intervenes on behalf of Canadian journalist threatened with expulsion

King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia has called on his country's two Prime Ministers to pardon a Canadian television journalist accused of biased reporting.

The king's intervention was welcomed by the journalist, Ed Fitzgerald, who said Canadian officials in Phnom Penh were meeting foreign ministry officials today.

Cambodian officials say Mr Fitzgerald will be asked to leave the country unless he apologises for what they say was distorted reporting of the country.

Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen criticised some international news organisations, saying they scared off foreign investors by portraying Cambodia as a violent country.

The BBC correspondent in Phnom Penh says that since the UN-sponsored elections four years ago no foreign journalist has been expelled.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service