Cambodia agrees not to expel journalist

The Cambodian authorities have withdrawn a threat to expel a Canadian television journalist who was accused of unfair reporting.

The Secretary of State for Information, Khieu Kanharith, announced the decision after meeting the journalist concerned, Ed Fitzgerald.

Mr Fitzgerald said he had made it clear that if the government objected to any report, the right of reply was available as a response.

The BBC correspondent in Phnom Penh says the government's decision has been welcomed by diplomats and journalists, who had been joined by the country's monarch, King Norodom Sihanouk, in objecting to the expulsion plans.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service