Five Cambodian newspapers shut down

The Cambodian government has closed five opposition newspapers, accusing them of a variety of offences including defamation and damaging the morale of soldiers.

The information minister, Khieu Kanharith said a court would decide whether the government's complaint was valid.

One of the publications had called the Cambodian leader, Hun Sen, a dog; the Cambodian parliament had also been described as having a Vietnamese head and a Khmer body.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service