Envoys warn of political intimidation in Cambodia

International envoys, meeting in Bangkok to review progress towards elections in Cambodia, have expressed concern about political intimidation.

The group -- known as the Friends of Cambodia -- said it was crucial that observers were given free access to oversee the polls, scheduled for July.

It also called for the Cambodian government to carry out an urgent investigation into alleged extra-judicial killings.

Human rights groups say one hundred people have gone missing since the ousting of the co-prime minister, Prince Norodom Ranarridh, last year.

The American ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, said after the meeting that the international community was pushing ahead with plans for the elections, but it was not certain that accepted standards of fairness and credibility would be met.

Following the death of Pol Pot, he called for the remaining leaders of the Khmer Rouge to be brought to trial.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service