Malaysian authorities on Thursday detained Mu Sochua, vice president of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, at Kuala Lumpur airport following a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s administration. The Cambodian leader, in power since 1985, has promised to “use weapons of all kinds” to stop a group led by top opposition figure Sam Rainsy from returning to Cambodia on Saturday, the country’s independence day.

 

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha ordered customs to deny Sam Rainsy’s entry due to the “rules” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. On Thursday, he posted a picture of himself packing his bags as he prepared to board a plane from Paris to Bangkok. Both he and Mu Sochua have been in exile for four years.

Cambodia has dispatched the military to “maintain peace and stability,” government spokesman Phay Siphan said, adding that the arrests would be “positive” if true.

“The Cambodian government has informed all Asean nations that those people are organized crime,” he said. “They are leading a coup d’etat, so the Cambodian government informed all Asean members. And they all decided together to keep peace stability, so those people have become persona non-grata.”

The detention comes shortly before Europe is expected to issue a decision on whether or not to pull Cambodia’s preferential tariff status due to its deteriorating rights situation, a move that could devastate its economy. The EU is Cambodia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 45% of all exports in 2018.