CAMBODIA has requested Malaysia to deport its two opposition leaders but Putrajaya has yet to make a decision on the matter, said Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

Saifuddin said such requests are normal and it is up to Malaysia to decide on what to do.

“We received a request from Cambodia but we have not made a decision yet.

“This is a normal request as the country wants us to send back its citizens. We have informed them that we will be making our own decision on the matter,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Earlier today, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) confirmed that two Cambodian opposition activists are currently being detained by local authorities but will not be deported.

Commissioner Jerald Joseph said the duo, one of whom is an asylum seeker, are being held at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) holding centre.

“They are waiting to be processed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to be temporarily resettled in another country,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The Cambodians were arrested on Monday night, and had been due for deportation to their home country the following day.

However, the Home Ministry and Immigration Department have withdrawn the deportation order following an appeal by Suhakam.

Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson said the detainees are members of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), which has been outlawed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s administration.

He said sending the duo back could put them “at risk of serious human rights violations”

One of the detained opposition activists is CNRP vice-president Mu Sochua.

Saifuddin said he was informed that Mu Sochua arrived in Malaysia late last night.

“As to my knowledge, they are being questioned by the immigration. Maybe they want to know the purpose of the visit here.” – November 7, 2019.