Cambodian strongman threatens to sell opposition HQ

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen on Tuesday threatened to seize the property of opposition leader Sam Rainsy and sell the party's headquarters if he wins a defamation case against the exiled politician. The one-million-dollar lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal cases targeting Cambodian opposition leaders trying to break Hun Sen's 32-year grip on power.

Rights groups say the strongman is trying to keep his opponents under pressure ahead of local elections this year and a general election in 2018. Hun Sen filed the latest defamation case against top foe Rainsy for accusing him of bribery in a speech several weeks ago.

"I am waiting for the verdict to be finalised. This time, I will take money … I am demanding $1,000,000," the premier said during a parliamentary session Tuesday. "I heard the party's headquarters is registered under the name of Sam Rainsy, so the party's headquarters will be auctioned," he told the assembly, adding that the politician's personal property would also be "frozen...and sold". The money would be used to build houses for handicapped people, he added.

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