UN welcomes end of extradition threat to Cambodian refugee in Thailand

The United Nations refugee agency today welcomed the news that a Cambodian opposition member will be released from detention in Thailand and allowed to join his family in Finland after Cambodia dropped its extradition request.

Sok Yoeun was recognized by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as a refugee under its mandate in 1999. He was accused of being responsible for a 1998 rocket attack, which Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed was aimed at him - an allegation Sok Yoeun denied and which is widely believed to be unfounded.

UNHCR did not find evidence that would warrant Sok Yoeun's exclusion from refugee protection for involvement in the alleged crime, but he spent more than four years in a Thai prison while the case went through the legal system. He lost his appeal against extradition in November, causing the High Commissioner to intervene with senior Thai authorities to prevent his extradition.

Under international law, refugees are to be safeguarded from being sent back to their country of origin.

"The news of Sok Yoeun's reprieve from extradition demonstrates that Thailand has adhered to this fundamental international rule," UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski told a news briefing in Geneva today. It also provides an example of Thailand's longstanding tradition in according humanitarian treatment to refugees, he added.

"We also appreciate the role of Cambodian authorities in resolving this case and enabling Sok Yoeun to rejoin his family in Finland," Mr. Janowski said.