American charged with militia activity in Cambodia

American charged with militia activity in Cambodia
REUTERS

PHNOM PENH, NOV 22: A Cambodian military court prosecutor has charged a 50-year-old American man with forming an underground militia movement designed to topple the Cambodian government, an official told Reuters.

"We have charged him with forming an illegal armed group inCambodia," military court director Ney Thol said late on Tuesday.

Le Sen Bao, from Washington, D.C., appeared in Phnom Penh'smilitary court on Tuesday, after being arrested and charged on November 17, he said.

Le Sen Bao, of Vietnamese descent, would be detained forfour to six months while the court investigated the charges against him, he added.

"We confiscated some documents from him about CambodianFreedom Fighters and also the Free Vietnam Movement," Ney Thol said, referring to two anti-government guerrilla groups suspected of operating in Cambodia.

"He is now in custody at the military detention centre, andwe will continue the investigation. If he is found innocent, he will be released," Ney Thol said.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh were notavailable for immediate comment. Ney Thol said the man did not yet have a lawyer.