Cambodia's Defense Ministry says a huge explosion at a military base in the southwest that killed 20 soldiers and injured many others was an accident caused by a “technical issue” from the old and degraded ammunition that was being moved.

The son of longtime autocratic Cambodian leader Hun Sen has been approved as the country’s new prime minister.

A Cambodian court has convicted a Cambodian-American lawyer and dozens of members of a now-dissolved opposition party on charges of treason.

Cambodians are voting in local elections that are their first chance to go to the polls since the ruling party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen swept a 2018 general election that was widely criticized as unfair.

Cambodian security forces have briefly detained a Cambodian-American lawyer who is a prominent rights activist as she walked barefoot near the prime minister’s residence in the capital of Phnom Penh.

Theary Seng, center, a Cambodian-American lawyer gestures as she enters the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Theary Seng, who has long been one of the most outspoken critics of Hun Sen and his government, is one of the best known defendants living in Cambodia. Hun Sen has been in power for 35 years and has often been accused of heading an authoritarian regime. On Wednesday, the U.N. human rights expert on Cambodia expressed serious concerns about the trial. “The mass trials of CNRP activists appear to be politically motivated, lacking clear legal grounds and constitute a serious violation of the due process rights, firmly established by international human rights law,” said Rhona Smith.

CORRECTS LOCATION - Cambodia's exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy, left, greets supporters as he arrived at Kuala Lumpur International's Airport in Sepang, Malaysia Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Sam Rainsy landed in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to return to his homeland after Thailand had earlier blocked him from entering. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

CORRECTS LOCATION - Cambodia's exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy, left, greets supporters as he arrived at Kuala Lumpur International's Airport in Sepang, Malaysia Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)KUALA LUMPUR – Cambodia's exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy arrived in Malaysia, making partial progress in his quest to return to his home country to try to oust long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen. In a video posted Saturday morning before he boarded a flight from Paris, Sam Rainsy told supporters: "Our victory is getting nearer and nearer. Malaysia and Thailand have both hindered the free movement of opposition party leaders, drawing criticism from human rights groups. An effort Sam Rainsy made Thursday to fly from Paris to Thailand — Cambodia's western neighbor — was thwarted when Thai Airways refused to let him board.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, front right, talks in front of U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy, second from left, during the country's 66th Independence Day from France, at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. The leader of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, Sam Rainsy was boarding a fly in Paris for his attempt to return home to challenge his country's longtime autocratic leader as the security inside the country was on high alert and beefed up. (AP Photo/Vithy Soth)

Sam Rainsy has several convictions with prison sentences along with charges on several offense pending. Sar Kheng, interior minister and deputy prime minister, announced the shift on his Facebook page on Saturday. Sar Kheng, calling Sam Rainsy a culprit and a criminal, said "As of now, there is not any announcement by the Cambodian government to bar culprit Sam Rainsy and his colleagues from entering the country." 5:25 p.m.Cambodia's exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy, upon landing in Malaysia, says he's determined to return to his homeland despite strong attempts by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's government to thwart him. ___4:55 p.m.Cambodia's exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy has landed in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to return to his homeland after Thailand had earlier blocked him from entering.

Mu Sochua, Vice President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) speaks during a press conference in Jakarta Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. The press conference was held by the Cambodian opposition group to discuss plans for its exiled leaders, including Sam Rainsy, to return to their homeland against the government's wishes. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Hun Sen had declared that Sam Rainsy and his colleagues would be blocked from entering Cambodia and had informed neighboring countries that they were unwelcome. We need to continue, the days of Hun Sen are numbered. Before heading to the airport, Sam Rainsy told The Associated Press that Hun Sen is going all out to block their return because he is "very afraid." Many human rights activists criticized ASEAN countries for attempting to block Sam Rainsy and his colleagues. The Cambodian opposition party was dissolved by court order in late 2017, allowing Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party to sweep a 2018 general election.

Cambodia's ambassador to Indonesia Hor Nambora, left, interrupts the press conference held by Mu Sochua, right, Vice President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) during a press conference in Jakarta Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. The press conference was held by the Cambodian opposition group to discuss plans for its exiled leaders, including Sam Rainsy, to return to their homeland against the government's wishes. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

The press conference was held by the Cambodian opposition group to discuss plans for its exiled leaders, including Sam Rainsy, to return to their homeland against the government's wishes. Leaders of the Cambodia National Rescue Party have vowed to return home on Saturday despite efforts by their government to thwart them. The opposition politicians had said they hoped to return accompanied by a mass of followers, including from the huge community of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand. Hor Nambora did not further disturb the proceedings, though he paced at the front of the conference room as Mu Sochua spoke. The decision of Thailand to bar entry to Sam Rainsy was foreshadowed late last month when immigration officials turned Mu Sochua back on arrival at Bangkok's international airport, saying she was on a blacklist.

Police officers paint on barricades at the park near the residence of Cambodian's Prime Minister Hun Sen in the preparation for Saturday's Independent Day event, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Sam Rainsy, Cambodia's most prominent opposition politician says he's ready to risk imprisonment or death by returning to his country from self-imposed exile to unseat the country's longtime ruler. The co-founder of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, told The Associated Press he hopes his planned return Saturday, Nov. 9, will trigger a People's Power-style movement to force Prime Minister Hun Sen from office. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Sam Rainsy, Cambodia's most prominent opposition politician says he's ready to risk imprisonment or death by returning to his country from self-imposed exile to unseat the country's longtime ruler. Hun Sen is taking no chances with his arch-enemy's intended return, keeping up a drumbeat of invectives and threats. Even if Sam Rainsy does manage to return, there are questions about whether he could lead a popular uprising. She is one of several colleagues who are planning to return with Sam Rainsy, despite Cambodia's government also declaring them unwelcome. Cambodian aviation authorities said they ordered airlines with flights into the country not to carry Sam Rainsy or his colleagues.