A former Cambodian police chief who fled murder charges in his home country may seek asylum in Malaysia, where he is believed to be ensconced.

The New Straits Times , quoting an unnamed diplomat, said Heng Pov was considering the move to avoid extradition when a visa he used to enter the country expires on Sunday, with no indication yet it will be renewed.

"The October 1 visa deadline is around the corner and he could be thinking of asylum here to avoid extradition," the diplomat was quoted as saying.

He said seeking asylum was among Heng Pov's options after a Cambodian court on September 18 sentenced him to 18 years' imprisonment for his role in the 2003 assassination of a judge.

The Malaysian government has a long-standing policy of refusing requests for political asylum. Malaysia's foreign ministry, when contacted, could not immediately comment on the situation.

Heng Pov fled murder charges in Cambodia in late July and headed to Singapore where he was subsequently arrested early September for overstaying his visa in the city-state.

He was released, and the Cambodian government has said he is in Malaysia.

Malaysian police are on the hunt for him, but say it is unclear if he will be deported from Malaysia if found.

Extradition

The second secretary with the Cambodian embassy in Malaysia, Khun Sovannarith, told AFP he had "no idea" if Heng Pov planned to seek asylum here.

"We have not said that he is seeking asylum from Malaysia, we just maintain that we have no information on him," Khun Sovannarith said.

Khun Sovannarith said the Cambodian government was seeking Heng Pov's extradition to Cambodia to serve his sentence.

Heng Pov was convicted and sentenced in absentia on September 18 for conspiracy in connection with the killing of municipal court judge Sok Sethamony, who was shot in Phnom Penh.

He is also alleged to be involved in failed assassination attempts on a newspaper publisher, a prosecutor, an electricity authority official and the national military police chief.

Once a top adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, the former police chief had sought asylum in Australia, but the embassy in Singapore turned him down.