The wife of a prominent anti-government activist shot dead in Cambodia on Sunday is reported to want to escape to Australia. 
Kem Ley, leader of a grassroots advocacy group "Khmer for Khmer" was shot three times at a petrol station in the capital Phnom Penh.
Dr Ley had close ties to Cambodian community in Australia and was in Melbourne in   April as a guest of Victorian MP Hong Lim.
According to a report in the Phnom Penh Post, Dr Ley's wife Bou Rachana said she wanted her family to leave Cambodia out of safety fears.
The Post reported Rachana is pregnant with the couple's fifth child and had been in contact with groups in Australia that have pledged to help the her relocate.
"We felt happy and comfortable living in the country, [but now] there is no safety and we are concerned about my family's safety," Rachana is reported to have said.
The Australian government has a controversial deal with Cambodia to settle refugees from Nauru, despite growing international concern over the crackdown on human rights in the country.
Dr Ley was a frequent critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen's rule, south east Asia's longest serving autocrat.
Cambodian police said Dr Ley was shot after a dispute over money but the $3000 amount of the reported loan has raised doubts about the claim.
Hun Sen has pledged a "vigorous investigation" of the killing.
A former Cambodian soldier was charged Wednesday with his murder.
with Reuters
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