Govt sets conditions for resumption of full relations

Thailand Het laatste Thailand nieuws
21

Published: 15/11/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

SIEM REAP : Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra left Cambodia for Dubai yesterday morning amid a stately send-off from a throng of tearful supporters.

ON PAR: Thaksin Shinawatra, left, shows Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, his red ball as they play golf in Siem Reap.

The crowd included some 50 members of parliament from the opposition Puea Thai Party and some 20 leaders of the pro-Thaksin red shirt movement.

They cried and waved as Thaksin’s plane took off from a military airport near the tourist hub of Siem Reap, Cambodia’s second largest province.

“When I saw his plane taking off, I felt as if my heart was going to break into pieces,” said Kesinee Chuenchom, 51, a red shirt leader from Chiang Rai.

“I pity him. Instead of flying back home (Thailand), he has to travel to a place that isn’t his motherland,” she said.

Before his morning departure, Thaksin chatted at the City Angkor Hotel with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and a group of political supporters from Thailand.

They spent about two hours together. Many posed for photos with Thaksin and asked for his signature. The reunion was warm even though security was tight. No uninvited reporters were allowed to attend the morning farewell party.

Thaksin was always smiling when talking to his supporters. He embraced many of them, and it was like sending a signal that they must help him return home as quickly as possible.

COLLECTOR’S ITEM: An amulet with Thaksin’s face for red shirt fans.

"I don’t know why a person like Thaksin, who had dedicated himself to helping the Thai people, is in such a sorry situation today.

“We really want to help him return home,” Ms Kesinee said.

Panthip Boonyalit, 65, a Thaksin backer from Bangkok, said she was delighted to have the opportunity to meet Thaksin again. She once met him in Hong Kong.

“I don’t know when I will meet him again. My heartbeat nearly stopped when I saw him leaving,” Mrs Panthip said, on the verge of tears.

She said she had a lot of respect for Thaksin because he had done a lot of good things for the Thai people.

“Everyone makes mistakes. Why don’t we choose to see their bright side?” she said. Thaksin, who was toppled by a military coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid a jail term for abusing his power by helping his former wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra buy a prime piece of state land at a discounted rate in the Ratchadaphisek area, arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday aboard a private jet.

Hun Sen hosted a dinner at the City Angkor Hotel to welcome his close friends and supporters on Friday night. In his welcoming speech, Hun Sen encouraged them to help Thaksin return to Thailand to become prime minister again. While thanking Hun Sen for the warm reception, Thaksin also asked his supporters to continue giving him moral support. "I was very impressed when they [supporters] told me that I was their treasure and asked me to keep my body strong and healthy.

“I am still fit,” he said while flexing his muscles and twisting his waist in response to an answer about his health on which his rivals have tried to play up, saying he was suffering from cancer.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

22

Published: 16/11/2009 at 05:20 PM
Online news: Local News

The government has rejected an offer from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to ask the Cambodian government to ensure a Thai engineer arrested for spying is fairly treated by the courts.

The offer was conveyed by lawyer Noppadon Pattama, a close Thaksin associate. He said had talked the matter over with his boss, who said he was ready to help if asked by the Thai government.

He said Thaksin could not be seen as trying to meddle in Cambodia’s justice system and internal affairs, but was willing to ask Cambodia to ensure that the suspect, Siwarak Chothpong, 31, is fairly treated by the courts and that his relatives be allowed to visit him.

Thaksin’s offer to help was promptly turned down by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who said although Thai officials had not been allowed access to Mr Siwarak the government did not need to ask Thaksin for help.

'In fact, it was him (Thaksin) who caused the problem," Mr Abhisit said.

The prime minister said it was not necessary for him to talk directly with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the telephone over this matter.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry was handling it.

Nor was there need for the president of Indonesia to act as mediator.

Mr Abhisit admitted that if Cambodia continued to deny Thailand’s request for access to the uspect, the conflict between the two countries might escalate.

He said he still did not know exactly what the charges are against Mr Siwarak.

Earlier today, Newin Chidchob, de facto leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, said Thaksin, who is now economic adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, should ask Cambodia to release the Thai engineer.

“Thaksin is trusted by Prime Minister Hun Sen. He should use his close relationship with Cambodia to help the Thai engineer, if he still thinks he represents Thai people and considers himself a Thai person,” Thaksin’s former right-hand man said.

Mr Newin, however, said he would not phone Thaksin to beg for his help.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Wimon Kidchob said Thai charge d’affaires Chalothorn Paovibul had made an official request to visit Mr Siwarak. Mr Chalothorn would like to visit Mr Siwarak himself and meet with Camboldian officials handling the matter. Cambodia had not yet replied to the request, she said.

Mrs Wimon said it was not unusual for Mr Siwarak to personally know the first secretary at the Thai embassy, who has been expelled from Phnom Penh.

She declined to say what action would be taken if Cambodia rejected the request for access to the prisoner.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

23

Published: 17/11/2009 at 02:50 PM
Online news: Local News

The Thai charge d’affaires in Phnom Penh and other embassy officials were allowed to visit Thai engineer Siwarak Chutiphong at Prey Sar prison this morning, the foreign minister’s secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut confirmed on Tuesday.

It was the first time consular access had been allowed since Mr Siwarak was arrested on Thursday for supplying details of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight schedule to the Thai embassy.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20091117/c1_160266_091117171819.jpg

On Monday, Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong claimed a Thai embassy official was allowed to visit Mr Siwarak in Prey Sar prison where he was temporarily detained. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said this was not correct and that Phnom Penh had declined to allow a visit.

Mr Chavanond said charge d’affaires Chalotorn Phaovibul reported that Mr Siwarak was receiving proper treatment at the prison.

Mr Chalotorn was talking to Cambodian officials, trying to obtain details of the charges against Mr Siwarak so that defence lawyers could prepare a case.

He said Mr Siwarak was also allowed a five minute phone conversation with his mother Seemarak na Nakhon Phanom in Nakhon Ratchasima. He told her he was being well treated by Cambodian authorities and was in good health.

Mr Chavanond said he saw this as a good sign that could lead to talks to normalise relations between the two countries.

Mr Chalatorn, as charge d’affaires, is temporarily in charge of the Thai diplomatic mission in the absence of the ambassador, who was recalled two weeks ago.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva welcomed the Cambodian government’s response, and said that the government has hopes that Mr Siwarak would be soon released.

“There is hope [for his release], but we have to first follow legal procedures. The precise charges against him are not yet known. I think this should be clear by tomorrow,” he said. “This will allow us to follow legal procedure and assign a lawyer to help him.”

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga had ordered two high-level ministry officials to travel to Cambodia to visit Mr Siwarak, Department of Special Investigation director-general Tharit Pengdit said.

Deputy justice permanent secretary Pol Col Tawee Sodsong and Suwana Suwannajutha, director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, had been instructed to visit him as soon as possible to make sure he is accorded his rights.

The Rights and Liberties Protection Department had also been insructed to liaise with Mr Siwarak’s family and the Foreign Ministry to arrange legal assistance.

Thai officials would not attempt to interfere in Cambodia’s investigation process, Mr Tharit said.

Mrs Suwana said she would first visit Mr Siwarak’s mother Seemarak in Nakhon Ratchasima to find out if she needs any help.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

24

**Military tries personal appeal to free engineer **

Published: 18/11/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Thailand’s hopes of a quick release for Sivarak Chutipong have been dashed.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said the alleged spy will not be freed any time soon.

In a phone interview with the Bangkok Post, Gen Tea Banh said legal proceedings against the Thai engineer must be allowed to run their course.

Thai military chiefs, including Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, are using their communications channels with Gen Tea Banh to try and help the government secure the release of the Cambodia Air Traffic Services engineer who is being detained in Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar prison.

They hoped the general would convince Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to allow his release.

“I told them I am sorry but that it is not possible,” Gen Tea Banh said. "Lawbreakers must face legal proceedings first. They must face investigations and will be taken to court. They cannot be let off scot-free.

“I don’t know what to do. The law is there and Cambodia must stick to the law … the judicial proceedings must be allowed to take their course. It’s impossible to release him [Mr Sivarak] straight away.”

Gen Tea Banh said Cambodian authorities had questioned Mr Sivarak and found allegations he illegally obtained information about fugitive former primer minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight schedule had grounds.

Mr Sivarak was arrested on Thursday for allegedly obtaining confidential information about Thaksin’s flight details and supplying it to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian government expelled the Thai embassy’s first secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai in response.

Both Mr Sivarak and the Thai Foreign Ministry denied the allegations.
Mr Sivarak has not yet been formally charged, said Thani Thongphakdi, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.

After blocking several attempts to meet the detained Thai, Cambodian authorities yesterday allowed Chalotorn Phaovibul - the highest ranking diplomat at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh - and two other staff to visit Mr Sivarak for 30 minutes.

“He is in good condition and good spirits. He is also being well taken care of by Cambodian authorities,” the deputy spokesman quoted Mr Chalotorn as saying.

Mr Chalotorn has been in charge of the Thai embassy since ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai was recalled in protest over Phnom Penh’s appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser.

Mr Sivarak spoke with his mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, in Nakhon Ratchasima by phone after being given permission by prison authorities.

Mrs Simarak, who works at Nakhon Ratchasima Technical College, said she was happy to speak to her son for the first time since his arrest and to learn that he was safe.

She appealed to the government to quickly secure her son’s release.
The deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, Madurapochana Ittarong, yesterday visited Mrs Simarak in the northeastern province and offered to help her arrange a visit to see Mr Sivarak in Phnom Penh.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva applauded Cambodia’s decision to allow Thai diplomats to visit Mr Sivarak in prison in accordance with international standards.

Mr Abhisit told Mrs Simarak the government would try its best to secure his release as soon as possible.

“The government hopes he will be released soon following proper legal procedures,” Mr Abhisit said.

Thaksin said on thaksinlive.com, his internet channel, that he had contacted the Cambodian government and asked it to ensure the engineer receives a fair trial.

“If there is anything I can do to help, I’ll do it even though it [the charge] is real,” he said.

The recent deterioration in Thai-Cambodian relations started last month when Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser to his government. Tensions increased when Cambodia rejected Thai requests that Thaksin be extradited.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

25

Published: 19/11/2009 at 04:48 PM
Online news: Local News

Cambodia has taken control of Cambodian Air Traffic Services (CATS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Thailand’s Samart Corporation, and appointed a senior Civil Aviation official as its temporary caretaker, Samart said in a statement on Thursday.

Cambodian authorities ejected all Thai employees from their offices at CATS on Wednesday after Phnom Penh filed formal charges against Siwarak Chutipong, a Thai engineer working for the air traffic control firm, accusing him of spying.

“The caretaker has prohibited Thai expatriates from performing their duties,” Samart vice-chairman Sirichai Rasameechan said in a statement filed with the Stock Exchange of Thailand, where the company is listed.

CATS has a 32-year concession (2001-2033) to provide air traffic control services under a build, cooperate and transfer arrangement with the Cambodian government. Revenue from the operation this year contributed about 5 per cent of the group’s earnings.

The deal was covered by an investment protection agreement between the two countries, he said. Samart was seeking the government’s help to end the problem.

“Samart has been closely cooperating with the Thai government to help negotiations with the Cambodian government for the release of Mr Sivarak and to resolve this incident,” the statement, which was issued in Thai, said.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya insisted that Cambodia must comply with the law in ejecting Thai nationals from their jobs at CATS, replacing them with Cambodians and seizing the company’s equipment.

Kasit said any action against the company and its employees must be strictly according to the law and comply with Cambodia’s own investment and internal affairs regulations.

“The ministry is waiting for reports from the Thai embassy and we will also have to get clarification from the Cambodian government. If it violates bilateral agreements, then we will find ways to proceed from there,” he told reporters.
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“Cambodia is a market economy,” he added. “Just seizing [a company] would not seem right.”

The Foreign Ministry had sent the Consular Affairs Department deputy director-general to see Mr Sivarak’s mother in Nakhon Ratchasima. Mr Kasit said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had promised Mr Sivarak’s mother that he would visit her detained son if possible.

The government had to wait for Cambodia’s confirmation of a time for the meeting with Mr Sivarak. The ministry had also hired a lawyer to liaise with Samart about the problem.

“There are, however, no problems with Thai-Cambodian relations,” he insisted.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister, denied Puea Thai Party MP Jatuporn Promphan’s claim that Mr Kasit had ordered the Thai embassy’s first secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai to find out the flight schedule of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Chavanond challenged Mr Jatuporn to make public a copy of the tape he claimed to have of the conversation, and slammed Mr Jatuporn’s statement as “nonsense”.

He said the Foreign Ministry is providing assistance for Mr Sivarak and finding a lawyer to defend him.

The ministry this morning asked the Cambodian government to allow Mr Sivarak’s mother to visit her son in Prey Sar prison.

The Thai engineer is accused of “stealing classified information affecting national security” by passing details of Thaksin’s and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s flight plan to an official at the Thai embassy.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

26

Published: 27/11/2009 at 04:11 PM
Online news: Local News

The mother and brother of the Thai engineer arrested in Cambodia on spying charges, Sivarak Chutipong, flew to Cambodia on Friday morning to visit him in jail.

Simarak Na Nakhon Phanom said before leaving she was so excited at the prospect of seeing her son that she had not been able to sleep properly the last few nights. She would tell him to be patient because he would be soon be freed.

Mr Sivarak is being detained at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh. Mr Sivarak’s younger brother, Phongsuree, accompanied his mother on the visit.

They were scheduled to meet him about 2pm.

Mr Sivarak, an employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Service, a Thai company, was arrested on charges of supplying state secrets - details of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight schedule - to the Thai embassy when Thaksin visited Phnom Penh earlier this month.

Deputy director-general of the Consul Department Mathurapojjana Ittharong said the family had been allowed a 30 minute visit starting at 2pm. They would leave Phnom Penh for Bangkok around 10pm.

Mr Sivarak has applied for release on bail. The Cambodian court is expected to announce its decision on Dec 8.

The defence ministers of both Thailand and Cambodia on Friday agreed not to let the diplomatic row between the two countries sparked by the appointment of Thaksin as a political adviser to the government and personal adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lead to the deepening of the border conflict.

“Thai and Cambodian armed forces will support every mechanism between the two countries to improve ties,” Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon told reporters after a meeting of the Thai-Cambodia General Border Committee in Pattaya.

“The highest goal will be the safety of the public and sustainable peace at the border,” he said, adding that troops from the two sides have a “peaceful relationship”.

Cambodian Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh told the press conference that Cambodia would not do anything that would affect the lives of the people of the two countries.

“We will avoid any action that would lead to a conflict between the two countries,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban brushed aside former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai’s call for the government to initiate talks with Cambodia to normalise diplomatic relations.

Mr Surakiart made the suggestion during a seminar on Thai-Cambodian relations at Chulalongkorn University on Thursday. He also said the Thai-Cambodian conflict should be raised for discussion in the Asean forum.

Mr Suthep said the conflict was between two counries and it should not be made a problem for Asean.

“It is not that we fear it would be a loss of face. It is a difference of thinking. Mr Surakiart may have his own thoughts on the matter, but the government thinks a problem between two countries should not be taken to Asean or a higher level,” Mr Suthep said.

It would take some time before the two countries could reach a good understanding. As long as the core cause of the conflict remains unchanged it would be difficult to hold talks, he said.

He also said the conflict between the two countries was limited to a diplomatic disagreement, while military relations remained intact. Soldiers of the two countries had been in good communication to prevent tensions along the border, he added.

“We neighbours may have a quarrel, but that should not be allowed to develop to fighting. We have to maintain peace,” Mr Suthep said.

Mr Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, said the Thai-Cambodian border committee meetings would proceed as normal and there would not be a border closure because it would affect the lives of people living along both sides of the border.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said dispute between Thailand and Phnom Penh will continue to exist as long as Thaksin is Cambodia’s economic adviser.

Mr Kasit was responding to questions about the diplomatic row could be settled.

“Thaksin is the problem,” he said.

He insisted that the Foreign Ministry would not initiate talks with Cambodia, as former foreign minister Surahiart Sthirathai has suggested, or ask it to strip Thaksin of his advisory posts.

“What should be done has been done,” Mr Kasit said.

As a Thai citizen, Mr Surakiart was entitled to voice his opinion, and the government welcomed suggestions, he said.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

27

Published: 28/11/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

PHNOM PENH : The mother of a jailed Thai engineer facing a spying charge has made an emotional appeal to the Cambodian government to free her son from prison.

I hope the Cambodian government will give justice and mercy to my son. I want him to have freedom as quickly as possible. - SIMARAK NA NAKHONPHANOM MOTHEROF DETAINED THAI ENGINEER

“I hope the Cambodian government will give justice and mercy to my son. I want him to have freedom as quickly as possible,” Simarak na Nakhon Phanom said yesterday, holding back tears.

She made the appeal after a one-hour meeting with her son Sivarak Chutipong at Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. It was the first time they had met since the Cambodian Air Traffic Services official was arrested by Cambodian authorities on Nov 12.

Her youngest son Pongsiri Chutipong accompanied her to the meeting.

“We, three people, could not hold back our tears. We cried when we met and hugged together,” she said.

Mrs Simarak said her son was still in good spirits and was treated well by prison warders.

“He did not complain about anything in his life at the prison. He only said he’s still waiting for his release as quickly as possible,” Mrs Simarak quoted her son as saying.

“I beg both the Thai and Cambodian governments to help my son, please,” she said, bowed her head, and made a wai.

Mrs Simarak said she was extremely happy and felt relieved to know that her son was still healthy.

Simarak na Nakhon Phanom (above left) holds back tears as she appealed yesterday for the release of her son, Sivarak Chutipong, who is being detained on spying charges at Prey Sar prison (above) in Phnom Penh. PHOTOS BY TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD

Mr Sivarak, who has worked in Phnom Penh for eight years, was charged with supplying classified information on fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s return flight from Phnom Penh to Dubai to a Thai diplomat.

Mr Sivarak and the Foreign Ministry have denied the charge.

Mrs Simarak protested her son’s innocence, saying “I believe my son never did this wrong thing nor caused trouble for others.”

The Cambodian court will begin the first hearing into Mr Sivarak’s case on Dec 8. His Cambodian lawyer Kao Soupha filed a bail request last Monday but the court has yet to make a decision.

Mrs Simarak returned to Bangkok yesterday but will go back to Phnom Penh on Dec 8 to attend the first hearing.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have been strained since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser to his government and criticised the Thai judicial system over Thaksin’s legal cases.

The two countries have downgraded diplomatic relations. Thailand has also scrapped a memorandum of understanding on attempts to define their overlapping territorial waters and jointly explore gas and oil in the Gulf of Thailand, and has frozen a 1.4 billion baht loan to upgrade a road from Surin province to the Cambodian province of Seam Reap. The termination of the MoU still needs parliamentary approval.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday the Cambodian government had told Thailand it was cancelling the loan.

Cambodia did not need the loan and could afford to build the road on its own, he said.

Former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai on Thursday urged the government to start talking with Phnom Penh to get relations back to normal.

But Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya rejected the suggestion yesterday and insisted on the Thai position that attempts to normalise ties must come from Cambodia.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

28

Published: 8/12/2009 at 06:17 PM
Online news: Local News

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday afternoon sentenced accused Thai spy Sivarak Chutipong to seven years in prison and a fine of 10 million riel, about 80,000 baht.

Sivarak, 31, an employee of Thai-owned Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was arrested on Nov 12 on charges of stealing state secrets, the flight information of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra when he visited Phnom Pehn, and passing it to a Thai diplomat.

Sivarak confessed in court that he did check out Thaksin’s flight information. The ousted premier arrived in Phnom Penh early last month after he was appointed economic adviser to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government.

He said Khamrob Palawatwichai, the first secretary to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, contacted him and inquired about Thaksin’s flight. He admitted that he confirmed Thaksin’s arrival in Cambodia to the diplomat by phone about 30 minutes after the media reported it.

Mr Khamrob was expelled by the Cambodian government last month and the Thai government responded by expelling the first secretary of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.

After the verdict was announced, Sivarak’s mother Simarak Na Nakhon Phanom called the opposition Puea Thai Party and said her son’s lawyer might not file an appeal.

Mrs Simarak said she may ask Puea Thai chairman and former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to help seek a royal pardon from the Cambodian king.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya’s secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said if no appeal was filed, the government would seek a royal pardon for Mr Sivarak immediately.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

29

**Puea Thai and Thaksin asked to help jailed spy **

Published: 9/12/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

The mother of Sivarak Chutipong is pinning her hopes on the Puea Thai Party and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra getting her son a royal pardon from Cambodia after he was sentenced yesterday to seven years in jail on spying charges.

‘‘ I told [first secretary] Kamrob [Palawatwichai] that it is true that a private plane had landed, but the information I gave to him was not official because I did not know who was on the plane. SIVARAK CHUTIPONG CONVICTED THAI ENGINEER

After the Phnom Penh Municipal Court ruling, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom called the opposition party from the Cambodian capital and appealed to party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Thaksin to step in.

Mrs Simarak consulted her lawyer Khieu Sambou after the verdict and both agreed not to appeal the case in order to start proceedings for a pardon.

The lawyer will send a copy of the court sentence to Puea Thai today to help the party launch efforts to have Mr Sivarak returned to Thailand.

“I would like to ask Gen Chavalit again to help me and my son. I am devastated, especially when I saw my son handcuffed. I could not hold back my tears,” she said in the telephone call.

Mrs Simarak said she intentionally bypassed assistance from the government for fear the conflict between Bangkok and Phnom Penh could be a stumbling block in the attempt to get the pardon.

“Freedom for my son comes before anything else. It will be difficult for those in conflict to sit down and talk,” she said.

Puea Thai will hold a meeting today on how to help the 31-year-old engineer who worked for Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS). The key people working on the pardon will be Gen Chavalit and Noppadon Pattama, who is a legal adviser to Thaksin.

Gen Chavalit has already prepared a draft letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Puea Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit expected the letter would be ready to be sent to Phnom Penh on Friday and urged the government not to misinterpret the party’s help as having a political motive.

The Foreign Ministry, however, will not sit idly by as it is ready to request for a royal pardon, despite Mrs Simarak’s preference for the opposition party to assist.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, the secretary to the foreign minister, said the ministry was not perturbed by the Puea Thai move.

“We’re waiting for [a copy of] the verdict before moving forward to the next step,” Mr Chavanond said.

A question that needed to be addressed now was whether the request for a royal pardon started by Puea Thai was possible as, according to Mr Chavanond, only the prisoner, relatives or the government can request it.

In addition to the seven-year jail term, Sivarak was also fined 10 million riel (82,500 baht) for supplying Thaksin’s flight schedule to the Thai embassy when the ousted premier was in Cambodia last month.

“The flight plan of His Excellency Thaksin was very important for the Thai government, but this information would have caused serious danger to Thaksin,” judge Ke Sakhan said in his verdict.

“Thaksin is Cambodia’s adviser, so the government of Cambodia has an obligation to protect his life. If anything happens to him, we would be blamed and that could lead to rocky relations with Thailand,” he added.

During his trial, Sivarak asked the court to drop the charges and denied stealing any documents.

He told the court that although he had informed the Thai embassy’s first secretary by telephone of a flight arrival, he was not aware that Thaksin was on board.

“I told [first secretary] Kamrob [Palawatwichai] that it is true that a private plane had landed, but the information I gave to him was not official because I did not know who was on the plane,” Sivarak said. “I didn’t get a copy of the flight schedule and hand it over to anyone.”

Two other employees of CATS testified that Sivarak asked them about the flight schedule.

The prosecution said Thaksin’s plane had flown for about an hour over Thailand on its way to Cambodia from Mumbai, India.

Sivarak was arrested by Cambodian authorities on Nov 12. Thaksin’s private jet landed in Phnom Penh on Nov 10 to give his first lecture after being appointed as the government adviser in October. He returned to Dubai from Siem Reap on Nov 15.

The Thai-owned CATS now is temporarily under the control of the Cambodian government.

After the arrest of Sivarak, Phnom Penh on Nov 12 ordered Mr Kamrob to be expelled and Thailand retaliated hours later by ordering the first secretary at the Cambodian embassy in Thailand to return to Cambodia.

Mrs Simarak, who attended the court, urged Mr Kamrob to act responsibly and blamed him for causing her son to get into trouble. Without contact from him, her son would not have been jailed, she said.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

30

Published: 11/12/2009 at 02:04 PM
Online news: Asia

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni Friday pardoned a Thai man jailed for seven years for spying on fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a Cambodian government spokesman said.

Thai national Sivarak Chutipong, a 31-year-old employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, is escorted by Cambodian police at the Phnom Penh municipal court on December 8. Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni Friday pardoned a Thai man jailed for seven years for spying on fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sivarak Chutipong, 31, an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, will be released from prison Monday to his family and a delegation from Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai party, Cambodian spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

“The king just signed it this morning,” Khieu Kanharith told AFP, adding that the royal pardon was issued after Prime Minister Hun Sen requested it Thursday.

“This morning Hun Sen said that if the man wants to continue working in Cambodia, he is welcome,” Khieu Kanharith added.

Sivarak’s arrest in Phnom Penh last month deepened a diplomatic crisis over Cambodia’s appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser and its refusal to extradite the ousted premier to Thailand.

During his trial Tuesday, Sivarak denied stealing any documents and stated that although he had informed the Thai embassy’s first secretary by telephone of a flight arrival, he had not been aware that Thaksin was on board.

Thaksin was toppled in a coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but has continued to stir up protests in his homeland.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *

31

Govt sets conditions for resumption of full relations

Published: 15/12/2009 at 03:59 PM
Online news: Local News

The Cambodian government has to meet three conditions before the the Thai government will send its ambassador back to Phnom Penh, government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said on Tuesday.

He said the release of pardoned spy Sivarak Chutipong was the first step toward restoring diplomatic relations.

However, ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai would return to Phnom Penh only if Cambodia rectified its stated opinion about Thailand’s justice system, and its politics, and dismissed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from the position of economic eo the Cambodian government.

“The government may send a first secretary back to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh back if Cambodia wishes to improve bilateral ties, but I cannot confirm that it would be the same person,” the government spokesman said.

Last month, Kamrob Palawatwichai, the first secretary of the Thai embassy in Cambodia, was expelled by Cambodia for his involvement in obtaining Thaksin’s flight plan.

Mr Panithan also said that Mr Kamrob had tried to contact Mr Sivarak on his arrival back in Thailand.

Mr Sivarak, who was convicted of spying on ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra but later pardoned by the Cambodian king, demanded on Monday that Mr Kamrob “tell the truth”.

He said Mr Kamrob had made a phone call to him and asked about a VIP plane’s flight information and if Thaksin was on board the plane.

He demanded that Mr Kamrob speak out and restore his damaged reputation by confirming he was not involved in any government attempt to get Thaksin’s flight details.

Mr Kamrob has not spoken to the media since.

Mr Panithan said Mr Kamrob tried to contact Mr Sivarak after he landed in back in Bangkok on Monday, but said he was not sure whether the two had talked.

He added that Mr Kamrob would clarify the matter in the next day or two.

“The reason why he does not clarify the issue now is because his superiors are concerned that he is not a good public speaker,” he said.

Mr Sivarak’s mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, denounced Democrat Party spokesman Buranat Samutrak for saying the release of her son was staged and in the interests of a certain group of people.

“My son has suffered much already. Please don’t hurt him more,” Mrs Simarak said. “The person who thinks that this was staged, I believe, can also make up stories well.”

The stressed mother also called on the media to stop referring to Mr Sivarak’s father, who it was claimed was close to Thaksin, because he had passed away a long time ago.

“My son and I do not know Thaksin,” she said.

She and her son forgave Kamrob Palawatwichai even though he was the one who called her son and got him arrested in the end.

“I agree with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that everything should end here, but I wonder how would Mr Kamrob feel if he was in prison for just a day,” she said.

She said she would like to thank Thaksin for his assistance and the people for their support.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Tuesday that he would make no further comment on the case involving Mr Sivarak.

This matter should be put to end, he said, adding that the public understand what happened.

He earlier said the incident was a conspiracy by Puea Thai and Thaksin to discredit the government and boost the popularity of the convicted former prime minister, who arrived in Cambodia on Sunday to arrange for Mr Sivarak’s release.

When asked about the government’s efforts to extradite Thaksin now that he is back in Cambodia, Mr Suthep said that was the responsibility of the Foreign Ministry.

On Tuesday, Thaksin addressed Cambodian ministers in his advisory role on how to develop their economy during the global recession.

Foreign language media were locked out of Thaksin’s meeting at the Council for the Development of Cambodia, but local reporters said he spoke to between 20 and 30 senior Cambodian ministers and their deputies.

He talked about how to develop the impoverished nation’s economy during the worldwide financial crisis and discussed agricultural reform, the reporters added.

*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *