By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Cambodia defends control of CATS as Siwarak admits to report of Thaksin flight plan
Cambodia yesterday lashed out at the Thai government over an allegation of taking control of the Thai-owned air-traffic-control company.
Meanwhile, a detained employee of the company confessed to a Cambodian court yesterday about leaking ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight information to a Thai diplomat.
Cambodian authorities temporarily controlled Cambodia Air Traffic Service (CATS) operations for national-security reasons until the case of its employee, Siwarak Chotipong, who has been accused of spying, comes to an end, a statement in Phnom Penh said.
"Cambodia always fulfills agreements it signs, including agreements with the private sector, so as to enhance the confidence of local and foreign investors, including Thai investors," the statement said.
"Without a firm position concerning the respect for agreements and having violated the principles of international law, the Abhisit [Vejjajiva] government must think that Cambodia will follow Thailand's way," it said.
Cambodia accused the Thai government of failure to honour the 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear Temple by the International Court of Justice and a maritime deal signed in 2001.
CATS is at the core of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Its employee was arrested on November 12 as Thaksin arrived in Cambodia to give a lecture on economic development strategy to government economists and the business sector.
Siwarak admitted he had reported Thaksin's flight plan to the Thai Embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, 10 minutes after Thaksin landed in Phnom Penh on November 10, defence lawyer Kao Soupha said.
Siwarak did not know at the beginning that Thaksin was on the plane, the lawyer said.
"My client did not spy on Thaksin, since it is his responsibility as the official of the air-traffic-control company to know about the flight information," Kao Soupha said in a phone interview from Phnom Penh.
Siwarak has worked for the company for about eight years and knows very well that flight information is no secret, the lawyer said.
What Siwarak disclosed to the people who asked him about the matter was a confirmation that a charter flight had landed at Phnom Penh Airport.
The Thai employee did not pay attention to Thaksin's visit to Cambodia, because Siwarak was not in the country four days before the fugitive ex-premier landed in Phnom Penh, Soupha said.
"If he had really wanted |to spy on Thaksin, he would not leave Cambodia, because Thaksin was about to arrive in the country," the lawyer said.
Siwarak is being held in pretrial detention at Prey Sor Prison, although a date for his trial has yet to be officially announced.
Soupha said he had filed a bail request for him yesterday and guaranteed Siwarak would not return to Thailand during the court trial. The court has 10 days to consider the bail request, he said.
The lawyer expects the Cambodian court will rule on December 8.
Thai authorities are going |all out to provide assistance |to Siwarak. A delegation from the Justice Ministry visited Cambodia yesterday, while representatives of the Law Society of Thailand and the Foreign Ministry will land in Phnom Penh today to see him.
His mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, will have a chance to see him this week, a Thai Foreign Ministry official said.
Meanwhile, the local authority in Cambodia's Koh Kong province yesterday sealed its sea, barring Thai fishery trawlers from its water.
Thai Navy commander Admiral Kamthorn Phumhiran said fishery concessions granted earlier to Thai boats were terminated, because Cambodia had changed the Koh Kong governor.
It is a norm of Cambodia to review the concession each time people in authority are changed out, he said.
Kamthorn said the termination of the fishery concession had nothing to do with the ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries and that the concession would be renewed once the new governor was firmly in charge.
Koh Kong's new governor, Lert Promkesorn, will take his time to study the fishery concession before deciding whether to renew it, a source said.
Cambodia yesterday lashed out at the Thai government over an allegation of taking control of the Thai-owned air-traffic-control company.
Meanwhile, a detained employee of the company confessed to a Cambodian court yesterday about leaking ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight information to a Thai diplomat.
Cambodian authorities temporarily controlled Cambodia Air Traffic Service (CATS) operations for national-security reasons until the case of its employee, Siwarak Chotipong, who has been accused of spying, comes to an end, a statement in Phnom Penh said.
"Cambodia always fulfills agreements it signs, including agreements with the private sector, so as to enhance the confidence of local and foreign investors, including Thai investors," the statement said.
"Without a firm position concerning the respect for agreements and having violated the principles of international law, the Abhisit [Vejjajiva] government must think that Cambodia will follow Thailand's way," it said.
Cambodia accused the Thai government of failure to honour the 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear Temple by the International Court of Justice and a maritime deal signed in 2001.
CATS is at the core of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Its employee was arrested on November 12 as Thaksin arrived in Cambodia to give a lecture on economic development strategy to government economists and the business sector.
Siwarak admitted he had reported Thaksin's flight plan to the Thai Embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, 10 minutes after Thaksin landed in Phnom Penh on November 10, defence lawyer Kao Soupha said.
Siwarak did not know at the beginning that Thaksin was on the plane, the lawyer said.
"My client did not spy on Thaksin, since it is his responsibility as the official of the air-traffic-control company to know about the flight information," Kao Soupha said in a phone interview from Phnom Penh.
Siwarak has worked for the company for about eight years and knows very well that flight information is no secret, the lawyer said.
What Siwarak disclosed to the people who asked him about the matter was a confirmation that a charter flight had landed at Phnom Penh Airport.
The Thai employee did not pay attention to Thaksin's visit to Cambodia, because Siwarak was not in the country four days before the fugitive ex-premier landed in Phnom Penh, Soupha said.
"If he had really wanted |to spy on Thaksin, he would not leave Cambodia, because Thaksin was about to arrive in the country," the lawyer said.
Siwarak is being held in pretrial detention at Prey Sor Prison, although a date for his trial has yet to be officially announced.
Soupha said he had filed a bail request for him yesterday and guaranteed Siwarak would not return to Thailand during the court trial. The court has 10 days to consider the bail request, he said.
The lawyer expects the Cambodian court will rule on December 8.
Thai authorities are going |all out to provide assistance |to Siwarak. A delegation from the Justice Ministry visited Cambodia yesterday, while representatives of the Law Society of Thailand and the Foreign Ministry will land in Phnom Penh today to see him.
His mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, will have a chance to see him this week, a Thai Foreign Ministry official said.
Meanwhile, the local authority in Cambodia's Koh Kong province yesterday sealed its sea, barring Thai fishery trawlers from its water.
Thai Navy commander Admiral Kamthorn Phumhiran said fishery concessions granted earlier to Thai boats were terminated, because Cambodia had changed the Koh Kong governor.
It is a norm of Cambodia to review the concession each time people in authority are changed out, he said.
Kamthorn said the termination of the fishery concession had nothing to do with the ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries and that the concession would be renewed once the new governor was firmly in charge.
Koh Kong's new governor, Lert Promkesorn, will take his time to study the fishery concession before deciding whether to renew it, a source said.
8 comments:
Ohhhhhh shit, What now ? The fucking little girl just conffesed, I say hang his ass, and burn him in front of the Tha Embassy.
And for the Thai Diplomat that the fag girl siem kid reported to, he also should also be burnt, and hanged in front of the Thai Embassy
STUPID FUCKING SIEMS!!!!!!!
FUCK THAILAND!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear all Thai people,
You must know who are your really enemy. Cambodian people are not your enemies, but because your stupid education system make your young generation blind. You must know who /which country is really benefits from this games.
Cambodian-Thai brother-sisters
You Cambodian people are nice people but your prime ministe is very stupid! He can not understand the difference between national intrest and individual interest. For his own personal eternal friend, he chose to challenge government of another country. What a stupid prime minister on earth you have? No leader in the world will do that? Leader serve people. If it is interest of the people, they will do anything for benefit of the people but not personal friendship.
Really? What is Abhsit doing right now, is he serving the interest of the country or just the interest of the yellow shirts? If he really serve the interest of that country then he should give the PM position to Thaksin because the majority of your people voted for him.
Thai, Cambodia, Thaksin exiled in Cambodia kicks up... what else the nation said find out now http://pressblock.blogspot.com/2009/11/exiled-thaksin-in-cambodia-kicks-up.html
Abhisit and Yellow Shirts are evils people, they had been abused their own people, Red Shirts, the YALA people in the Southern, there's will be no peace in Thailand until Red Shirts and Yala are free from the current Thai-Govt's abusive...!
Thailand wil have civil WAR!! if Abhisit Vejjajiva government don't step down soon...! you, Thais people better stop dragging cambodia into your games...!
we all know this!
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