By Sirivush Toomgum
The Nation
Samart president Watchai Vilailuck is seeking the government's help now that Cambodia has decided to take temporary control of his firm's subsidiary, Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS).
In a phone interview, he said the company was gathering facts on the move and has been coordinating with influential figures in the Thai government. It is also asking the Cambodian government for help.
Though CATS is still in operation, none of its nine or 10 Thai employees is allowed on the premises.
"The company's office was set ablaze once in 2003. We don't know what will happen this time. Cambodia has said this is temporary, but they have not set a specific period. We need to continue negotiating and the Thai government must help restore the confidence of Thai businessmen overseas. I don't know how we can be political victims, when we have insisted all along that we have nothing to do with politics," he said.
Watchai also flatly denied that Samart might have set up the whole arrest and commotion to please former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"We're just investors and have never been involved in politics. We'll never have our firm - a listed one - get involved in politics. What benefit will we get from doing something that might severely affect our business? We have already informed the Thai government that we're being affected by politics. We're the victims here, it's not our fault," he added.
He said his firm had already tried to set up a meeting with high-ranking Cambodian government officials to clarify that it had nothing to do with the case of Siwarak Chotipong, but it has yet to be granted permission to meet them. Siwarak was arrested for allegedly providing the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh with details of Thaksin's itinerary.
CATS is protected by the Thailand-Cambodia investment-protection agreement, he said, adding that the Cambodian government could not terminate the concession as long as CATS does not violate the concession contract. Samart has already hired an international-law expert to look into the matter.
He added that he had no idea how long the problem would last, and that the company was waiting to see how the Thai government proceeded.
The Cambodian government has appointed a senior civil aviation official as a temporary caretaker to oversee the operations to ensure uninterrupted services over Cambodian air space.
CATS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samart, providing air-traffic control services with a 32-year concession under a build, co-operate and transfer model with Cambodia.
Samart is 18.96 per cent owned by Axiata Group, a large Malaysian Telecom Group.
In a phone interview, he said the company was gathering facts on the move and has been coordinating with influential figures in the Thai government. It is also asking the Cambodian government for help.
Though CATS is still in operation, none of its nine or 10 Thai employees is allowed on the premises.
"The company's office was set ablaze once in 2003. We don't know what will happen this time. Cambodia has said this is temporary, but they have not set a specific period. We need to continue negotiating and the Thai government must help restore the confidence of Thai businessmen overseas. I don't know how we can be political victims, when we have insisted all along that we have nothing to do with politics," he said.
Watchai also flatly denied that Samart might have set up the whole arrest and commotion to please former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"We're just investors and have never been involved in politics. We'll never have our firm - a listed one - get involved in politics. What benefit will we get from doing something that might severely affect our business? We have already informed the Thai government that we're being affected by politics. We're the victims here, it's not our fault," he added.
He said his firm had already tried to set up a meeting with high-ranking Cambodian government officials to clarify that it had nothing to do with the case of Siwarak Chotipong, but it has yet to be granted permission to meet them. Siwarak was arrested for allegedly providing the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh with details of Thaksin's itinerary.
CATS is protected by the Thailand-Cambodia investment-protection agreement, he said, adding that the Cambodian government could not terminate the concession as long as CATS does not violate the concession contract. Samart has already hired an international-law expert to look into the matter.
He added that he had no idea how long the problem would last, and that the company was waiting to see how the Thai government proceeded.
The Cambodian government has appointed a senior civil aviation official as a temporary caretaker to oversee the operations to ensure uninterrupted services over Cambodian air space.
CATS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samart, providing air-traffic control services with a 32-year concession under a build, co-operate and transfer model with Cambodia.
Samart is 18.96 per cent owned by Axiata Group, a large Malaysian Telecom Group.
6 comments:
Cambodia must kept up a strong stance against Thailand, don't play soft and kissing their ass anymore...
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over eighty members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
AH SIAM MUST DIE DIE DIE!!!!!
I want my Khmer boy life back!!!!!!
When you invest with the illegal regime, you must pay the price. Samart should take Ah Hun Kwak to international court because he broke the contract. This stupid guy doesn't know how the business works. Some people are dummy enough to say "He is a good leader of Khmer nation". They must be blind or Kwak like him.
I am a member of an opposition party in the National Assembly. I wonder why Sam Rainsy usually watch out only eastern border? By contrast himself and his owner party never raised about border dispute between Cambodia and western country? Not only this they have closely relationship with and strongly support Thai Yellow. We have never seen a small piece of letter or a word to condomn Thai Yellow whose ruling party has been established by Coup Detat, Abused International Convention and Cambodia Territory. If Sam Rainsy is nationalist, WHY HE DO LIKE THIS ? who SRP's supporter can clear ? I am waiting for your reply.
ANY of u think u can run the country better come out n play, stop being a coward behind ur PC. see what the real world looks like u idiots
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