PHNOM PENH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Police Authority has arrested a Thai engineer for allegedly spying for Thailand and sent him to court, police official said on Friday.
"We have already sent him to court and the court will deal with this issue," Kieth Chantharith, spokesman for Cambodia National Police Authority told Xinhua. But he did not elaborate in details about these issues.
The Thai man named Siwarak Chothipong in Khmer, 31, worked as engineer in CATS, was arrested on Wednesday according to the arrest warrant of prosecutor of Phnom Penh Municipality Court, the Khmer language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea reported.
He spied through copying the letters of flights of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen from CATS - Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co Ltd which has duties to control all flights in country...and he sent those reports to Thailand, the newspaper said.
"We decided to charge this Thai citizen and his subordinates of doing things which affected the public security of the country," Sok Roeurn, prosecutor of Phnom Penh court was quoted as saying.
Relations between the two neighboring countries were further strained recently after Cambodia named Thaksin as its economic adviser on Nov. 4. Thailand recalled its ambassador on Nov. 5, and Cambodia followed suit.
Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged massive corruption and other charges. His supporters say he should be pardoned and returned to power. Since the coup, Thaksin has lived abroad to escape a corruption conviction and two-year prison sentence.
Thaksin arrived here on Tuesday. After his arrival, Thai government asked Cambodia for "provisional arrest for the purpose of extradition of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but was turned down by the Cambodian government saying it 'considers the prosecution and legal process against Thaksin Shinawatra a politically motivated proceeding.'"
"We have already sent him to court and the court will deal with this issue," Kieth Chantharith, spokesman for Cambodia National Police Authority told Xinhua. But he did not elaborate in details about these issues.
The Thai man named Siwarak Chothipong in Khmer, 31, worked as engineer in CATS, was arrested on Wednesday according to the arrest warrant of prosecutor of Phnom Penh Municipality Court, the Khmer language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea reported.
He spied through copying the letters of flights of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen from CATS - Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co Ltd which has duties to control all flights in country...and he sent those reports to Thailand, the newspaper said.
"We decided to charge this Thai citizen and his subordinates of doing things which affected the public security of the country," Sok Roeurn, prosecutor of Phnom Penh court was quoted as saying.
Relations between the two neighboring countries were further strained recently after Cambodia named Thaksin as its economic adviser on Nov. 4. Thailand recalled its ambassador on Nov. 5, and Cambodia followed suit.
Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged massive corruption and other charges. His supporters say he should be pardoned and returned to power. Since the coup, Thaksin has lived abroad to escape a corruption conviction and two-year prison sentence.
Thaksin arrived here on Tuesday. After his arrival, Thai government asked Cambodia for "provisional arrest for the purpose of extradition of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but was turned down by the Cambodian government saying it 'considers the prosecution and legal process against Thaksin Shinawatra a politically motivated proceeding.'"
4 comments:
Good! The Khmer government should arrest the Viet. spies too. Oh may be it's not neccessary because Cambodia is also part of Vietnam.
What do you expect?. The Cambodian Government contract the services of Air Traffic controller to the Thai Company and then expect the Thai not to spy for their Gov't? Who else in the world could be so dumb?. The Air traffic Controller is a National security of the Country; No country in the world that I am aware of have done such a thing like Cambodia. This is a Greedy of the Cambodian leader without reguard to their own Country's security. Long Beach Khmer
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, this is double standard. You wants Cambodia to extradite Thaksin to thailand and where as you would not extradited a Russian to the U.S. Read below article for those who have missed this news in last August.
August 12, 2009
Thailand Blocks Extradition of an Arms Dealing Suspect
By THOMAS FULLER
BANGKOK — A Thai court stunned American officials here on Tuesday by rejecting the extradition of Viktor Bout, a Russian businessman who is accused of global arms trafficking.
The United States says Mr. Bout agreed to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to agents posing as Colombian rebels intending to kill American pilots patrolling in the drug war.
A three-judge panel said that the case did not fall under Thailand’s extradition treaty with the United States for two main reasons. One, the country recognizes the rebels — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC — as a political organization, not a terrorist group. Two, on the charge that Mr. Bout was conspiring to kill American citizens, one of the judges, Jitakorn Patanasiri, said, “A Thai court cannot judge a case regarding aliens killing aliens outside of Thailand.”
Thai government prosecutors, acting as proxies for their American counterparts, immediately said they would appeal. Mr. Bout would be freed only if an appeal was not filed within 72 hours.
James Entwistle, a diplomat in the United States Embassy in Bangkok, said he was “disappointed and mystified” by the decision. “We think the facts of the case, our extradition treaty and the relevant Thai law all clearly support extraditing Viktor Bout to the United States to stand trial on serious terrorism charges.”
Mr. Bout has denied any links to arms trafficking and told the judge during the proceedings earlier this year that he was being held in “extremely inhumane” conditions. He has argued that the undercover agents violated Thai law by apprehending him before calling the Thai police and carrying firearms in violation of Thai law.
After the ruling was read, Mr. Bout, 42, hugged his wife, and shook hands with his two lawyers. But he said little to reporters in the courtroom. “I’m not allowed to say anything,” he said.
Wearing a soiled prison uniform and leg irons that clanked across the courtroom floor, Mr. Bout hardly fit his accuser’s portrayal of him as one of the world’s most notorious weapons traffickers — or the Nicolas Cage character he supposedly inspired in the 2005 film “Lord of War.”
According to legal papers, Mr. Bout told undercover agents for the Drug Enforcement Administration that he could deliver 700 to 800 surface-to-air missiles, 5,000 AK-47 assault weapons, millions of rounds of ammunition, land mines, C-4 explosives and unmanned aerial vehicles, and that the weapons would be airdropped into the jungles of Colombia “with great accuracy.”
Thai officials say they have come under pressure from Russia, which has asked for custody of Mr. Bout, and the United States over the case. Judge Jitakorn prefaced the reading of the decision with what sounded like an apology: “Today there must be someone happy and someone sad.” The reading took so long — more than an hour — that Judge Jitakorn gestured to Mr. Bout to sit down halfway through.
hey, what is this viet/siem thing in cambodia? look, cambodia do not have to cater to neither siem or youn, really!
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