Kasit defends ministry, Kamrob

16/12/2009
Bangkok Post

Mr Kamrob only performed his duty by trying to get information on Thaksin's whereabouts and report it to the Foreign Ministry, so that it could coordinate with the Office of the Attorney-General to seek the extradition of the fugitive former prime minister, Mr Kasit said in his statement.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Wednesday issued a statement defending the role of the Foreign Ministry and Kamrob Palawatwichai, first secretary to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, in the events surrounding Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong.

Mr Kasit said the Foreign Ministry congratulates Mr Sivarak and his family on his being granted a royal pardon after being convicted on spy charges for supplying information on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule to the Thai government.

He said the ministry had never accused Mr Sivarak or his family of staging the case. The ministry and its officials knew well that Mr Sivarak was in trouble and entitled to assistance and had done what it could to help him.

The minister denied he had ordered Mr Kamrob to use Mr Sivarak as a tool for spying or to do anything else beyond the duty of a diplomat.

Mr Kamrob only performed his duty by trying to get information on Thaksin's whereabouts and report it to the Foreign Ministry, so that it could coordinate with the Office of the Attorney-General to seek the extradition of the fugitive former prime minister, Mr Kasit said in his statement.

On a call for Mr Kamrob to clarify his role, Mr Kasit said it was not the Foreign Ministry's usual practice to let its officials explain their work to the public.

He said both Mr Sivarak and Mr Kamrob were innocent people who happened to become political victims.

Mr Kamrob is sorry for what happened to Mr Sivarak and believes in his innocence, Mr Kasit said.

He said the Foreign Ministry is firm to its opinion that the ongoing problems between Thailand and Cambodia stemmed from the fact that the Cambodian leader opted to interfere in the internal affairs of Thailand and to look down on the Thai judicial process.

The chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, Puea Thai MP Torpong Chaiyasarn, said the committee will invite Mr Sivarak to testify about what happened.

Mr Kasit and Mr Kamrob were invited to testify before the committee today, but did not appear.

The Foreign Ministry instead sent Isorn Pokmontree, an ambassador attached to the ministry, and Mathurospotjana Ithirong, deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, to the meeting.

Mr Torpong said Mr Kasit should show respect for the House of Representatives because all of its committees are the people's representatives.