Seven Thai men and their unnecessary provocation [-Thai ploy at work]

4/01/2011
By Veera Prateepchaikul
Bangkok Post

Democrat MP Panich Vikitsech and his six teamates only have themselves to be blamed for their foolhardy adverturism into Cambodian territory.

What would you do with Panich Vikitsech, Democrat MP for Bangkok, if you were the Democrat party leader?

My answer is that I would fire him as a party member for the simple reason that his mission to the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaew province purportedly to investigate a complaint by local villagers of intrusion into Thai territory by Cambodian forces was thoughtless or, in plain words, stupid. Not to mention the doubtful claim made by People’s Alliance for Democracy spokeskan Panthep Puapongpan who quoted Panich as telling another PAD member, Thepmontri Limpapayom, that the border inspection was organized at the order of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Was Mr Abhisit so innocent to endorse such a thoughtless mission by a Bangkok MP who is a total stranger to the territory in question that he had to seek help from PAD members? I doubt it. The prime minister has all the resources at his fingertip, for example the border patrol policemen and troops who have been deployed in the area who could pinpoint which territory belongs to who and which territory is still being disputed between Thailand and Cambodia.

Instead of seeking cooperation from the border patrol policemen who are faimiliar with the terrain who will serve as escorts, the innocent Democrat MP sought the company of Veera Somkwamkid, a core leader of the Thailand Patriot Network, a splinter faction of the PAD. It was not at all a wise choice given Mr Veera’s active role in organizing anti-Cambodian protests over the disputed area around the Preah Vihear ruins.

That the Democrat MP and his six teammates, including Veera, were arrested by Cambodian troops for intrusion into Cambodian territory was not all all surprising. They have defied warnings from border patrol policemen not to venture into the area in question. Worse still, the video clips posted on YouTube on Sunday showed that Mr Panich was well aware that he was on Cambodian territory.

As a matter of fact, the seven Thais should thank their lucky stars that they were arrested instead of getting killed or maimed by one of countless active landmines planted along the border by warring Camobodian factions and Thai troops during the decades-long war in Cambodia.

Nevertheless, their foolhardy adventurism has unnecessarily strained the relations between Thailand and Cambodia and has embarrassed the Abhisit government. Planned protest by the Thailand Patriot Network to force Phnom Penh to release the seven detained Thais will only worsen the situation and make it more difficult for any back-door diplomatic effort to secure the release of the detainees.

For the time being, Mr Panich and his seven teammates have to face the fate they deliberately chose from the beginning. They only have themselves to blame.