Friday, January 14, 2011

Two convicted Cambodians set free after illegally trespassing in Thailand


UBON RATCHATHANI, Jan 13 (MCOT online news) - Two Cambodians have been released after a Thai court sentenced them to two-year suspended jail terms for illegally trespassing into Thailand while they were collecting forest products.

Ubon Ratchathani Governor Prawat Ratirom accompanied two Cambodian villagers from Preah Vihear province to the Chong Sangam border crossing in Sisaket province to hand over the two Cambodian nationals to Preah Vihear deputy governor Sor Thavy who was waiting to receive them.

Both men were arrested by Thai soldiers as they collected forest products in the Phanom Dong Rak Mountain Range near Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province on Dec 29.

They were charged with illegally entering the Thai kingdom and were sentenced on Thursday to two months prison but the jail term was suspended and they were fined Bt2,500 each.


Mr Prawat said Preah Vihear Governor Oum Mara coordinated with him to help the two Cambodians.

They were set free as they did not intend to trespass into Thai territory but they became lost and their detention period exceeded the fine, according to the Thai governor.

Mr Prawat said the two Cambodian nationals were released to demonstrate Thailand’s sincerity and establish positive relations between Thai and Cambodian local authorities.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the release of the two Khmers has nothing to do with the Cambodian court agreeing to grant bail for two of seven Thais detained in Phnom Penh charged with trespass into Cambodia territory.

He said it was the co-incident not the exchange of prisoner deal between the two countries.

The Cambodian court on Thursda allowed Mr Panich Vikitsreth, MP for Bangkok and Naruemol Chitwaratana of the People’s Network Against Corruption and Santi Asoke networks, to be temporary freed under bail.

The seven were arrested Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities for illegal entry into Cambodia in Banteay Meanchey province and are now detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar Prison.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You will not able to separate us from each other for another generation.
The border only keep us from seeing each other, but not our Khmer feeling. To be born as Khmer is not easy, but we will late or soon be one.
Angkor Wat is the symbol of all generation of Khmer born around the world.

Anonymous said...

4:20PM, huh????? I read your comment like 5 times and can't understand what you're trying to say.hehehhe

Anonymous said...

Khmer now are not poor than Pol Pot time, stop act stupidity by going to Thailand and let them jail you 5 to 10 years, if you are not ashame yourself please do not ashame your nation.

I hate these people who have no sense of national resposibility, stop say because of poor, even lemon grass import from Thailand what the ... lazy you are! I stayed in Cambodia for 6 months and I plant lemon grass for my cousin and 6 month later I went back and I saw my lemon grass were all gone. Surround the house they do not bother to plant anything as they like to buy instead. In Israel they have 2 square meters of land they can feed their family easyly.

Anonymous said...

well, this is how it should be, not shooting and killing khmer civilians! after all, cambodia and thailand shared the same borders, you know! this is how we make friendship, not shooting and killing khmer civilians like some siem soldiers did. keep up the good work! it'll show, eventually. both country like to see more exchanges like this, ok! it's good for thailand to deal with illegal entry by law like this as cambodia always encourage thailand gov't to do all the time, not shooting and killing khmer civilian, ok!