[Thai] PM urges Cambodia to apply international practice on 'spy case'

BANGKOK, Nov 16 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urged his Cambodian counterpart Prime Minister Hun Sen to apply international practice in dealing with the Thai engineer who was detained in Phnom Penh on charges of spying, but has so far brushed aside an offer by convicted ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra to help release the engineer.

Mr Abhisit said that until now there was no clarification from Phnom Penh on the fate of 31-year-old Siwarak Chothipong who was arrested last week and accused of giving Mr Thaksin’s flight schedule to the first secretary at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

He said Cambodia has not given permission to Thai officials to visit Mr Siwarak and there was no clear information that what specific charges have been made.

As for the report that Noppadon Pattama, a legal adviser to the fugitive ex-premier, saying that Mr Thaksin offered to help gain Mr Siwarak’s release from the Cambodian authorities if asked by the government, Mr Abhisit said that Mr Thaksin was the cause of the problem, and declined the offer. Why was it, he wondered, why Mr Thaksin did not consider the national interest in the first place but chose to create trouble.

Mr Abhisit added that there was no necessary to telephone Mr Hun Sen for talks over the matter, but he would like to urge the Cambodian leader to apply international practice such as giving permission to visit the detained engineer.

The Cabinet will evaluate Thailand’s economic cooperation projects with Cambodia, he said, at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, as proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because the country may now be at a disadvantage as ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra in now economic adviser to the Cambodian government.

Mr Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the media that the ministry had sent letter to Cambodia requesting evidence that led to the arrest of Mr Siwalak under Vienna convention.

He said that Mr Chalothorn Phaowibul, charge d'affaires at the Thai Embassy in Phhom Penh, had contacted the Cambodian Department of Consular Affairs to ask for permission to meet Mr Siwarak.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya had discussed with Mr Abhisit finding a way to return him to Thailand as soon as possible, he said.
However, Thai government did not give any deadline, he said.

Mr Kasit said the Thai government would do it best to help Mr Siwalak and that he had tried to contact the Cambodian authorities and to telephone Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, now in Italy, to discuss the matter.

As for the news report that Cambodia had allowed a Thai official to visit Mr Siwalk, Mr Kasit said that he was waiting for confirmation from Cambodia.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency quoted Cambodia’s foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong as saying that the Cambodian government had agreed to allow a Thai diplomat to visit Mr Siwalak at 2 pm in the prison where he is being temporarily detained.

Meanwhile Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, mother of the Thai engineer said her son was definitely not a spy.

Mrs Simarak said she was very worried after learning that her son was detained as he suffers from asthma and sinusitis and needs regular medications. She was afraid that her son may die as his father did if he did not access to the medicine.

She also asked the government to help secure her son's release as soon as possible.

Mrs Simarak said she was very close to his son and could confirm that he was not spy and was uninterested in politics.

She said her son had just returned to Cambodia to work on November 9 and received his call that he was safely in Phnom Penh. On November 13 his son’s friend called, reporting that he was detained.