10/01/2011
Pradit Ruangdit
Bangkok Post
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday continued to insist the seven Thais held in Phnom Penh on charges of trespassing on Cambodian soil "meant no harm", as the Foreign Ministry prepares to seek bail for them today.
Mr Abhisit said during his weekly television broadcast that the group had not intentionally trespassed on Cambodian territory.
They had had no intention to commit any offence nor to steal anything from Cambodia.
The seven detained Thais include Panich Vikitsreth, a Democrat MP for Bangkok, Veera Somkwamkid, coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network, a People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) splinter group; and representatives of the Santi Asoke sect, the PAD's key ally.
They were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec29 near Nong Jan village in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district.
A Phnom Penh court charged them with illegal entry and trespass into a Cambodian military area.
The prime minister said that at the time of their arrest, the seven were looking into complaints lodged by Thai citizens living along the Thai-Cambodian border.
The residents said they could not make use of their land within the disputed border area despite holding land title deeds to prove they owned it.
It was unfortunate that they strayed away from the areas they had intended to inspect before they were detained by Cambodian troops, he said.
The government was duty-bound to secure their release as soon as possible and it will also ensure they are well treated while in detention.
Mr Abhisit said the government would do all it could to ensure the incident does not affect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"I'd like all fellow Thais to give moral support to the seven Thais who had meant no harm, and to support efforts to bring them home safely."
The director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Information Department, Thani Thongpakdi, said the ministry had asked Karun Sai-ngam and Natthaporn Toprayoon, representatives of the Thai Patriots Network, to meet two lawyers to discuss ways to provide legal assistance to the seven at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. The lawyers have been hired to represent the detainees.
Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister, said the ministry would seek bail for the seven today.
The PAD has called on the government to issue an ultimatum to Cambodia to free the seven Thais unconditionally.
The PAD insisted the group had not trespassed on Cambodian territory, but were on Thai soil when they inspected the border area. It called on Mr Abhisit to reject any guilty verdict by the Phnom Penh court.
The alliance also slammed Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon for accusing the group of trespassing Cambodian soil.
Meanwhile, 27 villagers from Ban Non Mak Mun in Sa Kaeo's Khok Sung district yesterday appeared at Government House to hand a petition to the prime minister asking him to address the alleged encroachment on their farmland by Cambodian troops.
Group leader Pornpol Akeatthaporn said the villagers had brought land title deeds as evidence to back their calls for government help. He said about 2,000 rai of farmland belonging to the villagers had been encroached upon by Cambodian soldiers since 1975.
3 comments:
Rainsy he kick Veit away durring thai waging war, good boy that the thai said!Hunsen is Khmer, kem sokha is khmer, Sam riansy hu not khmer he is chines why you fight against your own peolpe. reunited, if rainsy he got talent why not help now why wait, he want power first then he help khmer later why he do so, Sam rainsy just nobody, we have thousand Khmer people got PHD much better, better and better than Sam rainsy. Anyway Sam rainsy have no leadership skile he was very weak you now know it right?. do you absulutely understand how mess SRP was, Sam rainsy always street wilds beast act to divide us Khmer you know that. Mike
The Cambodian troops should have shot to killed some and arrested the rest. According to Kasit Crossing the line is not a serious crime but the Thai every day kill Cambodian people crossing the line! Next time please kill some and arrest all and then negotiate later.
what is abishit talking about, they had no intention to steal from cambodia? the pad thugs leader did it twice already, the third time he was captured! how stupid they were to deny like this. is abishit and his administration support the illegal activity of the pad thugs and their 7 illegals? go figure! and the fact that their evil soldiers kept shooting and using violence on khmer civilians did not help their situation with cambodia, really! if siem soldier did not wan to use law with khmer civilians, why should cambodia use law with their tresspassers as well? i told them already, what goes arounds comes around, you know! the seven illegasl should rot in prey sar prison, all we care, really!
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