Who you are matters when in trouble

10/01/2011
Saritdet Marukatat
Bangkok Post

In principle, everybody is equally protected by the government when a citizen gets into trouble in another country. In reality, however, it depends on the basic fact of whether you are somebody or a nobody. What happened to the two cases involving Cambodia perfectly substantiates this theory.

The government has launched diplomatic moves to bring back Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, the People's Alliance for Democracy's leading figure Veera Somkwamkid, and five other Thais from Cambodia as soon as possible. Those seven face a charge of illegal entry and another charge of sneaking into the border area of a neighbouring country controlled by its army. Since those seven stepped beyond Thai soil in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo and into Cambodia on Dec 29, Bangkok has deployed much effort to secure their release from detention at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was quickly dispatched to the Cambodian capital to talk with leaders in Phnom Penh in a bid to help them. The cabinet put this issue on its agenda at last Tuesday's meeting and top security officials were summoned to talk with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his cabinet members at Government House.

The PAD and its ally, the Thai Patriots Network, mobilised supporters to put pressure on the Thai government and also on Cambodia in order to get the men back to their homeland.

Even the opposition Puea Thai joined the hype by offering the government the use of its close contacts between de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, to help secure the men's release. Of course, this politically motivated offer was turned down by the government because the coalition administration saw through the ploy.

If only the government had done the same for Sanong Wongcharoen, Ling Pongpet and Laen Sapsri, these three Thai citizens might have been released from Cambodian jail earlier. The problem for the three was, simply: Mr Sanong who? Mr Ling who? And Mr Laen who? Their names did not ring any bells when they were arrested by Cambodian security authorities last August. They had trespassed into Khmer territory while scouring for wild fruits in the border forest. They were kept behind bars in Siem Reap before the Cambodian court handed down a jail term of 18 months for "spying" early last month. But at least they were lucky to receive a royal pardon and were sent back home as a goodwill gesture marking six decades of relations between the two countries.

The arrest of Mr Sanong, Mr Ling and Mr Laen did not receive wide media attention because they were ordinary Thai citizens living in the border area. There were no urgent high-level meetings between Thai and Cambodian ministers to help them out. In fact, any help in the wake of their detention came largely from Thai provincial officials who tried in vain to convince leaders of the Cambodian province of Siem Reap to free the trio as they had no intention of stepping into Cambodia from Thailand, that it was all an unfortunate mistake.

Today, attention will be focused on Phnom Penh Municipal Court, where a verdict is expected after the court examined all seven in a long session last Thursday, followed by the long weekend there to celebrate Cambodia's National Day. Their maximum sentence would be 18 months, and it is up to the judges to decide. The Thai government wants them to win the case and at least expects them to be granted a royal pardon if they are found guilty - in another show of goodwill for Thai-Cambodian ties.

But the government, the PAD and its network should not get mad at Cambodia if things don't turn out as expected.

PM Abhisit, Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban and FM Kasit were once angry at the United States' attempted interference in the Thai judiciary system, when the US urged the Thai court to make a quick decision on handing over alleged Russian arms trader Viktor Bout to US authorities in order to have him put on trial in New York. Now Thailand should apply the same courtesy in the matter of the seven arrested Thais, by showing respect for Phnom Penh's judicial process.

Saritdet Marukatat is Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.