Thai PM says Cambodian spy escapes

BANGKOK, June 16 (MCOT online news) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday said he has received a report that a Cambodian spy has escaped and that the incident confirmed that Thailand did not fabricate the spy case.

Three suspects on spying charges --Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese nationals-- were arrested in Si Sa Ket's Kantaralak district on suspicion of spying on Thai military facilities.

Mr Abhisit said he could confirm that the one who has escaped was a Cambodian military officer but his rank remains unknown.

He also denied Cambodia's accusation that Thailand fabricated the spy case, saying the country did not arrest innocent people as the investigation found evidence that implicated them.

Thailand will in consequence present the information to the international community, the prime minister said.

Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai, Ung Kimtai, a 43-year-old Cambodian and Nguyen Tengyang, 37, a Vietnamese, were arrested ten days ago at a Thai border village in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket for alleged spying on Thai military facilities and bunkers built to shelter Thai villagers in the event of cross-border attacks or shelling.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said in its statement released Friday that it "categorically rejects this deceitful fabrication by the Thai authorities and prime minister, intending to mislead the public and malign Cambodia", adding it had no need to spy on Thailand.

"The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to assert that the above fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression against Cambodia," the Agence France Press news agency quoted the statement as saying.