It looks like Thai Muslim insurgents who are meddling in Cambodian affairs, not the other way around

Thai nationals Muhammad Yalaludin Mading (2nd R) and Abdul Azi Haji Chiming (R) are escorted by Cambodian police into the Supreme court in Phnom Penh on March 12, 2008. Cambodia's Supreme Court upheld life sentences for three Muslims convicted of plotting terror attacks against the British embassy and a United Nations agency in the capital Phnom Penh. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Islamic groups raise funds for teachers jailed in Cambodia

Tuesday June 17, 2008
MUHAMMAD AYUB PATHAN WAEDAO HARAI
Bangkok Post

Five Islamic groups have joined forces to raise funds for the families of two Islamic religious teachers sentenced to life in jail by a Cambodian court for involvement with the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Abdul-asi Hayijaoming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading were jailed in March by the Phnom Penh Supreme Court.

Anantachai Taipratarn, who heads a fund-raising panel, said the Council of Muslim Organisations, the Young Muslim Association, the Southern Cultural Foundation, the Community Development Foundation and the Muslim Lawyers Centre would hold a fund raising seminar at the Islamic Committee office in Yala on Saturday.

The meeting would discuss the JI problem and the legal battle in Cambodia. Participants would also hear from the two men's wives, A-isa Hayijaoming and Parida Mading.Abdul-asi from Narathiwat and Muhammad from Yala were sent to Cambodia in 1999 by the Yala-based Ammulguroh charitable foundation to teach religion in remote provinces.

The two were arrested in May 2003 for alleged involvement with JI, which was behind the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign vacationers.

The Cambodian court threw out the case in December 2003, but charged the couple the same day with attempted terrorist attacks on the US, British and Australian embassies in Phnom Penh.

The Supreme Court handed them both a life sentence in March.

Security volunteer Abroheng Joh-ngoh, 46, was arrested in Narathiwat yesterday for leaking intelligence to the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) militant group in Sungai Padi district.

During the search of a house belonging to Mr Abroheng's wife, authorities and reporters ducked for cover as four armed militants emerged and opened fire.

After a brief exchange of gunfire, the militants retreated to a paddy field at the back of the house, but ran into a back-up force which apprehended Nasueran Pi, 24. Mr Nasueran was on the authorities' list of militants and is a cousin of Mr Abroheng's wife.

Yesterday, Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont, the former prime minister, toured the Daruslam ponoh institute in Yala's Muang district which was chosen by the San Jai Thai Su Jai Tai (Uniting Thai Hearts for the South) project initiated by Privy Council President Gen Prem Tinsulanonda as a model ponoh school.

The Daruslam ponoh's students have been encouraged to contribute to school improvement by exercising their carpentry, painting and metal welding skills.

''The students have not only sharpened their skills, but showed the power of cooperation,'' Gen Surayud said.

The school, which has 295 students, was also selected under Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's project for improvement of academic standards and quality of life.

Courts Uphold Terrorism Verdict for 3 Men

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2008

The Supreme Court Wednesday upheld life sentences for three men found guilty of charges related to domestic terrorism.

Cambodian Sman Ismael and Thais Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading were sentenced in 2004 to life in prison by Phnom Penh Municipal Court for planning attacks on the several Western embassies.

The men were linked in court to Jemaah Islamiya, the reported Southeast Asian branch of al Qaeda, though human rights groups criticized the proceedings for a lack of transparency and evidence.

Supreme Court Judge Khem Pon, who presided over the five-judge court, said in his decision that the three men had conspired to terrorist acts and helped facilitate the preparation of terrorist attacks on US, British and Australian embassies in Phnom Penh.

"I think the Supreme Court has no justice, because there was no evidence and no witnesses against my clients," Kao Sopha, lawyer for the three men, said, adding that he would seek another way to free his clients.

"I am not a terrorist," Sman Ismael told reporters as he was moved from the courtroom into a prison van with the two other men. "I hope Prime Minister Hun Sen will help me, because I am a Cambodian national, and I only practice the Islamic religion. I have no intention to kill humans at all."

Cambodian Supreme Court upholds life sentence of 3 convicted terrorists

2008-03-12

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - One Cambodian and two Thai men lost their appeals against life prison sentences Wednesday after the Cambodia's Supreme Court upheld their terrorism convictions.

The Supreme Court's ruling was the last legal resort for Sman Ismael, a Cambodian Muslim, and Thai citizens Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading. All three were sentenced to life behind bars in December 2004.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court had convicted them of conspiring to commit terrorist acts by helping Hambali, one of Asia's top terrorist leaders, plan attacks on the U.S. and British embassies in Cambodia.

Announcing his ruling, Supreme Court Judge Khem Pon, who presided over a five-judge panel, said the three men «helped facilitate preparation for a terrorist attack» on the embassies.

He said the lower court had rightfully convicted them for «conspiring to commit attempted murder in a terrorist act.

Hambali, an Indonesian whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, reportedly spent several months in Cambodia in 2002.

He tried to use the country as a base from which to launch regional terror attacks, and is said to be a key leader of the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terror network.

Hambali was captured in Thailand in 2003 and later transferred to the U.S. jail at Guantanamo Bay.

Sman Ismael helped arrange a Cambodian visa for Hambali and organized his travels in the country, an Appeals Court judge said in 2006 in a ruling rejecting the trio's first appeal.

The two Thai nationals - Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading - bought telephones and made other arrangements for Hambali, according to the 2006 ruling.

Kao Soupha, the Cambodian lawyer representing the three men, on Wednesday called the final ruling «totally unjust,» saying the courts have shown «no evidence whatsoever» linking the men to the alleged terrorist plot.

He said he plans to seek clemency from Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni for his clients.

Terror Group Suspects Head to Supreme Court

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
22 February 2008

Three men allegedly linked to the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah will appeal life sentences in Cambodian Supreme Court next week, officials said.

The three suspects, Abdul Azi Jaiji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading, both from Thailand, and Cambodian Muslim Sman Esma El, were sentenced to life in prison for commission of acts of international terrorism and attempted murder in 2003.

Rights groups have said the men were sentenced following hasty court proceedings.

Kao Sopha, defense lawyer for the three men, said Friday he expected an overturned verdict when his appeal is heard by the Supreme Court Feb. 27.

"The Supreme Court has no proof to charge my clients," he said.

Jemaah Islamiyah was responsible for the Bali bombings in October 2002. The group's leader, Hambali, was arrested by Thai authorities in February 2004, after he reportedly stayed six months in Cambodia.

Remarks like salt in old wounds

Thu, June 14, 2007
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation (Thailand)

Comments on 'dangerous Cambodian Muslims' upset a sensitive neighbour

It is in the nature of Thai generals, notably those that have retired, to try to make themselves useful or significant, to try to say something out of nothing. Sometimes their empty speeches create complicated problems for the nation.

Retired general Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, a security adviser to Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, is one Thai general who fits the type. He suggested that Cambodian Muslims were part of the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which is supporting the insurgency in the deep South.

His statement prompted a strong reaction from Phnom Penh, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lashing out at the allegation, saying it was unacceptable. Hun Sen reminded the Thais that all people in power are the same: they love to find somebody to blame when they cannot find ways to solve a problem.

Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by Wattanachai's colleagues in the September coup, used to blame Malaysia for his failure to contain the violence. The general will remember when he was commander of the Third Army region, Thaksin shifted the blame to Burma for Thailand's failure to control narcotics along the border.

"Because of their own weakness, they are now finding others to blame," the Cambodian prime minister said in public on Monday. This was embarrassing for diplomat Surasak Suparat, the minister councillor at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, who was present when Hun Sen made the statement.

Hun Sen told Surasak to take note and convey the message to Bangkok, adding that he had reached the point when he could not tolerate such allegations anymore.

It was not the first time Gen Wattanachai has made the allegation, but this time Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong stressed to Surasak - who was summoned to the ministry - that the issue was serious. The Cambodian minister demanded that the Thai government provide sufficient evidence to support the allegation.

Instead of giving details to back his statement, Wattanachai - like a cheap politician - shifted the blame to the media, saying he had never made such a comment and his words might have been misinterpreted.

"No foreigners are involved in the situation in the deep South," he told reporters when asked to respond to Hun Sen's reaction.

It is not abnormal for Thai leaders to put their foot in their mouths when trying to get off the hook, but it is abnormal for a general to claim the media misquoted him on the same issue twice within a brief period of time.

In fact, Thai authorities have kept a suspicious eye on the movements of Cambodian Muslims for a long time. Thai Immigration officials were instructed to block, or at least obstruct, Cambodian Muslims at the Poi Pet checkpoint into Thailand. Belongings have been searched and items such as medicines confiscated. In one case, monosodium glutamate was seized. Thai officials believe the southern militants use MSG to heal wounds.

Cambodia is home to some 200,000 Muslims, mostly ethnic Cham in Kompong Cham province. The Cham adopted Islam when the Champa kingdom traded with seafaring Persian merchants around the ninth century. When Vietnam defeated the Champa kingdom in the 14th century, the Cham population fled to Cambodia and assimilated with ethnic Malays who had made earlier contact with the Khmer kingdom. The Cham have spoken a Malay dialect since then. Many of them study Islam in Pattani.

Cambodian Muslims are no strangers to the deep South, as thousands of them have worked in the Pattani fisheries, as well as studied Islam there. But Thai security officials have been paranoid about them since the eruption of violence in the South at the beginning of 2004.

The root of this Thai paranoia lies in a Cambodian raid on a Saudi-financed school on the outskirts of Phnom Penh in 2003. The school was deemed a security threat and Phnom Penh expelled 28 foreign religious teachers and arrested three other teachers including two Thai Muslims.

Muhammad Yalaluding and Abdul Azi Haji Chiming, both from Yala province, received life sentences in December 2004 after being found guilty of helping JI plot a terrorist attack in Cambodia. They were arrested in the raid in May 2003 along with Egyptian, Esam Mohammed Khidr Ali, who was acquitted of the same charge due to lack of evidence.

However, the Cambodian allegation was not convincing. The raid on the school was staged for the then US secretary of state, Colin Powell, who was in Phnom Penh for an Asean meeting. There was no evidence to prove that Cambodian Muslims were a threat to any country. There was no record of their involvement in any violence.

Wattanachai's allegation has already put Thailand at risk of dispute with Cambodia. Diplomatic fallout with Phnom Penh is no fun at all: a single intentional or unintentional insult could cause chaos. The 2003 anti-Thai riot in Phnom Penh was a good example of that - and the lessons from it haven't been learned.

SRP MP opposes Thailand accusations

11 June 2007
By Khim Sarang
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

One SRP MP supported the reaction of Prime Minister Hun Sen opposing the accusations made against Cambodian Muslims for their (alleged) involvements with JI terrorists in southern Thailand.

In a statement dated 11 June, MP Ahmed Yahya said that Cambodian Muslims are traveling across Thailand to look for work in Malaysia only. He said that the majority of them returned back to Cambodia by plane, whereas a number of others travel by land across Thailand without proper documents.

Recently, General Sothornchai, the commander of Thailand’s special border unit, reported that statistics of the Thai ministry of foreign affairs show that, since 2005, almost 20,000 Cambodian Muslims legally crossed the border into Thailand at Sakeo border gate, and they continued on to southern Thailand. Among those, only 10% returned back to Cambodia.

Wattanachai changes his tune one more time: denies he linked Khmer Muslims to insurgency in the south

June 12, 2007
Gen Wattanachai denies he linked Khmer Muslims to insurgency in the south

The Nation (Thailand)

PM's security affairs advisor Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong denied saying that some Cambodian Muslims were involving in the insurgency in the deep south of Thailand.

He insisted that no foreign network or persons involved in the violence in the southern provinces of Thailand.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday issued an angry denial that Cambodian Muslims involved in the insurgency in the south.

"Because of their own weakness, they are now finding others to blame,'' he said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a bridge over the Tonle Sap river.

Some news reports said retired Gen Wattanachai said some Khmer Muslims were part of terror network that actively worked in the south.

Wattanachai on Tuesday said that he never said so.

"What I said is that there are a large number of Cambodian Muslims entering Thailand but they disappeared. We have to find out where they are," he said.

He said he issued a clarification on the matter and asked Thai Foreign Ministry to send it to the Cambodian side.

Shortly after Hun Sen's speech Monday, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong summoned Thai Ambassador to Cambodia Surasak Suparat, the Thai Embassy official, to formally convey the Cambodian government's reaction to the Thai government.

Transcript of Hun Sen's speech regarding Thailand's accusation of JI link

Translated from Khmer and posted online

On 11 June, Cambodian Government-run Phnom Penh Television Kampuchea in Cambodian at 0542 GMT carried a 90-minute recorded report, following its midday newscast, on Prime Minister Hun Sen presiding over a ceremony to open a site for the construction of the 975-meter Prek Kdam bridge, with loan from the Chinese Government, on the morning of 11 June. The Chinese Ambassador was also present at the event.

In his 80-minute speech, commenting on "accusations made by a Thai army general against the Cambodian Muslims," Hun Sen said, "Today, as Cambodia's prime minister, I wish to comment on some irresponsible remarks made by the Thai military spokesman. And I hope that the Thai Prime Minister, His Excellency Surayud [Chulanont], would correct the spokesman, because it is too severe for the Cambodian Muslim compatriots, who are accused of being the base for the JI [Jemaah Islamiyah] terrorists in Asia and traveling to the upper part of Thailand to join the separatist movement in the southern region of Thailand."

Hun Sen then recalled the "grenade explosions in Bangkok" on 31 December last year, and he said he thought that it was "because of the incompetence of the Thai security [forces], then blame was laid on Cambodia instead. Should it be a shame that the Thai authorities, with enormous military and police forces, allowed grenades to be shipped hundreds of kilometers from Cambodia to Bangkok? I think that they should not comment on such a story, because they debased their competent authorities outright and paint colors on other people. They were so weak. For instance, if the bombs were really taken from Cambodia, the Thai competent authorities were too weak, allowing the grenades to be shipped hundreds of kilometers from Cambodia to Thailand, to Bangkok. As such, the military and police authorities of Thailand are so incompetent." "And then a few months later," Hun Sen added, "they said they did not have concrete evidence. If you did not have evidence, why did you claim that the grenades were sent from Cambodia?"

On the accusations against Cambodian Muslims, Hun Sen said they had long existed, but he had "not thought that Cambodia was even accused of being a training base for the JI group." He added he felt hurt with the "blame laid on the Cambodian Muslim compatriots, who want just to live in peace and enjoy benefits like the other people." Now they were "accused being terrorists. It is too severe. It is very severe."

Hun Sen also recalled that last year, he told a Thai military general of the Thaksin government directly that the "Muslim compatriots in Cambodia were not that stupid to the point that they went and served as mercenaries for the separatist in south Thailand. I wish to ask: only confronting with the Thai Muslim compatriots is still not enough for the Thai Government. Why does it also need to confront with the Muslims in Cambodia at present?"

Hun Sen said, "Today, I wish to clearly spell out our positions."

1. Cambodia "respects Thailand's independence and sovereignty. In the past, Thailand had its own problems that were its internal affairs. The [words indistinct] and the coup d'etat in Bangkok were all of the internal aspects."

Elaborating on the position, Hun Sen said he had told Thai Prime Minister Surayud during his recent visit to Cambodia after the military coup that Thailand's decisions were its own affairs. And recently, he added, the Thai "Constitutional Court dissolved the Thai Rak Thai Party led by Thaksin and imposed a ban on politicians, Cambodia did comment that it was a violation of democratic rights or something."

2. Cambodia wishes to "appeal to the Thai Government or to the Thai military leadership not to internationalize Thailand's internal affairs through painting colors on other people, including Cambodia. They are asked not to internationalize its internal affairs."

3. If they have something that needs to be resolved, Cambodia is "already prepared to negotiate at all levels, including the prime ministerial level, the foreign ministerial level, the defense ministerial level, or the interior ministerial level and to hold constructive talks to look for preventive measures. I wish to make it clear that in Cambodia, if there certainly have been JI terrorists, they would not have been allowed to go to Thailand, Cambodia would have routed them in the country outright. It is because the question regarding terrorists is not a separate issue of Thailand, but a problem of Cambodia too." Hun Sen warned against the Thai army general "using such language on the pages of newspapers."

Hun Sen asked all the Muslim people in Cambodia "not to worry," and he said, "The Royal Government will always be with you." [applause] "Any unjust accusations are unacceptable." He added that he, as the head of the Royal Government of Cambodia [RGC], wished to "appeal to the Thai side to calm down and understand that Cambodia is not a safe haven for anybody to attack Thailand." He also said, "If there certainly be JI terrorists in Cambodia, they did not need to go to Bangkok, they would be attacked here outright." "They [Thais] were weak," he remarked, "but they put the blame on other people."

Hun Sen said, "I hope that Bangkok would understand this situation" and that if need be, Cambodia could also "contribute to the process of seeking peace for Thailand." "If division had gone up to that level," he added, "Cambodia can also be the meeting venues for solving Thailand's problems." He also said there was "no problem between Cambodia and Thailand. Talks can be held everywhere" and that the two countries could "cooperate to fight terrorists both in Thailand and Cambodia. Anywhere, terrorism is not a separate issue of anyone. It is a common issue of everybody." He further said that Cambodia, albeit poor, were not "willing to serve as mercenaries in Thailand" and that Cambodia "only sent troops to Sudan" under the UN supervision and that it would "not allow anybody [in Cambodia] to send forces to serve as troops in foreign countries."

Hun Sen then asked the Muslim people in Cambodia "not to be afraid that the government suspected them of anything," and he again called on Thailand "not to internationalize its internal problems, linking them to the Muslim compatriots here," which was "not the RGC's political line."

Hun Sen said the remarks by the Thai army general had affected the "two countries' good relations" and that what was worst was that Cambodia was accused of being a "safe haven for terrorists and fraught with JI elements." However, he added, the remarks were "not from Prime Minister Surayud, but from the spokesman. And I hope that Prime Minister Surayud would instruct the spokesman to rectify his comments."

Before concluding comments on the remarks by the Thai army general, Hun Sen repeated that he "hoped Thailand would not internationalize its internal affairs, linking them to the Muslims in Cambodia" and that if need be, "Cambodia would host talks" in either Kaoh Kong, Phnom Penh, or Siemreab. Hun Sen emphatically said, "I firmly believe that Thailand is intelligent enough to solve its internal problems in which Cambodia has never interfered, but it is asked not to implicate Cambodia through making unfounded and baseless accusations. I appeal to all our people to continue strengthening solidarity with Thailand. The problem concerns only the Thai spokesman. It is not a conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. It is only with the spokesman."

Cambodia summons Thai diplomats over JI links

Thai's Minister Counsellor Surasak Suparat (L) speaks to journalists after meeting Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong (not in picture) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh June 11, 2007. REUTERS/Stringer

11 June 2007
AFP

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's foreign minister summoned Thai diplomats on Monday to reject claims by a Thai general that Cambodian Muslims had links to the regional extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

"This is an accusation that the Cambodian government cannot accept," Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters after the meeting.

"There is no JI group in Cambodia. Cambodian Muslims support the government," he said.

General Watanachai Chaimuanwong, a senior security adviser to the Thai prime minister, said on Saturday that a group of Cambodian Muslims with links to JI had entered the country.

He accused them of plotting to stage attacks in support of a separatist insurgency in Thailand's deep south.

Watanachai had made similar allegations last month, but later backed down after the remarks drew outrage from Cambodia.

Hor Namhong said he had asked Thailand to provide proof to back up the claims.

Thailand's charge d'affaires in Phnom Penh, Surasak Suparat, told reporters he would convey the message to his government, but added that he had no proof to support the alleged link to JI.

"Actually, we don't have evidence. We don't have any evidence that Cambodian Muslims did that," Surasak said.

The Islamic insurgency along Thailand's southern border with Malaysia has escalated sharply since the military seized power in Bangkok in September last year.

More than 2,200 people have been killed in the three southern provinces since January 2004.

The Thai government has previously denied the insurgents are receiving any assistance from overseas groups, insisting it was an internal problem.

Hor Namhong summons Thai diplomats over JI link accusation

11/06/2007
Cambodia's FM denies Thai claims of links to terrorism

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Cambodia's foreign minister has summoned Thai diplomats asking them to reject claims by a Thai general that Cambodian Muslims have links to the regional extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong says it is an accusation the Cambodian government cannot accept.

He says there is no JI group in Cambodia and that Cambodian muslims support the government.

A senior security adviser to the Thai prime minister says a group of Cambodian muslims with links to JI are in the country.

He accuses them of plotting to stage attacks in support of an Islamic separatist insurgency in southern Thailand.

Cambodia to call in Thai ambassador over terrorism allegations

Monday, June 11, 2007

"The Thai military and police are weak" - Hun Sen's biting remark from the safety of Phnom Penh. Thai army crosses the white border zone with impunity, and no Hun Sen army was ever able to stop them.

Phnom Penh (dpa) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday angrily dismissed reported comments by a top Thai aide that Cambodian Muslims had been involved in terrorist activities, ordering his Foreign Ministry to carpet the Thai ambassador over the claims.

In a speech broadcast on national media, Hun Sen assured Cambodia's minority ethnic Muslim population that the government would stand firmly behind it and dismissed the claims as having no basis in fact.

His retort followed a report Saturday in the Bangkok Post quoting General Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, a close aide to Thai Prime Minister Surayad Chulanont, as saying the Cambodian Muslims had infiltrated Thailand's restive south and were involved in terrorist activities there.

The report quoted the general as linking some Cambodian Muslims to the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terrorist group. The story was widely picked up by Cambodian media.

"Please do not make your [Thai] internal problems international ones by painting this colour on Cambodian Muslims," Hun Sen said at a groundbreaking ceremony just outside the capital.

He demanded that Surayad correct his aide's allegation and said he had ordered the Cambodian Foreign Ministry to summon the Thai ambassador to explain the matter.

"The Thai military and police are weak," Hun Sen charged. "I am disappointed on behalf of Cambodia when they mistakenly accuse Cambodian Muslims of this. They are good people. Cambodian Muslims are not stupid like this to work as soldiers."

During the speech, Hun Sen pondered aloud whether Thailand "did not think it had enough trouble with its own Muslims" and perhaps wanted to add to its problems by insulting more Muslims in the region.

"All Cambodian Muslims, do not worry," he said. "The government will stay with you on behalf of all your compatriots, even though you are a different religion."

He said the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok would also request the Thai government provide evidence for the allegations and pledged to cooperate with the Thai government at all levels if it could prove there was a basis for the claims.

Wattanachai has previously made the same allegations, but backed down on similar claims last month. Thai authorities were also reported as claiming that deadly New Year's bomb attacks in Bangkok had been fuelled by materials provided from Cambodia, but those claims, too, were never proven.

Cambodia, like neighbouring Thailand, is a majority Buddhist country, with far less than 5 per cent of its population identifying itself as ethnic Cambodian Cham Muslims.

Although there have been allegations of infiltration of some Cham communities by more radical Islamic elements from overseas in the past, at present the Cham live peacefully within the Cambodian community.

Share With Us Info On Southern Terrorists, Indonesia Tells Thais

"Even though I do not know where they are, I can say Cambodians with alleged JI (Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group) links are now in the southern part of Thailand" - Watanachai Chaimuanwong, advisor to Thailand's Prime Minister

BANGKOK, June 11 (Bernama) -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Hassan Wirajuda said his country is looking forward to share information and intelligence with Thailand on the alleged involvement of its citizen in the Southern Thai insurgency.

He said both countries were working closely on counter-terrorism and law enforcement aspects, adding that a high level committee met in Chiang Mai recently to increase cooperation in defence and security.

"This is part of the ongoing cooperation...exchanging of information and intelligence is among the important elements. We welcome information that Thailand want to share with us," he said after the Sixth Joint Commission meeting between Thailand and Indonesia, here Monday.

Thailand was represented by its Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram.

Dr Hassan said this when asked to comment on a statement made by an advisor to the Thai Prime Minister, Watanachai Chaimuanwong that extremists from Indonesia and Cambodia were training insurgents in the Muslim-majority southern provinces where more than 2,300 people have died in the unrest since January 2004.

Citing intelligence reports, Wattanachai had also claimed that Cambodian Muslims entered the country legally enroute to finding work in Malaysia but there was no record of them leaving the Kingdom.

"Even though I do not know where they are, I can say Cambodians with alleged JI (Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group) links are now in the southern part of Thailand," Bangkok Post had quoted Watanachai as saying.

Dr Hassan said Indonesia, with the region's biggest Muslim population, would continue to work with Thai authorities in finding peaceful solution to the southern conflict.

The Thai Army had also said recently that they suspected Indonesian terrrorists of training southern militants in view of the increase in the number of beheadings of Buddhists.

On bilaterial ties between the two countries, he said trade between them had risen from US$5.6 billion in 2005 to US$6.7 billion last year, which exceeded the level of intra-Asean trade by about 14 percent.

He said both countries also agreed to carry out joint initiatives to promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture, science and technology, environment, education, transportation, energy and mining.

Cambodian PM lashes out at Thai for comments about terrorist link

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen talks at a ceremony to inaugurate construction of a Chinese-funded bridge at Prek Kdam village, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 11, 2007. Hun Sen on Monday angrily called as 'irresponsible and unacceptable' recent comments by a Thai army general accusing Cambodian Muslims of being linked to the regional Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group and joining insurgents in southern Thailand. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Monday, June 11, 2007
The Associated Press

PREK KDAM, Cambodia: Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday angrily denied reported comments by a retired Thai general that some Cambodian Muslims were fanning an Islamic insurgency in southern Thailand.

Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have been seized by a separatist rebellion that has led to more than 2,300 deaths in the past three years. The three provinces form the only Muslim-dominated area in the Buddhist-majority country.

Retired Gen. Wattanachai Chaimuenwong — now a security affairs adviser to Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont — reportedly said Friday that some Cambodian Muslims were part of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terror network and had been involved in the insurgency in southern Thailand.

He called for increased intelligence cooperation between the two countries to try to stop the alleged infiltration, the Bangkok Post reported at the weekend.

On Monday, Hun Sen denied Cambodians were linked to terrorism and accused Thailand of trying to blame its own problems on other countries.

"The comments exposed the weakness of Thailand in dealing with its own domestic problems," Hun Sen said at a ground breaking ceremony for a Chinese-funded bridge over the Tonle Sap river, 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Phnom Penh. He appeared to speak directly to a Thai embassy official at the ceremony.

"Now it is sad that Cambodian Muslims are being suspected of being terrorists. This is very grave. Cambodia is not a sanctuary for launching any attacks on Thailand," he said.

Wattanachai, when contacted by phone Tuesday, defended his comments that some Muslims in Cambodia were linked to the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI.

"The Cambodian government cannot deny that there are JI networks in their country, because Cambodian authorities have recently arrested JI members in Batambang," he told The Associated Press.

"But I never said that Cambodian Muslims are linked to JI here, I merely said that thousands of Cambodians, up to seven or eight thousand, have departed Cambodia to go to work in Malaysia. But they disappear (in the south of Thailand) and never return home. I merely suspect that these Cambodians are linked to JI," Wattanachai said.

Hun Sen's inauguration of the Prek Kdam bridge construction and his indignation over Thailand's accusation of JI link

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, greets students at a ceremony to inaugurate construction of a Chinese-funded bridge at Prek Kdam village, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen talks at a ceremony to inaugurate construction of a Chinese-funded bridge at Prek Kdam village, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 11, 2007. Hun Sen on Monday angrily called as 'irresponsible and unacceptable' recent comments by a Thai army general accusing Cambodian Muslims of being linked to the regional Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group and joining insurgents in southern Thailand. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, talks with Surasak Suparat, left, a senior Thai embassy official, at a ceremony to inaugurate construction of a Chinese-funded bridge at Prek Kdam village, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Thailand accuses Cambodians of JI link, and Khmer Muslims of joining Thai insurgents in the South

Saturday June 09, 2007
Cambodians in JI terror link

Khmer Muslims 'join insurgents in South'

WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

A close aide to the prime minister has linked a group of Cambodian Muslims entering the country to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group, saying this underlines the need for bilateral intelligence cooperation between Thailand and its neighbour. Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, an adviser on security affairs, said many have joined the Gurakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani insurgent group.

Besides, he said there were frequent arrests of terror suspects in Cambodia.

Citing intelligence reports, Gen Wattanachai said numerous Cambodian Muslims have recently arrived in Thailand legally en route to finding jobs in Malaysia. However, there is no record of their departure from Thailand.

''We do not know exactly where they end up. Some go to religious schools and pursue religious studies in the deep South. They are believed to be scattered in ponoh schools,'' he said.

The Cambodian authorities are aware of JI movements in their country as there were frequent arrests of Cambodians with alleged terrorist links.

He raised the case of Hambali who was captured in Ayutthaya and was deported, saying the man was reportedly in Cambodia before his arrest.

However, he said Thai authorities failed to monitor the activities of those with JI links after Hambali's deportation.

''Even though I do not know where they are, I can say Cambodians with alleged JI links are now in the southern part of Thailand,'' he said.

Gen Wattanachai called on the government to cooperate in intelligence work with Phnom Penh in the fight against terrorism.

''We'd better cooperate in terms of intelligence because this [influx of Cambodians] is linked to the southern separatist insurgency,'' he said.

According to the former Third Army commander, many countries in Southeast Asia are under threat from JI.

In Burma, the group is slipping in Rohinya Muslim boat people while a relative of Sapae-ing Basor, one of the most wanted suspects, is setting up a network in Laos, he said.

Gen Wattanachai said the Surayud government is losing the fight against southern violence which could end up with part of the kingdom being lost.

''Our strategy is failing. If things go on like this, the international community will step in. And we will be like Aceh,'' he said.

He noted that there was not much progress on the planned dialogue with key leaders of insurgent groups.

He said that the United Nations had asked to look after children left orphaned by the southern insurgency through the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The request was turned down.

The Chanthaburi-Trat Task Force, which is in charge of the Thai-Cambodian border, is keeping a close watch on the movement of Cambodian immigrants, said local border sources.

It has found out that a key leader who stays in Pattaya has received large donations from the Middle East to fund the construction of Muslim communities and mosques.

According to sources, 8,488 Cambodian Muslim people entered the country through Poi Pet-Klong Luek checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province in 2005 and only 586 returned to Cambodia.

Last year, 7,270 entered the country and only 698 returned. Over the past five months, 2,790 arrived in Sa Kaeo and only 266 went back to their home country.

According to the sources, they told immigration authorities they were on their way to find jobs in Malaysia. The immigrants chartered passenger vans to take them to the deep South, which cost them about 1,000 baht per head.

Authorities have asked the van operators to help keep track of the passengers' movements and report if they cross the border to Malaysia.

A van driver said some of the passengers got off in Pattani planning to join fishing vessels as crew and the rest continued to a checkpoint in Sungai Kolok.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh has followed standard procedures in screening visa applicants.

He said the ministry must consult with security agencies if visa regulations are to be tightened. He said the ministry is verifying information about the arrival of Cambodians in Thailand.

Thai embassy in Cambodia ordered to tighten visa screening

May 18, 2007

The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh has been instructed to tighten screening of applicants for visa to Thailand, a deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

Piriya Khempol, the deputy spokesman, was quoted by Thai news group The Nation as saying that the embassy was instructed to take the action after Gen Watanachai Chaimuanwong, an adviser to the prime minister on security affairs, voiced concern that international terrorists could try to sneak into Thailand from Cambodia and Indonesia.

Watanachai said the international terrorists, who are members of Jemaah Islamiyah Group.

Apart from the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, other embassies in other countries were also ordered to tighten the screening of visa applications, Piriya said.

He said the embassies have an online network to cross-check the applicants' name with the blacklists of the Immigration Bureau and other security agencies.

Source: Xinhua