Thursday, December 10, 2009

Democrats criticise Sivarak's mum

10/12/2009
Bangkok Post

Democrat Party spokesman Thepthai Senpong said on Thursday he was surprised that Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, the mother of convicted spy Sivarak Chutipong, would seek a royal pardon for her son through the Puea Thai Party.

Sivarak, an employee of Cambodian Air Traffic Service (CATS), was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined 10 million riel (about 82,500 baht) by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday for supplying information about former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flights to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

After the verdict was announced, Mrs Simarak turned to opposition Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh for help.

"I'm surprised by Mrs Simarak's decision to help her son without asking for the Foreign Ministry's assistance, because this is not in line with international practice," Mr Thepthai said.

"I wonder if Thaksin [Shinawatra], Puea Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen have more prominent roles than the Cambodian king," he said.

On the red-shirts' anti-government gathering around the Democracy Monument today, he said the Democrat Party was concerned about the possibility of violence."The Democrats believe the majority of the people are not happy with the red-shirt rally," he said.

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