Bangkok Post
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has defended the role of the Foreign Ministry and Kamrob Palawatwichai, first secretary to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, in the events surrounding Thai 'spy' Sivarak Chutipong.
In a written statement issued on Wednesday, Mr Kasit said the Foreign Ministry congratulated Mr Sivarak and his family on his being granted a royal pardon after being convicted of espionage for supplying information on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule to the Thai government.
He said the ministry had never accused Mr Sivarak or his family of staging the case. The ministry and its officials knew well that Mr Sivarak was in trouble and entitled to assistance and had done what they could to help him.
The minister denied he had ordered Mr Kamrob to use Mr Sivarak as a tool for spying, or to do anything else beyond the duty of a diplomat.
Mr Kamrob only performed his duty by trying to get information on Thaksin's whereabouts and report it to the Foreign Ministry, so that it could coordinate with the Office of the Attorney-General to seek the extradition of the fugitive former prime minister, Mr Kasit said in his statement.
Mr Sivarak has called for Mr Kamrob to publicly explain his role, but Mr Kasit said it was not the Foreign Ministry's usual practice to require its officials to explain their work to the public.
He said both Mr Sivarak and Mr Kamrob were innocent people who happened to become political victims.
Mr Kamrob was sorry for what happened to Mr Sivarak and believed in his innocence, Mr Kasit said.
He said the Foreign Ministry was firm to its opinion that the diplomatic problems between Thailand and Cambodia stemmed from the fact that the Cambodian leader opted to interfere in the internal affairs of Thailand and to look down on the Thai judicial process.
The chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, Puea Thai MP Torpong Chaiyasarn, said the committee would invite Mr Sivarak to testify about what happened.
Mr Kasit and Mr Kamrob were invited to testify before the commiittee today, but did not appear.
The Foreign Ministry instead sent Isorn Pokmontree, an ambassador attached to the ministry, and Mathurospotjana Ithirong, deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, to the meeting.
Mr Torpong said later that Mr Kasit should show more respect for the House of Representatives, because all of its committees represent the people.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said thisafternoon that he does not believe the Sivarak case was a political gambit.
No one would want to be drawn into such an incident, he said.
"I believe no one would want to experience what Mr Sivarak has been through, and I don't believe anyone was involved," Mr Abhisit told reporters.
"From what I've seen Mr Sivarak did his job, and I believe the [Thaksin's] flight schedule was not confidential."
He believed the Cambodian court punished Mr Sivarak because his action "could have posed a threat to Thaksin".
Mr Abhisit also said that Mr Sivarak had the legal right to file charges against the Foreign Ministry and related officials, but he believed that they would be able to clarify the issue.
On Mr Sivarak's claim that the Cambodian government had tapped his phone when he spoke to Mr Kamrob, Mr Abhisit said the Cambodian government itself must clarify this issue. If it was true, it reflects badly on the Hun Sen government itself.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said relations between Bangkok and Phnom Penh would never improve as long as Thaksin remains in the post of economic adviser to the Cambodian government.
Mr Suthep refused to comment on whether Thaksin and the Puea Thai Party were behind Mr Sivarak's intention to sue the Foreign Ministry over his arrest and conviction and eventual pardon for spying.
He said he did not want to see conflict between the government and the people.
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