PM Abhisit: Thailand ready to help Thai jailed in Cambodia

9/12/2009

BANGKOK, Dec 9 (TNA) – Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday reaffirmed that his government is ready to continue to help the Thai engineer jailed in Cambodia and said the government was not worried that his family is seeking assistance from the opposition Puea Thai Party for a royal pardon.

Siwarak Chutipong, the Thai engineer, was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined Bt 100,000 (US$3,000) on spying charges in Cambodia.

Mr Abhisit said the government is ready to help if Mr Siwarak’s family needs any advice but that Mr Siwarak and his family must first decide if they will seek a royal pardon from the Khmer king or appeal the verdict.

The premier also said that Mr Siwarak had the right to ask the opposition party and the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for help if his family wanted to seek a royal pardon from Cambodia, and the Thai government is not concerned that the Puea Thai Party would use this issue against the Thai government.

“The government is not worried. We only want to see Mr Siwarak’s freedom,” the prime minister said.

Meanwhile, Puea Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said that his party’s legal team is now working out the matter after Mr Siwarak’s mother submitted a letter and urged two former Thai prime ministers--Thaksin Shinawatra and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh--to help secure her son’s release.

Mr Prompong also asked Kamrob Palawatwichai, first secretary of the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, to be responsible for what happened, after Mr Siwarak testified he was asked by the brother of his friend Mr Kamrob about Mr Thaksin’s flight schedule.

Meanwhile, Thaksin legal adviser Noppadon Pattama disclosed that he has already discussed with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An about the royal pardon to help Mr Siwarak. He said Mr Sok promised to work promptly on that.

The relations between Thailand and Cambodia were downgraded after Cambodia appointed Mr Thaksin as an economic adviser and refused to extradite him to Thailand, where the former premier was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for violating a conflict-of-interest law.

Mr Siwarak, employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was arrested by Cambodian police a month ago on charges of stealing information on the flight schedule of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin and passing it to a Thai diplomat in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian court said the flight schedule of Mr Thaksin was considered confidential and of state concern as Mr Thaksin was appointed an economic adviser of the Cambodian government by King Norodom Sihamoni. (TNA)