Thai five bail appeal hearing Tuesday

17 Jan, 2011
Source: Bangkok Post

The Appeals Court of Cambodia is expected to decide on Tuesday whether to grant bail to five Thais denied bail by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court last week.

Pon Savath, chief clerk of the Appeal Court, said the five would be taken from Prey Sar prison to the court tomorrow when the appeal would be examined.

The court was expected to decide immediately after the examination whether to allow their release on bail.

If they were again denied bail, the five could appeal to the Supreme Court in 15 days, he said.

The five are Veera Somkwamkid, a coordinator of the yellow-shirt Thai Patriots Network, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, Mr Veera's secretary, Samdin Lertbutr and Tainae Mungmajon of the Santi Asoke sect, and Kitchaponthorn Chusanasevi.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court last Thursday granted bail to the other two Thais arrested on the border - Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and Narumol Chitvarattana - for health reasons.

The seven Thais were apprehended by Cambodian soldiers on Dec 29 on charges of illegal entry and intruding on a military zone. Mr Veera and Ms Ratree were later additionally charged with spying.

Thani Thongphakdi, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Information Department, said Mr Veera had asked the Thai embassy to provide him with a new interpreter.

He said the embassy was willing to comply with Mr Veera's request, but the final decision rests with the Lawyers Association of Cambodia.

A case of this type was normally concluded within six months, Mr Thani said.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, insisted that the Thai government had tried to help all seven Thais in trouble.

Mr Kasit, who is attending the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Indonesia, would discuss the matter with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, he said.

Nathaporn Toprayoon, a legal adviser of the TPN, said Prey Sar prison had allowed friends and relatives of the five Thais still in detention to visit them on Wednesday.

A proposal would be submitted to appoint a new lawyer to represent Mr Veera and Ms Ratree. New evidence and a translation of Mr Veera's statement in three languages - Cambodian, Thai, and English - would also be submitted to the court, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban today criticised the TPN’s move to petition His Majesty the King, accusing the government of mismanaging the border demarcation issue with Cambodia, saying it is inappropriate.

Mr Suthep said the network’s claim that Prime Minister Abhisit had conspired with Cambodia on the issue of border demarcation, leading to loss of national sovereignty, was totally unjust.

The network, a splinter group of the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), has threatened to begin a campaign to gather signatures to petition the King against the government's alleged failure in its management of border issues with Cambodia, including the recent arrest of seven Thais.

Mr Suthep insisted no one in the government had been involved in the arrest of the seven Thais.

He admitted the government has been under pressure during its two years in office. It had tried its best to solve the problems. However, it could not pay heed to all demands by pressure groups, he said.

Mr Chaiwat Sinsuwong, a core member of the network, said that his group would petition the King tomorrow.

He blasted Mr Suthep for his remarks, saying the deputy minister had no right to make any comment that infringes upon the monarch’s authority.