04 Jan, 2011
BANGKOK, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Tuesday he would not deal directly with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen over the case of seven Thais, one of them a Democrat Member of Parliament, arrested for illegal entry into Cambodia last week.
Abhisit said he would let officials from both sides work on the case as he did not want to complicate the matter.
He said the incident did not affect the good bilateral relations enjoyed by both countries currently.
"Our goal is to help the Thais come back home as soon as possible, and (we)don't want to make the problem bigger," he said.
Seven Thais, among them Bangkok MP Panich Vikitsreth and Veera Somkwamkid, the leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) also known as the Yellow Shirts, were detained on Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities for illegal entry.
They were allegedly visiting Thai villagers near the Sa Kaew border but were reportedly detained opposite Cambodia's Banteay Meanchay area.
Abhisit, who is also leader of the Democrat Party, said he was aware of Panich's visit to the Thai side of the area as he was informed of the visit to the Thai side only.
Abhisit said he could not estimate the time frame for the legal process to take place in Cambodia against the seven Thais.
The Yellow Shirts have protested against the Abhisit administration in the past few months over the pending Thai-Cambodia border issue.
The Thai Patriot Network, a splinter group of the Yellow Shirts, held a peaceful rally at the Sa Kaew border today demanding the release of the seven Thais.
-- BERNAMA
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