06 Apr, 2011
Cambodian government has rejected Thai's demand to ask King Norodom Sihamoni to grant a royal pardon to the two high-profile "Yellow-shirt" activists jailed in Cambodia for espionage, said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Wednesday.
"According to Cambodian law, whoever with the conviction of crime, he/she has to server two-thirds of jail term before being considered for royal pardon," Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, told reporters on Wednesday at Phnom Penh International Airport before leaving for border meetings with Thailand in Indonesia.
"So they (the two Thais) have not met the qualification for royal amnesty," he added.
Thai ambassador to Cambodia Prasas Prasasvinitchai submitted an official letter to Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 16, asking for a royal pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni for the two Thais.
The two Thai prisoners are Veera Somkwamkid, one of the leaders of the People's Network against Corruption and a high- profile activist in the Thailand Patriot Network, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon. Now they are being detained at Prey Sar prison, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court, on Feb. 1, convicted Veera and Ratree of illegal entry, unlawful entry into military base and espionage and sentenced them to eight years and six years in jail respectively.
The two Thais are among the seven Thais, included a Democrat Member of Parliament for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth, who were arrested on Dec. 29 last year for illegal entry into Cambodia.
The other five Thais were given a suspended sentence of none months and fined 250 U.S. dollars each on Jan. 21 for illegal entry and unlawful entry into military base and they were released to home the following day.
Source: Xinhua
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