Thai, Cambodian foreign ministers to discuss options to help free jailed Thai activists

Nov 29, 2011

BANGKOK -- Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong Tovichakchaikul on Monday said he would meet his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong soon to discuss bilateral issues and options to help free two Thai activists detained in Phnom Penh for espionage.

The Thai foreign minister said that the bilateral issues to be raised to discuss with Hor Namhong, who is also Cambodia’s deputy prime minister, would cover the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Commission (JC) on the Bilateral Cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia.

Mr Surapong said they would also discuss solutions to help the two Thai activists--Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary Ratree Pipattanapaiboon—detained in Cambodia.

A Cambodian court on Feb 1 ruled that Mr Veera, coordinator of Thailand's Patriots Network and Ms Ratree were guilty of espionage, illegal entry, and trespassing on a military zone.

Mr Veera was sentenced to eight years in jail while Ms Ratree was handed a six-year jail term. Their petitions seeking a royal pardon were rejected as the Cambodian government asserted the two must serve two-thirds of their jail terms first.

Mr Surapong said the Cambodian Interior Ministry has also given permission to a Thai medical doctor to visit Mr Veera to treat his congenital rheumatoid condition.

He said on Nov 15, Mr Veera's mother asked for the ministry's help to coordinate with Cambodia to allow a Thai physician to administer a medical checkup for Mr Veera as his condition had worsened.

It was expected that the physician will travel to Cambodia to treat Mr Veera at Pray Sar Prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

Mr Surapong said that the ministry's permanent secretary Theerakun Niyom would meet Defence Minister Gen Yutthasak Sasiprapa to discuss the measures to comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s decision.

The court on July 18 ordered Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw their troops from the newly defined demilitarised zone in a disputed portion of their border around the historic Preah Vihear temple while urging both countries to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to allow the regional bloc's observers to enter the disputed zone. (MCOT online news)