Prisoner exchange a possibility for spies

Prisoner exchange a possibility for spies
Cheang Sokha , Phnompenh post, December 30, 2011

Cambodia reiterated on Thursday that it cannot pardon convicted Thai spies Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, but simultaneously left the door open for a potential exchange of prisoners.

Speaking at a joint press conference after meeting with his Thai counterpart, Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said that Surapong has raised the issue of Veera and Ratree, asking if there was the potential for a reduction of their jail terms or a pardon.

“On the issue of pardon, Cambodia has a problem. It is the law that prisoners must serve at least two-thirds of their jail term before the King can give amnesty,” Hor Namhong told reporters. “But I told Surapong that if Thailand requests an exchange of prisoners in a package, then the government will consider.”

Veera, a leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, also known as the “Yellow Shirts”, and his secretary Ratree were arrested on December 29, 2010, along with five others after crossing the border into Banteay Meanchey province.

The pair are serving sentences of eight and six years , respectively, after being convicted of illegal entry, entering a restricted military base and espionage.

The subject of a potential exchange of prisoners was first broached on September 23 during a visit to Cambodia by Thai Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha. At the time, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that, in addition to Veera and Ratree, there were 37 other Thai prisoners in Cambodian jails.

In June 2009, during a visit by then-Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thai nationals Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading – who were serving life sentences on terrorism charges – were exchanged to serve their jail terms in Thailand.

Pov Bunthoeun, director of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Justice, could not be reached for comment yesterday. But Justice Ministry spokesman Sam Prachea Manith pointed out yesterday that Thai prisoners have previously been granted amnesty from the King, among them Sivarak Chutipong, engineer at Cambodia Air Traffic Services, who was arrested and sentenced to seven years in jail for leaking information regarding the flight schedule of former Thai Premier’s Thaksin Sinawatra visit to Cambodia.

“I have no details, but prev-iously there were some Thai prisoners that have been granted royal pardons,” he said.

“Some were also exchanged, but I don’t know the process.”

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, visiting research fellow at the Institute of SE Asian studies in Singapore, said via email that, while most Thais have already forgotten about Veera and Ratree, securing their release could score political points for the ruling Pheu Thai party.

“At the end of the day, helping rescue the two Yellow Shirts is like slapping the face of the Yellow Shirt opposition. The Pheu Thai can also claim that it no longer wants to take a revenge against its enemies (which I do not believe).”

Freedom chance for PAD activists

Freedom chance for PAD activists
Bangkok Post, December 30, 2011

Cambodia offers to exchange prisoners

PHNOM PENH : Cambodia has offered to exchange high-profile jailed Thai activists Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaibun with Cambodian prisoners in Thailand.

The offer was raised during talks between Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh yesterday.

Mr Surapong was on his two-day official visit to the Cambodian capital to prepare for the joint commission meeting to which Thailand will play host on Feb 29 and March 1.

During the joint press conference after a one-hour meeting, Hor Namhong said Mr Surapong raised the issue of the two Thai activists.

He said he told his Thai counterpart that Cambodian law requires prisoners to serve at least two-thirds of their jail term before a royal pardon could be requested.

"Cambodia will consider the Thai proposal [to give a royal pardon to both Thais] if Thailand will accept to exchange them with a group of Cambodian prisoners jailed in Thailand," Hor Namhong said.

Veera, a co-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), and Ratree, who is his secretary, have been in jail for one year.

The two were found guilty by a Cambodian court of espionage and illegal entry to Cambodia and were sentenced to eight and six years in jail respectively. The two were caught along with a group of Thai nationals while investigating a border dispute at the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo province.

Five others people were also arrested but later were released. They included former Democrat MP Panich Vikitseth and PAD activists Samdin Lertbutr and Tainae Mungmajon.

The other two Thais who were among the arrested were identified only as Uan and Sab.

Mr Surapong said Thailand has never exchanged prisoners with any Asean members before and if it was to do this, the Cambodian prisoners wishing to join the programme must express their intentions through the Thai government.

"We have to study the Thai law thoroughly and have to consult with related agencies whether we can do it," Mr Surapong said.

He said he had ordered the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh to study the details with Cambodia too.

Veera's mother Wilaiwan, 73, who travelled to Phnom Penh to attend the hearing of the Appeal Court on Wednesday and to visit her son, said she was concerned about the Cambodian proposal but was confident that the Thai government would find ways to help Veera and Ratree.

"After my son confirmed with the court that he and Ratree would not appeal, I think that Veera and Ratree might be free today and return to Thailand with me. I hope that Mr Surapong can ask for a royal pardon," Mrs Wilaiwan said.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry will resubmit the 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) to the cabinet after the New Year for consideration as to whether the revoked agreement with Cambodia is still needed.

Minister Surapong said the Legal and Treaties Affairs Department was collecting views from legal experts and academics who have brainstormed for ideas since November.

"If the cabinet agrees to bring back the 2001 MoU, I will ask for a negotiation framework from the parliament under Article 190 of the constitution. I will do everything transparently and openly," Mr Surapong said.

Former foreign minister Kasit Piromya revoked the 2001 MoU in 2009 after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his adviser.

The scrapping of the MoU has yet to take effect because Thailand has not officially informed Cambodia about it.

Hor Namhong told reporters that the MoU would pave the way for Cambodia and Thailand to resolve overlapped offshore border boundaries and could lead to the two nations enjoying the benefits of the natural resources in the maritime territory, which is rich with oil and natural gas.

"Cambodia does not want anything more than a fair share of its benefit from this agreement," Hor Namhong said.

"It's good news that Mr Surapong is also the chairman of a committee responsible for negotiating with Cambodia on the overlapped territory."

Cambodia, Thailand reach Preah Vihear deal , troops to be withdrawn

Cambodia, Thailand reach Preah Vihear deal , troops to be withdrawn
Bangkok Post, December 22, 2011

Thai and Cambodian military authorities have agreed to withdraw their troops from a provisional demilitarised zone near the Preah Vihear temple and let Indonesian observers supervise the area.

The agreement was made at the 8th meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) in Phnom Penh yesterday.

"Both sides will withdraw all troops from existing positions [in the demilitarised zone] simultaneously under the observation of Indonesian observers," they said in a joint statement after the meeting.

A military source said the Cambodian side asked its Thai counterpart to withdraw troops by Jan 20, but the Thai side refused to accept it.

Instead the Thai side proposed the setting up of a joint working group to discuss details of the troop withdrawal, and Cambodia agreed with it.

The source said border patrol police of the two countries will be deployed to replace troops in the 17.3 square kilometre demilitarised zone in accordance with the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional order.

The source said each country would deploy more than 1,000 border patrol police to replace the troops despite the fact they claimed earlier they would send about 400 border patrol police each.

Cambodia proposed that both countries immediately follow the provisional demilitarised zone order of the ICJ, welcome Indonesian observers and withdraw soldiers from the zone, of which 8.5 sq km is in Thailand and 8.8 sq km is in Cambodia, under the supervision of the observers.

The Thai side agreed with the proposal.

The agreement is just one crucial resolution bearing fruit at the GBC meeting, co-chaired by Thai Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh.

Gen Yutthasak said he will propose the result of the meeting to the cabinet for consideration next week.

He said the joint working group would meet in Bangkok next month to discuss details of the troop withdrawal, the deployment of observers and the relocation of Cambodian markets and communities from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda.

"We are not delaying the ICJ's order, in fact we are abiding by it," Gen Yutthasak said.

He insisted Thailand will not lose sovereignty and territory from any decision made at the GBC meeting.

He said Gen Tea Banh had also apologised to Thailand after Cambodian troops last week fired on an unarmed Thai helicopter along the Thai-Cambodian border near Trat province.

The ICJ made the provisional demilitarised zone order in response to Cambodia's request on April 28 for it to order Thailand to withdraw soldiers and stop all military activities around the Preah Vihear temple.

Among other resolutions, Thailand and Cambodia also agreed to promote peace and safety along their border and acknowledge that peace and safety are the key to their economic and social development.

They also agreed to support the work of their Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and use the GBC to promote marine security and suppress illicit businesses along their border.

They will join forces to suppress drug trafficking, the trade of ancient artifacts, vehicle theft, illegal logging and illegal immigration, to dispose of mines and promote public health along their shared border.

Another resolution is that Thailand will host the next GBC meeting with the schedule yet to be set.

Preah Vihear exit talks on agenda

Preah Vihear exit talks on agenda

Phnompenh post, Cheang Sokh, December19, 2011

HIGH-RANKING military officials from Cambodia and Thailand will discuss an International Court of Justice verdict ordering the withdrawal of troops from a demilitarised zone around Preah Vihear temple at a long-awaited meeting of the General Border Committee in the capital on Wednesday, officials said yesterday.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Chhum Socheat said officials would discuss bilateral cooperation on border security to fight terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking, as well as the ICJ verdict, at the GBC meeting.

A firm agenda would be set at the GBC’s secretariat meeting in Phnom Penh today, he said.

“The [GBC] meeting is to review the previous year’s cooperation between the two defence ministries,” Chhum Socheat said. “The troop withdrawal will also be discussed in order to comply with the ICJ order.”

The ICJ ruled on July 18 that troops from both countries stationed along the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple must withdraw from a newly established demilitarised zone around the temple and allow Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire.

Deadly border clashes in Preah Vihear province in February and Oddar Meanchey province in April left at least 28 people dead and thousands of families displaced.

The meeting of the GBC – which discusses issues related to the Thai-Cambodian border – was postponed after Thailand requested a delay in order to form its cabinet following national elections in July, and then because of flooding.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry yesterday denied allegations that Cambodian military officials deliberately shot a Thai military helicopter on Thursday, saying it was “a warning” after the helicopter tried to land in a prohibited zone in Koh Kong province.

“We strictly told them not to land, but they did not listen to us,” Chhum Socheat said.

“We deny information that we were shooting on purpose, as it would be a provocation to damage the good relationship between the two defence ministries.”

On Thursday, Cambodian soldiers along the border in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district fired more than 100 bullets at the helicopter after it reportedly violated Cambodian airspace, forcing the helicopter to land near the border in Thailand.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi could not be reached for comment.

The Bangkok Post reported yesterday that the Thai opposition Democrat Party lashed out at Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul for failing to lodge a protest with Cambodia after the shooting.

The Royal Thai Marine Corps protested against the shooting in a letter to the Cambodian 3rd military region chief, the Bangkok Post reported.

The newspaper also stated that, following the shooting, Thailand had closed Ban Tha Sen border crossing in Trat province adjoining Cambodia’s Pursat province.

Cambodian military commander at Koh Kong province, Yun Min, said the international gate remained open.

Gunfire hits Thai chopper

Gunfire hits Thai chopper
Cheang Sokha, The Phnompenh post, December 16, 2011

Cambodia military forces shot at a Thai military helicopter yesterday after it flew into Cambodian airspace in Koh Kong province.

Major General Dy Phen, chief of Cambodian-Thai border relations office, said the helicopter made an emergency landing after about 100 bullets were fired at it as it crossed markers in Koh Kong’s Mondul Seima district at about 1:30pm.

“They have abused the air territory of Cambodia, so we had to fire at them,” Dy Phen, who was recently promoted to the position of adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, said.

The rear of the helicopter was damaged and could not fly, so it landed at the border between Koh Kong and Pursat provinces, he said.

“If we flew into their territory, they would also shoot at us, but so far we have not received any reaction from Thailand.”

Dy Phen said he believed the encroachment was deliberate and related to Thai soldiers wanting to erect a Buddhist statue along the border so they could deploy their military officials in the area.

“They did it on purpose,” he said. “Our soldiers are now following the situation.”

Attempts to place statues along the border had been made in the past, but Cambodian soldiers had always removed them, he said.

A high-ranking military official in Koh Kong province also confirmed to the Post that they fired at the helicopter after it flew into Cambodian territory.

“They tried to land, but we did not allow it,” he said.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdee and Defence Ministry spokesman Thanatip Sawangsaeng could not be reached for comment, but a government source in Trat, Thailand, who did not wish to be named confirmed that a Thai military helicopter on a mission to supply a border post had suffered damage to its tail but had landed safely without anyone being injured.

At the Preah Vihear temple, on the border, Cambodian border-relations officials yesterday received a letter from their Thai counterparts saying Cambodian officials had brought a group of heritage experts to see the temple of Preah Vihear, damaged from shells during the clashes earlier this year, without prior permission, Chan Chhorn, official for the Preah Vihear National Authority, said.

Gunfire hits Thai chopper