Published: 23/11/2009
Bangkok Post
The lawyer for alleged Thai spy Sivarak Chutipong (pictured), arrested by Cambodian authorities on charges of illegally passing Thaksin Shinawatra's flight plan to the Thai embassy, filed a request for bail with a Phnom Penh court on Monday, Foreign minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said.
It usually takes a Cambodian court about 10 days to decide whether to grant a bail or not, he said, but would not predict when. or even if, the application would be approved.
Mr Chavanond said the decision rests entirely with the Cambodian court.
Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn's comment that Mr Sivarak could be granted bail in the next 10 days was just his personal opinion, he added.
Mr Sivarak's Cambodian lawyer, Kao Soupha, said the bail request was filed with the court on Monday morning. He has assured the court that Mr Sivarak would not return to Thailand before his trial.
According to Kao Soupha, Mr Sivarak had confessed to court officials that he had informed a Thai diplomat about Thaksin's flight details.
"Sivarak said he reported the information because the Thai diplomat asked him for it," he said.
Mr Sivarak gave the Thai diplomat the information after Thaksin's private jet landed in Phnom Penh two weeks ago, but had not known that Thaksin was aboard the plane, he added.
The lawyer said that his client said the information was not secret and was not stolen.
Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga said on Monday that the Thai government would seek the extradition of Mr Sivarak to serve out his punishment in Thailand if the Cambodian court finds him guilty,
But Mr Pirapan said he was certain that Mr Sivarak was innocent.
Justice deputy permanent secretary Thawee Sodsong and chief of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department Suwanna Suwanchuta would travel to Cambodia on Monday evening to visit Mr Sivarak, he said. The two senior officials would also request a meeting with the Cambodian justice minister to discuss the legal aspects of the case.
Mr Sivarak must receive fair treatment from Cambodian law, which must conform to international legal standards, he added.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was sure that Mr Sivarak's mother would be able to visit her son in prison this week.
He also said opposition Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's claim today that the Cambodian government had banned Thai fishermen from entering its territorial waters was incorrect.
"The Cambodian government is appointing a new governor of Kong Island, and this is causing a slight delay in issuing permits to Thai trawlers," Mr Abhisit said.
The closure had nothing to do with the current split in Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations, he said.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the Foreign Ministry, the Internal Security Operations Command and other relevant agencies had already looked into the matter.
The Kong Island governor's appointment must be finalised before permits can be issued again, Mr Panitan said.
"All sides, including the Thai navy, have affirmed that this is a transitional period and it will not last long," he said.
He said the government would see what it can do to speed up the process, but it would still have to wait until the governor's appointment was completed.
Asked if the government was concerned that Cambodia may extend the period beyond the norm, he said both sides still cooperated well on the operational level.
Different ministries from the two countries had been working together smoothly, he added.
He said officials from the foreign and justice ministries will travel to Phnom Penh in the next few days to look into ways to obtain the release of Mr Sivarak, an engineer employed by Cambodia Air Traffic Services - a subsidiary of the Thai-owned Samart Corp.
He said the Thai government would not comment on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's plan for his daughter to hold shares in Cambodia Traffic Air Services.
"Changes of shareholders are normal in all companies in every country, and the Thai government will not comment on Cambodia's internal affairs. This is not an important issue for us," he said.
He said the government hoped that the Cambodian government would continue to facilitate access by Thai companies and investors in Cambodia as usual, as these investments would bring progress and benefits to the people of Cambodia.
Navy chief Adm Khamthon Phumhiran reaffirmed that the ban on Thai fishermen in Cambodia's territorial waters at the moment was not abnormal, but occured because a new governor was in the process of being appointed to Kong Island.
"The Thai-Cambodian diplomatic dispute is not linked to the closure of Cambodia' maritime territory," Adm Khamthon said.
He expected the waters should be re-opened soon, after the governor's appointment was completed.
The lawyer for alleged Thai spy Sivarak Chutipong (pictured), arrested by Cambodian authorities on charges of illegally passing Thaksin Shinawatra's flight plan to the Thai embassy, filed a request for bail with a Phnom Penh court on Monday, Foreign minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said.
It usually takes a Cambodian court about 10 days to decide whether to grant a bail or not, he said, but would not predict when. or even if, the application would be approved.
Mr Chavanond said the decision rests entirely with the Cambodian court.
Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn's comment that Mr Sivarak could be granted bail in the next 10 days was just his personal opinion, he added.
Mr Sivarak's Cambodian lawyer, Kao Soupha, said the bail request was filed with the court on Monday morning. He has assured the court that Mr Sivarak would not return to Thailand before his trial.
According to Kao Soupha, Mr Sivarak had confessed to court officials that he had informed a Thai diplomat about Thaksin's flight details.
"Sivarak said he reported the information because the Thai diplomat asked him for it," he said.
Mr Sivarak gave the Thai diplomat the information after Thaksin's private jet landed in Phnom Penh two weeks ago, but had not known that Thaksin was aboard the plane, he added.
The lawyer said that his client said the information was not secret and was not stolen.
Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga said on Monday that the Thai government would seek the extradition of Mr Sivarak to serve out his punishment in Thailand if the Cambodian court finds him guilty,
But Mr Pirapan said he was certain that Mr Sivarak was innocent.
Justice deputy permanent secretary Thawee Sodsong and chief of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department Suwanna Suwanchuta would travel to Cambodia on Monday evening to visit Mr Sivarak, he said. The two senior officials would also request a meeting with the Cambodian justice minister to discuss the legal aspects of the case.
Mr Sivarak must receive fair treatment from Cambodian law, which must conform to international legal standards, he added.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was sure that Mr Sivarak's mother would be able to visit her son in prison this week.
He also said opposition Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's claim today that the Cambodian government had banned Thai fishermen from entering its territorial waters was incorrect.
"The Cambodian government is appointing a new governor of Kong Island, and this is causing a slight delay in issuing permits to Thai trawlers," Mr Abhisit said.
The closure had nothing to do with the current split in Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations, he said.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the Foreign Ministry, the Internal Security Operations Command and other relevant agencies had already looked into the matter.
The Kong Island governor's appointment must be finalised before permits can be issued again, Mr Panitan said.
"All sides, including the Thai navy, have affirmed that this is a transitional period and it will not last long," he said.
He said the government would see what it can do to speed up the process, but it would still have to wait until the governor's appointment was completed.
Asked if the government was concerned that Cambodia may extend the period beyond the norm, he said both sides still cooperated well on the operational level.
Different ministries from the two countries had been working together smoothly, he added.
He said officials from the foreign and justice ministries will travel to Phnom Penh in the next few days to look into ways to obtain the release of Mr Sivarak, an engineer employed by Cambodia Air Traffic Services - a subsidiary of the Thai-owned Samart Corp.
He said the Thai government would not comment on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's plan for his daughter to hold shares in Cambodia Traffic Air Services.
"Changes of shareholders are normal in all companies in every country, and the Thai government will not comment on Cambodia's internal affairs. This is not an important issue for us," he said.
He said the government hoped that the Cambodian government would continue to facilitate access by Thai companies and investors in Cambodia as usual, as these investments would bring progress and benefits to the people of Cambodia.
Navy chief Adm Khamthon Phumhiran reaffirmed that the ban on Thai fishermen in Cambodia's territorial waters at the moment was not abnormal, but occured because a new governor was in the process of being appointed to Kong Island.
"The Thai-Cambodian diplomatic dispute is not linked to the closure of Cambodia' maritime territory," Adm Khamthon said.
He expected the waters should be re-opened soon, after the governor's appointment was completed.
1 comment:
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